Synopses & Reviews
In
The Wind through the Keyhole, Stephen King returns to the rich landscape of Mid-World, the spectacular territory of the Dark Tower fantasy saga that stands as his most beguiling achievement.
Roland Deschain and his ka-tet — Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler — encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two... and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past.
In his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt-ridden year following his mother's death, Roland is sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a “skin-man” preying upon the population around Debaria. Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, the brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beasts most recent slaughter. Only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy and prepares him for the following days trials by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother often read to him at bedtime. “A persons never too old for stories,” Roland says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them.” And indeed, the tale that Roland unfolds, the legend of Tim Stoutheart, is a timeless treasure for all ages, a story that lives for us.
King began the Dark Tower series in 1974; it gained momentum in the 1980s; and he brought it to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003 and 2004. The Wind through the Keyhole is sure to fascinate avid fans of the Dark Tower epic. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland's world and testimony to the power of Stephen King's storytelling magic.
Review
"King returns to the Mid-World of his Dark Tower series in this gory but hopeful set of nested tales....Even those who aren't familiar with the series will find the conclusion both satisfying and moving. This gripping novel is sure to put King back on the bestseller lists." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Though King has expanded his thematic terrain and elevated his critical reputation in recent years (11/22/63, 2011 etc.), he remains a master of fantastic stories spun from a very fertile imagination that seek to do nothing more (or less) than entertain." Kirkus Review
Review
"[A]n epic fantasy unlike anything else in its overcrowded field...[the] interlocking narratives address a number of King's recurring themes: families in crisis, imperiled children, the burdens of guilt and grief and the possibility of forgiveness. The structure of the book — a tale within a tale within a larger, ongoing tale — underscores another of its central points: the consolation to be found in stories....At his characteristic best, King creates the kind of fully imagined fictional landscapes that a reader can inhabit for days at a stretch. In The Wind Through the Keyhole, he has done this once again." The Washington Post
Synopsis
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba
The Wind Through the Keyhole is another of Master of Horror Stephen King's New York Times bestselling installment in the massively popular Dark Tower series, a fabulously satisfying standalone story and a perfect addition to the series for new fans and old fans alike.
Roland Deschain and his ka-tet--Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler--encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two...and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past.
In his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt-ridden year following his mother's death, Roland is sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a "skin-man" preying upon the population around Debaria. Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, the brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter. Only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy and prepares him for the following day's trials by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother often read to him at bedtime. "A person's never too old for stories," Roland says to Bill. "Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them." And indeed, the tale that Roland unfolds, the legend of Tim Stoutheart, is a timeless treasure for all ages, a story that lives for us.
King began the Dark Tower series in 1974; it gained momentum in the 1980s; and he brought it to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003 and 2004. The Wind Through the Keyhole is sure to fascinate avid fans of the Dark Tower epic. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland's world and testimony to the power of Stephen King's storytelling magic.
Synopsis
In a storytelling tour de force, Stephen King explores an uncharted corner of the Dark Tower universe — and the early days of the gunslinger Roland — with the twice-told tale of a murderous shape-shifter, a “skin-man,” who inspires fear and wonder, fantasies and bedtime stories, and one boys savagely real nightmares.
About the Author
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller as well as the Best Hardcover Novel award from the International Thriller Writers. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.