“Though Wizard and Glass barely moves the overall plot of the Dark Tower series forward, being for the most part a flashback to Roland's past, it is the richest book in terms of plot of the first four books in the series. Like the previous three entries, Wizard and Glass manages to be part of a larger story while maintaining a feel and style unique to this particular entry. It is perhaps most reminiscent of the first book, The Gunslinger, being in many ways a Western, though in this case focusing on Roland in the company of his first ka-tet rather than as a solitary figure.
The arc of the this particular story shows Stephen King at his best. The reader knows almost from the very beginning that this story will end tragically (and even has a fairly good idea as to what form that tragedy will take - we know who are wearing the red shirts here). But the story still manages to captivate, making it difficult, if not impossible, to turn away.
Wizard and Glass introduces the largest cast of characters of the first four Dark Tower books, all of whom, good, bad, or just plain ugly, manage to engage the reader emotionally. With this book, the world of the Dark Tower and everything that is at stake in it is brought into much sharper focus, revealing a depth and breadth that is too often lacking in epic tales of this sort.
Wizard and Glass is a welcome continuation of the Dark Tower series that should be pleasing to most anyone who has enjoyed the first three books.”
Simcha Wood wrote this review Thursday, August 9, 2012.
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