
Generally speaking, I’ve found that if it’s by Stephen King, it’s worth reading. I’ve yet to be disappointed.
This is one of the books in the Dark Tower series. I’ve read a couple of others but hadn’t come across this one. It’s prefaced by a comment that it can be read as a stand-alone, and I think that’s right. Some of the terminology and a tiny amount of detail might cause some readers to wonder, but the bulk of the story is easily read without reference to the series.
As is so often the case with King, the characters, varied and distinct, are easily understood and some can even be empathised with, though not all, of course. This is largely a fantasy, but elements of horror underlie the whole tale. The initial descriptions of the Little Sisters immediately signal the coming dread, though one, of course, breaks free of that association and introduces an element of care mixed with subtle sexual attraction.
The location descriptions carry enough detail to make them real in the reader’s mind without overburdening the story with unnecessary narrative. And the plot is convoluted enough to hold one’s attention throughout.
I enjoyed this short novel, and it’s brought a good storyteller back into my reading after a fairly long break. I will be reading more of King’s work in the future.
[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]


I haven’t read any books by Stephen king, So this post kind of motivates me to start soon. Thank you for this concise post 😊
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Thank you, Keerthi. His books are quite varied, but many are in the Horror genre. One I particularly recall enjoying, not in the horror mode, is called ‘Dreamcatcher’, it’s a long but rewarding read.
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Yeah I have heard a lot about Stephen King and how he does justice to the horror genre in his own unique way. I shall definitely checkout the book you have recommended 😃 and delve into his other books too.
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I stopped reading Stephen King when I started reading The Shining on a Transatlantic flight and was scared out of my gourd! I might be able to handle this!
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I used to read King’s novels but not for a long time now. He’s definitely worth reading again.
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Yes, he’s a great writer, but, like you, I’ve been reading elsewhere and more or less forgotten him. I shall be looking for more in the future. Troubke is, my TBR list is over 60 titles long!
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Yes, mine has been growing too!
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At least you’ll soon have more time to read those books, eh?
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Definitely! I officially retired on Tuesday. 🙂
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Great news! Enjoy your free time, and now do what you want to do.
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Thank you very much, Stuart. We are leaving soon for a month’s holidays. Cheers.
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Relax and anjoy, Lynette. You’ve earned it!
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Thank you. 🙂
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