The Shrine

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '><i>The whole books builds up quite nicely to that battle, only for it to last a few chapters.</i>

But that's exactly how Roland describes it - weeks of planning all comes down to five minutes of chaos and blood. (Or something close to that.)

King also said, in his typical fashion, that Susannah (which I figured would be Mia) was going to find out what was in the bag that had Black Thirteen. I wasn't surprised that Mia went through the door; once she was known to be missing, that was the first thing I thought about.

I've seen the Dark Tower series as King's flagship series for a while now. It ties together most of his other major works. But I'm not sure how I like where he's going with showing the "Salem's Lot" book. I suspect that he might go in the direction that they'll all figure out they're fictional... or something more like they're all "real," it just so happens someone wrote stories about them. I dunno, it just seems too self-aware. He's going to have to handle this carefully in order for it to work. But it's his story, and I'll come along for the ride wherever he goes.

Oh yeah, the one time I felt that the character's didn't react realisticly was when Callahan refused to allow Susannah to have an abortion. Yes, he's Catholic, but I have a hard time believing that anybody would be so adamant against the act of abortion that they'd extend that to not killing what is literaly a demon child that will likely harm the mother. I actually think it far more likely that Callahan would help. That's the first time I can recall I felt that one of King's characters acted in a way that was unrealistic or uncharacteristic of what we had previously been shown.

And I do reccomend "Salem's Lot." It's a good King story.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>"But I'm not sure how I like where he's going with showing the "Salem's Lot" book. I suspect that he might go in the direction that they'll all figure out they're fictional... or something more like they're all "real," it just so happens someone wrote stories about them. I dunno, it just seems too self-aware."

Your statament about King having to tread lightly to get this idea to work. I recently read a great post on another forum that i'll copy here that says it very well:

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First off, this is my first post - hi all and thanks!

Anyways, I just finished DT5, and I had a thought concerning Callahan finding the copy of "'Salem's Lot" in Doorway Cave. I've read a bunch of posts from readers concerned that this may suggest that SK himself will be found at the top of the tower, or that SK is actually Roland's dad, etc. I have a different idea, and I'm wondering if anyone else agrees.

Callahan finding "'Salem's Lot" was surprising, but not altogether unexpected. After all, the Manhattan Restauraunt of the Mind listed SK on their specials board during the first Todash experience with Eddie and Jake, so it would stand to reason that SK's books would be a part of Calvin Tower's collections. Also, there's the interesting fact that "Charlie the Choo-Choo"'s author changes to a Claudia y Inez Bachman, who is listed as the fictional wife of one Richard Bachman (sans the y, of course) on the dust jacket of Bachman's books.

The idea of fictional characters jumping to and from "the real world" (whichever level that is in the Tower) is nothing new for the SK mythos. After I finished DT5, I was specifically reminded of a short story SK wrote for "Nightmares and Dreamscapes," entitled "Umney's Last Case." In it, for those who haven't read it before...SPOILERS FOLLOW, I guess...

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....Umney is a fictional character, a detective straight out of film noir. The story starts off just like a campy detective story of the late 40's, except halfway through Umney finds himself face to face with the author of the Umney stories. Turns out, the author, Sam Landry, has had quite enough of his tragic life in the real world, and has decided to take over Umney's perfect world as his own. He does this by using his laptop as sort of a medium by which he can both manipulate Umney's world and, at the same time, transport him to and from the real and "imagined" realities. In the end, Landry takes over Umney's life and "sends" Umney back to take over his place in the real world.

Notice the similaities between Umney/Landry and "twinners"? Once Umney and Landry switch, they actually switch bodies as well, with Umney taking over Landry's old, diseased body. Also, it appears that Landry enters a type of Todash state to imbed himself in the fictional story prior to the body-switch.

Either way, "Umney's Last Case" sets a precedent in the SK mythos for fictional stories to be their own "real" realities, with people having the ability to move back and forth if they have the ability. At the end of DT5, Roland seems to belive that the copy of "'Salem's Lot" that they have in their posession is the key to unlocking the unfound door and finding Tower, and/or Suzannah/Mia. While Callahan is having conniptions at the idea of someone writing his entire life story, this doesn't seem to phase Roland as much. Why?

I believe that SK, rather than setting up an ending with himself at the top of the tower, has simply started the process of explaining why Roland's world has gone nineteen, to borrow a phrase. Perhaps, in the SK mythos, fiction and make-believe aren't simply constructs of our imagination. Since there are an infinite number of worlds bound together by the Dark Tower, it stands that any imagined world must exist at some level. Look at Callahan's experience with the changing dollar bills during his cross-country travels - it only takes the slightest of changes to define new worlds. Perhaps then, at least in the DT world, when an author believes he/she is coming up with a "story," they are only transcribing events that are themselves taking place on some other level of the tower. This may explain why the Wolves look like characters from comic books, wield lightsabers and throw explosive sneetches - perhaps the evil powers-that-be in Thunderclap and beyond borrow these thoughts and ideas from other levels as a method of manufacturing through pseudo-psychic methods? {I hope that's understandable!}

That would at least explain why Roland feels that "'Salem's Lot" has the ability to transport them through the door and into our world. Perhaps these stories are "links" to other levels of the Tower - imagine what Roland could do with the unfound door and a copy of "King Arthur!"

I know this leaves a bunch of weird questions still lying around - who then are the Great Old Ones, how and why did they build the Tower/Beams, how do they navigate the infinite numbers of real and possible realities that can be imagined, etc? But I figured since SK had already written about the "reality" of fiction, this might be a plausible answer - one that steers us away from the possibility of SK being at the top of the tower, rendering the umpteen-thousand pages of text we've read over the years completely moot.

--Luddite


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<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>About the Callahan/abortion thing. It was completely ridiculous and contrived. I was raised Catholic and in Sunday school they taught us that an abortion is an acceptable solution when the mother's life is in danger. For Callahan (who had already murdered hundreds of vampires), this is a completely unrealistic decision.

Btw, does anyone know what the other 11 colors of the Wizard's Rainbow are? (minus Black and Pink)</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>I find it strange that, with all the suriving Spanish that seems to be floating about Roland's world, that he wouldn't know the word <I>y</i> is Spanish for <I>and</i>. In fact, Susannah even translates another Spanish word for the group (though i can't remember it off the top of my head), yet she doesn't recognize the <I>y</i> either!

seems a little...<I>diez y nueve</i>...if you know what I mean...</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>It seems to me that King is hinting at the one at the top of the Tower being God - the Ultimate Author. Hence Walter's discussion with Callahan at the Way Station.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>I find it strange that, with all the suriving Spanish that seems to be floating about Roland's world, that he wouldn't know the word <I>"y"</i> is Spanish for <I>and</i>. In fact, Susannah even translates <I>"calla"</i> into "street" for the group, yet she doesn't recognize the <I>y</i> either!

seems a little...<I>diez y nueve</i>...if you know what I mean...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I knew it meant "and," but I didn't catchthat. Good point.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Or NOT there.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>The ending of the Stand would seem to go against that notion though : )</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>It's been SO long since I've read "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" that I remember zero details about any of the short stories. The twinners analogy is interesting...though it doesn't *quite* fit perfectly, IMO (not that it's intended to be). Still, it fits well enough to be somewhat plausible.

The idea that the Dark Tower is the center of all possible realities has been stated pretty bluntly. The idea that possible realities include fictional realities (err, fictional in other realities...I'm getting a headache) is a cool idea.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>The body of work surrounding the Dark Tower is so large and it's been so many years since I've read much of them, that I forget lots of details.
However, <a href="http://thedarktower.net/forums/index.ph ... 0140">this post<a/> makes a good point. For those too lazy to follow the link, here's the post:

<blockquote>
Okay, so Flagg sends Callahan to the Calla, saying something along the lines of, "You'll do everything you can to help them, but what you don't know is that you'll be sealing their doom by doing so."

I think Flagg sent Callahan there for two reasons: To deliver them Black 13, which acted as a vehicle for Mia's escape, and, To prevent Roland from aborting Mia's chap, thus preserving it's life until she could escape.

Not only are his pro-life viewpoints symptomatic of his renewed faith in Catholicism, but it is, IMO, what he was sent there to do. Flagg's whole plan was for Callahan's religious beliefs to clash with Roland's, disbanding the ka-tet in the process.
</blockquote>

Now this still doesn't totally explain Father Callahan's irrationality over aborting the demon child. But it does explain his place in the greater scheme. It's still a clumsy cludge if true.

Or maybe Callahan is trying so hard to make up for his past that sometimes he's goes off the deep end trying to do the right thing.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>Also, abortion is a big thing in "Insomnia", which also ties into Dark Tower. But I haven't read it in so long, I can draw in decent correlations...</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>"Or maybe Callahan is trying so hard to make up for his past that sometimes he's goes off the deep end trying to do the right thing."

This was my take on the whole situation. Although odd, it makes sense for him to act so strongly with his 'reborn' faith.

I'm with the group of people that believe Flagg has the intention of actually helping Roland to the tower so that Roland and crew can kill Flagg's master, the Crimson King. Outwardly, Flagg looks like he is trying to stop Roland, but there are many little details that is evidence to the contrary. Flagg may have said that he sent Callahan there to ultimately stop Roland, but he still delivered Roland the only tool that can save the rose, black 13. Besides, Susanna is expendable, she and Oy are the only ones that have not yet seen the rose. After the strange Oz incident, Flagg was the one that left food for the tet. Flagg is making the road to the Tower hard, but not impossible. This could be his way of preparing Roland and crew for what lies next or for the final battle versus the CK.

My prediction is that Roland, Eddie and Jake make it to the Tower. Roland dies in it or before it acting as martyr, leaving Eddie and Jake to finish off what they need to. Suz, Oy and Callahan die before all of this making Eddie, Jake and Roland stronger accordingly.

Bottom line, I CANT WAIT TO FIND OUT! ^_^</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>I agree....and I'd like to see just Jake survive...and Oy.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>It holds up well. But I have so many fundamental questions about why people are doing what they're doing, I can't really come up with any good theories myself.

Who exactly is the Crimson King? Yeah he's bad and he wants to take over the Tower, but where does he come from? My guess is he's some sort of Lucifer type characters...used to be good, but now is bad, etc.

Where do the Crimson King and his minions and slaves operate from? In other words, where do the take characters like Brautigan (Hearts in Atlantis) and where do guys like Flagg and the Regulators come from?

Who exactly built the Dark Tower and why is it falling apart? Yeah I know Breakers are attacking it, but...ok, maybe I already have the answer to this one. I just don't think it's the whole answer, and so I'm not satisfied. ;)

What exactly is the rose...exactly? Yeah it's beautiful and yeah it's some sort of Cosmic Nexus, but I'm dones with esoteric poetic explanations. I want hard answers, dammit! :)

What's so special about Roland and his reality that makes him (apparently) the one person (well...him and his buddies) out of all the realities to be central to stopping the Crimson King (even if he doesn't exactly know why he's doing what he's doing)?

And there are millions more that I can't think of right now....</div>