Fantastic

This is a wonderful book. You simply MUST read it.<br />It's gripping, fast and emotional. The storyline is fantastic, and the characters seem so very real. It probably one of my favourite books of all time.<br />However, you may want to keep a box of hankies at close reach; the author is fairly merciless and isn't afraid to kill off his characters. Because of this, you really don't know what's going to happen. Unfortuanatly, I had the story spoiled so it didn't turn out as riviting as it would have been.<br />I would advise you read the previous books before starting this one, as they give you a greater insight into the story and characters, although a short summary of the story-so-far is present at the start of each book.<br />So, keep clear of spoilers, and this will turn out as a beautiful, unforgettable story that you will remember long after you finish it.

book 3

where is it. like the rest i have been waiting its release i also will not buy any more till this is released please make it soon,

Lamon goes into overdrive!

It is fair to say that with this book that Lamon was running on all burners. The book isn't too long, and is really an expansion of his short story The Bleeder (availible in his short story collection Fiends), but it was very enjoyable for the few days that it took me to read. Having the plot unfold in front of you is the whole experience of the book, so I won't give much away except to say that the title of the book is revealing - people who are squemish about reading about charectors having their fingers cut off with razor blades and slit eyeballs need not apply. The charectors are all well drawn, the narrative has no time-shift periods (like Blood Games) and it is un-taxing to follow. For Lamon fans and horror readers in general who like a bit of a change.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed it

I normally steer well away of female novelists finding them too sentimental for my palate. However, Shelley's story, albeit far-fetched, is rich in imagery and the diction used is admirable. There appears to be some doubt as to whether the final version was"improved" by Messrs. Shelley and Byron, but I think that would be unfair on Mary.<br /><br />I think it fully deserves its place among the classics.

Wolves of the Calla

And we're back on track! After the massive flashback segment in"Wizard and Glass" the real story of the series begins to drive forward once more, picking up soon after the conclusion of book four.<br /><br />This story is a little different from previous instalments. The journey towards the elusive Dark Tower slows as the team, King's own"fellowship", stop to help a town that anticipates a violent and devastating attack from the"wolves", a group of almost-men who may kill or abduct their children. There are many secrets in this book, all of which are revealed satisfactorily, and many of the mysteries surrounding Roland's world are also uncovered - although there are just as many new questions as there are answers.<br /><br />The writing is, as ever, great; the dialogue particularly brings such clarity to this aspect of King's complex series that you don't feel you're reading fantasy, which, as a writer of the genre myself, can often get bogged down in the narrative. King lightens the novel where it needs light, and darkens the novel when the various truths are revealed. Speaking of light and revelations, we see the protagonist Roland in an entirely new light, adding yet another layer to the full rounded character and his companions. It's wonderful and heart-breaking to see our beloved characters in this way, who by now feel like family.<br /><br />Do we want Roland to succeed? Always. Do we want him to succeed at the expense of his companions, who are also our friends? There are new aspects of the Dark Tower, its substance and purpose, that almost make us think"maybe they aren't all that important after all ..."<br /><br />Don't miss it. It's a series back on track after a minor slowdown, and it is so intriguing that you'll still be thinking about it weeks later.<br />

Sensational

For me what makes this novel great is not the love story between the social rising Walter Hartright and childish stereotypical heroine Laura Fairlie. Instead it is the depiction of the intelligent and brilliant Marian Halcombe and the wonderfully evil Count Fosco that reveals Collins' true writing talent. The speeches of these characters reveal feminist and social criticism adding an interesting dimension to the novel.<br /><br />The plot itself is well constructed and the series of narrators makes the novel interesting and varied. The text is full of plot twists and is at times shocking, typical of sensation fiction. Admittedly some portions are a little tedious but I would definitely recommend reading this book.

Just leaves me with MORE questions. But an OK book.

Normally, when a film is based on a book I love the book so much more. But not this time. I have to say that I'm liking the film more this time. For anyone that hasn't seen the film or read the book........the book is nothing like the film.......and the film is nothing like the book.. If that makes sense?<br /><br />The book is good, don't get me wrong. I was scared in parts. However, it's nothing like the film. If you're looking for similar, but better, read 'Salems Lot' by Stephen King. <br /><br />The only thing the book and the film have in common is that they both involve a man who is probably one of the last few survivors after a virus strikes the population.<br /><br />With both though, I'm left with lots of questions that aren't addressed and it's frustrating to be 'almost' at the point of knowing it all, but not quite having enough information. I read the book thinking that the unanswered questions from the film would be answered, but all it's done is given me more questions.<br />

breathtaking supernatural thriller, Peter James at his best

In my view Peter James' best book yet. Gripping from the very first page. A supernatural tale that is frighteningly believable. It has all the ingredients of a classic Peter James , well portrayed characters that take you around the globe and keep you in suspense till the very last paragraph. Very well researched as we have come to expect from James. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book so much!

the end....

em, after reading all the reviews below I guess it is hard to please everyone. I have just finished this, it has taken some 3 years or so to complete the series. After reading the first 3 books, totally superb, it seemed an age for the continuation of the story to develope. But it was great to carry on rwading this epic saga. Wizard abd Glass finally came out. This worked a treat, was enteratining and really brought up to date Rolands early life. The Wolves and Susanahs song were ok, almost different stories in there own right but I agree with most of the views below they lack some of the sheer quality that the first 4 books have. At times things got almost too complicated for its own good. <br /> And at last to the final chapter. I may have to read this again or maybe start from the beginning, (quite apt in it's way as Roland has started all over again....)as due to personal reasond, birth of my baby I have not been able to complete this in one go. But it's a great ending as such, it's ok overall but a bit lame, abit too easy after all that has gone on before. I think a reviewer picked up on this, how can Mordred and the all powerfull Crimson King be dismissed so easy. And what of Walter, he carries on into the next round but doesn't seem involved here. Who was/ is the Crimson King how did he get to the tower, alot of questions. Mayhap i'll need to read this set again. I guess many readers would want to have the ending their way. It's a long series and it's good to get an ending as such but too be honest it almost feels like we have been cheated which such an ending like this. I guess at least Mr King can be safe in the knowledge that he has no more to write on this saga, maybe also the break in writing didn't help but I think overall the story and it's cast are worth the effort.

The Gunslinger

The first instalment of Stephen King's fantasy series is unashamedly inspired by that other fantastic series,"The Lord of the Rings". King made no attempt to hide this and refers to it in each of his surprisingly-interesting forwards, but the thought of reading something so obviously"inspired" put me off. It was only after the release of the final book in the series I was persuaded to pick up"Gunslinger", and was appalled at how brilliant it was.<br /><br />It's easy for people to say King's off his game, but he wasn't then and he isn't now - the final book, released only recently, is testament to this. "Gunslinger" is arguably everything that Stephen King isn't: beautiful, poetic, and not really horror. Technically it's fantasy, post-apocalyptic fantasy, and on top of that it's a Western of sorts. It's a glaring divergence from King's usual style, but what appalled me was that it was good. Very, very good, and despite the assumption that King's unfamiliarity with the genre would prove to be the novel's downfall, it is also full of everything that King is wonderful at: suspense, mystery, and very real characters.<br /><br />A review column isn't the place for a synopsis, so I'll keep it brief. This book has one real character and that's the mysterious hero, the eponymous gunslinger who is a throwback from a bygone age that existed before the world"moved on". The brevity of the novel lends itself to this kind of storytelling, in which we follow a single character in a series of events, a tale told in a surreal, rippling narrative that is like looking through water at an alternate world. The other novels don't keep up this dreamlike form of storytelling, which makes"Gunslinger" all the more precious.<br /><br />If you like King, you'll love this, regardless of the change in genre. If you pick this up and hate it, you'll still come away with a fresh idea on what novels are all about, reminded why people write. Simple story. Complex characters. You don't have to read the others if you don't like it, but if you want a fresh piece of fiction from an established super-writer, then for God's sake try"Gunslinger"!<br />

Wine wit and wisdom

`So, Henry, how is that young Protégée of yours progressing, hem?<br />Lord Henry paused to saviour his glass. Pleased, he set it down, just so, beside his dinner plate, and turned to Lord Fermor. <br /> `Pundits say troubles come in threes, Uncle,' replied Lord Henry. `What the pundits omit in their gabardine rush to spread their misery to others in a foolish attempt to alleviate their own, is that the best in life never travels solo. Take, for example, the wine and dinner before us. Both French. Together they constitute a meal to entice the gods down from the Mount. When did you ever come across a bad French meal, or a good French man? Yet when wine and food march together, they repay the Creator.'<br /> `No doubt,' replied Lord Fermor, `but you evade the issue. I asked about the young chap you have taken into your entourage, you know.' Lord Fermor struggled to recall the name, `that chap who poses for Mr Hallward here.'<br /> Basil Hallward felt the heat of recognition first on his brow, then running through his whole body. A retiring man, more at home with his easels and sitters than at high table, he shrank from the public glare. <br />Recognising the signs, though failing to sympathise with them, Lady Agatha piped up.<br />`Mr Hallword has many sitters, do you not, Sir.'<br />`Er, yes, indeed I do,' replied Mr Hallward, grateful for the prompt. `For example, just today I encountered a young man of exquisite appearance, youth in all its pomp. He has promised to sit for me. Lord Henry, I fancy, will try to take him away and teach him of the world, thereby spoiling him as a object d'art.' He laughed to denote humour, simultaneously glancing at his friend to convey the serious meaning behind his joke. Keep away Lord Henry, the glanced announced, shielded behind the laughter. Keep away from this young man lest you send him on the eternal search for fulfilment and in so doing corrupt his soul. <br />Lord Henry roared. <br />"Why Basil, you surpass yourself! Hiding a serious message behind a joke so that you may deliver it in public. Would that the Good Book decked itself in such garlands, the better to frighten the masses. You are a greater artist than your canvasses know.'<br />`I fear my husband is avoiding your question, Lord Fermor,' laughed Lady Victoria. `When it comes to hiding a serious message behind the veil of farce, he may rival Dante himself.'<br />`What is the name of your young beauty?' Inquired Lord Henry amidst the general humour. `I only ask,' he pressed, `so that I may avoid him. Let us hope I have more success than Eve, who expressed no desire to harvest the only tree in the garden that contained a serpent, until admonished not to. Of course,' Lord Henry continued, `our Creator did not warn off the firstborn with laughter on his lips. Had he done so, perhaps we would be consuming ambrosia still. Mind you,' he reflected, `this French cuisine is an adequate substitute.' <br />`Yes yes yes Henry,' broke in Lord Fermor, `but what about your young Protégée? Has he a fine future, seeking the dark mysteries of life of which you profess to be so fond?'<br />`Should he avoid hubris, I see for him a long, comfortable and satisfactory life.'<br />`And should he fail to avoid hubris?' teased Lady Agatha.<br />`Then I see for him immortality in print and prose. Hubris is man's affirmation of his living soul, his insistence that all must be as he ordains, and his rage that it is not. Should Basil paint hubris he would reveal Caliban.<br />`Modesty, on the other hand, is pleasing to the casual senses but fleeting, like snow on the chimneystack. Modesty and prose combine to produce the barely adequate. Hubris and prose combine to produce immortality, but not personal happiness.'<br />`And this choice, modesty of hubris, is one you see before Dorian Gray?' queried Mr Hallword.<br />`Dorian who?' Lord Henry responded. He reached again for the reassuring certainty in his wine glass. `I was referring to my Protégée, Oscar Wilde.'<br />

My 100-word book review

In my opinion, The Waste Lands is a contender, along with The Drawing of the Three, for the title of best Dark Tower novel. Tension, thrills and scary monsters abound, as Roland links up with the last two members of his ka-tet and they make their way along the path of the Beam. From the cyborg-haunted forests to the city of Lud, Stephen King's descriptions of Mid-World are intense enough to half-convince the reader that this must be a real place somewhere. The story gains momentum and hastens towards its cliff-hanger ending with the speed of a runaway train. Literally!

One good turn.

I adore this book! I have read it so many times I need a new copy. This is definitely not a pleasant read, it is disturbing. It is in the skillful writing of James that creates a gripping story that leaves more questions & mystery on each new read. This ia a classic gothic tale that all fans of the genre should read.

best in show

this is the best dark tower book - excellent pace, a gripping page turner.<br /><br />it could almost be a standalone novel (almost) and has the most unique identity of all seven books.

The world of the Spook and his apprentice is getting darker

THE SPOOK'S BATTLE is the fourth book in Delaney's Wardstone series. Each book has been fantastic, adding to the whole world and story that Delaney has created. THE SPOOK'S BATTLE was no exception, in fact it could be argued to be one of the best so far.<br /><br />Tom Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son, apprenticed out to a Spook - someone who deals with the Dark; boggarts, witches, ghosts and ghasts. The path Tom is taking is not an easy one; people fear the Spook and his trade because of the terrors that they have to face. Yet Tom knows that his mother wanted for him to become the next apprentice, and so he feels that it is his proper calling.<br /><br />In this installment, Tom is told by the Spook that the 3 witch clans of Pendle are becoming more dangerous. Usually the 3 witch clans are at each others throats, only ever coming together in extreme circumstances. But there is rumour that 2 of the clans have already begun to join forces, and that the third is now in their sight. Once all three clans are joined, they mean to raise up the"dark made flesh", the Devil himself. Tom and the Spook must travel to Pendle to try and prevent this from happening. <br />Before they set off for Pendle, the Spook tells Tom that he must go back to his family's farm and collect the three trunks that were left for him by his mother. What is inside these trunks? Tom has had suspicions that they will contain the story of his mother before she met his father, but what secrets will they uncover? And, will Tom be able to face upto the repercussions of these secrets and what they mean for him? <br /><br />I won't say anymore, as I don't want to give anything away for those who wish to read this fantastic book. <br />What I shall say though is that this installment definitely sets in place a very good story for the next installment. The first three books have all been creating a sense of forboding - that something big will happen to change the already dangerous world that the Spook and Tom inhabit - but THE SPOOK'S BATTLE definitely captures this sense of forboding and runs with it. <br /><br />As with the other books, THE SPOOK'S BATTLE does not only consider the fight against the Dark, that Tom and the Spook have to face. Tom has to face issues surrounding who he is when he finally discovers what lies inside of his mother's trunks. And, of course, there is the charcater Alice, a niece if a witch. She really is a very well created and developed character. The Spook has never really trusted her, for this very reason, but Tom has more faith in her than his master does. But, with them travelling to Pendle, where Alice still has family, will it be too much of a temptation for her to go back to her 'wicked' ways? <br /><br />This series really is fantastic. If you haven't read any of them yet, the first one is THE SPOOK'S APPRENTICE. It really is a well thought out series. Although there is not magic in the sense of what many shall know from the Harry Potter series, this is no bad thing. From the very beginning of the Wardstone Chronicles, magic is portrayed as something that is usually done for malevolent reasons, rather than for helping people. Delaney has created a world which is just as dark as the one HP finds himself in, perhaps even darker, especially at the end of this book.

Disappointing

After reading the rave reviews on this site, I feel compelled to disagree with its superfluous praise.<br /><br />I concede that this is an important vampire book and that the movie was absolutely brilliant, but in no way is the book superior to the movie. Anne Rice's tone is dull and monotonous to the point of banality. Overall, I found it painfully boring after watching the movie. Even the movie had a better ending than the book.<br /><br />Serious readers of fiction won't be impressed with this book, and should rather read the classic, Dracula, for those interested in vampires.<br />

Brilliant book

This is my favourite book without a doubt, not much makes me cry(dropping a hammer on my toe etc.) but the end of this book did and thats because the author has created instantly loveable characters and you go through the high & lows of the book & become attached, The premise lives up to its name, and has got humour. What more could you want.