Obsession, yes, that's what it is

Alright, I held out for years. I love to read but I tend to stick to one author. I do occassionaly pick up works by authors other than Stephen King (The Da Vinci Code was good - if you want to try Dan Brown, read Angels and Demons first. It's better and you can catch the formula for The Da Vinci Code quickly. If you're looking for a light read with funny situations, I do recommend Mil Millington. He's hilarious!) but I'm obsessed with Stephen King's works, especially The Dark Tower series. (Like to the fact I'm thinking of taking a day off of work on September 21st just to read the last book of the series.)

Maybe my obsession for a good story began as a kid, the only story I remember clearly being read to me by my mother is Eyes of the Dragon. Great story. Absolutely wonderful. My reading material in middle school consisted of such wonderful stories as It and The Talisman. I held off from The Dark Tower. I resisted it's pull. Maybe because I was chicken and worried that the story would never be finished and I'd be stuck in limbo. I'm not so sure that's the case. I did read The Gunslinger pretty early in my life, but the story didn't grab me at that time. I think it's because I didn't like the main character. He was cold-hearted and dangerous.

So, last year I heard Stephen King was going to finish the series. It was time. I picked up the first book and plugged through it (which, by the way, is the shortest of all the books and took me the longest to read). The second book, The Drawing of the Three, called to me. I picked it up and fell in love. Completely. Ever since, I couldn't get enough. (To the point that I've started watching old Westerns just to see gunslingers.)

All of this is just to bring me to why I started this post. Last I had heard, the sixth book would come out sometime in August. I, being the obsessed person I am, went online on June 1st just to see which day in August. To my surprise, the release date had been pushed forward and I found that I only had to wait a week. Excitement came over me!

On June 7th, 2004, just three days ago, the sixth book of the series came out. It is called Song of Susannah. In my obsession, I went to Wal-Mart on Monday night to be there at midnight. The books weren't out yet so I patiently waited (inside screaming, "GIVE ME THE BOOK!") while a very nice worker went into the back and got me a copy of the book. I made it quickly to the check-out and back to my car. I had enough sense to not read and drive at least.

Now here's where there is my first problem. (I'm calling it a problem, others would just call me insane.) When I was handed the book, I became immediately disappointed. Why, you ask? Because it's only 413 pages long! I was expecting something around the 900 pages mark.

I have other things to do (with moving in two and a half weeks I should be packing) but no, I get home and decide it is time to start reading. I read half the book the first night and finished it the next.

Still on the edge of my seat waiting for book seven and the end to Roland's quest, I have some issues with the last couple of books. I know that Stephen King likes to leave these stories with cliffhangers and that does not worry me. What worries me is that this series, his epic story, may turn out to be a joke. Here's the problems I am having with the last few books:

MINOR SPOILER ALERT
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1. Stephen King wrote himself into the story. I hate when authors do that. It's like they're trying to say they're God and that they control the story. Yes, Mr. King does try to steer clear of this a little by stating he's just the writer telling the story that needs to be told (like a scribe or something), but he's still influencing it and showing that in the work. It's annoying.

2. He keeps trying to freak me out by almost killing the cute little billy-bumbler Oy in the story. Oy is like a dog but also like a raccoon. He can talk (a little) and it seems he can cry. Don't kill him. He's cute. You can't kill the cute little furry creature. That's just my opinion.

3. It's too short! (I think I said that above, didn't I? You would think that a story over 3,000 pages wouldn't be too short, but it is.)

4. Roland has gone through life being cold-hearted. He's finally made friends and understands that friends make up life. I know that some of them might die and that's part of the story, but if Roland ends up sacrifing them, he's never been redeemed. Book three was Redemption. You can't go back. (Again, my opinion.)

Okay, so maybe I don't have that many problems with the story and you could say that my getting so involved shows how much the story means to me. I'm just hoping that the end result doesn't make a mockery of the trials to get there. It's a great story, keep it that way. I'm not saying it has to have a happy ending, just an ending that fits the work before it.