Monday, March 28, 2011

The Waste Lands by Stephen King (CBR-III #16)

Series: The Dark Tower Book III
Cannonball Read III: Book #16/52
Published: 1991
Pages: 608 (6,207 total so far)
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

This is the third book in the Dark Tower series and I'm definitely glad I kept reading after being not so impressed with The Gunslinger. I loved the second book and this one was good as well. I did find it a bit slow at times, but it really picks up during the last third and keeps going until the cliffhanger ending.

***I'm going to try and keep out any major spoilers, but if you haven't read the first two books in the series, there could possibly be spoilers ahead***

The Waste Lands follows Roland and his companions as they cross the country following "the beam" to the Dark Tower. I think if Tolkien was on LSD, this is how he would have written Lord of the Rings. Seriously, this book is insane, but in a good way. For instance, we begin with a giant parasite-infested cyborg bear who has a satellite dish on his head and we end with a cranky, talking monorail. Very, very strange stuff.

I'm a little confused as to why it's called The Waste Lands when they don't actually get to the waste lands until almost the very end. But like I said, the last third of the book gets intense and then it ends on a cliffhanger that makes you immediately want to pick up the next book.

I'd give it 4/5 stars. Definitely pick up this series if you're at all interested in the fantasy genre.

2 comments:

  1. Hi! I also just finished reading The Waste Lands. I agree! I was a bit confused as to why it's called that for the same reason as you! But I still absolutely loved it!

    LOL Love what you said about Tolkien. My hubby made a similar comment when he said SK must've been dropping acid when he wrote the book. And that was just based on the pics he saw!

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  2. Hi Kat! Thanks for reading my review! Yeah, I still don't get why he named this book The Waste Lands (instead of the next one which actually takes place in the Waste Lands).

    That's so funny your husband said that...that's what I thought the entire time I was reading the series.

    Are you reading the series for the first time?? Let me know what you think about the series as a whole and about the ending when you finish! It's a crazy ride, but I think worth finishing :)

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