General Wind Through The Keyhole

[woodpryan]

I just finished reading The Wind Through The Keyhole. I have mixed feelings about it, but here are my thoughts.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. If I were to rank it against the other Dark Tower books, I would put in that list at number five, right after The Wastelands, and right before the last three books (Song of Susannah being last). It felt very Wizard and Glass (which is a good thing, that being my favorite Dark Tower book), but it also felt a little bit rushed at some points. It does not move the story of the Dark Tower along in any way, but it was certainly an enjoyable read. I felt that the last page gives away too much for readers who are going through the series for the first time, but not really a big deal.

For the first half of the book, I was reading the Grant limited Artist edition, and I loved the feel of the thick paper, the illustrations throughout, and the excellent type font that they used.

For the last half of the book, I read the first Scribner edition. I hated the font, the paper felt cheap in my hands, the binding felt cheap, the cover even felt cheap. I couldn't stand the actual book itself, without the illustrations that every single other Dark Tower book has had. If you haven't picked it up, I would highly recommend getting a limited edition from Grant before they are all gone. It is very well worth the price, and I personally feel that the reading experience is better just holding that book that is so much more well made than the Scribner edition (which is NOT worth 27 bucks).
Anyway, good story. Good read. Go get it if you haven't yet.
If you have finished it, what did you think?

[Merlin1958]

I haven't finished yet, but I am reading a "Reading copy" of the Scribner edition and know what you mean. The quality is in the Grant edition and not the Scribner, but that is cool by me. In a "reading Copy" am I looking for the content. In a collectible copy I am looking for quality. That's just me. I have never read any of my "collectibles", my OCD in force!!!!

[Lady Santos]

I enjoyed Wind, good story and well worth it. I really enjoyed the story within a story element. I would probably rank it #5 on my list as well. Theere were a couple things that bugged me about it, the main one (and it's a small thing really, just a personal preference type thing) is that Roland told the story of the skin man in first person, and I'm used to and prefer the third person. For some reason the way of telling it did not transport me and immerse me as much as Wizard and Glass, which had a similar set-up. There are also a couple of questionable concurrency issues dealing with our pal the ol' Crimson King, and just some non-Rolandisms that occur, but I'll save discussing those for when there's a spoiler thread up Overall though, I did enjoy going back to Gilead for awhile, I don't see how anyone couldn't.

[mtdman]

I enjoyed Wind, good story and well worth it. I really enjoyed the story within a story element. I would probably rank it #5 on my list as well. Theere were a couple things that bugged me about it, the main one (and it's a small thing really, just a personal preference type thing) is that Roland told the story of the skin man in first person, and I'm used to and prefer the third person. For some reason the way of telling it did not transport me and immerse me as much as Wizard and Glass, which had a similar set-up. There are also a couple of questionable concurrency issues dealing with our pal the ol' Crimson King, and just some non-Rolandisms that occur, but I'll save discussing those for when there's a spoiler thread up Overall though, I did enjoy going back to Gilead for awhile, I don't see how anyone couldn't.

I agree with the 1st person telling of the skin man portion. It did not sound like Roland's tale from Wizard, and it wasn't the same feeling to me.

I did not love this story. It's okay. I didn't dislike it, but imo it's not as good as any of the other DT books. I'd rank it as dead last. IMO it doesn't really give us any new insight on the quest for the tower, and as a story about Roland's past it was pretty lame. And frankly it doesn't add to the DT mythos at all. Had I never read it, had it never been written, it would change nothing in the series.

I'd rather hear about the battles with Farson or what happened to Roland's dad, or even Jericho Hill. Something with meat on it. This just didn't live up to the rest of the books for me.

[woodpryan]

Oh, god. I would have loved to hear about the battle of Jerico Hill. That is something I've wanted to read for a really long fucking time.
But, really, I enjoyed this story. It's point wasn't to move the quest for the Dark Tower along. I mean, it was set in Roland's world. But, really, it's just a story. The story was enjoyable. And, in the end, that's all that really matters.

[Merlin1958]

Oh, god. I would have loved to hear about the battle of Jerico Hill. That is something I've wanted to read for a really long fucking time.
But, really, I enjoyed this story. It's point wasn't to move the quest for the Dark Tower along. I mean, it was set in Roland's world. But, really, it's just a story. The story was enjoyable. And, in the end, that's all that really matters.

Didn't Furth cover Jericho Hill in the comics? That's probably why he would stay away from it.

[woodpryan]

Oh, god. I would have loved to hear about the battle of Jerico Hill. That is something I've wanted to read for a really long fucking time.
But, really, I enjoyed this story. It's point wasn't to move the quest for the Dark Tower along. I mean, it was set in Roland's world. But, really, it's just a story. The story was enjoyable. And, in the end, that's all that really matters.

Didn't Furth cover Jericho Hill in the comics? That's probably why he would stay away from it.

I really don't care that it was covered in the comics. I'm not a comic reader, and the comic series is nothing compared to the reading experience. I want my damn Jerrico Hill.

[WeDealInLead]

I enjoyed Wind, good story and well worth it. I really enjoyed the story within a story element. I would probably rank it #5 on my list as well. Theere were a couple things that bugged me about it, the main one (and it's a small thing really, just a personal preference type thing) is that Roland told the story of the skin man in first person, and I'm used to and prefer the third person. For some reason the way of telling it did not transport me and immerse me as much as Wizard and Glass, which had a similar set-up. There are also a couple of questionable concurrency issues dealing with our pal the ol' Crimson King, and just some non-Rolandisms that occur, but I'll save discussing those for when there's a spoiler thread up Overall though, I did enjoy going back to Gilead for awhile, I don't see how anyone couldn't.

I agree with the 1st person telling of the skin man portion. It did not sound like Roland's tale from Wizard, and it wasn't the same feeling to me.

I did not love this story. It's okay. I didn't dislike it, but imo it's not as good as any of the other DT books. I'd rank it as dead last. IMO it doesn't really give us any new insight on the quest for the tower, and as a story about Roland's past it was pretty lame. And frankly it doesn't add to the DT mythos at all. Had I never read it, had it never been written, it would change nothing in the series.

I'd rather hear about the battles with Farson or what happened to Roland's dad, or even Jericho Hill. Something with meat on it. This just didn't live up to the rest of the books for me.

Hello, my long lost twin brother.

I devoured the book in a day and when I put it down, I was left feeling empty. It didn't feel and read like a DT story at all. It felt like King sat down and wrote it one sitting. Oh well.

edit: the only part that got to me emotionally was his mother's letter to him and King's little note about forgiveness at the back

[justinhp]

Just finished it and absolutely loved it. Magical, enchanting and gripping. TWTTK contains so much Mid-World back story that it stands in its own right. I'd put it at No. 3 behind The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass.
A beautiful book - vintage King.

[tumbleweed]

Skimming past everyone else's reviews... just wanted to say, I just started it on Friday... haven't finished it yet, but I am annoyed by the element of story, within a story, within a story...

[Random321321]

Am I the only one annoyed when King makes up some big new concept, playing a central role in the plot, that is nowhere mentioned in previous books? In this one it was the "starkblast", in Wolves it was "todash", he tried to retcon The Gunslinger and claim that Roland went "todash" during his palaver with MiB, but he never used that word until very late in the series.

[jhanic]

I have the feeling that the starkblast is a very, very rare occurrence.

John

[Random321321]

I have the feeling that the starkblast is a very, very rare occurrence.

John

Yeah, but, he didn't exactly say that. There's a whole thing with billy-bumblers sensing them coming, and if they were really that rare I doubt that A. billy-bumblers would actually be able to do it (no evolutionary imperative), and B. anyone would know about billy-bumbler predicting methods, not having observed it enough times to notice the pattern. Also, if starkblasts are really so incredibly rare, then shouldn't someone have mentioned that they lived through one like EVER during books 5-7?

[Brice]

Yes, I got the same impression, John.

[Lady Santos]

Yes! Jerico Hill, please!

[Random321321]

I think Jericho Hill has been built up too much. It was just a battle, I see no reason why we need to hear about it in detail.

[mtdman]

I think Jericho Hill has been built up too much. It was just a battle, I see no reason why we need to hear about it in detail.

I see no reason I needed to hear about anything in this book at all by that reasoning.

If this novel had come out after wizards and glass, I might have given up on the series completely.

I think that says it all right there, and to me that's pretty damning of the book.

[Random321321]

I think Jericho Hill has been built up too much. It was just a battle, I see no reason why we need to hear about it in detail.

I see no reason I needed to hear about anything in this book at all by that reasoning.

No argument here.

[Weirdmonger]

For any interested, I have just completed my detailed personal real-time review of THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE (thus completing a similar examination of the whole DARK TOWER series novel by novel, chapter by chapter): http://nullimmortalis.wordpress.com/...-stephen-king/
DF Lewis

[Ricky]

I feel the same way, Random.

[cupofcoffee]

Overall I loved Wind Through the Keyhole, but I do agree that parts of it felt rushed. I liked that the book was the most compact story Dark Tower story since Drawing of the Three—I just wish the Skin-Man thing hadn't left me so underwhelmed. I spent the "Wind Through the Keyhole" portion of the book assuming the "Skin-Man Part 2" part would have some kind of interesting twist, but it turned out to be really straight-forward and anticlimactic. That last sentence ("Oh yeah, and Jamie left his virginity behind that night") was a perfect bit of inadvertent comedy. It summarized the whole "Skin-Man Part 2" section for me. A complete Oh Yeah, And.

But, like I said, overall I really liked it. It was exactly what I hoped it would be: an exploration of a previously unrevealed corner of Mid-World. I'd much rather read that, go down some dark alley and find interesting new things, than read a novelization of Stephen King getting up on a stool and just answering questions about what actually happened with Roland's father or the Battle of Jericho Hill. I didn't even mind the starkblast gimmick or the goofy plot hole with the Covenant Man's true identity. Although I'm not sure where I'd rank it, I was perfectly happy with what it was, and I'm sure it'll be getting multiple re-reads.

[RolandLover]

Just finished reading TWTTKH and I loved it! It was nice to taken back to Roland's world Mid-World, learning a little more about his father/mother. Love the skin-man story and the wind through the keyhole story. Now why would Gabrielle tell that type of story for a bedtime story is scary lol. I especially love how the how Roland dealt with the guilt of killing his mother, reading the last words Gabrielle left for him to forgiving himself. Good stuff!

[LostAlivE]

I have a question concerning the DJ for the US trade edition.
What is the light in the woods it is just above the lantern Tim is holding?
Is it suppose to represent the fire of the mud people?

[mystima]

I just finished this book like ten minutes ago...lol...I liked the book....Ranking, I would put it before W&G...(3rd) The only issue I had with it is that the story about Tim could have been a book by itself, the story around that could have been a short story he could have put into one of his short story anthologies like he did with Little Sisters...

I have a question concerning the DJ for the US trade edition.
What is the light in the woods it is just above the lantern Tim is holding?
Is it suppose to represent the fire of the mud people?

as for this...

Spoiler:

It is the evil Tinkerbell.

[Robert Fulman]

I have a question concerning the DJ for the US trade edition.
What is the light in the woods it is just above the lantern Tim is holding?
Is it suppose to represent the fire of the mud people?

The light is the sighe (fairy) named Armaneeta.