The Dark Tower Q&A - Ask a question, get an answer! *spoilers*

[CyberGhostface]

Thanks!

[turtlex]

Bev rocks !

[Jean]

it was lightning-quick indeed! thus, it is going to be merged with Quick Questions Regarding The Dark Tower

[Letti]

Bev, you are amazing.

[oxnard111]

First time post... long time DT fan. This is the second time going through the series... I have been walking twice a day while on my work breaks and have listened to the series from the updated Gunslinger on audio books.

In The Waste Lands Eddie and Susannah were attacked by the Pubs and then later lead to the cradle of Lud by Jeeves and Maud, I thought I remember Susannah having the Ronland's other .45.

Now I have gotten to the part in DT4 where Eddie blows Blaine's mind... Near the end of that chapter Eddie pulls out Roland's .45 and shoots all six rounds into the blown up route map on the front of the barony coach.

Was I mistaken about who had the gun in DT3? or is this a mistake?

BTW, Frank Muller's voice is awesome... RIP. I like George enough also, but nothing compares to Frank's narrating abilities.

[ManOfWesternesse]

Eddie & Susannah swapped Roland's spare between them a lot, oxnard.
And at times carried one each (during Roland's 'I dont's trust myself, and neither do you' spell).

The time in question, yes Susannah had one of Roland's and Eddie had Jakes gun, as far as I recall, on the walk from the bridge to the Cradle. During the trip on Blaine I don't recall us being told where the guns were disposed. Did Jake get his back?, or did Eddie & Susannah swap? Presumably at some point in the trip Eddie ended up with the one Susannah had been carrying (I assume at that point Roland would definitely have been carrying the other).
It's not something I'd have wondered much at, they were 4 Gunslingers with 3 guns...

[alinda]

they were 4 Gunslingers with 3 guns...

[Brainslinger]

The Waste Lands did indeed end with Eddie holding Jake's gun.

I think King had lost track of who had which, and later Eddie is blazing away at Blaine with Roland's revolver.

Then they seemed to have swapped again when they reached Topeka (if I remember correctly.)

I like to think they like doing a juggling act myself. Tossing guns back and forth between scenes, off-stage as it were. (Just don't grab the trigger as you catch it say-true. BLAM! Say, is that the back of my own head receding in front of me? What's that huge brain sized hole? Snigger.)

[jayson]

I think King had lost track of who had which, and he's blazing away at Blaine with Roland's revolver.

Or maybe it's just because the Beams were breaking. That seems to be people's favorite "reason" for King's inability to keep track of details.

[Brice]

I think King had lost track of who had which, and he's blazing away at Blaine with Roland's revolver.

Or maybe it's just because the Beams were breaking. That seems to be people's favorite "reason" for King's inability to keep track of details.

Then there is the somewhat legitimate argument that a lot of the mistakes were during his drinking and drug phase. Maybe he just got stoned and forgot bits he'd already written.

[jayson]

That argument always ticks me off a bit, unless his editor had similar drug/alcohol issues. A good editor gets paid to notice things (perhaps not as minute details as who had which gun, but certainly some of the other things SK goofed on). If we as readers can pick up on them, surely an editor can as well.

[Dante Deschain]

First I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place. Second does anyone remember where Jaime was when Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain were in the vilage of Mejis? I know he was not dead because he died at Jericho Hill. If anyone can tell me I would appreciate it.

[jayson]

Back in Gilead? When the three boys were sent by their fathers to Mejis, I would assume the rest of the class of future Gunslingers stayed in Gilead to continue their training.

[oxnard111]

It's not something I'd have wondered much at, they were 4 Gunslingers with 3 guns...

but i thought they had four guns????

The gun stolen while in jack mort's body, jake's who he stole from Elmer, and Roland's two...

[Ka-tet]

It's not something I'd have wondered much at, they were 4 Gunslingers with 3 guns...

but i thought they had four guns????

The gun stolen while in jack mort's body, jake's who he stole from Elmer, and Roland's two...

I was thinking exactly the same

[Dante Deschain]

I thought those 4 were the only ones left. And I thought they were sent there to be protected from Farson and his armies.

[Brainslinger]

It's a bit confusing because Roland certainly picked up a couple of guns for Eddie and Susannah when he was in New York in Mort's body (the cops' revolvers if I remember correctly.) He appeared to leave them behind in the rush of jumping back through the doorway to New York though. Considering how quickly everything happened- jumping in front of the train, grabbing the Keflex and timing things so he was looking in Detta's eyes etc before he jumped- and how much of Roland's planning was on instinct, it's not all that surprising that his original plan for the guns went out the window. (Although I wonder if King just forgot at that point.)

He didn't bring them back with him though. That leaves the original two revolvers and the ruger Jake brought.

Spoiler:

This isn't the last time they seem to leave valuable firearms behind either...

[Brainslinger]

[quote=Brice;247605]

Then there is the somewhat legitimate argument that a lot of the mistakes were during his drinking and drug phase. Maybe he just got stoned and forgot bits he'd already written.

The main mistakes with the swapping of guns etc were during Wizard and Glass, and I think he'd gotten over those problems by then. (I'm not sure though. I know it wasn't too long after WaG came out that I bought the Gunslinger... no more than a year anyway.)

I think the errors are mainly due to the length of time between the publishing of The Waste Lands and Wizard. Of course you'd have thought he reread it before writing, and the end events in Ludd would be the most fresh in his mind.. but never mind.

[Brainslinger]

Roland was sent to Gilead to protect him from the machinations of Marten after the sorcerer provoked him into taking his gunslinger rights of passage early. Since Roland was in danger from Marten and Marten worked with Farson (and I think Steven Deschain suspected this) it could be argued that Roland was indeed in danger from Farson also,

Spoiler:

especially considering the prophesies that come to light later.

but I think the protection thing only applied to Roland.

The other two were sent with him as they were his closest friends for his support, not because they were in specific danger.

There were certainly still other guys back in Gilead, Jamie included. They were only in danger from Farson in the sense the long term sense that all the gunslinger folk were.

[ManOfWesternesse]

It's not something I'd have wondered much at, they were 4 Gunslingers with 3 guns...

but i thought they had four guns????

The gun stolen while in jack mort's body, jake's who he stole from Elmer, and Roland's two...

I was thinking exactly the same

Oh, the fun we had debating that one on the old .NET site!

Brainslinger is correct, Roland clearly 'intended' to bring back two police 45's for Susannah & Eddie, but then he simply failed to bring them when he threw Mort in front of the train.

Definitely the only guns available to the tet were Roland's 2 + Jake's 1.

[Letti]

I never felt that Jamie belonged to the others so much. If I remember well Roland could choose only two of his friends to travel with and his dad told him not to choose his friend Cuthbert because Steven thought him a fool but still Roland chose him and Alain.
So... Jamie must have stayed.

[oxnard111]

thanks guys for all the clarification.

[stone, rose, unfound door]

Jamie was in Gilead all the time. He just couldn't come because it was Roland choosing his fellow apprentices tagging along and he didn't pick Jamie cause he was closer to Alain and Bert.

[metalunna]

Hi,
This is my first post so be gentle.

A friend and I are having our weekly Gunslinger conversation and we could not recall how long the boys were "away" in Mejis.

I don't have my Concordance book available, so I'm hoping someone may have the info handy.

Let me know,

Thanks,
Nick

[Jackie]

Hmmmm, I want to say 6 months? I'm not sure though.