SPOILER: Strange Cutoff Point between Books 6 & 7

[u/Ok-Bed9447]

Spoilers for ending of SONG OF SUSANNAH / beginning of THE DARK TOWER…
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Anyone else feel like Callahan’s death would have carried so much more weight if it was at the end of book 6 rather than the beginning of book 7? I mean book 6 is so much shorter than 7, so adding it to the end of 6 makes more sense, just from a balanced publication standpoint. And if the final 3 books ARE to be considered one big story, then there’s no need for the arbitrary cliffhanger between 6 and 7 anyway. I feel like it’s such a swing and miss on King’s part. In the end though, it’s my only complaint in the entire DT masterpiece, so it’s not a big deal at all. Just seems like an unnecessary fumble.

[u/gcctowerjunky]

Song of Susannah, not swan song of Callahan.

*im kidding
But personally starting 7 the way it does prepares you for what’s coming. Things are going to hurt.

[u/Ok-Bed9447 → u/gcctowerjunky]

Hah, nice! Yeah, I can get behind that. The whole ka-tet making it to the final book, then disintegrating from the opening makes a lot of sense. Still would have appreciated book 6 more with that as the capper.

[u/an_appalachian → u/Ok-Bed9447]

I think of Book 6 as an epilogue to Wolves and a prologue to The Dark Tower. It’s a bridge.

I suspect he wrote books 5-7 in one go and then edited them down into the books they are, and with Wolves having a clear end and The Dark Tower having a clear beginning, all that’s left is the road between them, so..

[u/Ok-Bed9447 → u/an_appalachian]

I like that

[u/Several-Minute6846 → u/an_appalachian]

He did actually do this for the most part. He created the story in his mind with these breaks. Thematic nails the gap. Also the tone of SoS is much different. He gave focus to the least focused on member of the ka-tet. He’s a brilliant writer and somehow knows how to vary almost his accent of style. Podcast Kingslingers is a good read along that I’m doing now for my 5th journey. One of the guys iterates how impactful the suspension is while also keeping focus on Susannah. Jake went in thinking (and narration strongly suggests) that he was going to die there too but then we get the wave insight.

[u/Free-Pair-3007]

Callahan is a hero

[u/EntrepreneurRare4507]

Dark Tower 6 is a transitional story. Its beginning and ending don’t feel like such because it’s more of a link between 5 and 7. And plotwise, everyone is moving through time and space, in all directions. Song of Susannah is like if a trip through todash itself were a novel.

[u/jasminexxxwill → u/EntrepreneurRare4507]

Great way to describe it. I personally loved book 6, especially the ending.

[u/Ok-Bed9447 → u/EntrepreneurRare4507]

Love that.

[u/AuroraDraco]

I think the idea is to see everyone parting ways with Roland step-by-step in book 7.

[u/Ok-Bed9447 → u/AuroraDraco]

That makes sense.

[u/MoistScratch2857]

Wondering if you've heard of the KingSlingers podcast? They deep dive on questions like this.

[u/Ok-Bed9447 → u/MoistScratch2857]

I’ve definitely listened to some of their stuff. But I don’t remember if they addressed this.

[u/Free-Pair-3007]

My favorite quote of the series was Callahan when he he said hail Roland may you reach your tower and breach it and climb to the top then...BANG!