July 21, 2015
It's become a thing for series authors to write supplementary texts, to give their readers a little more or to provide the perspective of another character or something. King did that with this book, sort of; while it's the most recently published book in The Dark Tower series, it takes place between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla, so I read it as King intended. It's more stories from Roland, as the ka-tet is riding out a windy, super-freezing storm in the town hall of an abandoned village. I wonder what those who'd already read all of the series made of this one; while it doesn't include much about the ka-tet's continuing journey, it does give more details about Roland's life, and provides closure for what was revealed about him at the end of Wizard and Glass.
"The Wind Through the Keyhole" is a story within a story within a story. It's a childhood favorite of Roland's, told to him by his mother, whose death he's still reeling from when he and his friend Jamie are sent to the mining town Debaria on a real gunslinger mission: to hunt down a man who can change into animals, who is murdering people in the area. Roland tells the story to comfort Bill, a boy who saw his father and others mauled by the "skin-man" in bear form. Over and over again through the series, Roland has referred to himself as being cold and detached, but he's lacking some self awareness. He is actually a caring person with a soft spot for children, as his interactions with Jake and Bill have shown.
It's no surprise that the story of Tim, a young boy who is tricked by a wizard (of sorts) and ventures into a dangerous forest to help his ailing mother and avenge his father's death, would appeal to young Roland. Tim proves his bravery and becomes a gunslinger himself, in spite of the traps set for him by the wizard-guy/tax collector. There are more examples of how King incorporates other fantasy stories into his own; the boy Tim encounters Maerlyn (Merlin), and he learns that the Guardian of the Beam on which he finds him is Aslan (yes, that Aslan), who is currently in a land of eternal snow (that'd be Narnia, y'all). Those references are fun, and I wish Jake and the others had commented on them, as they did about the Wizard of Oz scenario.
This book was a breeze-through compared to most of the others in the series. I found it to be enjoyable, though again, I'd be interested in knowing the perspective of readers who read this one last. I've got a hard copy of Wolves of the Calla from the library waiting for me, and I'm excited to continue the adventures of the ka-tet, but this was a delightful detour.
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