I have to admit, these reviews are probably going to be a bit repetitive for the next few books. I have chewed my way through the third volume of The Dark Tower and I don't seem to be showing any signs of stopping yet. It is as good as the others and well worth the three days I spent doing nothing else but reading it. Instead of giving away copious amounts of plot details, I do hope you will go and read this book and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Not will I spend another blog worshipping the pants off Roland (Although....). I will focus this blog post on the world building skills found within the novel.
The old saying is true: The Devil is in the Detail and King has this down to a fine art. The world in which the story is set is a post apocalyptic danger zone, no too dissimilar to our own. The points of reference and objects that are easily recognisable can be a little discomforting too. At one point our troupe of adventurers are forced to cross a decaying suspension bridge, this is made scarier for myself as I live near one and had a perfect image of what was happening. The crossover from our world to theirs is highlighted fully when a downed Nazi plane is found and explored. This would seem a bit ludicrous in a fantasy story, had not 2 of the main characters already crossed over.
The explanation of the plane is left out, due to Roland not being aware of how it arrived there in the first place. Both him and those they encounter are fond of explaining these things with the simple adage: 'The world has moved on.' This also gives reason for why most, if not all, the technology in the world no longer works. The world has simply left these things behind, no longer finding a use for them.
The more you read, the more you come to realise that it is not just the physical things the world has moved on from. Time and distance also seem a bit slippery in Roland's world and this can leave you feeling a bit disconnected, there is no point of reference, for example, we don't really know how old Roland is, maybe he doesn't either (Or I am yet to find this out of course).
Either way, the little details like this, makes Roland's world an interesting, if not altogether pleasant, place to spend your time.
Next comes: Wizard and Glass (it's good, I am half way through it) in a few days time.
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