One of my favorite ones too, absolutely! I thought he'd refuse when asked and I was really happy to see him dancing. And dancing he was! This is one of the rare scenes in the whole DT series when we see The Gunslinger letting himself b taken in by joy or happiness. Also I thought it [doing the Commala] added to his character arc. Roland rarely let his guard down, 99% focussed on finding The Tower but here he kinda let some emotion in himself and -just maybe - even felt a bit closer to "ordinary" humans as I felt the implication in this particular scene that he actually wanted to please the audience and maybe [again, only maybe] could use a bit of self assurance from the crowd's energy and understanding of him being [or used to be] like them; somebody who can dance, who can have emotions. The latter sensation was always questionable - even by himself - and of course he further could project his invincible self via a common thing [dance] that nobody saw coming, especially in quality as he did it while never leaving [before or after the dance] his nonchalant attitude.
I think I'm down for the weirdness. This year, and all the King I've been reading, has been like preparation for this moment. I'm so nervous though because everyone is kind of preparing me "Just be ready." What am I in for? hahaha
There was a moment when Eddie says the correct Password to Shut Andy Down. Andy says something that almost mad me feel sorry for him. Kind of Like Legion from Mass Effect saying "Does this unit have a soul?" I loved Andy as a Villain and completely agree how unique his is. I just finished the book last night and can't wait to start Song Of Susanna.
Wolves of the Calla was my favorite book of the Dark Tower series. Like you said, I remember the shock and excitement of them finding the Salem's Lot book and Stephen King being introduced in his own book. (That's now one of my favorite things is to read a Stephen King book and look for references to his other works. The more subtle the better). The arthritis thing sticks around and I cannot wait to see your reaction to that later on! Your excitement for these books has been great to watch!
It's fantastic to hear "Wolves of the Calla" tops your list for the Dark Tower series! That moment with the 'Salem's Lot' book and King weaving himself into the story is such a wild, memorable twist. It's like a little treasure hunt finding those subtle nods to his other works, isn't it? Thanks so much for commenting.
I quite liked Wolves Of The Calla. I absolutely LOVED Callahans backstory. I am a sucker for vampire stories (pun intended) and I really enjoyed this dark, but still realistic vampire story, that made me think about Vampire The Masquerade xD I felt that Andy was a well written villain, I did kinda wish he’d get a redemption arch somehow. I felt that somehow, I wanted him to change. I also loved Oy and Jake in this book, they really both grew as characters and if someone or something hurts Oy… I got my mind blown when they found Salem’s Lot. Great review as always! :D
If you’ve seen a comment by me before I deleted it because now that I’ve watched through the whole video and have finished the book, I just want to say: Andy being a traitor was a mind boggling twist for me. I just wasn’t expecting any traitor until Jake saw Ben Slightman by the river with Andy. And then it got terrifying with the Pied Piper chapter where Andy’s leading a parade of twins.
What I LOVED about this book: -The entire creative concept behind the Wolves / Thunderclap and their mysterious ways + returning the children as roont - Prologue had me hooked - Father Callaghan’s back story + all of the multiverse connections and lore - The introduction of Mia and the “baby” - Andy + Slightman duo - The secrets in the Quonset - The Doorway Cave and it’s secrets - Black Thirteen ball - The pacing was pretty decent - I LOVED all of the stories, tales, dialogue that was happening through its entirety - Balazer + Tower interactions were so fun What I DID NOT like about this book: -The Length -The lack of creativity regarding certain places / weapons / etc. = Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and Stephen King himself (i just didn’t care for the Salem’s Lot actual book reveal, it IS mind blowing, but idk how much of a stretch it is) - The throwing dishes were just cheesy for me - How short the battle was and the lack of casualties on the Calla’s end was underwhelming
Wow, you really dove deep into "Wolves of the Calla" - love it! Totally with you on the whole Wolves and Thunderclap mystery; it's such a cool concept. And who doesn't get hooked from that prologue, right? Father Callaghan’s story and all that multiverse jazz are just 🤯. Mia and the whole baby situation, plus Andy and Slightman, are some serious highlights. And yes, the secrets! Stephen King sure knows how to keep us on our toes. I totally agree about the battle - it was over before it really felt like it started, and everyone just walked away a bit too easily BUT I did like the plates lol. Thanks for commenting mate.
Im so gald this book made me go back and reread Salems Lot. Must have been high school when I read that. Didnt remember hardly any of it and its now one of my favorite King books of all time
The revelation at the end of this one was genuinely fantastic and if you look back throughout the series there are hints at it. Buckle up mate, from here on things are gonna get wacky and wild.
This and The Wastelands are why I tell people to at least read The Stand and 'Salem's Lot before starting this series. So glad I just happened to before I started this the first time around.
Watched this with a big grin. So glad you enjoyed it and I’ve been looking forward to you seeing Fr Callahan again after you said how much you enjoyed him in Salem’s Lot. Glad the whole meta nature of Stephen King’s own book wasn’t too off-putting to you. Slight word of warning, he doubles down on that, my advise is to just roll with it… …Oh and read his Wikipedia page, some real world events become very relevent.
oooooooh I just cannot wait to see how this all turns out. I'm expecting some Stephen King weirdness lol. I read his biography 'On Writing' (it was half biography, half instructional book) I wonder if any of that will come into play? It's so funny how many of you know what's coming. It must be funny in a way haha.
@@PaperbackJourneys haha I was going to suggest reading ‘On Writing’ but given how big the journey already is I thought that just the Wikipedia page would be more manageable
I've watched all of your Dark Tower book reviews so far and I'm eagerly awaiting your reaction to the ending of the last book because holy shit...that's all I'm gonna say.
Oh, the anticipation! I can't wait to share my thoughts on the ending of the last book. Everyone keeps hinting at how mind-blowing it is, and your reaction just adds to the excitement. I'm gearing up for quite the ride, it seems. Thanks for sticking with my reviews up to this point.
Figured you’d really like this one. Haha. That line you said earlier, something like “this blew me away, I can imagine where it will go from here” is essentially what I said over the next two books hahaha.
It's like we're on the same wavelength with these books. If you were blown away by the next two after feeling similar at this point, I'm even more excited to see where the story takes me. Stephen King really knows how to keep us on our toes, doesn't he? Can't wait to dive into the next ones and share my thoughts. I've got Song of Susannah review coming out today and I'm currently reading the final book. Scary mate!
so many fans claim that the series is not worth reading after The Wastelands…like HUH? granted i haven’t read Wind through the keyhole, Song of Suz, or The Dark Tower Book 7, but the series so far is going great!
It's great to hear you're enjoying the series so far. Many people have different opinions about when a series peaks, but if you're loving it, that's what really matters.Each book brings something unique to the table. I'm happy to have you along for the journey Noah!
The Tower is indeed getting closer! I'm super intrigued about what people have to say about my "Song of Susannah" review. I've heard it's a real make-or-break book for a lot of fans. Thanks for commenting mate.
Hey Danny. Yeah I just didn't like the fairy tale part. I wasn't interested in the stuff about the wizard and the boy with his mother living in the woods. I was reading it it and then I kept staring off into space and having to physically force myself to keep going with my eyes facing the page. I wouldn't have minded if that fairy tale was like 10 pages or something but it was 50% of the book.
Wind Through the Keyhole was written like over a decade later, right? I personally didn't read it until id read the entire series a few times, so i didnt feel the momentum interruption that you experienced
Yeah if I could go back and change something about my journey, that's what I'd do. I'm going to make a revised reading order video of how I'd like to approach the extended reading order.
@@PaperbackJourneys yea, when you were done with the last one and you said youre just gonna miss those characters and have this hole, I was like now dude needs Wind Through the Keyhole lol
You'd have eaten the cover off of Wind Through the Keyhole had you read the books in order and were JONESING for another taste of your much missed mid-world crew. Also, you're not taking the Russian nesting doll element of Keyhole into consideration. It's a wormhole of story in story in story. It's not supposed to be read in the course of the other books, I don't think. It's a brief return to the world that we all thought was over.
@@PaperbackJourneys I'm sure you've already heard it, but ol' Steve REALLY tested the loyalty (and in some cases, sanity) of his Tower fans. I started in '89, and in '99 I finally got Wizard and Glass. I'm glad now that I got the origin story midway through the series, but dude... Imagine you waited 10 years to see your old friend, you get to the airport and find his little brother is who you're entertaining this week. !?#@!? I mean, he's cool and everything, but why the gnarly bait and switch from an old friend? My boy knew we were supposed to go tear it up like the old days, but now I have his sequel, Kyle, on my couch and I have to act happy about it. As much as I loved being "back," it was a brutal non-sequitir. And I'm still a little ruded that I (we) all had to worry the story would never be finished. Also a bit concerned I still care too much about it almost 25 years later.
I agree that father callahan wrt to Susannahs pregnancy gave me a massive ick and the priest went on my shit list. That whole scene with all the men talking about her "pregnancy"/possession was gross and i wanna say "dated" but the book came out in the 2000s ... Anyway it turned me all the way off.
@@PaperbackJourneys I loved the Stand by King and oddly I really liked Insomnia but the Dark Tower books 5 and 6 were so overrated in my opinion it really turned me off to S. King.
Roland dancing the Commala was one of my favourite scenes in the book.
One of my favorite ones too, absolutely! I thought he'd refuse when asked and I was really happy to see him dancing. And dancing he was! This is one of the rare scenes in the whole DT series when we see The Gunslinger letting himself b taken in by joy or happiness. Also I thought it [doing the Commala] added to his character arc. Roland rarely let his guard down, 99% focussed on finding The Tower but here he kinda let some emotion in himself and -just maybe - even felt a bit closer to "ordinary" humans as I felt the implication in this particular scene that he actually wanted to please the audience and maybe [again, only maybe] could use a bit of self assurance from the crowd's energy and understanding of him being [or used to be] like them; somebody who can dance, who can have emotions. The latter sensation was always questionable - even by himself - and of course he further could project his invincible self via a common thing [dance] that nobody saw coming, especially in quality as he did it while never leaving [before or after the dance] his nonchalant attitude.
Callahan is one of my favorite characters.
I'm with you on that totally.
So happy you love this book. It is one of my absolute favorites in the series. Just note from now on the series is going to get 100 times weirder.
I think I'm down for the weirdness. This year, and all the King I've been reading, has been like preparation for this moment. I'm so nervous though because everyone is kind of preparing me "Just be ready." What am I in for? hahaha
I'm glad you liked this book, PJ. I was waiting patiently for you to see Father Callahan again, as well as the big reveal.
Merry Christmas to you.
Yeah you probably had half a smile when I was talking about how I wanted to spend more time with him in Salem's Lot haha. Merry Christmas mate.
There was a moment when Eddie says the correct Password to Shut Andy Down. Andy says something that almost mad me feel sorry for him. Kind of Like Legion from Mass Effect saying "Does this unit have a soul?" I loved Andy as a Villain and completely agree how unique his is. I just finished the book last night and can't wait to start Song Of Susanna.
Wolves of the Calla was my favorite book of the Dark Tower series. Like you said, I remember the shock and excitement of them finding the Salem's Lot book and Stephen King being introduced in his own book. (That's now one of my favorite things is to read a Stephen King book and look for references to his other works. The more subtle the better). The arthritis thing sticks around and I cannot wait to see your reaction to that later on! Your excitement for these books has been great to watch!
It's fantastic to hear "Wolves of the Calla" tops your list for the Dark Tower series! That moment with the 'Salem's Lot' book and King weaving himself into the story is such a wild, memorable twist. It's like a little treasure hunt finding those subtle nods to his other works, isn't it? Thanks so much for commenting.
I quite liked Wolves Of The Calla. I absolutely LOVED Callahans backstory. I am a sucker for vampire stories (pun intended) and I really enjoyed this dark, but still realistic vampire story, that made me think about Vampire The Masquerade xD
I felt that Andy was a well written villain, I did kinda wish he’d get a redemption arch somehow. I felt that somehow, I wanted him to change.
I also loved Oy and Jake in this book, they really both grew as characters and if someone or something hurts Oy…
I got my mind blown when they found Salem’s Lot.
Great review as always! :D
Thanks so much. Yeah, Oy and Jake really did become best friends here and the Salem's Lot moment was ... wow. Thanks for commenting.
If you’ve seen a comment by me before I deleted it because now that I’ve watched through the whole video and have finished the book, I just want to say: Andy being a traitor was a mind boggling twist for me. I just wasn’t expecting any traitor until Jake saw Ben Slightman by the river with Andy.
And then it got terrifying with the Pied Piper chapter where Andy’s leading a parade of twins.
What I LOVED about this book:
-The entire creative concept behind the Wolves / Thunderclap and their mysterious ways + returning the children as roont
- Prologue had me hooked
- Father Callaghan’s back story + all of the multiverse connections and lore
- The introduction of Mia and the “baby”
- Andy + Slightman duo
- The secrets in the Quonset
- The Doorway Cave and it’s secrets
- Black Thirteen ball
- The pacing was pretty decent
- I LOVED all of the stories, tales, dialogue that was happening through its entirety
- Balazer + Tower interactions were so fun
What I DID NOT like about this book:
-The Length
-The lack of creativity regarding certain places / weapons / etc. = Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and Stephen King himself (i just didn’t care for the Salem’s Lot actual book reveal, it IS mind blowing, but idk how much of a stretch it is)
- The throwing dishes were just cheesy for me
- How short the battle was and the lack of casualties on the Calla’s end was underwhelming
Wow, you really dove deep into "Wolves of the Calla" - love it! Totally with you on the whole Wolves and Thunderclap mystery; it's such a cool concept. And who doesn't get hooked from that prologue, right? Father Callaghan’s story and all that multiverse jazz are just 🤯.
Mia and the whole baby situation, plus Andy and Slightman, are some serious highlights. And yes, the secrets! Stephen King sure knows how to keep us on our toes.
I totally agree about the battle - it was over before it really felt like it started, and everyone just walked away a bit too easily BUT I did like the plates lol.
Thanks for commenting mate.
@@PaperbackJourneys haha yes my plates take is unpopular 😭 i’ll come around
Im so gald this book made me go back and reread Salems Lot. Must have been high school when I read that. Didnt remember hardly any of it and its now one of my favorite King books of all time
To be fair Wind Through a Keyhole came out after part 7 so if you probably read it after 7 , you have enjoyed it
I think you're right.
One of my favorites of the series. I love how emotional you get about books you like.
HAHA Yeah I get pretty worked up when it comes to books. Thanks so much for commenting mate.
Just finished this in the last hour. Absolutely fantastic book!
Glad you liked it too mate.
The revelation at the end of this one was genuinely fantastic and if you look back throughout the series there are hints at it. Buckle up mate, from here on things are gonna get wacky and wild.
This and The Wastelands are why I tell people to at least read The Stand and 'Salem's Lot before starting this series. So glad I just happened to before I started this the first time around.
The original hardcover release of Wolves of the Calla used the same chapter and title font as the United States version of the Harry Potter novels.
Oh wow! How cool is that?? I DID NOT know that. Thanks for that piece of trivia!
Watched this with a big grin. So glad you enjoyed it and I’ve been looking forward to you seeing Fr Callahan again after you said how much you enjoyed him in Salem’s Lot.
Glad the whole meta nature of Stephen King’s own book wasn’t too off-putting to you. Slight word of warning, he doubles down on that, my advise is to just roll with it…
…Oh and read his Wikipedia page, some real world events become very relevent.
oooooooh I just cannot wait to see how this all turns out. I'm expecting some Stephen King weirdness lol. I read his biography 'On Writing' (it was half biography, half instructional book) I wonder if any of that will come into play?
It's so funny how many of you know what's coming. It must be funny in a way haha.
@@PaperbackJourneys haha I was going to suggest reading ‘On Writing’ but given how big the journey already is I thought that just the Wikipedia page would be more manageable
I've watched all of your Dark Tower book reviews so far and I'm eagerly awaiting your reaction to the ending of the last book because holy shit...that's all I'm gonna say.
Oh, the anticipation! I can't wait to share my thoughts on the ending of the last book. Everyone keeps hinting at how mind-blowing it is, and your reaction just adds to the excitement. I'm gearing up for quite the ride, it seems. Thanks for sticking with my reviews up to this point.
Figured you’d really like this one. Haha. That line you said earlier, something like “this blew me away, I can imagine where it will go from here” is essentially what I said over the next two books hahaha.
It's like we're on the same wavelength with these books. If you were blown away by the next two after feeling similar at this point, I'm even more excited to see where the story takes me. Stephen King really knows how to keep us on our toes, doesn't he? Can't wait to dive into the next ones and share my thoughts. I've got Song of Susannah review coming out today and I'm currently reading the final book. Scary mate!
This is tied as my Favorite DT book , its tied with Drawing of the Three
I absolutely loved both of your favourites. I think we have similar tastes.
so many fans claim that the series is not worth reading after The Wastelands…like HUH? granted i haven’t read Wind through the keyhole, Song of Suz, or The Dark Tower Book 7, but the series so far is going great!
It's great to hear you're enjoying the series so far. Many people have different opinions about when a series peaks, but if you're loving it, that's what really matters.Each book brings something unique to the table. I'm happy to have you along for the journey Noah!
And just like that he’s IN ladies and gentlemen.
Haha, yes! Fully immersed and loving every minute of it.
The Tower is closer 😜 Really intrigued to see your reaction to Song of Susannah. Make or break time lol
The Tower is indeed getting closer! I'm super intrigued about what people have to say about my "Song of Susannah" review. I've heard it's a real make-or-break book for a lot of fans. Thanks for commenting mate.
Man, when Roland started dancing all I had in my head was Cotton eyed Joe!! 😂
"Where did ya come from, where did ya goooo!"
Now I can't get it out of my head
No way I finished this last night!! We’re still on the quest together friend! All things serve the beam!
Great timing!!! What did you think of it?
I loved WTtKH, don’t understand your exception to it.
Hey Danny. Yeah I just didn't like the fairy tale part. I wasn't interested in the stuff about the wizard and the boy with his mother living in the woods. I was reading it it and then I kept staring off into space and having to physically force myself to keep going with my eyes facing the page. I wouldn't have minded if that fairy tale was like 10 pages or something but it was 50% of the book.
Wind Through the Keyhole was written like over a decade later, right? I personally didn't read it until id read the entire series a few times, so i didnt feel the momentum interruption that you experienced
Yeah if I could go back and change something about my journey, that's what I'd do. I'm going to make a revised reading order video of how I'd like to approach the extended reading order.
@@PaperbackJourneys yea, when you were done with the last one and you said youre just gonna miss those characters and have this hole, I was like now dude needs Wind Through the Keyhole lol
You'd have eaten the cover off of Wind Through the Keyhole had you read the books in order and were JONESING for another taste of your much missed mid-world crew. Also, you're not taking the Russian nesting doll element of Keyhole into consideration. It's a wormhole of story in story in story.
It's not supposed to be read in the course of the other books, I don't think. It's a brief return to the world that we all thought was over.
Yeah I bet you're right. After finishing the series I am thirsting to dive back into that world. I miss the Ka-Tet.
@@PaperbackJourneys I'm sure you've already heard it, but ol' Steve REALLY tested the loyalty (and in some cases, sanity) of his Tower fans. I started in '89, and in '99 I finally got Wizard and Glass.
I'm glad now that I got the origin story midway through the series, but dude...
Imagine you waited 10 years to see your old friend, you get to the airport and find his little brother is who you're entertaining this week.
!?#@!?
I mean, he's cool and everything, but why the gnarly bait and switch from an old friend? My boy knew we were supposed to go tear it up like the old days, but now I have his sequel, Kyle, on my couch and I have to act happy about it.
As much as I loved being "back," it was a brutal non-sequitir. And I'm still a little ruded that I (we) all had to worry the story would never be finished.
Also a bit concerned I still care too much about it almost 25 years later.
Cringed when you said your fear is that Roland won’t make it to the tower, but the others do. 😢 I guess you know by now, the answer to that.
I agree that father callahan wrt to Susannahs pregnancy gave me a massive ick and the priest went on my shit list.
That whole scene with all the men talking about her "pregnancy"/possession was gross and i wanna say "dated" but the book came out in the 2000s ...
Anyway it turned me all the way off.
Please make a whole track where you sing the rice song 😂😂😂
Fr
I'm going to release a full album of "Songs of Midworld" haha!
@@PaperbackJourneys 😅 be careful joking about that! My kid watches your reviews and we are both on the beam. He will definitely expect it🤣🤣🤣
This is one of the worst paced books I've ever finished. This book was garbage!
Oh, I'm sorry you didn't like it. I thought it was one of the better ones in the series.
@@PaperbackJourneys I loved the Stand by King and oddly I really liked Insomnia but the Dark Tower books 5 and 6 were so overrated in my opinion it really turned me off to S. King.