Coda or no Coda?

[Bobby Garfield]

Just finished the book. Just made this account as well.

The end of this book (the REAL end) was perfect, because it focused on Roland's redemption and the realization that all the people who died for him hadn't died in vain. I truly shed a few tears as I read him calling out all the names. The fact that all of these deaths were final was what made Roland's journey truly special.

Then there was the Coda, which basically contradicted all of the deaths in the series. It was like SK said "Just kidding!" to all the readers! Not even can I no longer enjoy the ending, I can't even take any of the series seriously!

The point is, I really regret reading the Coda. I was compelled to read it only because it was technically still part of the book, and I didn't think I could consider the book finished until I had read it from cover to cover. My question is this. Should the Coda be contained in the book, or should it be a separate piece, in any form (for instance, a page on his website)?

[Harrald]

It's more about the journey than the destination.


IMHO

[John_and_Yoko]

I personally think the coda gives information that has bearing on the entire rest of the story (up to it). Besides, I re-read the first subchapter of The Gunslinger once I finished, and saw it in a whole new light after that.

[Bobby Garfield]

It's more about the journey than the destination

I probably didn't make it clear in my post (I actually came off rather angry, and I cry pardon) but this is the point I'm trying to make; I feel like the book was better left off as just the journey to the Tower. He could have made the "destination" part separate. As it is, I feel like the compulsive reader who has just finished reading the book is liable to read on regardless of whether or not they actually want to find out what's inside.

I'll hold off on posting again until I've had time to let the ending actually sink in.

[razz]

not every story has a happy ending. and as irrational as the Coda is, it seems more real, because it's not some happy ending.

[John_and_Yoko]

It's more about the journey than the destination

I probably didn't make it clear in my post (I actually came off rather angry, and I cry pardon) but this is the point I'm trying to make; I feel like the book was better left off as just the journey to the Tower. He could have made the "destination" part separate. As it is, I feel like the compulsive reader who has just finished reading the book is liable to read on regardless of whether or not they actually want to find out what's inside.

I'll hold off on posting again until I've had time to let the ending actually sink in.

Well, the "first" ending may have been the one he would have wanted to do (it's Robert Browning's ending as well), and the coda may have (partly) been a jab at the readers who'd been reading it for years and would likely have felt cheated if he HAD ended it there. Hence the warning, which didn't necessarily need to be there.

[Wuducynn]

Then there was the Coda, which basically contradicted all of the deaths in the series.

How did it contradict all the deaths in the series? All those deaths really did happen.

[Bobby Garfield]

Then there was the Coda, which basically contradicted all of the deaths in the series.

How did it contradict all the deaths in the series? All those deaths really did happen.

The way I read it, all of the deaths were undone and he was literally placed back in time. Or, if he got transported to another world, the deaths lost their finality, since "there are other worlds than these".

[Wuducynn]

The way I read it, all of the deaths were undone and he was literally placed back in time. Or, if he got transported to another world, the deaths lost their finality, since "there are other worlds than these".

He was placed back in time, but that doesn't mean those deaths didn't happen. There has always been "other worlds than these" in the series, so most deaths really aren't final.

[stone, rose, unfound door]

What would be the point of not having the coda? I'd have felt cheated and disappointed if it had ended in a 'they lived happily ever after' when it was obvious that simply couldn't be. Anyone who's read the revised Gunsligner should have known it had to finish the way it did. That's what made it such a great story in my opinion.
Anyway, you've been warned.

[turtlex]

First, welcome to the site. Way to jump right in :)

Personally, the Coda was written, that's what Sai King felt, so yup - it belongs.

I agree completely with what Razz said, about not all stories having happy endings, but I will also submit that since we now know of the repeating, etc... there is still hope for the next ending to be happy. Or at least happy-er.

[jayson]

Firstly, welcome to the site. :)

I agree with what most have said as far as the coda being warranted because it negates the "happy ending" scenario.

I definitely agree with Matthew (AHTCK) that we should already have expected that no death is necessarily final in King's multiverse. For that matter I don't necessarily think that the Eddie and Jake in the Coda section are necessarily the same Eddie and Jake who accompanied Roland. It is entirely possible that these are different versions of Eddie and Jake. It's been the matter of some debate around here in many other threads which you may find interesting.

Ditto for the notion that time has been reset. Recently, In another thread, Bev Vincent said that he doesn't believe time was reset or that Roland was sent back in time but that he went to another level of the Tower and thus this is not precisely the same Roland we met in The Gunslinger (forgive me Bev if I incorrectly summarized your thoughts). I tend to agree with this interpretation. I don't see the Tower as a "reset button" though I know that many do interpret it that way and that King is intentionally ambiguous in the ending.

Either way, you have certainly asked an interesting question in your first posts here and I look forward to discussing more of this stuff with you.

[John_and_Yoko]

That makes sense to me--it explains why he has the Horn of Eld this time and remembers taking it, even though the default time was way after that battle ended, not to mention having the most vague memories of the Tower even while thinking he's never been to it before.

[iamjacksgoat]

I'm glad I read the coda. I felt cheated when I thought it left off at Roland shouting the names of the dead, approaching the Tower. The coda made me feel sad and slightly empty, but then it gave me hope for Roland's future.

I could do without the Susannah in New York Epilogue though. I got kind of angry at Susannah for leaving as she did, and would have rather had her fate left open to the reader to interpret.

[Letti]

Very good question, Bobby. I can understand your feeling but I must say the Coda belongs to the series moreover it's really really important - we can't let ourselves think that it can be left out.
It makes so many things clear... and we can get really close to Roland. We didn't know much about him before the end of the series. Or that's how I felt when I reached the last lines.
And it's absolutely possible that Roland didn't go back in time but got to another level of the Tower. His next loop might be really similar to the last one but they will be different.
You can start to think (if you can accept the Coda what can be really hard some time) how Roland can break the loop.

[Chap]

I prefer it with the Coda.
The first ending, with the door slamming shut - it didn't even say if Roland walked in the door before it shutting or not. I was left wondering if he got inside at all :P
So I was happy when I found the coda a few pages later :)

and I have to add:
after I voted, this massage came under the poll:

Voters: 19. You have already voted on this poll

[RiseofDespair]

I kinda agree with you. I felt pretty mad when I found out that the ka-tet's breaking had been for naught, that he would take the same quest over and over, with the same result, knowing that they would die again and again... it broke my heart, and part of my sanity. But I still think the coda belonged, no matter how much it hurt.

[Lady_Macbeth]

Yes, the coda is a real slap in the face when you first read it, but it really does make sense when you think about it. It goes along with the theme that you shouldn't be so focused on destination, that you miss the ride, so to speak. Also, Ka is a wheel, remember? So wouldn't it make sense that everything just sort of go around in a circle? In all honesty, we'd probably be dissapointed with whatever Stephen King stuck up there, because the journey to get there was just so epic, and built up your suspense so much, that I really can't think of anything he could have ended the book with that wouldn't be anti-climactic in a way. I say the ending is just as good as any, and you have to admit, it's sort of humorous in a way.

[Bumbler19]

Well with the whole, all these deaths weren't final thing, my "death is final" feeling for this series ended when Jake came through the Demon Door. The important thing to remember is that these deaths are final... for those versions of those people.

The second Jake Chambers was different than the first, in some small way. Shown by the conflict of the (did i die? but i'm still alive) memories.

The second Jake didn't die the same way the first Jake did, i believe that because he was strong in the touch he was able to pull some of those feelings from Roland and probably from the beam imo.
But the second jade never fell, you could call his coming to midworld through the demon door a death-rebirth thing. That is what I understand as Jake2's first real death.

I think King tried to reiterate this in the Susannah in New York chapter. He changed Jake and Eddie much more drastically they became "twins" more than making you believe they were the same character. They had a different last name... they were brothers... which that is a twin quality built in the ka-tet.

I don't regret reading the coda, mostly because I really did consider stopping when King introduced the Coda and chose to read on. I knew I might not like it, King basically said if I continue, I might not like it.

It also adds a new view on when the series talked about how long and how far Roland has traveled. Before the Coda we were led to believe (or at least this is what i thought) that the reason it was so long was merely time/space stretching due to the world "moving on". But now because of the coda it is both the world moving on AND how far Roland has really traveled due o repeating it.


In all honesty, we'd probably be dissapointed with whatever Stephen King stuck up there, because the journey to get there was just so epic, and built up your suspense so much, that I really can't think of anything he could have ended the book with that wouldn't be anti-climactic in a way. I say the ending is just as good as any, and you have to admit, it's sort of humorous in a way.

agreed i was thinking just before i actually finished reading it that I wasn't sure if i wanted to... I didn't want to say goodbye to Roland and his ka-tet, typing this all of a sudden sounds really selfish. But it really was the journey for me. Even though there are no more direct pages to turn, i know in some-where or some-when even if only in my imagination, the journey still continues.

Now for my tower fix, i must get a hold of The Little Sisters of Eluria, and more DT comics. Also looks like i'm diving into salem's lot and hearts in atlantis next for my page turners.

[Bumbler19]

I kinda agree with you. I felt pretty mad when I found out that the ka-tet's breaking had been for naught, that he would take the same quest over and over, with the same result, knowing that they would die again and again... it broke my heart, and part of my sanity. But I still think the coda belonged, no matter how much it hurt.

But the horn is there now, if only a promise to Roland that things MAY be different things could still change, if not this time around, eventually.

[Kes]

I tend to agree with the "I could have skipped the epilogue" poster. I think I might have rather left Susannah's fate to my own imagination. Though I think her choice, "the man or the gun" is a mirror of the choice that Roland will have to make before the end of the path holds the clearing for him, and not the Tower.

As for the Coda...I considered stopping and never knowing, letting what Roland found be his alone. But I couldn't do it. And reading the ending was one of the most horrifying, harsh, painful, despairing and wondrous experiences I've had in fiction.

It was painful, and saddening and absolutely the ONLY possible ending that would have made any sense. Ka IS a wheel. Say thankya.

[Wuducynn]

I tend to agree with the "I could have skipped the epilogue" poster. I think I might have rather left Susannah's fate to my own imagination. Though I think her choice, "the man or the gun" is a mirror of the choice that Roland will have to make before the end of the path holds the clearing for him, and not the Tower.

As for the Coda...I considered stopping and never knowing, letting what Roland found be his alone. But I couldn't do it. And reading the ending was one of the most horrifying, harsh, painful, despairing and wondrous experiences I've had in fiction.

It was painful, and saddening and absolutely the ONLY possible ending that would have made any sense. Ka IS a wheel. Say thankya.

Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

[jayson]

Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

Does he leave movies before they're over too?

[Wuducynn]

Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

Does he leave movies before they're over too?

Ha! Great question. If I chat with him over SK.Com I'll let you know his answer.

[Letti]

I tend to agree with the "I could have skipped the epilogue" poster. I think I might have rather left Susannah's fate to my own imagination. Though I think her choice, "the man or the gun" is a mirror of the choice that Roland will have to make before the end of the path holds the clearing for him, and not the Tower.

As for the Coda...I considered stopping and never knowing, letting what Roland found be his alone. But I couldn't do it. And reading the ending was one of the most horrifying, harsh, painful, despairing and wondrous experiences I've had in fiction.

It was painful, and saddening and absolutely the ONLY possible ending that would have made any sense. Ka IS a wheel. Say thankya.

Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

I cannot believe it. My mind refuses to do so.

[Chap]

[quote=Kes;325743]Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

I can absolutely believe it! When I reached that point I thought to myself "bet there's loads of angry-internet-constant-reader-guys who never read past this point" :P

[Wuducynn]

[quote=Kes;325743]Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

I can absolutely believe it! When I reached that point I thought to myself "bet there's loads of angry-internet-constant-reader-guys who never read past this point" :P

HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah.

[Wuducynn]

I cannot believe it. My mind refuses to do so.

Well, you're just going to have to! He doesn't want to know what happened to Roland when he entered the Tower and that's that. He was happen knowing he reached it I guess. :D

[Letti]

I cannot believe it. My mind refuses to do so.

Well, you're just going to have to! He doesn't want to know what happened to Roland when he entered the Tower and that's that. He was happen knowing he reached it I guess. :D

Incredible.
And when did he close the book? I mean... how long has he been torturing himself? (I can't believe he doesn't feel like opening the book any moment but who knows.)

[flaggwalkstheline]

say what u will about the coda (I 4 one liked it) but I dont think that there is anyone who had enough restraint to not read the coda, yeah sai king advised against it but he knew damn well we were all going to disregard the warning and read the coda and I simply cannot bring myself top believe that someone didnt

[Wuducynn]

say what u will about the coda (I 4 one liked it) but I dont think that there is anyone who had enough restraint to not read the coda, yeah sai king advised against it but he knew damn well we were all going to disregard the warning and read the coda and I simply cannot bring myself top believe that someone didnt

*shrugs* Okey dokey.

[flaggwalkstheline]

say what u will about the coda (I 4 one liked it) but I dont think that there is anyone who had enough restraint to not read the coda, yeah sai king advised against it but he knew damn well we were all going to disregard the warning and read the coda and I simply cannot bring myself top believe that someone didnt

*shrugs* Okey dokey.

:onfire:(head explodes):onfire:

[Letti]

I can imagine that someone didn't but I don't think he will be able to stop himself forever.

[Bumbler19]

I almost stopped reading before the coda... was a pretty paper thin line... but reading past it wakes you up to so much more hypotheses' to wonder about, pertaining to the levels of the tower, and how things will change etc. etc.

[Kes]

Can you believe I actually met someone who never went past where Roland enters the Tower. To this day he doesn't know and doesn't want to know.

Part of me says, "Good for him."

It's always wise to know what your limits are....(she says thinking to herself, "at least that's what they tell me.")

[melliferal]

My only problem with the Coda is that it was the end of the series but not the end of the story. I mean, sure, yeah it's "begun all over again", except it hasn't. You can't simply go back to DT1 and pretend you're just still rolling along from DT7, because things are different now - subtly different. In the next go-around, Roland may never meet Jake, or Eddie, or Suze. He might form a completely different ka-tet. Which wouldn't be so bad....except that we'll never, ever get to read about it! I'd be just fine with such an "ending" if it resulted in some more books....but it won't, say sorry.

[obscurejude]

I'm pro Coda because it keeps the series alive. We've had some really great discussions on here that wouldn't be possible without the idea of Roland looping, obtaining the horn, etc...

[Brice]

The whole don't read past this point you don't want to know no really stop thing had me wondering if King was back on drugs for a moment. :lol: Then I read on! I can't imagine not doing so. And it's good I don't know anyone who's read that far and stopped because I don't think we'd be friends for long...after I told them anyway. :evil:

[Wuducynn]

The whole don't read past this point you don't want to know no really stop thing had me wondering if King was back on drugs for a moment. :lol: Then I read on! I can't imagine not doing so. And it's good I don't know anyone who's read that far and stopped because I don't think we'd be friends for long...after I told them anyway. :evil:


Seriously, would you?

[Matt]

I can believe someone would stop, not me...but I can believe it. :lol:

[jayson]

I believe it as well. They're the same kind of people who leave a sporting event before the game is over.

[Wuducynn]

The guy just said he wanted to know that Roland reached the Dark Tower and that was all. He was too afraid something bad would happen and he didn't want to deal with that.

[Brice]

The whole don't read past this point you don't want to know no really stop thing had me wondering if King was back on drugs for a moment. :lol: Then I read on! I can't imagine not doing so. And it's good I don't know anyone who's read that far and stopped because I don't think we'd be friends for long...after I told them anyway. :evil:


Seriously, would you?

Seriously? I'd want to tell them, but I probably wouldn't. Mind you I'd probably have to avoid any DT discussion with them if I knew.

[Wuducynn]

Seriously? I'd want to tell them, but I probably wouldn't. Mind you I'd probably have to avoid any DT discussion with them if I knew.

Hahahah. Yeah.

[Brice]

Seriously? I'd want to tell them, but I probably wouldn't. Mind you I'd probably have to avoid any DT discussion with them if I knew.

Hahahah. Yeah.

I know your tempted to say sometimes.

[Wuducynn]

Seriously? I'd want to tell them, but I probably wouldn't. Mind you I'd probably have to avoid any DT discussion with them if I knew.

Hahahah. Yeah.

I know your tempted to say sometimes.

Yeah, I have to say I am, I haven't actually chatted with him online for awhile, but I remember almost throwing the words "LOOP" in there in obvious ways..but believe it or not I can actually be a nice guy once in awhile so I just had to bite my internet tongue.

[Brice]

Seriously? I'd want to tell them, but I probably wouldn't. Mind you I'd probably have to avoid any DT discussion with them if I knew.

Hahahah. Yeah.

I know your tempted to say sometimes.

Yeah, I have to say I am, I haven't actually chatted with him online for awhile, but I remember almost throwing the words "LOOP" in there in obvious ways..but believe it or not I can actually be a nice guy once in awhile so I just had to bite my internet tongue.


REALLY?????? :beat: Why have none of the rest of us noticed this trait? You must hide it VERY well.


Kinda like... *cough* roland'sinaneternalloop*cough*

[jayson]

The guy just said he wanted to know that Roland reached the Dark Tower and that was all. He was too afraid something bad would happen and he didn't want to deal with that.

I could envision this person about to achieve true religious enlightenment and then telling God (or whoever) "No no no, don't actually tell me the mysteries of the universe. I just wanted to know if I could actually find out what they were, but they might not be what I want to hear, so thanks, but no thanks."

[Brice]

Or telling a girl no don't touch me...I thought I wanted to know what it was like, but I'd rather not. I might be disappointed. :rofl:

[jayson]

:lol:
"I just wanted to know if I could get laid, not what it actually felt like."

[Matt]

Or not inhaling. :cool:

[jayson]

Or not inhaling. :cool:

:lol:
That's just being wasteful.

[Brice]

No....that is sin.

[flaggwalkstheline]

well it happened, I met a tower junkie yesterday who didnt read the coda
I did however convince him to read it!

[jayson]

I think I object to the term "Tower Junkie" being used for someone who didn't read the Coda. A junkie would, like Roland, have a fundamental need to enter the Tower. They can be "DT-series junkies" but Tower junkies without reading the Coda, I think not.

[Brice]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:

[flaggwalkstheline]

I think I object to the term "Tower Junkie" being used for someone who didn't read the Coda. A junkie would, like Roland, have a fundamental need to enter the Tower. They can be "DT-series junkies" but Tower junkies without reading the Coda, I think not.

yeah I guess so...
semantics aside, he actually took the warning to heart and didnt go for it!

[Kes]

I believe it as well. They're the same kind of people who leave a sporting event before the game is over.

I hate those people. I don't care if we are losing by 60 points dammit...I'm staying to the bitter end.

[Kes]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

[flaggwalkstheline]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

actually I and the person in question r in new mexico so we're kinda already in the west...

[Kes]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

actually I and the person in question r in new mexico so we're kinda already in the west...


Well, I live in California...so what does that say about me?


But hey...I'm WAY east of Fiji;)

[flaggwalkstheline]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

actually I and the person in question r in new mexico so we're kinda already in the west...


Well, I live in California...so what does that say about me?


But hey...I'm WAY east of Fiji;)
yeah but west as in west like the wild west, billy the kid, atomic bomb thinnys, like mejis is right here in albuquerque

[jayson]

I believe it as well. They're the same kind of people who leave a sporting event before the game is over.

I hate those people. I don't care if we are losing by 60 points dammit...I'm staying to the bitter end.

Same here. I paid to see a whole game and a whole game I shall see. :)

[Kes]

I believe it as well. They're the same kind of people who leave a sporting event before the game is over.

I hate those people. I don't care if we are losing by 60 points dammit...I'm staying to the bitter end.

Same here. I paid to see a whole game and a whole game I shall see. :)

I think I like you R of G.

:)

[jayson]

Thanks. I'm quite likable. :)
You seem pretty cool too. Anyone that stays until the end of the game win or lose gets points in my book.

[Kes]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

actually I and the person in question r in new mexico so we're kinda already in the west...


Well, I live in California...so what does that say about me?


But hey...I'm WAY east of Fiji;)
yeah but west as in west like the wild west, billy the kid, atomic bomb thinnys, like mejis is right here in albuquerque


But Mejis was east of Gilead:)

[Brice]

So have we graduated from sending them to the desert to into the ocean? :lol:

[flaggwalkstheline]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

actually I and the person in question r in new mexico so we're kinda already in the west...


Well, I live in California...so what does that say about me?


But hey...I'm WAY east of Fiji;)
yeah but west as in west like the wild west, billy the kid, atomic bomb thinnys, like mejis is right here in albuquerque


But Mejis was east of Gilead:)
mejis was east of gilead?
huh
Getting to be that time of yer where I need to re-read the series again

[Kes]

I say we send them west.




j/k, of course! :lol:


No...No Joke. West for them. Cowards.

actually I and the person in question r in new mexico so we're kinda already in the west...


Well, I live in California...so what does that say about me?


But hey...I'm WAY east of Fiji;)
yeah but west as in west like the wild west, billy the kid, atomic bomb thinnys, like mejis is right here in albuquerque


But Mejis was east of Gilead:)
mejis was east of gilead?
huh
Getting to be that time of yer where I need to re-read the series again

Yep...Roland specifically says something in Wizard and Glass like "we were sent East instead of west but it was as much an exile" or something like that...

[Brice]

Yes and when they are sent Stephen specifically says something like he won't send them west if I recall correctly.

[DoctorDodge]

The Coda is really, REALLY annoying. Not because of what happens to Roland, but because of Stephen King pretty much writing just before it something along the lines of, "Trust me guys, you are SO not going to like this. Stop reading. Please. I may be the author but you are STILL not going to like this ending."

To be frank, i'm actually amazed someone DID stop. I mean when you tell someone not to read something because it'll ruin it for them, 99 times out of a hundred they're BOUND to read it anyway. It's like 19 for Allie.

If i'm really honest though, I absolutely loved the Coda part. When i read the final line, i couldn't help but be reminded of my favourite Maximo Park song:

"What happens when you lose everything?
You just start again, you start all over again!"

Also encouraged me to read the series all over again! Although i do believe that things would turn out different for Roland on his next (and final?) journey, the journey we all read was fucking incredible!

[Letti]

"What happens when you lose everything?
You just start again, you start all over again!"

Very touchy.

[Kidd Ikarus]

I personally think the coda gives information that has bearing on the entire rest of the story (up to it). Besides, I re-read the first subchapter of The Gunslinger once I finished, and saw it in a whole new light after that.

I did the same thing and the biggest smile came to my face. Coda all the way. The ending was fantastic. IMO:excited::nana::dance::shoot:

[Brice]

I think Zeppelin could have quit sooner. This album was a lackluster end to a brilliant career.

[jayson]

I think Zeppelin could have quit sooner. This album was a lackluster end to a brilliant career.

Brilliant.
And I agree, if they'd quit after Physical Graffiti, I'd be more comfortable with their catalog.

[Lily-sai]

The Coda is really, REALLY annoying. Not because of what happens to Roland, but because of Stephen King pretty much writing just before it something along the lines of, "Trust me guys, you are SO not going to like this. Stop reading. Please. I may be the author but you are STILL not going to like this ending."

To be frank, i'm actually amazed someone DID stop. I mean when you tell someone not to read something because it'll ruin it for them, 99 times out of a hundred they're BOUND to read it anyway. It's like 19 for Allie.

If i'm really honest though, I absolutely loved the Coda part. When i read the final line, i couldn't help but be reminded of my favourite Maximo Park song:

"What happens when you lose everything?
You just start again, you start all over again!"

Also encouraged me to read the series all over again! Although i do believe that things would turn out different for Roland on his next (and final?) journey, the journey we all read was fucking incredible!

Yeah, I was the one who stopped.. for two months. :innocent: But that was just because I wanted to be with my sai when I'd read it. Now I'm starting to appreciate the ending. I really do. I only needed to share it with someone next to me, to discuss about it and express our feelings. I'm that kind of person. :) And who would be a better choice than my soulmate, who loves All-World as much as I do. I'm a strange creature. :P

[pr0k]

I actually didn't want to read the Coda. I had stopped.. put the book down.. and walked away from it. And I was happy with not knowing.

But soon it ate at me, like rust does. I couldn't keep myself from picking the book up later, and speeding through it like some kind of fiend.

It crushed me. At first, anyway. But I don't regret it.

[Matt]

I did almost the exact same thing the first time through--welcome to the site pr0k.

Great to meet you.

[fernandito]

I love the Coda because it perfectly outlines the fact that we have come too far in our respective journeys to simply stop and return whence we came, just like Roland. :)

[turtlex]

I love the Coda because it perfectly outlines the fact that we have come too far in our respective journeys to simply stop and return whence we came, just like Roland. :)

QFT.

Well said, Feev, very well said.

[Woofer]

Coda for sure. To me it is the only ending that made sense under the circumstances set forth in the previous books.

[Letti]

I actually didn't want to read the Coda. I had stopped.. put the book down.. and walked away from it. And I was happy with not knowing.

But soon it ate at me, like rust does. I couldn't keep myself from picking the book up later, and speeding through it like some kind of fiend.

It crushed me. At first, anyway. But I don't regret it.


I did almost the exact same thing the first time through--welcome to the site pr0k.

Great to meet you.

I respect you, guys. I couldn't have stopped. Not even for a minute.

[AlChron77]

The ending was great! No, that's not right...it was phenomenal. Instead of wrapping everything up in a nice and neat package and spoon feeding the reader a definitive and undeniable ending (either a happy one or a heart-wrenching one), it allowed for our imaginations to take over and endless debates between Tower enthusiasts to begin. It did what a perfect ending to a great story should do: it wrapped itself around our minds so tightly that our thoughts will never be far from Roland and his quest again. We can tell ourselves that he is destined to repeat this loop forever or that the horn he now carries will free him from this purgatory. We can insist that he went back in time or we can assert that he is simply on a new level of the Tower. There is really no limit to what we can imagine about the gunslinger's continual journey and that's all because of this brilliantly executed final (?) chapter.

Not only am I in favor of Coda, I personally believe it was the most important part of this incredible and expansive story. I loved the Dark Tower epic before reading Coda, but I did not fully appreciate how amazing it truly is until after reading it. I mentioned in another thread that after finishing DT-7 I immediately picked up DT-1 and started the journey all over again. I doubt I would have done that if I had decided to heed King's "warning" and not follow the gunslinger into the Dark Tower. Now I find that I cannot seem to escape Roland's world, and that's just fine by me.

The only thing I would have changed is Epilogue - I would have removed it entirely. Although it warmed my heart to see Susannah, Eddie and Jake reunited, it felt out of place and forced. I can't fully explain it but just didn't feel right. I know that Eddie and Jake were probably not the Eddie and Jake that were part of the ka-tet - that they were from a different world - but seeing them again...well...kind of sucked. I know they are fictional characters, but when they died I felt a small amount of grief and by the end of DT-7 I had come to terms with their deaths. Then, seeing them back again in a nice, cozy scene kind of pissed me off. Why did I feel that sadness when they died? What was the point if they can just simply be there at the end?

So I guess in summary, the happy ending made me feel bad and the bad ending made me feel happy. Does that make me crazy?

(Sorry for the long winded post.)

[Kidd Ikarus]

I respect you, guys. I couldn't have stopped. Not even for a minute.

I agree with you 100%. There was no way I was going to stop reading. If there were 100 more pages after the Epilogue, I would have kept going without a second thought about it.

[mowque]

well, doesn't he say NOT to read it anyway?

[Matt]

He told us to stop knowing we wouldn't. :panic:

[Riostar]

I was so mad after I finish actually threw my book. But once I calmed down I realized that I really liked the Coda. It wasn't just the twist in the last sentence but I liked seeing all the things Roland saw on his way up the stairs. The cedar clip &ribbon thing from his birth and seeing the eyeballs of the Crimson king just hanging out. I liked it cause seeing that and finding those things was all part of the tower journey as well, I had to see what happened once he got there.

[Ageless Stranger]

I personally think the coda gives information that has bearing on the entire rest of the story (up to it). Besides, I re-read the first subchapter of The Gunslinger once I finished, and saw it in a whole new light after that.

Me too! That was really enjoyable to do, since you had read it so long ago, and it had no special meaning at that time.

[WeDealInLead]

I personally think the coda gives information that has bearing on the entire rest of the story (up to it). Besides, I re-read the first subchapter of The Gunslinger once I finished, and saw it in a whole new light after that.

Me too! That was really enjoyable to do, since you had read it so long ago, and it had no special meaning at that time.


Exactly. I know many folks don't like the revised version but on my first re-read I noticed so many things that were just sort of there and didn't really mean anything the first time. I mean, that Taheen that was lost and was trying to get back to Algul Siento is genius stuff.

More on topic.. Coda doesn't give us just a new ending, it gives a whole new meaning to the books. I'm a fan of it although I personally would've set Roland free. A "happy ending" once in a while wouldn't kill you Sai King, OK?

[stone, rose, unfound door]

It took me about 2 seconds to decide whether to read the Coda or not. I was so hooked on the story and I had waited for so long to know the end that I had to read it. I was expecting something disappointing but it wasn't and it still isn't, is it?

[brightmidnight71]

I was so mad after I finish actually threw my book. But once I calmed down I realized that I really liked the Coda.


I totally agree. I was infuriated at first, but upon reflection, I realized it really shouldn't have ended any other way. And a previous poster said something about how the ending opened up so many possibilities for the imagination to wander around and wonder about. My wife and I still talk about the "what if's" all the time. Is the horn the only thing that was missing? What were Roland's other "mistakes" in previous journeys? SPOILER Was dropping Jake his greatest mistake? SPOILER Was making it to the tower itself something that isn't supposed to happen, at least for Roland?
The conversations are endless just like the possibilities and that's a wonderful thing, as are the alternate possibilities that occur to you when you're re-reading the series.

The story as a whole is so grand and is so unencumbered by space and time, that it shouldn't have had a definitive END. Because it's so grounded in a reality that actually feels real, I think many people feel it should have a real ending, but in truth, what stories ever truly end?

And to the OP, deaths are not very final in this series. Jake, Callahan...many others. In fact, in the ending before the coda, one could argue that all kinds of things were negated when Susannah made her trip through the door and met up with her "new" friends.

[JacobChambers]

Long days and plesent nights to you all,

just finished the series again for the 2nd time and i loved it even more the second time around.

would love to discuss CODA at the end. I don't understand why the Horn is important? does it mean that Roland picked up at the battle of Jericoh or that for whatever reason he just has it now. Is that alone enough to end his journy this time? As Roland continues to to repeat his Journey, does he repeat his drawing of the ka-tet that we have grown to love? i have so many more questions that i would to discuss (not get answers to obviously)
but this seems like a fair enough start.

I hope we are well met.

[turtlex]

Welcome to the site, JC.

We have a couple of existing threads that I think you'll find really interesting.

The Official End Thread (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=376&page=35)

That Thing You Can Only Talk About If You've Finished The Series (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=1778&page=30)

Coda or No Coda (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=5701&page=4)

Also, since you're new here - stop by the Introduce Yourself (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=67) thread and say hello!

[Merlin1958]

Long days and plesent nights to you all,

just finished the series again for the 2nd time and i loved it even more the second time around.

would love to discuss CODA at the end. I don't understand why the Horn is important? does it mean that Roland picked up at the battle of Jericoh or that for whatever reason he just has it now. Is that alone enough to end his journy this time? As Roland continues to to repeat his Journey, does he repeat his drawing of the ka-tet that we have grown to love? i have so many more questions that i would to discuss (not get answers to obviously)
but this seems like a fair enough start.

I hope we are well met.



Welcome to the site!!!


I believe that Roland retaining the "Horn" on his next (20th) loop symbolizes his personal growth and a significant next step on his (and mankind's) "Road to Redemption". Hopefully, his presumably, final loop will see him ascend to the Tower.

Yeah, it was my take that he will basically follow the storyline from the series, drawing the three, riding Blaine, etc, but will still be able to make different choices along the way that can alter it accordingly. Much as he did in the preceding 19 loops.

[haunted.lunchbox]

I'm new here too! I found that Towerpedia was a good source of information on things I missed, or forgot. You will find it somewhere under Palaver.

[pathoftheturtle]

So the Horn... hey, let's stop for a sec (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=2477)

:) Welcome. Thanks for posting.

[turtlex]

So the Horn... hey, let's stop for a sec (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=2477)

:) Welcome. Thanks for posting.

:huglove: Thank you!

[Merlin1958]

Pam,

Can you possibly hook me up with a date with your avatar? I'm a perfect gentleman!!!

Dinner and a Movie, have her home by 12am?


:rose::dance::rose:

[JacobChambers]

Thanks for the warm reception! Well met indeed

[LovesSweetExile]

Yo man, welcome, the horn I suppose is a step foward into Rolands redemption and his feelings, eventually he will complete his quest and do everything the way he is supposed to do, like with compassion and love to full of his ka tet, then again, the ending still didn't make sense to me haha.

[turtlex]

Pam,

Can you possibly hook me up with a date with your avatar? I'm a perfect gentleman!!!

Dinner and a Movie, have her home by 12am?


:rose::dance::rose:

My avatar prefers women, Bill. :rolleyes: :lol:

[pathoftheturtle]

Pam,

Can you possibly hook me up with a date with your avatar? I'm a perfect gentleman!!!

Dinner and a Movie, have her home by 12am?


:rose::dance::rose:http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s12/POTT2007/facepalm.jpg

[Brainslinger]

My avatar prefers women, Bill. :rolleyes: :lol:

I was about to say she bats for the other side. But you saved me from a terrible pun.

Oh. Wait... :idea:

[Merlin1958]

Pam,

Can you possibly hook me up with a date with your avatar? I'm a perfect gentleman!!!

Dinner and a Movie, have her home by 12am?


:rose::dance::rose:

My avatar prefers women, Bill. :rolleyes: :lol:

I know, but for me she'd convert!!!! I know I can do it, just put me in, coach!!!


:excited::wtf::excited:

[Doe]

I read the Coda and I was pleased I did, Im the sort of chap whom likes an ending, I hate cliffhangers or being left thinking 'maybe this happened'' so the Coda was a needed and neccessary closure, even if It did hit me in the heart like a blunt spear.