My favorite part was Jake's essay, "My Understanding of Truth."
I'm going to steal that from him....
My favorite part was Jake's essay, "My Understanding of Truth."
I'm going to steal that from him....
Without a doubt the introduction of the Ageless Stranger. "Shake the hand that shook the world." Sheer badassery in a single sentence.
"Sheer badassery"
I am Daenerys Stormborn and I will take what is mine. With fire and blood.
Instead of "sheer badassery", how about "the shat?"
Upon re-reading, I find that the part of the story that takes place in Lud is one of my favorites in the entire series. It really shows how much Jake means to Roland. Plus next to the portion of the story that takes place in Thunderclap, Lud really defines All-World for me.
Is that your favourite part from the whole saga? Wow, it's quite interesting. And is this your favourite book, too?
Roland would have understood.
Indeed, the part that takes place in Lud is one of ny favorite parts in the entire saga. The crazy backbeat, the statues of the Guardians, the hung bodies, Blaine....it all just defines All-World (especially Mid-World) for me. This is actually my second favorite book. My favorite is the final volume, The Dark Tower.
I just finished reading this chapter of the saga. I didn't like it nearly as much as TDotT as it didn't flow as nice, but it still had it's moments. I especially enjoyed the tiny part were The Ageless Stranger appears to Tick-Tock Man as Richard Fannin...'Not exactly correct, but, I reckon, close enough for government work." Another part was Stephen's imagination in Blaine and it's ability to project outside imagery on the interior walls of the train. Sounds a lot like the technology that they are implementing in concept cars for the next few years.....this book was written 20 years or so ago!
The waste lands is also my favorite book from the Dark tower series.Two of my favorite parts that spring to mind 1,When jake first meets OY near river crossing 2,When the group came across David quick in the crashed german focke-wulf plane just outside of lud.This seemed to bring both worlds closer.
By the way was daivid quick the great grand father too andrew quick better known as the tick tock man.
Read your post and an idea reoccurred to me, about Susannah, how she is able to see how things were, the past, whereas Jake is able to see how things will be, or could be. Interesting in part because of who Susannah is, a black woman from that time period, the 60s I guess. Interesting cause of what that may or may not say about being the master of your own destiny, maybe how being past-focused could be a hindrance. Although I'd be hard-pressed to say being past-focused was a hindrance to her.
I think this is what troubled me about the way Roland taught Susannah to shoot. He has her remembering her past, the folk who done her wrong. With Eddie, on the other hand, he is standing off, aloof, arms crossed and he's gazing at the sky, or something. While Roland allows Eddie time to work through his past with his brother Henry, Roland has Susannah remember her past. Shrug. I dunno. Tilting at windmills again.
When Oy attacked the Tic-Tock man.
The book's pic:
That's a very interesting point, I never really thought of that. In the case of Eddie, his memories of Henry were a mostly a hindrance to him though (I say mostly, they weren't all bad.) Henry (and their mother) made Eddie used emotional blackmail to control Eddie. He owed them so much (as they'd say) so now he had take care of them, etc, etc. And of course Henry would put him down somewhat, eat at his self esteem. These are things that a gunslinger must put aside to be successful.
In the case of Susannah, whilst her memories were also a source of pain and belittlement to her, Roland shifted them into a source of strength (albeit a dark destructive strength). He pulled them out to make her bite. I'll admit I didn't really agree with his methods in that situation. It was a cruel thing to do, but it did work.)
In short it's not so much the memories themselves as how they are utilized. If they've become so much a part of you that they drag you down and stop your progress, it's best to shed them. However, if you can utilize them for your betterment, that will just aid the progress. Even Eddie took some good from his past. He was very faithful to his ka-mates and adoptive family, a trait that was installed in him with Henry.
I loved this book. I go back and forth between this one and WotC as my favorites. For me I loved EVERYTHING about Lud. The scene left me with so much fascination. I was so interested in Lud's history and what it might have been. How did it happen that the sophisticated/technological Ludians devolved into superstitious sects at war with eachother? SK should write a couple of Lud books.
And was this book not where we first learn of the ? Awesome. I was hooked on Roland reaching the tower from that point on.
Do You Folks Like Coffee?
Real Coffee,
From the Hills Of Colombia?
The Duncan Hills awake you
from a thousand deaths.
A cup of blackened blood.
(Die, Die)
You're dying for a cup.
My favorite part was when The Ka-Tet came upon the old folks in River Crossing. When they first walked into what they thought of was a deserted town. Then Eddie said that he felt like he was being watched. When the people of River Crossing realized that the new people were Gunslingers, the worshiped them. The best part of River Crossing was when one of the Old People gave Roland a Cross.
.... also, in the same section, how Roland treated the old blind woman, asking her to 'see' his face with her hands. King has amazing insight sometimes.
When Jake saves Oy and the bridge scene in general.
The showdown in the Tick-Tock Man's lair.
Roland's chase after Jake and Gasher (with help from Oy, of course)
Roland's calm "Fuck you" when Blaine asks him for a riddle.
Oy's arrival.
I agree, wholeheartedly.
Once more, I agree. It's a beautiful part of the book - it made my eyes well up a little.
That part is especially good.
This thread has just made me re-realise how much i love this book.
Time spent with cats is never wasted.
What can I say? I agree with everything here. This is still my favorite work by Stephen King. As the man himself said, "In many ways Waste Lands feels like the high point of my 'make-believe life.'
Even better than The Stand, maybe."
Favorite parts?
Jake's essay. (And in fact, just about everything about Jake in New York. "Under the umbrella of ka." )
The return of The Turtle.
The bear and the bone.
Aunt Talitha.
The Waste Lands (the very idea!) The city on the edge Lud, to me, is a very real place, far moreso than any other TDT setting.
Charlie the Choo-Choo and Riddle-De-Dum.
Detta primes the pump.
The return of R.F.
and etc. lol