The Wind Through the Keyhole: The Dark Tower IV-1/2

Let's get three things out of the way right now: a) Yes, this book is an afterthought, but so was WIZARD AND GLASS. At least this one doesn't bog down the series. b) No, you do not have to read the entire Dark Tower series to enjoy a great portion of this book, but it does strengthen the experience. c) The majority of this book does not include Roland and his ka-tet, but that's fine, because unlike WIZARD AND GLASS, I LOVE the story that's told in between Roland's quest. Namely, the title story, THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE.

The first part of this book tightens up the span of time between the Emerald Castle and Calla Bryn Strugis. Roland's crew gets caught in a storm, and the gunslinger decides, once again, that it's Reading Rainbow time. He starts one story about a skin-man (shapeshifter) he and his buddy Jaime DeCurry were tasked with hunting down in a town called Debardia months after Susan's death in WIZARD AND GLASS. They're called out to a farm where everybody's been slaughtered (which is some of the most gruesome description King had written in some years), aside from a boy named Billy Streeter. Here comes the fun part. Roland tells young Billy a story about another boy named Tim Stoutheart. The tale is called THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE. Yes, in this book even the flashbacks have flashbacks.

Why do I love this book so much? That's easy. I'm a storyteller, and a lover of stories, all shapes and kinds, but I especially love tales of youth and adventure. Tim's tale is once such story. We get a murder mystery, a dragon, a tyger (tiger) that might not be everything it seems at first, the dark man, and butt loads of magic. The story is simply damn good fun, and more than a little endearing. There's really no other way to put it. The book is a slice of entertainment that made me feel like a kid again. That's that magic, folks, and only a handful of authors can capture that magic this well.

In summation: I know this book gets dismissed by fans of the series, and that's a damn shame. I think it's a magical adventure in a world full of rich and intriguing lore. It does everything right that WIZARD AND GLASS did wrong. King made me care about the characters here, and he didn't weigh down the story trying to explain the POVs of a hundred different characters. Read it or don't, but I'd feel you'd be missing out if you brushed THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE off as nothing more than an afterthought.

I was a bit excited while reading this book. As early as chapter two, Roland hints at a fairy tale about a Billy-bumbler that is called "The Throcken and the Dragon". You never get to read that fairy tale. Instead you get a story about a boring tiger. If I wanted to read about a tiger I would go to the zoo and read a plaque. I don't even have to go to a major city; there is a man that lives less than ten miles away from me who has a tiger. That is how full of tigers this world is. You know what this world doesn't have? Billy-bumblers. What a cruel tease.

I was a bit perplexed when I saw the tag for this novel. It was advertised as one of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" novels. My first thought was: What? Didn't he finally finish that cotton-pickin' series?? There's more???

O.K. For those of you not familiar with The Dark Tower novels, allow me to review: Stephen King released the first "Dark Tower" novel back in 1988 in what was to be a "series" of books. At the conclusion of the this first volume (titled "The Gunslinger"), it was very confusing indeed. You weren't really sure what you were reading. In the book's afterward, King confessed that, well, he didn't know where he was going with this story either. He then told his "constant reader" that there would be a whole lot more of these Dark Tower novels in the future. Well, he was right about that - there were seven in all. The problem was, it took 15-20 years before they all finally saw the light of day. Sometime during this tenure, King kind of lost interest and there was quite the lag between some of the books. Diehards became frustrated. When he finally did finish the series, overall reviews were mixed. One thing these books did do, though, was generate a lot of conversation.

The books were a bit, well, different. The stories dealt with the "Gunslinger" named Roland who lived (I think) on our planet, but in the distant future. Not a future with hovercrafts, artificial intelligence or sophisticated mainframes, though. No, the future here was pretty desolate and the reader felt as though this was a world after some sort of nuclear holocaust or something. In the words of the characters, the old world had "moved on". During the first few novels, Roland is on a quest to reach The Dark Tower (which is never really explained to us). He is joined in his quest by three people that are somehow transported form our world (let's see, there was an African-American lady in a wheel chair from the 1960s that suffered from schizophrenia, a lonely 12 year old rich kid from the 1970s, and an annoying two-bit drug dealer from the 1980s - if I recall correctly). Throughout this journey, these four individuals encounter all sorts of weirdness, and I don't think anybody, including King, could explain exactly what was going on.

Here lies the fun, though. King leaves us with just enough hints to encourage discussion. Remember, when we say "discussion" in the 21st century, we're talking internet boards, blogs, fan clubs, and even a few concordances were written. Everyone has their own interpretation. It only became stranger when characters from some of King's other novels started showing up as well. Why? I'm not sure. Neither were they. Neither was King, maybe. King himself even shows up in the last book. So, yes, this series was one of a kind. Despite all the weirdness, most readers of the series agreed that the experience was overall enjoyable. You may not have understood everything, you may not have found the ending satisfactory, but you did enjoy the ride (for some reason, the wonderful television series "Lost" comes to mind).

So now I come (finally) to this book. This is not (thankfully) a continuation of the series that ended, but more of a "story within a story". In the fourth book of The Dark Tower (titled Wizards and Glass), King actually took a break from moving the story forward, and instead told a story of Roland's past. Maybe King had writer's block and didn't know what to do next, but the idea worked. If anything, it gave the reader more insight to this strange, bizarre world, and this strange, bizarre Gunslinger. That's what King is doing here in this book as well.

He actually goes back about half-way through the lengthy tale and inserts a scene where our four heroes (plus a furry bumbler named "Oy" - don't ask) are taking shelter for the night in a bad storm. Roland then tells his companions another story of his youth. In that story, the younger Roland tells another story to one of the characters, which is where the title of this book is derived. In another words, this is actually "a story within a story within another story".

If that sounds confusing, it really is not once you get to turning the pages. King can be a masterful story teller and he succeeds wonderfully with this one. Although we're getting "more" of Roland's world, I can't honestly say that there are any more clues as to what is actually going on in this peculiar place and time, but it's really all about the story, as it should be, and it's a great one.

In the preface to the book, you get the impression that King actually missed these characters that he devoted so much time to, so he decides to revisit them the best way that he can, which is to do a novel exactly how I've described. He also tries to set up this story in the preface to where the reader may not necessarily have read any, or all, of the previous Dark Tower books. Not really a good idea. If you're going to read this one, you really should start (and finish) with the other seven. I'm guessing that although it will be a long journey, it will be well worth it.

I enjoyed the Dark Tower series, and I enjoyed going back and seeing the characters again. I would love it if King did a similar thing in the future and revisited these folks in another novel.

This is overall an excellent book. The book is 8th in the Dark Tower series, but more appropriately can be considered book 4.5. The novel features a story, in a story, an interesting & unusual way to do a novel. The novel starts off with the band of 5 from book 4, on their trip to find the Dark Tower. A deadly storm (a "starkblast") comes up, and they are trapped in a shelter for 3 days. During this time, Roland tells them a story from his youth, to entertain them. The story concerns one of his first assignments as a gunslinger, sent by train to a distant land to find the source of reports of a murderous shapeshifter (reports which his father doesn't believe are true.) The reports are true, and his first night there, another multiple homicide occurs. A young boy is the only surviving witness, but even through Roland's hypnotism, he recalls little. Roland locks the boy and himself in the town jail as protection, fearing that the shapeshifter may target the boy, since he's a witness. To entertain and comfort the boy, Roland tells him a story that his mother often told him, about a brave boy who survives a "starkblast". So the first 3rd of the book concerns Roland's history, the second 3rd, the story he tells the boy, then the third 3rd, wraps up the story from history. Both stories are very well-written and entertaining. The story is suspenseful, but perhaps not quite as suspenseful as some of King's others stories (after all, we all know that Roland will survive the shapeshifter.) As a bonus, we learn a bit more about Roland's mother, and a last letter she wrote to Roland. The story Roland tells the boy involves a character who is an evil tax-collector from the land of Gilead, I highly doubt that Roland's mother, raising Roland in Gilead the supposed bastion of good on the earth, would have ever told a tale featuring such a character. That was the one part that seemed out of place in the novel, since the story could have been told without reference to an evil representative from Gilead. The rest of the story Roland the boy told was quite developed, especially in its discussion of marvels from the "old people." Concerning Roland's story of his youth, I have a feeling that its not quite 100% consistent with the rest of the books (like the Manni people in book 5, weren't they new to Susannah/Jake/Eddie, yet they should have known them from this story. Still, any inconsistencies are small, and quite forgivable considering this excellent novel.

Last Summer I binge read the Dark Tower series and it was a great experience for me. The story was new and fresh for me and is one of the best stories I've read in a long time! Having said that I must say going back to the story almost one year later after finding out how it ended was a sort of letdown. Don't get me wrong this is still a good novel and should not be missed by Dark Tower and Stephen King fans but I couldn't work up the enthusiasm I had for the series last year. My advice to those people reading the Dark Tower novels for the first time is to read them all in sequence to get the best experience. To those like me who read everything except this novel by all means go back and read the novel. It's still a great story and you won't regret the time spent...

I am only half-way through "The Dark Tower" series, so the timing of the release of "Wind Through The Keyhole" was perfect.

Overall, this was a really cool book in that it's been described as a "Russian doll" novel with stories embedded within a story - almost like sub-stories. Some I've talked to have likened it to "Inception" where instead of a dream within a dream there are stories that reach deeper into the storytelling.

Even if you have not read any of the "Dark Tower" books, this book is still a good read. It requires the imagination that mid-World demands and has a nice flare of Stephen King horror - it kinda reminded me of "Cycle of the Werewolf" (later made into the film "Silver Bullet").

As any Wikipedia site or online bookseller will tell you, the book is based between Dark Tower Books IV & V where Roland and his ka-tet have left The Emerald City (via Oz) and are on their wait to the Borderlands of Calla. They encounter a starkblast which is something like an icey-tornado/blizzard, but all wind and no rain and have to hunker down in an abandoned stone building.

To pass the time they're waiting out the storm, Roland offers a tale of his youth that also takes place between the re-tellings in Dark Tower Books IV & V. He travels with another young gunslinger (Jaime) to investigate brutal slayings of the town folk in Debaria by a mysterious shape shifter they call the Skin-Man. While investigating, Roland meets a young boy whose father was killed by the Skin-Man. To comfort the child, Roland tells him a story that his mother read to him as a boy called "The Wind Through the Keyhole."

I won't go into further details, but the stories are great and offer more insight into Roland's world. You even get a side story of his father which was a nice surprise. I think it'd be great to get another Dark Tower novel based on the adventures of Roland's father Steven Deschain.

Pros: Great story telling and incredible plot layering.
Cons: Eddie, Jake, and Susannah do not bother to ask Roland about the obvious tie-ins of The Man In Black/Covenant Man/Randall Flagg from "Wind Through the Keyhole" sub-story.
Bottom Line: A great addition to "The Dark Tower" series that leaves the reader begging for more.

Like with Wizard and Glass, the vast majority of this book is about a journey before the journey before the journey we are on now. I threw this book down in frustration. I want to CONTINUE the story of the Dark Tower not keep reading preambles.

Not as intense as the original 7 books of Dark Tower, but a good story. Personally, if I had read it as book 4.5, I would have found it broke the tension of book 4 too much, but reading it after the rest of the series, it works well.

This wonderful novel is storytelling at its finest, a story within a story that returns the reader once again, albeit briefly, to Mid-World and to our beloved Ka-Tet, Apparently "Wind Through the Key Hold" is a novella that sort of bridges the time between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of Calla. The group has escaped Lud and put Blaine the crazy train behind them.

Roland and his current companions, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy are back on the path of the beam following their encounter in the emerald city and Randall Flagg. Along their journey Roland and company, thanks to the forecasting of the approaching storm by their smallest companion, billy-bumbler Oy, the companions soon discover that they are also in the path of a starkblast, a ferocious storm, and they must find shelter from this deadly storm. They take shelter in a deserted but sturdy structure and while they wait out the storm the companions are given another window into Roland's past as he tell a tale within a tale. Roland relates a tale in his past as a young gunslinger, an event that occur not long after the aftermath of Meijis with culminated in the loss of Susan Delgado and of Roland's mother, Gabrielle. In sharing a story that his mother often read to him as young child, we get a glimpse of Roland's past and how he came to compartmentalize his guilt and loss and in the end, regain a part of his soul.

After reading and trying to come to terms with the ending of Roland's journey in "The Dark Tower" this book was like a balm that soothed some of the tumultuous feelings that remain following the end of the Dark Tower. I truly enjoyed returning to this world and although much of the book was not about the Ka-Tet, the story was I still moved to connect with Roland, Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy. I just want to sit and listen to Roland tell his tale while holding Oy on my lap...sigh.

I am grateful to have any opportunity to "palaver" with Roland and his companions. And although it can be read as a stand alone, the poignancy of the book truly comes through once you have read the entire DT series. Wonderful return to this a richly visual world sai King has created.

I remember when this book came out – the reviews were not good. Neither critics nor fan seemed to much appreciate this bonus peek into the world of Roland Deschain. I’m not sure what they were hoping for…but in my view – “The Wind Through the Keyhole” was an enjoyable reminder of Roland’s world – of the world of the Beam, and Billybumblers and ka…the world that lived in the past and the apocalyptic future at the same time. The world that has moved on, even as its readers hope to journey back.

This is an interesting read – it is a fairy tale within reminiscence within a story. The fairy tale, the actual “The Wind Through the Keyhole”, is a tale Roland had been told many times by his mother. In the midst of the memory he tells Jake, Susannah and Eddie, this tale is included as one he told a younger boy. The tale is about a boy, Tim Ross, and a quest he goes on. This quest, like most, involves danger, uncertainty and a child who is forced to grow up before his time. “He felt awe as he looked up at those stars, but also a deep and abiding contentment, such as he felt as a child, awakening in the night, safe and warm beneath his quilt, drowsing half in and half out of sleep, listening to the wind sing its lonely song of other places and other lives.”

When Tim’s story ended, it was difficult to shake off the cobwebs of that magic tale and reorient myself in Roland’s. I had to stop for a moment and remember where I was – in a story about Roland’s youth. That reminiscence was interesting as well – and does give the Dark Tower fan a few additional treats. Roland’s tortured feelings about his mother come to the forefront and we learn a bit more about the end of that relationship.

“There was a little more, words I traced over and over during my wandering years after the disastrous battle at Jericho Hill and the fall of Gilead. I traced them until the paper fell apart and I let the wind take it – the wind that blows through time’s keyhole, ya ken. In the end, the wind takes everything, doesn’t it? And why not? Why other? If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.”

I was not disappointed in this book at all. It was lovely to go back to Roland’s world…or at least return to the feel of his world. Where longing echoes through every sound – longing for times past and people who have crossed over and are in the clearing. For times of gunslingers and villains and magical creatures. For a time before the Dark Tower series was finished and on a bookshelf. For a bit more of the magic that this author and this series has put into our world.