Nerds That Geek Book Review - 'The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​It's incredible when you think about how much stories are a part of our lives. We grew up listening to them, often at bedtime and as we grew older we found new tales that would fire up our imagination and draw us in. Be it a movie, a book or a fairy tale, stories are always with us. 

But what matters most, is that we continue to tell stories in some form or fashion. The tales we learned as a child we have either recommended to others to read or we simply re tell the tale ourselves, keeping it alive. It is the beauty of the story, and what brings us to telling them that is central to the ‘lost’ chapter in The Dark Tower series; The Wind Through the Keyhole. 

Following the events of Wizard and Glass, Roland and his ka-tet continue along the path of the Beam only to encounter a wide river to cross. Taking advantage of a man with a ferry, the group discovers after being ferried across the water that something ominous is coming, a powerful storm known as a Starkblast. Finding shelter the group hunkers down for the night, giving Roland an opportunity to tell some incredible tales from his youth...

This particular Dark Tower tale was actually released in 2012, five years after Stephen King concluded the core of the story with book seven, The Dark Tower. But with a world so rich and so many adventures undoubtedly happening between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla, King felt the need to return to this particular world and it really is a damn fine read.  

It's a book that walks a fine line really, because nothing major or earth-shattering plot wise happens here and really, that's probably best. That way the story doesn't tread on the epic finale that is about to build in the last three books, it simply gives all the fans a chance to enjoy the calm before the storm one last time. If anything, this book is really an ode to storytelling in general, since Roland's story contains another story, and well...you end up hooked as you turn the pages.  

It goes back to the power of the story and how well they stick with us. This ugly storm allows the often-cold Roland to share more about his many adventures and the incredible tales he heard as a child. I like the fact that it speaks to the importance of keeping a story alive by sharing it over and over again, and while this book doesn't exactly offer an epic story like the rest of the books in the series, I still had trouble putting it down because it truly is a worthy entry in The Dark Tower mythos. 
 

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