Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower #7)
Author: Stephen King
Published: 2004
On Goodreads
My Rating:
Rated D for dark and unexpected destinies.
The magic is gone and the machines are failing. Soon enough the dark tower will fall.
Immediately following the events of Wolves of Calla, Roland and his ka-tet are spread out. Susannah has been swept away, now possessed by a new entity that is part her and part of the demon that tried to take her previously in the series. Catapulted into New York, 1999, Susannah must deal with the thing growing inside of her and struggle to not give birth to it, but little does she know that three of her allies: Jake, the billy-bumbler Oy, and Father Callahan are on her trail.
Meanwhile, Roland and Eddie have stumbled into Maine, 1997 where they meet the writer of their story, Stephen King who is connected the tower just as they are.
The Dark Tower Reviews
The Gunslinger – review here
The Drawing of Three – review here
The Waste Lands – review here
Wizard and Glass – review here
The Wolves of Calla – review here
So…this took much longer to finish than I expected. LOL. Originally, I knew it would take a while. I wanted to split up reading sessions so I could get to other books at the same time. At least it didn’t take as long as The Stand. That one is going on 8 years. Sometimes it takes a little longer than expected. I have plans for that one this year. Well, more like hopes. I still have about 3 books to get to before it that are quite immense as well. Getting that off my chest, this was such a fulfilling and thrilling installation to The Dark Tower series.
Roland’s ka-tet has been spread to the four winds so to speak. Across the beams is a better way to put it. Across time as well. Susannah is struggling with a new voice and life within her, struggling to keep control while a creature grows inside her. Jake and Father Callahan are on her trail to hopefully save her. Meanwhile, Eddie and Roland set out to meet the famous Stephen King for he has info on the tower that they need if they hope to reach it. I really found the insertion of King himself into the series perfectly placed and really pulled our own reality into this one. It made it so much more real and eye-opening. Also, I busted a gut laughing when he fainted upon meeting the characters of his own books.
Though always dense, the journey continues to be engaging and compelling. Some serious chills rocked me. Just like more than one reality collided here, more than one book did. A taste of Salem’s Lot touched the pages with its vampires and I even more enthralled than ever before. This has to be my favorite book out of the series so far.
One thing that has increasingly impressed me is King’s ability to switch between multiple tones within one character: Susannah. With the multiple minds present in one body, it can almost be overwhelming, yet he manages the chaos beautifully.
The setting changes up from the deserted world Roland and his crew resided in previously. Time and New York becomes the latest world they travel, creating a much more dimensional sense. It’s mind-blowing. In one way, we’ve visited this type of setting before and in another, it’s not. There’s always something different. This time it’s the amount of darkness blocking the way to the tower now that Roland is so close. That, and the world seems to keep spinning while all of this is happening.
Overall
Growing closer and closer to the end of the journey and the intensity is increasing as Roland draws closer to the tower. I keep thinking about how it was said earlier in the series that by destroying the tower everything is destroyed. I can’t wait to see the remarkable end because this book is only the beginning of it. The end. It left a pit in my stomach. One of dread, knowing it’s coming and knowing that there are characters that aren’t going to make it. Some serious Endgame feels if you know what I mean and that only makes me feel more passionate about this series.
Quotables:
“Soon comes the King, he of the Eye.” (p. 126)
“It’s the end-game now. All I’ve worked for and waited for all the long years. The end is coming. I feel it. Don’t you?” (Roland to Eddie, p. 287)
“In the Land of Memory, the time is always Now.” (p. 465)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? The One That Got Away by The Civil Wars.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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