​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. 
 

Love, simply put, is incredible. It always manages to lift us up when it happens. The days somehow become brighter and the air smells sweeter as we find ourselves focused on that special someone. In fact, there comes a point with those we love where it seems as though they completely consume our thoughts. It's a wonderful feeling, but it is not without its consequences, especially when a love is simply not meant to be. When it consumes us and we cannot have them, it can force us to lose focus and make mistakes in our day to day lives and it is that kind of dangerous love that is the focus of the fourth chapter in The Dark Tower series, Wizard and Glass. 

Roland and his ka-tet have escaped the city of Lud aboard Blaine the Mono, to arrive at the end of the line; Topeka, Kansas. As the group settles down for the night after their exhausting adventures in Lud, they spot a strange dimensional anomaly known as a Thinny, a rip in space and time; curious about the event Roland decides to tell the tale of the first time he ran into such an event, shortly after he earned his guns and was sent out on a mission after discovering his mother's affair with the wizard Martin. On this mission, he found himself entranced by a beautiful woman named Susan Delgado that he immediately falls in love with, in fact she consumes Roland putting he and the mission in danger. But in the end the mission is accomplished, and an ancient wizard's glass orb is recovered, but not before the orb shows Roland some of his future and that fact that his commitment to the mission alone has cost Susan her life. 

The next morning the group sets out once again to follow the path of the Beam and they continue to find strange clues of a Superflu that has ravaged the world, in fact everything around them is truly amiss and it only gets worse when they encounter an Emerald palace where the Man in Black, also known as the wizard Martin from Roland's youth, reveals himself to truly be a man known as Randall Flagg and he taunts the group before he escapes, leaving behind a gift, the Wizard Glass from so long ago and it shows the group the dangers of traveling with Roland Deschain, but it does not deter the group and they agree to finish their quest to find The Dark Tower. 

This was a jam-packed novel and with good reason, it reveals so much about Roland, in ominous fashion. If anything, we learn in this book that Roland cannot stray from the course. Not love, friendship or anything can pull this man from his duty and it has cost so many that have known him their lives, and from the looks of the glass orb, his ka-tet may suffer the same fate and that discovery is yet another tragedy in a book full of them. In fact, the most tragic part of the book is Roland and Susan's love. It's the first time we have ever seen Roland express such emotions and show the need to be loved by someone else and to see how it breaks him down and puts his friends in danger makes for a fantastic story, but when Roland snaps out of it and leaves his love behind to eventually die in flames on a pyre, well it's a heavy moment for certain and one that undoubtedly cements Roland's dedication to duty over everything else.
 
This novel also surprises by suddenly combining several of King's worlds all into the same story. After all Randall Flagg was the enigmatic and disgusting villain from The Stand and to learn he has been the nightmare monster that Roland has been dealing with his entire life is nothing short of spectacular. However, despite all of these incredible twists and turns, the kind that one would expect an author to jump at to resolve, it would be many years before the tale would continue since Wizard and Glass came out in 1997 and the next book in the series would not arrive until 2003 and the wait would be completely worth it since at long last, these incredible surprises would finally find resolution and more importantly…it seemed that the Tower and the end were finally in sight.

There comes a point in our lives when we see parts of the world we either never wish we discovered or never expected to see. Despite all the beauty that surrounds us on this little planet we call home, there are tough realities out there for plenty of people. Sometimes these realities face us when tragedy strikes, other times we stumble upon them when we strike out on our own, because when it comes to our lives we try to stick with what we know, and that sometimes allows us to miss those darker slices of our world until we cross paths with them at last.  

It's why literature does such a great job of sucking us in. It allows us to escape the parts of life we simply don't like. But there are writers out there who take big chances in their work, the kind of chances that show us unpleasant things, and Stephen King is one of those writers and when it comes to his magnum opus, The Dark Tower, King decided at one point to pull away from the complete escapism of the world he created by letting us see some of the uglier sides of Mid-world in the third chapter in the series...The Waste Lands.

Roland Deschain and his new friends have left the beach after their experiences in The Drawing of the Three and set out on the task at hand, finding the Dark Tower. But their travels will take them to places of the world long forgotten and it will bring them in contact with legends come to life as they discover a long-lost guardian of the Beam, beings that are vessels of magic and untold power that feed the Tower. But more importantly this path along the Beam will bring Jake Chambers back into Roland's world and take them to the terrifying city of Lud, where they can see what man has become inside forgotten cities and they will have to fight their way through to obtain the only safe way to cross the Waste Lands that await them beyond Lud in order to continue their quest to the Dark Tower. 

While The Waste Lands is perhaps not as prolific and epic as the two books before it, this is a book that does two important things. For starters, it sets up some important plot points that will later return to haunt Roland and his ka-tet, specifically a pertinent moment for Susannah, but it also paints an incredible picture of this dying world. The city of Lud is a great example of that, with human characters that no longer seem human with their ruthlessness and willingness to do whatever it takes to survive in a dead city. Lud is a scary and complicated place that makes for a thrilling third act of the story.
 
If anything, the addition of Lud helps to provide an incredible contrast for the series. While the first two books had a western feel to them, this book becomes a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror all at once with the incredible creatures and environments King brings to life. Yet he also makes the Dark Tower itself that much more fascinating by way of the mix of magic and science he presents to us that just so happens to fuel this nexus of the universe, as since we are introduced to the mysterious North Central Positronics and their implied role in dealing with the Tower.  

Either way, while this may serve as a transitional book for the series, it in no way disappoints and you are drawn further and further into the lives of these characters and their world and King made the wait for the next book in the series extremely difficult with the powerful and stunning cliffhanger we are left with at the end of this one and that's the beauty of The Waste Lands. Once you've finished it, you're completely hooked and there is no going back, because now you have to know how the story will end.  

​Destiny is a word that fascinates all of us. The possibility that we could have a path or life that is already decided for us can be a terrifying prospect. It means that the choices we think matter so much are irrelevant and an endgame that we may or may not care for awaits us regardless. Yet it is a word we throw around often and I would say the common belief is that our lives are composed of hints of destiny since we often believe that there are people or moments that we were meant to encounter or experience.  

The beauty of the literary world, is that the confusion over destiny can be easily resolved through the steady hand of a writer, and the wonder of coincidence, luck, fate or blessing can easily be handled when destiny truly comes to life on the page. Such is the case in the second book in The Dark Tower series, The Drawing of the Three.  

Following the events at the end of The Gunslinger, Roland awakens on a beach and finds himself under siege from a hideous lobster like monster that wounds him and leaves him ill, forcing him to search the beach for medical aid. But instead of finding that, he finds himself facing three doors, standing in the middle of the sand and all of them are labeled with an ominous title; ‘The Pusher’, ‘The Prisoner’ and ‘The Lady of Shadows’.  These doors each carry special meaning, for they will take Roland into three different periods of time in New York City's history and the people he finds there; Eddie, Susannah and eventually...Jake Chambers, will join him on his quest for the Dark Tower and fulfill a destiny they never knew existed.  

What I've always enjoyed the most about Stephen King's magnum opus is that he truly took his time in putting it all together. No detail escapes this series and The Drawing of the Three is no exception to that unspoken rule. I've read the entire 8 book series several times over now and I've always been amazed at how many little things show up in this tale early on, only to pop up again later in the story, and that’s important because in a strange way, this book almost feels unimportant the first time you read it.  

Sure it lets us know that the ‘Three’ will be accompanying Roland to the Tower and that their journey will be perilous along the way, but the gravity of the ‘Three’, and the importance they hold to the overall story is not truly realized until later on. But their future growth and their friendship is all laid out and set up in this tale and the magic of King's writing is that we don't trust any of these new people at first, but as the story goes on, you'll find you want nothing more than to see all of them reach the Tower. It's an engrossing read, and an ominous one at the same time...for destiny, or Ka as it is known in Roland's world, is now in motion.

​We often find ourselves searching for stories that instantly speak to our souls. That kind of tale where from the first word to the last, your mind is set ablaze, and where the world is as real as it can get, so much in fact that you can smell the air, feel the breeze as if it is there because it truly transports you. The wonder of that story only becomes all the more magical when you realize that there is more of it to be told. That you have started the beginning of an incredible journey that will take you places you never expected to go and for me the series that consumed so many years of my youth and transported my imagination to places unknown was the first book in The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. 

There is a world where better times have gone by. It is hard in this world, the air is dry, the ground is not fertile but people are getting by. In this world there is a man, the last of the gunslingers, Roland Deschain. He is the last survivor of Gilead, a grand kingdom that fell to evil and he is also the last in the line of Eld and he is on a quest. He is headed for the mysterious Dark Tower, a place that serves as a nexus for all of time and space. But before he can reach it, he must face off with his nemesis, the Man in Black, and the hunt for this villainous man, will change Roland’s life forever…

The opening line of this book, ‘The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.’ speaks to how quickly this book pulls you in, for so many reasons. For starters, I grew up reading plenty of Stephen King. Between the monsters he made jump off of the page, or the psychopaths that made you check under the bed, this was the first story I had ever read from him that to me, truly showcased his talents as a writer.  

For The Gunslinger paints an incredible world that completely immersed me. Roland in and of himself was the first character to accomplish this because at this point in time, we don't understand his quest one hundred percent. We know the Tower is his ultimate destination, and the conviction and drive he has to get there immediately left me wanting more. Because that kind of dedication is rare and to see a man hold himself to something that powerful means the Tower must be special indeed.  

Yet it is the world itself that King creates that is equally as fascinating. This world that resembles our own but seems so foreign at the same time is quite frankly, beautiful and haunting all at once. It's clear bad things have happened here, yet the people manage to get by. They survive, they live and there's something noble in that. But what matters most in this book is the Man in Black himself. In the later revised versions of this book we meet a man that in many ways ties so much together and his brief appearance sets the stage for the incredible opus we are about to enjoy. 

For The Dark Tower is King's finest work, and the story that truly connects anything and everything he has ever done and The Gunslinger is the bare beginning of one of the greatest journeys in literature I have ever taken.

In this day and age companies can afford to be picky about who they hire, but that is one of the reasons why they are able to become better than ever.  Running recruiting trips is not out of the ordinary for many of these places, as they try to find the best of the best in their fields, and Nanigen is not above trying to lock down talent by putting on a wonderful song and dance. No degrees are needed to work for this up and coming Robotics Company, just be willing to start on the ground floor and you'll become filthy rich once their stock goes public. You may ask yourself if this is too good to be true, but who cares if you are going to be paid handsomely for your work.

Eric Jansen, the VP of Nanigen, is out at Cambridge for a recruiting trip, and his dashing smile, nice clothes and a not a care in the world attitude is working famously with the students. His brother Peter who is working in a lab on campus catches wind that Eric is sporting around and telling everyone that he runs into that Nanigen is ready to hire, and no degree is necessary for the work that they will be doing. Peter, knowing that his brother means well in the long run tries to get updated information on what this robotics company will really be doing, but gets pushed away with many deflective answers. Concerned with the lack of truth his brother has given him, Peter still needs to answer to the rest of his friends who all think this will be the opportunity of a life time. An invitation has been made to the group of friends to come out and visit the headquarters of Nanigen, which is based out of Hawaii. But before the group leaves, Peter receives a strange text message from his brother, ‘DON’T COME’, then he receives an even worse phone call from someone at the Nanigen offices saying his brother Eric has been killed in a boating accident.

Undeterred by the news, Peter decides to travel along with his friends to the head office of Nanigen, because if nothing else, he can try to figure out what happened to his brother. Peter, along with Rick, Karen, Erika, Amar, Jenny and Danny are greeted upon their arrival at headquarters by Vincent Drake, the president of the company. Drake gives the group a rundown of what they are doing at Nanigen, and how they are trying to make the world healthier with all of the samples they can collect from the local vegetation. Everyone in the group has worked with plants in one way or the other and understands what benefits can come from such research, but Nanigen has taken their research just a bit further. They have been able to shrink devices, along with people down to the micro level for the collection process, then enlarge them back to normal size to provide a much larger harvest.  

Being blown away by this turn of events, the group is ready to try to impress Drake and get a nice healthy income before they lose their chance. Peter, however is not impressed, knowing that there is something going on with the company, he confronts Drake in his office about his brother’s death. Drake hands Peter a beating that no one could have seen coming, but unbeknownst to Drake, his microphone is still on and everyone in the office heard what was said about his involvement of Eric’s death. Not being able to have any bad publicity for the company, Drake needs to get rid of these kids, and what better way than to shrink them down and set them free in the terrifying rainforests of Hawaii.

This is where the main story of Micro begins. The group of grad students are shrunk and placed in the wilderness of the Hawaiian Islands. Only being half an inch tall the group tries to adapt to the environment that they have been thrust into, using only their knowledge of botany and entomology (plants and insects) to survive. Troubles that none of them would ever have to think about in everyday life quickly become reality as ants, spiders, centipedes, bats and the worst predator of them all, humans, try to find and keep them from their main objective…getting enlarged back to normal size.

This is one of the best books Michael Crichton has constructed since Jurassic Park. The imagery that is conveyed in this novel makes you feel as if you were sitting in Hawaii and being attacked by insects that are as big, or bigger than you. Even though Crichton passed away before this novel was finished, Richard Preston came in and continued the story in the classic Crichton fashion by keeping the suspense up and by not letting you get too comfortable with any of the situations. There is something around each and every corner of Micro and this keeps the pages turning until you find out if anyone will make it back to the offices of Nanigen alive to exact their revenge.  ​

Four profiteers are looking for safe passage on to what has become to be known as the Plague Star, which has earned its name based on the destruction it has left in its path. The group is low on funds and looking for any way to get to this location and make their fortune. They are able to book passage on the Cornucopia of Excellent Goods at Low Prices, Haviland Tuf’s ship. Tuf, a small time trader who is short on funds himself is more than happy to take the fare with promise of a decent payoff when the destination is reached.                            

Arriving to the Plague Star’s coordinates, the group discovers they are in over their heads further than expected since the Star turns out to be an ancient space craft that is the size of a planet. With Tuf’s ship being damaged on the first attempt to reach this relic, the group separates for survival and dominance of their new find. ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ as the group breaks apart, battles and kills for control of the ship, now referred to as the ‘Ark.’ Tuf, who has alternative motives at first when he takes part in the revolt early on, uses  presence of mind and a load of patience, to wait it out and take command of the Ark and bolster his abilities as a top trader.

The Ark, although having great defense systems, has something more valuable to Tuf and the worlds he will soon visit, a cloning facility. With the power of creating whatever was stored in the Ark’s cell library at his fingertips, Tuf would be able to become a true profiteer, an Ecological Engineer as he calls it. Visiting different worlds and hearing of their different problems, Tuf is able to provide them all with a great alternative via his cloning techniques. As he is able to leave most worlds in a better place than they were when he arrived, the Ark is truly a valuable commodity and Tuf needs to stay at the top of his game to maintain possession of it.

Tuf Voyaging is a collection of stories that takes you though a long ten year period of Haviland Tuf’s life. Tuf is a humble individual and does not crave the attention of other people, much less others touching him. He's a vegetarian with a love for his cats (for cats used to be worshiped on Old Earth) and each one  of his felines has a little bit of mind reading ability. Tuf is overly trusting, which is what gets him in deep trouble on his adventures, but he is also very strategic with his moves and motives and is able to outwit his opponents. Whether it’s securing the Ark for his own survival, saving people from sea monsters, creating monsters for a profit, or producing an alternate lifestyle style for a doomed world, Tuf is never shaken. Working at his own pace to make sure what he produces will do these worlds more good than harm, Tuf and his motives are noble, but are his own.  

Haviland Tuf is just a fantastic character, he is more than willing to help, very trusting, but wonders why no one else will ever trust him back. Tuf seems to be incorruptible and never wants to abuse his ‘god like’ power that the Ark has given to him.  It is just a joy when Tuf is able to come up with his plan to save a planet and how easy he really makes it sound. Martin nailed another character with this book and although I am allergic to cats, I sneezed only a couple times when reading about Tuf’s, since he has more than a few.