Conclusion of The Dark Tower ... or not

BE WARNED! SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!

I did something so unlike me last weekend. I took a break from The Dark Tower's final installment, and I haven't gone back to it. Worse, I started reading something else.

Okay, so it's not entirely weird. Unless you consider that I am literally 50 pages from the end of Mr. King's self-proclaimed magnum opus, and that Roland (with Patrick's help) has just vanquished the Crimson King. There is now nothing stopping him from entering the crux of all of existence and climbing to the room at the top with Maerlyn's rainbow windows. This is the moment Roland has dedicated his very long life to. This is the moment I've been waiting for when I started this series two years ago. So why stop now?

I think it's a combination of things. Separation anxiety for a book or series you've enjoyed is well-documented, by book nerds, at least. I'm also a bit concerned about being disappointed. More, I'm concerned about Roland being disappointed. He has lost everything and everyone at this point. His ka-tet was broken, which I expected but still didn't enjoy. Seriously, Mr. King. You didn't have to kill Jake AGAIN. Don't even give me that bullshit. You did not. And I will not forgive you for killing Oy. Although if you are going to kill Ake, you might as well, you bastard.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to bring myself to finish the book. I keep looking at it, sitting abandoned and alone on my dresser, after being toted around day in and out in my purse for the last month. The worn edges around the cover will attest to the traveling it's done, not unlike Roland's battered body. I keep reminding myself that when I finish, I can still look forward to the movie being released on August 4th, just a few weeks away. And It will be next, on September 8th.

For now, I'm reading non-fiction and Netflix binging on especially trite TV series, say true and thankya.

J. L. Dodd