The perils of talking to your children about the Tower

[Rider_of_Discordia]

My daughter has recently got into Stephen King, she got Carrie out of the school library and finished it in a day. She then made the mistake of saying "You like Stephen King, don't you, dad?" ... and was then taken to the holy bookcase (which has recently overspilled thanks to Blaze and Duma Key!) and shown "the collection" ... naturally one of her questions was then "Which is your favourite book?" ... "These seven... are really one book, well, actually all of them are part of these seven and these seven are as one..." and felt the problem followers of the Man Jesus have explaining the concept of the trinity.

Well she naturally began nagging me which was my favourite of the seven ... and that just led to more problems. She also began nagging what was in the story. Claiming that she didn't think she would ever read something so long.. blah blah blah. I held out for a while, but being a soft dad (most dads find it hard not to give in to unreasonable demands from their daughters!) I eventually gave in and sketched out the plot to THE GUNSLINGER.

Unfortunately this just made her want to know what happened THE DRAWING OF THE THREE .... and over the course of a weekend she managed to get the basic plot of the first six books, The Low Men in the Yellow Coats and Salem's Lot (Naturally) out of me! I held out on The Dark Tower for a lot longer ... (about another 20 minutes...) and then told her ... upto the CODA and Rowland reaching the tower. She wouldn't let it go, she had to know what was in the Tower. Vague protests of "Read the books, please read the books!" were ignored and she nagged the final secret of the book. Once she learned of the cycle of the story, Rowland returning to the beginning of the story and chasing the man in black, she got to thinking.

"What would Rowland do going through the story again... change things and do things differently?"

"Well, yes, you get the feeling that he is changing some actions on each 'do over' of the quest ... and maybe the next journey to the Tower would be his last."

"Wouldn't it be cool if Stephen King did a special edition of the books that follow the next journey? ... Using most of the text from original books, but making little changes here and there, adding in chapters, altering stuff..."

"Yahhhh, but it is never going to happen..."

"Yeah, but it would be cool ... and Rowland might be able to save more of the Ka-Tet this time around.... Father Callahan might not die in the Dixie Pig etc..."

What an intoxicating concept ... what would the final redemptive journey to the Tower be like? Naturally Rowland doesn't retain memory from previous cycles, but we are assuming that Ka is served by him doing things for his final redemption. He wouldn't drop Jake in the Gunslinger ... and that would straight away be a major impact on the other books. With Jake and Rowland reaching the Western Sea, there is a good chance that Rowland wouldn't give up those fingers to the Lobstrosities ... naturally choices would begin to snowball effects up the line.

Has anyone else dwelt on this concept, and wondered what Rowland's next journey to the Tower would be like? For example: Good chance that Mordred wouldn't have survived Suzannah's gun during his birth pangs ... which means that Rowland may have faced Walter on his journey? ... mmmmm gets you wondering doesn't it?

[ManOfWesternesse]

...Has anyone else dwelt on this concept.........

Yes, I think i've seen it mentioned.
Well. ok - I could put it stronger than that...:evil:
Or in other words, Yes.

You should find plenty of threads around here which, one way or another, wonder about Rowland's next cycle.

[Letti]

Rider_of_Discordia, how old is your daughter? Try to make her read the series. :)

Anyway we have tons of threads about the end of the series, you should check them out. :)
You can find them here: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/forumdisplay.php?f=36 - it's the DT7 section.
Hope you will enjoy it.

[Letti]

I will edit the title of this thread: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=2827 it has an interesting question but the title of the thread is not exact enough. Let me know if you disagree.

[Rider_of_Discordia]

Thanks for the feedback. I guessed that this topic would have/might have been explored in detail, but it was worth asking!

My daughter is just 15.... which is about the age I first read Carrie. She isn't a fan of long books, but now I have discovered that one of her school friends has been going on about THE STAND to her. She watched the first episode on the Sci Fi Channel, but Flagg scared her. (That was about a year ago!) ... now she is curious.
I am sure she will read the Dark Tower. Despite her protestations about the length of it she was hooked on the story. As I was describing the final book I got choked up when I reached all the deaths ... and she was quite surprised how attached I had got to all the characters. That is Stephen King for you. He makes characters so real and invests so much in them you can't help but feel their loss.

Please edit the title ... you are quite correct, doesn't really say what the topic is about!

[The Lady of Shadows]

<snip>and was then taken to the holy bookcase
<snip>"These seven... are really one book, well, actually all of them are part of these seven and these seven are as one..." <snip>

oh man. these two lines alone were worth this entire thread. "the holy bookcase", "these seven are as one". fantastic, just fantastic. i don't really have anything to add here, i just wanted to say welcome to the site. and thanks for such a wonderful post. and two amazing lines. :)

[Letti]

How should we edit the title of the thread? Let us know and we will edit it with pleasure.

Wasn't your heart aching a bit when you told her the ending as well?

Once I have said the end of this book to a girl who reads once in a blue moon and she is quite surprised that I am hooked on this series so much. She sees one of the books in my hand all the time.
I told her: You know what? And at the end of the series the main character opens the door and he has to start the whole damn thing again because he is in the desert where I first met him 12 years ago.
She was shocked... and when I saw the shine in her eyes I got worried... is it possible that she would have read it and I have spoiled her fun?
But to tell you the truth I am deadly sure she would have never read it but still... now I mind it.

[ManOfWesternesse]

Yeah, hard to answer that question of whether to explain the thing to the extent of spoiling it. But when you're backed into a corner and they insist on knowing... - not a lot else you can do. And ultimately, is it really spoiled? It can still be read and enjoyed (as all us re-readers know).

R_o_D - I'm sure your daughter will stilll read it when she's ready. Just suck her in with that first (very small) Gunslinger, then the (only slightly longer) Drawing......

[mia/susannah]

R O D, I have always wondered that myself. My oldest daughter started reading the series, she likes it. She likes midworld stories, especiaaly stories like The Lord of the Rings.

[Rider_of_Discordia]

Thanks for the Welcome, Turtlesong. The Holy Bookcase used to be called that "Stephen King case" because it contained both books, comics, videos and one piece of computer software (F13) but the amount of videos kept growing and growing ... and I started adding video that were not just from Stephen King's stories but also just films he appears in (like George Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS) and magazines with interviews. Then DVD's arrived and I began stuffing them in as well.
Around then I also started picking up hardback copies of the older paperbacks .... it all began to grow until it hung over the living room in a sinister way, rather like the arrival of the wolves to the people of Calla. Guests to the house would grow nervous around it. We made the decision to keep the dvd's downsides, and move all the printed stuff upstairs. Thus the "holy bookcase" was born. Smaller, cuter and until recently quite large enough. Who knew that that darn Richard Bachman still had some novels left in him!

Letti, oh good question! "The perils of talking to your children about the Tower" might be a more accurate title now! My heart was aching when I reached book 7, I always get emotional whenever I reach the Dixie Pig. I am sure my daughter will read it, and knowing the ending won't make it anyless powerful for her. She has nagged the ending of films out of me ... then gone on to have the said film as one of her favourites and watched it repeatedly.

Man of Westernesse, yes, rereading is a pleasure like listening to a favourite piece of music again, or looking at a painting. I know some people who read and then get rid of their books. "Oh I know the story now, why would I want to read it again!" I find this bizarre. If I love a book I keep it. Its like having an old friend. Somethings I yearn for a new book, othertimes (especially if I am tired, feeling my concentration is a little frazzled) I need the comfort of an older book. One that isn't going to surprise me.

[ManOfWesternesse]

..."Oh I know the story now, why would I want to read it again!" I find this bizarre. If I love a book I keep it. Its like having an old friend. .....
A man after my own heart.
The good ones NEVER leave the house again. They get pride of place on the bookshelf and they get read regularly. Give me one of my tried & trusted old pals any day before some new kid on the block who may (or may not) ever make the grade.

[Letti]

Now that I know you are a damn good storyteller small wonder your daughter can't stop nagging you.

Anyway I am a big rereader as well. Sometimes I ask myself: "Oh damn, Letti! Shouldn't you start to read something new?" But the answer comes very quickly: "Why should I? People don't change their best friends. Anyway life is long."
And I keep rereading. :)

[ManOfWesternesse]

Ah but you must read LotR something new now and again too Letti! :rose:

[/persistence]

[Wuducynn]

You really should have put your foot down and refused to tell her the ending.

[Jon]

Or at least told her... Rosebud is the sled!

[The Lady of Shadows]

Or at least told her... Rosebud is the sled!

:rofl:


ETA: you know, maybe we should change this thread's title (once again) to the perils of talking to people about the tower. i tried to explain it to a friend and she just wouldn't let it go. i just can't tell her the ending. i can't. and she is pretty pissed about it. how can i tell her though. i keep asking myself, how i would have seen it differently reading through it knowing then what i know now.

[Rider_of_Discordia]

It is always dangerous talking to people about the Tower, especially if they have read any Stephen King books. I got all excited with a friend who had read INSOMNIA and The Black House ... and started to play "Connect the dots like a nerd" with him. His face took on this weird smile and he started backing away from me.

... or about Citizen Kane. Have you watched RKO 281 ... "Rosebud, I'll tell you about Rosebud"

I had no chance of holding out the end... my daughter is very naggy... She is also pointing out (over my shoulder now) that she does READ big books (Darren Shan's Vampire Trilogy books, Harry Potter ones ... blah blah ...)

[alinda]

Hi R o D, your posts are very good. I am very pleased to meet you!
I agree completely with my learned friends that your words are a treasure!
Welcome to your new home ...your gonna love this place I am sure. Its printed pages
and letters & gifts from its members are the ONLY things besides Sai Kings books
on my "holy bookcase" (great line that! ) :D

[alinda]

PS Spoiler tags are easy to apply, when your replying
to a post you'll see that radioactive sign...just click it
and the site will do the rest!!

[Wuducynn]

i tried to explain it to a friend and she just wouldn't let it go. i just can't tell her the ending. i can't. and she is pretty pissed about it. how can i tell her though. i keep asking myself, how i would have seen it differently reading through it knowing then what i know now.

Good for you. Let her be mad at you, she'll realize how wrong she was when she is done with the series. Friends don't tell friends the ending to the Dark Tower saga.

[Rider_of_Discordia]

Thanks for the welcome and the compliment, Alinda. Nice to meet you as well. Seems like Ka has drawn a really great bunch of people here! I did try to apply a radioactive tag to one of my posts (on movie spoilers) .. I haven't checked if it happened yet!

[sarah]

Thanks for the feedback. I guessed that this topic would have/might have been explored in detail, but it was worth asking!

My daughter is just 15.... which is about the age I first read Carrie. She isn't a fan of long books, but now I have discovered that one of her school friends has been going on about THE STAND to her. She watched the first episode on the Sci Fi Channel, but Flagg scared her. (That was about a year ago!) ... now she is curious.
I am sure she will read the Dark Tower. Despite her protestations about the length of it she was hooked on the story. As I was describing the final book I got choked up when I reached all the deaths ... and she was quite surprised how attached I had got to all the characters. That is Stephen King for you. He makes characters so real and invests so much in them you can't help but feel their loss.

Please edit the title ... you are quite correct, doesn't really say what the topic is about!


She must not have read a good long book then. I would suggest you give her 'Salem's Lot next and go from there. and please for the love of Stephen King, stop telling her the endings of books. She'll never get into reading if she knows she can get it short hand through you.

[Rider_of_Discordia]

She is pushing me out of the way... must hang onto keyboard .... no.... ,

hello this is the daughter, I have just gotten into stephen king. I'm sure I can remember somewhere in my memory dad nudging some of his books before this. I originally started reading Firestarter but never finished it although I do know the ending (I didnt nag him a just ask about the story and while driving explained it all to me ending and all lol),next was Carrie and I thought that was brilliantly chilling, and now after the explaining of the dark tower I have made a list of stephen king books that I want to read next and Salems Lot was the first one my dad recomened to me before i read needful things. (found it in the bookcase) Also tommy knockers which looks really good too.

...gahhhh ... got the keyboard back. Now she is asking if she can join the site if she hasn't read any of the Dark Tower books, but has had them explained to her by a stupid relative!

[alinda]

My friend joined having not finished the series.
But, I would seriously warn her because there
is a very real danger that she could if not careful...
run into spoilers here! :wtf:


By the way, when your replying are you using the quick reply?
You have to use the advanced reply to have the spoiler option.:thumbsup:

[Letti]

She can join anytime. We talk about lots of books here.

[Rider_of_Discordia]

I suspect she will join after she returns from Holiday .... just gone away with her mum (my ex-wife) for a week. It will probably take her that long to think up a new screen name for herself.

Alinda, spoilers ... she has probably got all the spoilers she will ever need from me! She borrowed THE GUNSLINGER and 'Salem's Lot to take on holiday with her. We also sat and watched the 2004 SALEMS LOT mini series yesterday, though I pointed out the errors in Father Callahan's portrayal on screen.

Letti, I am sure she will find the Harry Potter threads very quickly. She is a Potterphile (or whatever the fans of the series call themselves!) PotterPhan, Potty Person... and a fan of the Darren Shan Vampire Books.

[ManOfWesternesse]

Salems Lot should be a great read fro her - and good temptation to go on & read DT.

& yes, she should of course sign up to the site - no need to wait!

[Letti]

Bring your whole family. :D

[alinda]

:lol: good one Letti !

R o D, I' am glad to hear she has the books with her.