A few months back Stephen King announced he was embarking on a new Dark Tower novel, but that he’d probably only start writing in summer 2010. Well, it looks like he’s been a busy guy as an announcement was made on his official website yesterday that he’d now finished writing the book!
In a letter to fans, King writes that the story takes place between the time when Roland Deschain and his ka-tet leave the Emerald City (Wizard and Glass) and when we pick them up again on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis, at the beginning of Wolves of the Calla. This new story won’t add anything major to the story arc we already know, but will provide us with more depth and knowledge of past and present Mid-World.
I, like any ardent DT fan, am eager to hear more about the Gunslinger’s journey, especially anything related to his past life and the world he lives in – of course, all this extra detail won’t hurt Ron Howard’s filmic journey to the Dark Tower.
King’s original working title was The Wind through the Keyhole, and this has been retained for the final release. Dark Tower 4.5 is due in 2012.
UPDATE: you can now pre-order the new book from Amazon.com.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
I am so excited about the new book. Just wish I didn’t have to wait so long to read it.
Good! Not my case, but for someone who has read 1-4 books it’s OK to read “The Wind through the Keyhole” or it’s better read first the 7 books and then this new The Dark Tower 4.5?
@miquel
Interesting question. Based on the info we have been provided above, my guess is that the transition from book 4 to 4.5 to book 5 will be a seamless one. If that turns out to be the case then 4.5, to me, becomes more of a “lost book” to the series than a “New installment”. Either way I’m sure it will be quite effective (in the short term) at sating our appetites’ for more DT stories. Can’t wait!
P.S. Id kind of like to hear more stories about the life of Roland’s Bad-Ass teacher Cort. Anybody want to 2nd that?
@David
Ill 2nd that…. now a show of hands please!
Mr. King can definitely add a novel describing the war between Tet Corporation and Sombra Corporation. It would totally flesh out that world that seemed to be too lightly touched in the original novels.
this is very exciting!
i do believe that a lot of this book will focus on Roland’s Ka-tet’s enemies and there mechanization.
It would be cool to see the staging of the wolves from the other side and as @slow mutant said, some background on the battle between Tet and Sombra.
Very exciting indeed!
there is a little Cort love in the Dark Tower graphic novels… not quite enough, but a bit more than whats in the books.
Do they have an exact date or just sometime 2012? Could be December 2012.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but I got’s me a stiffy. Excited…very excited. Also excited about the graphic novel about Tull. I thought that was a very discriptive and intense part in the tale. Looking forward to it all. Say Thankee Sai!
Must say, Im not too sure about this, although I am of course just as interested in reading the novel as anyone else who loyally read the entire set. That, however, could become the problem with the additional material. When we’re given bits and pieces of new information on the world of Roland and his ka-tet, who’s to say that after 20 or 30 odd years we’ll be able to lay an accurate claim to having read the entire set and “knowing” the story anytime soon? Granted it’s a charming idea, that the story of our favourite gunslinger might never end, leaving us to continuously catch up with the “forgotten” episodes, installments, chapters and now (with this) books being put forth by Sai King. Having said that, at the end of the day it would be nice to have some finality regarding the saga, a conclusion which, although it may forever be denied to Roland (and his fans… us) thanks to the open ended and heart wrenching finish to the 7th book, would set it apart from other lingering series of books (as many fantasy “epics” tend to become) and consign the characters we love to a fate unlike that given to the ever wandering folk of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
@ Gunslinger19
Whoa cowboy! Careful where you aim that thing! Or have you forgotten the face of your father?
@ Slow Mutant
LMAO!! Funny stuff. I would never forget the face of my father, but I will always kill with my heart.
There was a time when all Dark Tower fans were unsure if Roland would ever find his Tower, that he would be stuck in his journey never to finish because Mr. King unfortunately got hit by a truck. Luckily Mr. King recovered intact and able to complete the journey. And now he is able to give us more material to add to Roland’s world. I much prefer to have addons to the story as long as Mr. King is able to write. The other alternative of Roland unfinished is a much worst fate for his fans.
Anyone else a little worried about this book? I mean, doesn’t it feel a little forced? Don’t get me wrong: I’ll preorder mine and wait anxiously to read it the day it comes, but I kind of feel like… why is he writing this? It seems to me that if SK wanted to revisit the world of the tower, he’s told us numerous times that Roland’s story was only one part of a giant “uber-story”– so why not go somewhere new? Or, for that matter, why not start Roland’s story again, showing us what happens the next time he goes through the cycle? If any of you are Orson Scott Card fans, he did the same sort of thing with his Ender’s saga by adding a random book that takes place between previously-published books, and it was terrible. I guess I’m just worried that this new book won’t measure up to the greatness of the original tale.
I would like a book on either the Man in Black or the Red King. As far as the new book I can’t wait to read it!
You know, I’ll be absolutely thrilled with this book as long as there are at least a couple more Cuthbert lines in it. Anyone with me?
@ Prim Riser I think you underestimate Stephen King.. I don’t think he can be forced to change anything he doesn’t want to concerning his writing. Lol just look at where he ended the Waste Lands!
@ Belated, I agree with you abiut that.
I also would like to see a book fallowing the Tet Corp.
I HOPE THAT WE ARE WELL MET ON THE PATH. LONG DAYS AND PLEASANT NIGHTS TO ALL.
OK, DT 4.5 is well anticipated and hopefully will be well-received. But, there are still two HUGE “foreshadowing” sections in DT that have not been adressed (Yet). THESE are the ones I’m waiting for.. #1… How and under what circumstances did Calvin Tower (Toren)’s G-G-Great grandfather get the letter with “Roland Deschain” written on it?? #2, How and under what circumstances did Eddie and Cuthbert (or their twinners) go back in time (In Keystone Earth, yet!!) to save young Sai King from the “Red Eye” spiders when he was a child? Also on that note, King while under hypnosis and asked by Roland how many times his bacon’s been saved by members of Roland’s Ka-Tet, replied; “Delah”. So there were certainly other incidents. Since Eddie does not remember any of them, who did the saving? I hope these questions will eventually be answered by Sai King in future books, although I would be (grudgingly) willing to have them answered in future editions of the Dark Horse graphic novels.
Really looking forward to the novel and movies/tv series but why not an mmorpg starting at the time before Roland’s world “moved on” (sorry if it is not the exact right expression, I read the series in Dutch) and have the various quests and story line take the players to when the world has moved on, a world with gunslingers and magicians and witches etc. has all the necessary ingredients for a great mmo like World of Warcraft (and as a WoW player I know the time is right for something new and WoW can not (and should not) carry on for ever (maybe Sai King should send the guys at Blizzard a few copies of the DT series eh?), this is after all the time of interactive multi media and this story definitely has all the elements an mmorpg of Epic proportions needs plus a world vast enough to make traveling and exploring it an experience on its self
Not that I think any developer will give this idea any serious thought any time soon but still, who can blame me for dreaming?
I sort of go with the south park view on mmorpg(if you haven’t seen it you should). But this idea of gzus’s is to good to try. I myself would not be able to stop playing …. ever! I have played the discordia games and they were ok, but a 3rd person mmo would be hard to stop playing.
the video console game Red Dead Redemption has a perfect platform for a Dark Tower video game. The graphics engine and play type is perfect. Lots of Gunslinging and a great storyline. I play Red Dead Redemption and like to pretend its actually Roland in a missing storyline or alternate world.
If you have an xbox 360 or I think PS3, definetly check out Red Dead Redemption, and also google some screenshots of it. Its beautiful game.
ahh here is a great link. Now does that look like Roland or what?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RedDeadRedemptionGameplay.jpg
Couldn’t agree more with the other comments about DT being put into a RPG/FPS video game. It has to be the perfect format for this type of storytelling, where the reader gets to continue it at their own speed. I think this is the essence of this whole story, and pretty much why people are so loathe to change it. I play a few video games, and generally gravitate to ones like Fallout or Fable, where you get to create your own character with all it’s faults and foibles…I mean, shooters are cool, but if you want something that makes you think around corners, why not make a Stephen King novel into a kick-ass video game? Jeez, they’re already borrowing his ideas…could get a bit complicated though, Roland has been known to dabble in drugs and the occult…
So I heard they are cancelling the movies/tv show. Actually I heard on the radio yesterday morning. Can anyone confirm/deny this for me? God I hope its not true
This is great I love this series so much and hoped there would be a movie some day even if it takes 10 years I believe the movie will be done and done RIGHT.
Im so stoked King decided to add to the great story that is The Dark tower, cant wait to read it.
so is there an exact date yet for this new installment. i just finished the 7th book about 2 months ago and im already starting to stir. i want more
i would seriously play a game on the ps3 about the DT. i would also like to see king go back and build the story more. forget the mass produced books he is doing now and go back to roland and where he is at his best. tell the stories of steven deschain and the wars. tell of roland, alain and cuthbert’s last battle together. so many different parts of the stories to still be told.
I think they should cast Hugh Jackman as the Gunslinger.
Garrett
I love you guys! (sniffles)
I just read about the new book, possible movie and expected HBO series and I am certain I will not sleep at all tonight!!!!!!!!