The Dark Tower Companion: A Guide to Stephen King’s Epic Fantasy (18 page)
Read The Dark Tower Companion: A Guide to Stephen King’s Epic Fantasy Online
Authors: Bev Vincent
Oy and Patrick choose to stay with Roland. With his tongueless mouth, Patrick feels he would be an outcast in America, and Oy still has a part to play. When Roland tries to get some much-needed sleep the night before they reach the Tower and Patrick falls asleep while standing watch, Oy is the only one on guard when Mordred finally launches his attack. Mordred is near death, poisoned from eating Dandelo's horse, and is prepared to sacrifice himself if it means he can thwart the gunslinger, especially when he is so close to his goal. Oy keeps Mordred at bay long enough for Roland to awaken and draw his gun.
Mordred's hatred prevents him from accepting Roland's offer to let him live. He fulfills Roland's vision from the pink Wizard's Glass and impales Oy on a tree branch. Roland kills his son and hears the distant howl of the Crimson King, who is also Mordred's father.
That leaves only Patrick to accompany him to the Tower. It's an unusual choice, to have Roland attain his goal with someone who is so new to the story but, as it turns out, Patrick is exactly the person Roland needs at the end. Susannah wouldn't have been of any help.
Ka
knows best.
When Roland is within five miles of the Tower, the Crimson Kingâwho is armed with sneetchesâlaunches an attack from the balcony where he is imprisoned on the Tower's second floor. Roland and Patrick take cover behind a steel pyramid. Roland can handle the sneetches, even when they come two and three at a time, but the Voice of the Tower is summoning him, and he won't be able to resist it for long. If he emerges from cover, he'll be killed.
Roland wanted to kill the Crimson King himself, but he can't. He gets Patrick to draw him instead. The final detail he adds is two drops of color for his eyes, using paint derived from rose petals, saliva and Roland's blood. He
then erases the drawing, leaving behind only the red eyes, which will remain on the balcony outside the Tower for eternity. Roland sends Patrick back the way they came, telling him to get Stuttering Bill to lead him to a doorway back to America.
Roland then turns to face the Tower, calling out the names of all those who have died during his quest and announcing his presence. He discovers that the Tower is the living body of Gan. The script on the doorway says
UNFOUND
at first, but when he presents his gun and Aunt Talitha's cross, it changes to
FOUND
and opens to him.
Inside, he findsâ¦well, if you've read all the way to the end, you know what he finds. And if you haven't, the best way to find out is to read it! Stephen King gave readers a chance to turn away before Roland went inside, after all. In a way, there's nothing inside that you haven't seen alreadyâ¦
Characters (in order of mention):
Father Callahan, Jake Chambers, Susannah Dean, Mia, harriers, Gan, Oy, Roland Deschain, low men (fayen folken/
can toi
), vampires, Elmer Chambers, Meiman (Tweety Bird/Canary Man), Richard P. Sayre, Mark Petrie, Kurt Barlow, Walter o'Dim, the Crimson King (Los' the Red), Andrew Feeny, Detta Walker, Tirana, Eddie Dean, Stephen King, John Cullum, Aaron Deepneau, Calvin Tower, Blaine the Mono, Vannay (the Wise), Cort, Steven Deschain, Gabrielle Deschain, taheen, slow mutants, Arthur Eld, Cuthbert Allgood, Alain Johns, Jamie DeCurry, Moses Carver, Odetta Holmes, Jack Andolini, Wolves, Charlie Beemer, walk-ins, Child of Roderick, Aunt Talitha, Chevin of Chayven, Scowther, Haber, Jey (Gee), Alia, Daniel Holmes, Straw, Breakers, Mordred Deschain, Andy the Messenger Robot, Nigel, Mech Foreman, Chef Warthog, Margaret Eisenhart, Sisters of the Plate, Jochabim, Sheemie Ruiz, Greta Shaw, Patricia the Mono, Bango Skank, Reverend Earl Harrigan, Mrs. Chambers, the Old People, Mrs. Mislaburski, Henry Dean, Conor Flaherty, Lamla, Dick Beckhardt, Rosalita Muñoz, Chip McAvoy, Albrecht, John Farson, Susan Delgado, Mathiessen van Wyck, the doorkeeper, Ted Brautigan, Eldred Jonas, Rhea, Walter Hodji, Walter Padick, Sam Padick, Ben Slightman, Bobby Garfield, Finli o'Tego, Dinky Earnshaw, Pimli (Paul) Prentiss, senders, Will Dearborn, Arthur Heath, Richard Stockworth, Coral Thorin, Roy Depape, Pettie the Trotter, Gangli Tristum, the Manni, Tanya Leeds, Joey Rostosovich, Carol Gerber,
Beeman, Trelawney, Jakli, Conroy, David Burke, Dani Rostov, Timothy Atwood, Rowan Magruder, Frank Armitage, Dave Ittaway, Sully-John, Phil, Trampas, Humma o'Tego, Tassa, Gaskie o'Tego, Haylis of Chayven, Sheb, Stanley Ruiz, Cordelia Delgado, Cameron, Jenkins, Tammy Kelly, Garma, James Cagney, Jack London, Birdie McCann, Ben Alexander, Waverly, Baj, Sej, Belle O'Rourke, Gran-pere Jaffords, Grace Rumbelow, Sharpton, Dandelo, Fred Worthington, Irene Tassenbaum, Rhoda Beemer, Ruth Beemer, Bryan Smith, David Tassenbaum, Justine Anderson, Elvira Toothaker, Garrett McKeen, Richard Bachman, Chuck Verrill, Morphia, Selena, George Biondi, Nancy Deepneau, Marian Carver,
Ka-tet
of the Rose, Gasher, Tick-Tock Man, Calvins, Ed Deepneau, Ralph Roberts, Patrick Danville, Fred Towne, Hax, Candor the Tall, Henchick of the Manni, Robert Browning, Jack Mort, gunslingers, uffis, Feemalo, Fumalo, Fimalo, Rando Thoughtful, Austin Cornwell, Brass, Compson, Joe Collins, Stuttering Bill, Shantz, Eddie Toren, Jake Toren.
Places:
'Salem's Lot; Dixie Pig; Calla Bryn Sturgis; Gilead; Fedic; Bridgton; Co-Op City; Turtleback Lane; Lovell, Maine; East Stoneham, Maine; Kansas Road; Callas; Keystone Earth; All-A-Glow; Cave of Voices (Doorway Cave); Mid-World; Garlan; Keywadin Pond; Kennedy International Airport; River Crossing; South Plains; Castle Discordia; Thunderclap; Oxford, Mississippi; Plaza-Park Hyatt; Derva; Rotunda; Cradle of Lud; Ludweg; Lud; Piper School; Dogan; Castle Avenue Market; Bleecker Street; Kezar Lake; Cara Laughs; Discordia; Nassau, Bahamas; East Road; Mid-Town Lanes; Dutch Hill; the Mansion; Jericho Hill; World Trade Center; Le Casse Roi Russe; River Whye; Devar-Toi (Blue Heaven/Algul Siento); Green Palace; Mejis; Mohaine Desert; French Landing, Wisconsin; Delain; East'ard Barony; Pleasantville; Damli House (Heartbreak House); the Study; Thunderclap Station; Can Steek-Tete; In-World; Travellers' Rest; The Mall; Shapleigh House; Gingerbread House; Corbett Hall; Xay River; Hartford, Connecticut; Akron, Ohio; Keystone Earth; Arc of the Callas; Court of the Crimson King; the Dark Tower; Gage Park; Markey Avenue; Western Sea; Feveral Hall; Na'ar; East Stoneham General Store; Took's General Store; Warrington's; Sunset Cottage; Sir Speedy-Park; 2 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza; the pocket park; Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind; Taos, New Mexico; Bangor, Maine; Fedic Station; Gin-Puppy Saloon;
Arc 16 Experimental Station; the Hungry i; Central Park; Devil's Arse; Badlands; Badlands Avenue; Great Hall; Audience Chamber; Nis; Empathica; Tower Keystone; Castle-town; Hide Camp; Odd's Lane; Tower Road; Stone's Warp; Westring; Jango's; Times Square; Federal Outpost 19; the Drawers; the Drop; White Plains, New York.
Things:
Maturin, the White, Orizas,
ka-mai
,
ka-hume
,
dinh
,
ka
, Cross of Malta, hile, Path of the Beam, todash,
aven kal
,
aven kas
, Voice (Song) of the Turtle/Bear,
chassit
(nineteen), Voice of the Beam/Gan,
ka-tet
,
an-tet
, Bends o' the Rainbow,
canda
,
can-tah
, the Prim, doctor bugs/Grandfather-fleas, waseau, Beamquake, Unfound Door, Shardik, magic doors, Holmes Dental, Tet Corporation, Sombra Corporation, North Central Positronics,
dan-tete
, level of the Tower, fottergraf, astin, popkin, Cullum Caretaking and Camp Checking, delah, can Discordia, commala, Wide Earth, docker's clutch, pubes, clouts,
ka
-
dinh
, mind-trap, the rose, dry twist, Aunt Talitha's cross, Pimsy,
sigul
, Microsoft, gunna, sandalwood,
chary-ka
, blackmouth disease, devar-tete, Black Thirteen, tooter-fish, Nozz-A-La, Asimov robots, throcken, Peddler's Moon, the Am, gadosh, godosh, bah-bo, ironwood, ghostwood, ki'dam, ki'box, rustie, sneetches, the Romp, jakes,
graf
, Reap Moon, Beams, the Bleeding Lion, teleportation, good mind,
ka-shume
, Wollensak, Takuro Spirit, ma'sun,
can-toi-tete,
khef
, coffah,
anti-ka
, hume,
Hansel and Gretel
, Caprichoso (Capi),
Sacramento Bee
, ki'cans, kammen, Gan's Beam, darks,
Ka
of Nineteen,
Ka
of Ninety-nine, Keystone Year,
dan-dinh,
“Hey Jude,” kes,
Charlie the Choo-Choo
, Dobbie, Fire-Response Team Bravo,
ki'come,
chary man, Ves'-ka Gan, Can'-Ka No Rey, Pistol, Bullet, kas-ka Gan, Urs-A-Ka-Gan, Cujo, Spathiphyllum, Mills Construction, Garden of the Beam, Great Letters of Gilead, Excalibur, George Washington Bridge,
The Hogan
,
Insomnia
, folken, Royal Court of Gilead, slinkum, oggan, Spirit of Topeka, hot-enj, todash darkness, todash monsters, Marlowe, Llamrei, Ho Fat's Luxury Taxi, devil-grass, Gan's blackbirds, Forge of the King, dead-line, Nis, glammer, hobs, cheflet, chert, Lippy, thiddles, Demon Moon, Rossco, Honda, wheels, childe, pokeberries, Old Star, Old Mother, Lydia's Dipper, bannock, Gan's gateway, houken, bougie, Speaking Rings/circles, pyramid, Mim, Song of the Tower, Horn of Eld,
tet-ka can Gan
, clouts, Ring-a-Levio (Ringo), Full Earth.
Continuity Errors and Mistakes:
Is the GWB visible from Turtle Bay? Rowan Magruder is called George.
Crossovers to Other Works:
French Landing (
Black House
), Warrington's and Cara Laughs (
Bag of Bones
), Ed Deepneau, Ralph Roberts and Patrick Danville (
Insomnia
), Dinky Earnshaw (“Everything's Eventual”), Ted Brautigan, Carol Gerber, Bobby Garfield, and Sully-John (“Low Men in Yellow Coats”).
OOKS AND
S
TORIES
R
ELATED TO THE
D
ARK
T
OWER
W
hen the final three Dark Tower novels were published in 2003 and 2004, the author's ad card at the front of the book listed a number of Stephen King's nonseries books in bold, indicating that they were related to the Dark Tower mythos. Some of the titles were obvious, but a few provoked lively discussions as to the nature of the Dark Tower connection. In subsequent years, other books and stories have had ties to the series.
Avid readers often go to great lengths coming up with connections to the Dark Tower series. One of the most frequent is the presence of the number nineteen or numbers that add up to nineteen. Many of these are purely coincidentalâespecially those that appear in books that were written long before that number had any significance to King. It can be safely assumed that any occurrence of the number nineteen appearing in a book written prior to June 19, 1999 isn't a true Dark Tower connection.
Made-up brand names, such as the Takuro Spirit car and Nozz-A-La soda, sometimes appear in King's nonseries books. In the altered time line in
11/22/63
, for example, Jake Epping sees a Honda Zephyr and a Takuro Spirit. However, as King states in the interview he gave for this book, he made a special effort not to have
11/22/63
turn into a Dark Tower book because it is so firmly rooted in real history. Appearances of these brand names, which are associated by many with the Dark Tower series, should probably be treated as indicators of a parallel or altered time line rather than as a strong connection to the series.
The following books are associated with the Dark Tower series.
'S
ALEM'S
L
OT
Father Frank Callahan, the priest who flees the Maine town of 'Salem's Lot after it is overrun by vampires, ends up in Calla Bryn Sturgis, a community
on the edge of Thunderclap. Over the course of the final three books, Callahan tells the story of what happened to him after he got on a bus shortly after being forced to drink vampire Barlow's blood and being rejected by his church. In a sense,
Wolves of the Calla
is the sequel to
'Salem's Lot
that King sometimes said he'd like to write.
The book itself shows up on a shelf of rare collectibles in the Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind in
Wolves of the Calla
. It is one of the first signs that Stephen King's fictional universe is somehow connected to Roland's reality. The fact that Father Callahan, a living person, is a character in a novel confounds everyone involved. Especially Father Callahan.
T
HE
S
TAND
When Roland and his
ka-tet
end up in Topeka, Kansas, after defeating Blaine the Mono, they find themselves in a different universe, one that has been overrun by a superflu known as Captain Trips. This is the name given to the virus in
The Stand
. They see graffiti that mentions “the Walkin' Dude” and ultimately meet up with Randall Flagg, the villain of
The Stand
, who also turns out to be Marten Broadcloak, Roland's nemesis. Mother Abigail, the leader of the “good” faction, is mentioned, as is her home in Nebraska.