Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King starting on May 1, 2025.


Happy Reading!

The Appetizers (Preparatory Stand-Alones) [Planning Thread]
・Insomnia (1994) 4.2 (June 1) [link]
・’Salem’s Lot (1975) 4.1 (July 1) [link]
・The Eyes of the Dragon (1987) 2.2 (Aug 1) [link]
・The Stand (1978/1990) 2.1 (Sept 1) [link]
・Everything's Eventual (2002) Skip "Sisters of Eluria" 4.5 (Oct 13) [link]
・Hearts in Atlantis (1999) 4.6 (Nov 4) [link]

The Main Course: The Dark Tower
1. The Gunslinger (Jan 1) [link]
2. The Drawing of the Three (Feb 1) [link]
3. The Waste Lands (Mar 1) [link]
4. Wizard and Glass (Apr 1) [link]
Short: The Little Sisters of Eluria (In Everything's Eventual)
5. Wolves of the Calla (May 1)
Recommended Follow Ups: None, straight to #6

6. Song of Susannah (Jun 1) [link]
7. The Dark Tower (Jul 1) [link]

Dessert? Unscheduled
3.5 The Wind Through the Keyhole
Graphic Novels: The Gunslinger Born
And various other connected Kingverse novels, such as The Talisman or It

Starting.

I was gonna try and power through this tonight, but I might just save it for next weekend instead... maybe read some of it, if/when I have time in between...

This is another longish one ..

So, just finished the prologue, I guess? The introductory story of the villagers... I wonder who or what The Wolves are ... And what the hell do they do to (view spoiler)[ one of a twin siblings they abduct, that leaves them like husks... (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch. 7 .. (view spoiler)[ As with most of his books, this is not fast paced, but filled with little details... That #19 and from time to time, the 13, 19-6=13... interesting. The most disturbing scenes are the ones with Susanna/Mia and her dream walking... She is obviously pregnant with the demon's child... I wonder how this is going to end up... (hide spoiler)]

Beginning of part 2... That dancing scene was awesome!

65% in...

The story of the Priest, Callahan, was very well told! However, is it me not remembering him doing this in the previous books, or is the way he is finishing chapters mid sentence a new thing??? That bothers the heck out of me! It's not a good affectation at all!

The scene with The Hitler Brothers was very uncomfortable with all the language too... I understand that is the point, but it was getting too much for me, and I had to take a break...

I'm lazy with this one, but hopefully will finish it before we start Erikson...

Goodness gracious! That word "commala" sure has a ton of meanings in this book...

I don't trust that villager with the glasses...
All the foreshadowing is leading me to believe there isn't going to be a good end for our gang...

Come on now... most of these books end with a new trial/tribulation to deal with in the next book...

They do... This is why I think there is no happy ending in the finale... Or, there is going to be some type of timy-wimy, or multi universe thing that is going to patch some things up and still give us a weird, most possibly painful feeling...

Rafo :D

Finished! In order to actually finish this book, I had to go on a binge of light, fluffy books about 2/3 through. That is not to say I didn't like this book. The opposite. I think it was the best book of the series so far. But as great as it is as a story, man, the bleakness gets to me and I can really get down in the dumps when there is so much of it... It isn't like it is all depressing, but there is a tone to his writing that is just off key, something he has cultivated, and my psyche can only handle so much of it at a time...

Still, really good book! I will wait for the rest of your thoughts and comment more...

Started to avoid being late... My reading numbers this weekend have been abysmal... Falling further behind on BRs... I'll do what I can...

I'll either have a working PC tonight, or I'm ordering a high quality pre-built available on bestbuy.com that should arrive towards the end of the month... At least I'll be sorted one way or another and can get back to reading

Haha! I did both of those things, and honestly, the one that I built by myself was the best I have ever had. Nowadays I just don't have the energy. So, about 4 years ago I ordered a high end one and still have it, but it's starting to have problems... I think it's the processor...

My homebuilt from 2012 lasted a very long time... Assembly this time around felt like a nightmare and I bought the parts so long ago I let the warrantees expire and there was the water leak in my apartment a few years ago that might have damaged them etc etc etc...

I also just don't game as seriously as I used to... Mostly need something that can facilitate my audiobook and Buddy Reading habit, some YouTube vids and some older nostalgia and mid level games like Terraria with mods... So mid-level parts, plenty of RAM and storage space... Swapping out better RAM sticks or adding more SSDs and external HDD is a lot easier than the whole thing managing the power supply cords and assembling in the right order so you don't have to remove things because your fingers are too big to squeeze into a tight area, etc... sometimes PC assembly feels like a 2 person job... I watched so many YouTube vids to see people assembling in my case or on my motherboard, and then Google results always have people telling you how you were an idiot for buying XYZ terribly designed part... And then it's hard to trust ratings/reviews anymore with so much paid reviews and AI generated and companies you've never heard of possibly selling scam hardware ...

Like I said... Just need something simpleish... And the risk of damaging expensive parts with little recourse but to send back and wait 3 weeks is a bit nerve-wracking... So a pre-built with decent return policy seems the way to go ... I did a similar but different write up in the vagabond thread...

Gonna give my PC parts a final try to fix tonight, otherwise gonna try to read all of wolves of calla, do some laundry and decompress...

3 day weekend failed but new new new PC ordered online and should be here by next weekend if all else fails...

I completely understand! Same with me. I used to love building my own, but it got to the point where it is just not worth the effort, And as you said, you can't trust what parts are the best for your fit anymore... And my body can't get on the floor and get into it like it used to! It kind of sucks...

But I would try a mid one on order with a return policy. Definitely the best choice at this point...

I read 60-70% of this, eating and recharging device now...

This books plot and some aspects of the previous too are right up my alley (the timey-wimey and parallel world aspects that have been here since The Wasteland)... In alot of ways tho, that world building is just window-dressing to the real story and not a focal aspect, since all the craziness is just accepted...

I think I AM liking this one more, and can see the final chunk of the series slowly coming together...

Also enjoying noting the connections with Insomnia and Salem's Lot...

Almost done... Haven't had much more to say... I'm feeling a cohesiveness to the story this time, like the last book, that I didn't in books 1-3 the same way...

And done… Stephen King really underestimates my ability to miss details on audio, in that afternote, while talking about his experiences with Books on Tape in the 90s…

Haha! Yep!

I liked that the story itself was much more cohesive and better structured, but I hated the way he would end a chapter half sentence! It got to the point where it really bothered me and I was feeling it talking away from the story for me... He is a better writer than that and the story can stand on its own merits for him to resort to such cheap techniques to keep it more dynamic.

I definitely noted it… theres also all the subchapters…

Yes! That style of writing is used by poets and when artificially trying to add dynamics to the work, but he doesn't need it! That's what bothers me the most. Let the story stand on its own!

Timelord Iain wrote: "Almost done... Haven't had much more to say... I'm feeling a cohesiveness to the story this time, like the last book, that I didn't in books 1-3 the same way..."

Good to hear... I've been listening to this on and off this week, and I'm feeling disjointed... don't really have anything to say yet...

My hold came in on Thursday, and I started on Friday.

I am beginning Part 2 now.

It feels like there are too many things happening at once, and Mia is scaring the crap out of me!

For some reason the hectic ess worked for me... Threads coalescing and making all our prep reads have value, too, moreso than before I think...

I hear that. I did like the connections to 'Salem's Lot once I twigged on to it... this is also just a tough time headspace-wise for me, so probably not the best time to be listening to tough books, lol!

Part 2 chapter 6. Slowly reading through.

I’m somewhere in Part 2 Chapter 9.

The Natzi Brothers scene is literally making me feel sick to my stomach.

They're some of the worst characters in this book

Nyssa, me too!

Hit 80%. Should finish tomorrow.

I finished this late Wednesday/early Thursday.

I am so angry! (view spoiler)[Benny deserved better! Maybe he serves as a catalyst for Jake to become "a real man" through this experience, but Benny truly deserved more (hide spoiler)]

That aside, I'm anxious to read Susannah's story next.

I completely agree!!!

Finished. Took me a while. Could be sort of shorter really (just my thinking).

Ditto on Choko & Nyssa--Susannah's story should be interesting!

So short, too... at first I thought I was looking at an abridged edition...