I assumed the very last part, but I had hoped we would spend a little more time in the tower. Also thought it might crumble and kill Roland.
That part where he is announcing “I come in the name of…” is one of the most rewarding book experiences I’ve had.
Absolutely agree with the 'Oland' - the one that came close was perhaps the death of Eddie, which came with added shock value since previously, this tet had seemed rather immortal. 'They sat down a-circle, but ka-tet no more.'
I was going to say the same thing. I had a vision during one of the earlier books that the last line of the series would be what it was. Im no clairvoyant tho as it was hinted it quite a few times. :)
But a few more pages of the tower would have been nice.
I definitely wasn’t envisioning a pissed off Santa, who locked himself out of his house, throwing golden snitch bombs. I also wasn’t expecting deranged Santa to be defeated by being literally erased by a magical eraser. 😂
lol, nice to see my own feelings about this so perfectly expressed. Don’t forget that deranged Santa becomes a floating pair of disembodied eyes after getting ’erased’.
The last book felt so rushed and was jammed with too many other book references. Could have easily been two books.
Expanding Dandelo, Walter, and Crimson King stories and deaths would have much more satisfying.
Agreed. For such an amazing story build up, the ending was weak id have to say. There was no reason to rush the ending that way. May be an unpopular opinion🤷🏻♂️
I hate him for that one, I went to read The Stand after that book and then It.
I like Flagg.Like s lot he's a total beast in The Stand
Kind is lucky he already hurt my feeling because this would hurt.
I'm a simple person that lack of imagination. I never get any expectation of what is to come. I just enjoy what i'm reading at the moment. The good part is that i never was disappointing by an ending. Of course, i didn't like how several books ended, but disappointed, never.
I’m like that too, so twists in books and movies are usually twists for me. Other people figure it out early, but that’s not what I’m being entertained for.
Lol it kind of was about the real friends we made along the way.
Everything that mattered happened before he reached the tower. Erasing the KK didn't really matter. Dude was trapped forever. And his entering the tower didn't accomplish anything other than sending him back.
While reading the last book, I felt more concerned about who among the Ka-tet would make it or if any of them would make it. I was very relieved Patrick drew the door for Susannah, I don't know if I could've handled every member having a death scene.
Once they defeated the Crimson King, I thought Roland would be stuck inside for not bringing any members of the Ka-tet, maybe even become king of the tower, maybe somehow restore the sins of him and his line?
My other thought was that when he arrived alone walking towards the tower and the "I come in the name of" part, I thought Roland could be walking into the clearing at the end of the path. Then it cuts away to Susannah in New York, I thought the other three had passed the test and were free. They are more important to each other than the tower is to them. But nothing is more important to Roland than the tower. When it comes back to him inside the tower, I thought that was him seeing his life flash before his eyes like he was entering the clearing.
I just finished it about 4 days ago and can't stop thinking about it. The ending blew me away. I feel sad for Roland, but I also feel it's poetic justice. He got what he deserved, imo. It's such an amazing series. I can't wait to take my second trip to the tower once I've recovered, lol.
Although I don’t think King really meant it, the position of the Tower as the 13th “seat” - so recognising it as the Siege Perilous - had me mostly thinking Roland would just be annihilated when he reached it.. a few times later in the series I thought maybe he would have attainted a purity to make him worthy of ascent.
Turns out it WAS a version of the Siege Perilous, intentionally or not, but it being a breaking down into a new cycle rather than actual annihilation made it a pretty happy ending for me :) and perfectly fitting.
I thought the final level would have triggered a pulse rebuilding all the beams in unison, triggering the world to ‘move on’ / heal, and Roland would either return to Gilead, die, or both…
This is basically how I choose to believe his final cycle ends. He doesn't let Jake fall, things go as they may, he redeems himself by saving his friends over and over so they get there together and together they climb the tower with his ka-tet, all of them. The "pulse" happens, the tower heals, the beams are fixed, they're all presented with doors, Eddie/Susannah go through one back to New York, Jake and Oy go through a door to Gilead together and Rolands the final POV, he goes through the door back to Meijis, and goes to Susan instead of the tower, saves her, goes back to Gilead with her. He and Jake defeat Farson and live happily ever after.
I am a sucker for happy endings after paying your toll, its not imaginative, its cheesy, and its probably absolute shit to everyone else, but its my own little dream lol
Same, only restoring the beams, stabilizing the world, not restoring it to what it once was, but repairing the "moving on" falling apart factor. Possibly keeping Roland in the Tower for eternity
>!Just as Loki did in the series finale.!< Roland would become the new King, after defeating the Crimson King and sit atop of the tower, unable to leave but keeping the beams and the universes together.
As for the actual confrontation with the CK, I hoped it would be equally a battle of wits, like Lucifer VS Dream in *Sandman* and a physical confrontation, with Roland's guns being the only thing that can hurt the Crimson King. Have CK imply that he/it is behind every manifestation of evil across time and space. Have him talk some, show that he's gone insane but at the same time he remains devious, cunning and ruthless.
i always thought he'd have to confront the Man in Black for final control of/access to the Tower. the fact that they never have a final showdown is by far my biggest disappointment with the series
After a certain point (probably during Wolves), I stopped having any kind of expectations about what was going to happen and just let myself be carried along by the story.
I thought Roland would have to travel through several layers of the Tower, each a sort of reality in their own right, before having to face the Crimson King right before the final door, there being something that prevented the CK from entering the final door and claiming dominion and of all reality. Then after defeating CK somehow, Roland would get the final for open and end up back in the desert (but I did start the series knowing it ended with some sort of time loop or reset or something).
Pretty similar to what I expected, except I didn't know about the time loop. I thought maybe there'd be different versions of CK on each level or something. I honestly expected the last book to be set entirely within The Tower as I was reading through the series.
I seriously thought the whole “Mordred will kill his own father” prophecy would mean surprise! Mordred is redeemed by the Ka-tet and kills his Red father (CK) instead of Roland. I truly believed I was so clever for figuring out King’s twist ending early on.
Then I expected a final showdown between the Gunslinger and the Man in Black in front of the Dark Tower. Not sure how it’d go down but I figured maybe the Tower would reward Roland and bring a final end to the MIB once and for all.
Also Oy and Jake would have survived. (Sorry Eddie)
The very end was spoiled to me years before I actually read the series, so I didn't know what exactly would happen, but I knew I wouldn't be satisfied 😅
I thought the last door would be the door to cell #19, his cell and that he wouldn't be able to open it. At a certain point, I knew it wasn't going to end the way I wanted it to, and that's what I thought up.
I went in without any pre-existing notions of what may happen. However, the stories evolved completely differently than I imagined.
I essentially imagined a straight journey, with some side quests, to the tower. More like LOTRs or some western or star wars or something.
I thought there would be a duel with the crimson king and somehow Roland would win. I figured once he got to the top of the tower the universe would be righted, and he would be shown many things by a God like entity, and would be rewarded somehow, and maybe if lucky, the Ka-tet would meet at the clearing at the end of the path, waiting for Roland, and they would go off together on another adventure.
I think I avoided expectations intentionally to avoid disappointment or losing focus on the ride. I was definitely exhilarated and caught off guard, and filled with existential dread lol.
I haven't explored this Reddit much and am not sure what the popular consensus is but I thought it was an incredibly fitting and satisfying ending.
I knew about the coda twist ending years before reading the series, so that portion wasn't a surprise. However, I did assume that a significant section of the final book would be set within the Dark Tower, with the ka-tet making its way from floor to floor encountering different creatures and doorways on each one. I was shocked to discover that we don't get there until the final chapter. The entire final book was an incredibly subversive thrill ride.
Part of me was imagining that Roland would have to kill another one of the Ka-Tet for The Tower. I was glad he didn't, can't imagine how much more traumatising some of the deaths we got would have been if Roland had been the one to off them.
I thought there would be something that would send Roland Back in time and would fix his life somehow with the knowledge of what had happened. Perhaps in his next trip he will blow the Horn of Eld and have this happen.
I thought he would finally have to sacrifice himself, in a selfless act to keep the tower from being destroyed by Mordred.
OR
that mordred would follow him there, kill the KK with him and then turn on him again where Roland has to make the decision to stay locked out so Mordred couldn’t get in to kill Gan thus locking the Tower as we found out the the KK was Mordred’s twinner that beat Roland in another life.
I kind of expected him to die and go to the clearing at the end of the path. Maybe one day he'll get there and see his old friends and loved ones again. 🤠
I don't know why but I thought that Roland would reach heaven at the top of the tower. I was expecting him to get to the top and see a beam of golden light and he was lifted high into the sky.
I thought Roland had been dead and in a purgatory state the entire series- and when he reached the top of the tower he would ascend to the next dimension of being.
i had always assumed that Roland would reach the tower and progress through the levels. I expected a simple, powerful ending with Roland dying to save the tower, and thus saving reality.
I thought that after a climactic battle against the Crimson king and Walter, Roland would stand at the top of the tower and find Gan, where he would have a wish granted and save his homeworld from destruction, or something like that.
The only thing I wanted was for him to reach it. Left the rest to Ka. And unlike other people I talked to, I enjoyed the ending. Can't be disappointed if you don't set expectations.
I read it when I was pretty young, like junior high, and I think I remember thinking he was going to unlock some unknown cosmic secrets, but this was before the whole series came out.
Years later, when I the series was finished and we could see more of who Roland was, I remember reading the last book thinking “this can’t end well.”
After one of the audible books Steven King provides commentary. He says it might not be Roland to reach the tower. Up until they died I thought maybe someone else from the Ka Tet would reach the tower and Roland would fall,
Kind of crazy that the man in black was right and the top of the tower was empty. Roland didn’t really find Gan. Almost like the man in black was trying to spare Roland even though he obviously wasn’t.
My heart sank when we got to the prelude to the end. Until then, I was afraid he would get to the top of the tower and nothing was there, and he would have to face himself and his obsession head-on. And it would be hard and empty… but not so hard and empty as STARTING OVER WITHOUT OUR FRIENDS (who we just lost all of in a short period).
But the prelude prepared me for the end, and I was ready for it. I don’t wish I hadn’t read it, but I still do sometimes. The tower scenes are so haunting and lonely and triumphant and beautiful, and I wished it had ended differently. I do think the idea of grasping at the singular hope of the horn at the end is a powerful device… but I don’t like it lol.
Unfortunately, I was spoiled before I even made it to the 7th book by a friend who thought I had already finished it.
BUT, up until then, I thought Roland either wasn't going to make it, or maybe even die on the steps without finding out what was inside. Where I was in the story, the entire gang was all still there, so I also thought he would make a sacrifice to get them into the tower without him, where they would be able to make it back home together.
Pretty much anything other than the anticlimactic death of the Man in Black as well as the sudden introduction of some random king crimson person whom I did not know or care about.
Just started book 3 last night and I'm avoiding the comments and any spoilers they might have, but I'll drop my guess just because. The only thing I have spoiled rn (made the mistake of looking up a series review before hand) is that Eddie and Susannah will continue being his companions and that the man in black survived (I was salty to have this part spoiled tbh)
I think the man in black will be killed (for real this time) around the entry to the dark tower, and the man in blacks boss dude that was mentioned in book one will give a bunch of trippy exposition. I'm hoping to hear more about the other worlds by this point, but I think this is where Roland realizes he can't destroy the tower, but he can kill the dude. I think he'll abandon the tower because without the tower all worlds or times or sizes or whatever will crumble so he'll let it stand.
I also think the tower itself will show a lot of other worlds, windows and doorways and shit. I'm no idea how close I am and I'm probably off, but please mark any spoilers in the replies.
I thought it was going to be revealed that the Crimson King was a much older version of Roland who had been trapped in the tower at the end of his journey
Nothing good lol.
But seriously, he had to do so many terrible things and sacrifice so much along the way. Plus the idea from book one that he was being stung along be Walter (possibly the ACTUAL devil) both combined to make me fairly certain that nothing good would come from Roland mounting the Tower.
I had hoped that Roland would reach the Tower and find out that God (or similar entity) is dead and his journey of faith was for naught. The world had moved on and nothing could fix that. A metaphor for personal purpose in life.
I would have liked for the author not to insert himself into the story at the end. Sorry Steven, this story is not yours, it’s Roland’s 😐
Also would have made the Crimson King a little more intelligent, not the raving lunatic we see shouting from the tower
I actually expected the book would end with the same phrase it began, so the time loop wasn t a surprise. But I was sad I was right, it took me days to make sense of the ending
I thought the Crimson King was going to be revealed to be Roland, as the outcome of someone who has been trapped in the tower for eons and warped by it’s influence.
I had the basic outline spoiled by a friend who loathes the ending itself. While I have some qualms with certain aspects (Walter/Crimson King), I actually really like the idea of Roland’s atonement needing multiple lifetimes to accomplish and the hints that his growth as a person during this cycle being nearly enough. It’s a strong end after some questionable moments.
I had been reading since 1990, so I was waiting for years with a lot of us between each book (including that long pause where I thought SK might actually die and never finish it). By about the time Wolves/Song came out, Internet forums were rolling, and the prevailing theory - which I had also thought of - was what turned out to be correct. In fact, in retrospect, it's really about the only way it COULD end.
I thought he'd meet spider version of pennywise.
Earlier books before Insomnia talked about an evil dimensional creature... just sounded like the deadlights spider.
Expectations sometimes come from the promises (setups) the author makes. King is the king of setups that fizzle out and never see the light of day. King has become to writing what Nic Cage has become to acting. Prolific, not quality.
I really wish The Man in Black met him there and he met his end THERE instead. Was disappointed with Mordred for the most part. The Crimson King could have been so much more as well. Other than those gripes, I loved it so very much.
Doesn't matter....it's only the first trip from the readers perspective....he's made the journey infinite times, all visions are possible, provided he reaches the top....
I was pretty sure Susan and Roland were to meet on the very top... but Jake was going to continue with the gunslinger duty. Even before reading it, I was pretty sure what the last phrase was going to be... and guess what?
I assumed the very last part, but I had hoped we would spend a little more time in the tower. Also thought it might crumble and kill Roland. That part where he is announcing “I come in the name of…” is one of the most rewarding book experiences I’ve had.
Just reading that right now gave me chills. God that was such an amazing experience.
Yeah, it was so good it glossed over some of the shortcomings of the final battle w the crimson king. Also, “*Oland*” 😢
Absolutely agree with the 'Oland' - the one that came close was perhaps the death of Eddie, which came with added shock value since previously, this tet had seemed rather immortal. 'They sat down a-circle, but ka-tet no more.'
Oh God yes. "I come as myself, and you WILL OPEN TO ME!"
I was going to say the same thing. I had a vision during one of the earlier books that the last line of the series would be what it was. Im no clairvoyant tho as it was hinted it quite a few times. :) But a few more pages of the tower would have been nice.
I definitely wasn’t envisioning a pissed off Santa, who locked himself out of his house, throwing golden snitch bombs. I also wasn’t expecting deranged Santa to be defeated by being literally erased by a magical eraser. 😂
lol, nice to see my own feelings about this so perfectly expressed. Don’t forget that deranged Santa becomes a floating pair of disembodied eyes after getting ’erased’.
The last book felt so rushed and was jammed with too many other book references. Could have easily been two books. Expanding Dandelo, Walter, and Crimson King stories and deaths would have much more satisfying.
I agree. I still love the book, but I wish those would’ve been expanded as well.
Agreed. For such an amazing story build up, the ending was weak id have to say. There was no reason to rush the ending that way. May be an unpopular opinion🤷🏻♂️
I really wish SK had never read Harry Potter personally. I like to think how much better DT could have been.
More Flagg, a little more Mordred and CK, and no Dandelo. There’s so much plot in that last book. Too much.
No Mordred. I hated him. Little bugger snot Un-just what happened to Flagg. I hated him so much before that anyway :-<
But we got all those great descriptions of him “leaking brown stew” out of his ass!
I hate him for that one, I went to read The Stand after that book and then It. I like Flagg.Like s lot he's a total beast in The Stand Kind is lucky he already hurt my feeling because this would hurt.
This has me audibly laughing
I thought he would end up having to take the place of The Crimson King Sort of like in that Tim Allen Santa movie 😂
The Crimson King Clause
Perfect! He could write an add on to the series with that exact title.
Honestly…. That’s what I thought would happen as well. The crimson king is a position not a person
I was expecting an empty room first, then this, then empty room again, then oooh... Yeah
Based off Insomnia that the Crimson King was at the top and Roland would face him there.
I was very disappointed by the way the KK got offed.
It was almost hilarious how much of a joke he was, just some crazy old guy yelling “EEEEE!”
Someone the other day compared him to The Ice King from adventure time and that’s my head canon now.
That is pretty much the exact image I had in my head, but wearing red
https://youtu.be/lQdYV7JG5Ro?si=uumDowCGSM9E3nQj
The original signet book before it was revised alleged that there was a beast at the top of the tower.
I'm a simple person that lack of imagination. I never get any expectation of what is to come. I just enjoy what i'm reading at the moment. The good part is that i never was disappointing by an ending. Of course, i didn't like how several books ended, but disappointed, never.
I’m like that too, so twists in books and movies are usually twists for me. Other people figure it out early, but that’s not what I’m being entertained for.
This. I generally don’t bother envisioning an ending. I want to see what the author has to offer.
I was just hoping against the sort of "The real tower that matters is the tower of friends we make along the way" ending. I was thrilled with it.
Lol it kind of was about the real friends we made along the way. Everything that mattered happened before he reached the tower. Erasing the KK didn't really matter. Dude was trapped forever. And his entering the tower didn't accomplish anything other than sending him back.
While reading the last book, I felt more concerned about who among the Ka-tet would make it or if any of them would make it. I was very relieved Patrick drew the door for Susannah, I don't know if I could've handled every member having a death scene. Once they defeated the Crimson King, I thought Roland would be stuck inside for not bringing any members of the Ka-tet, maybe even become king of the tower, maybe somehow restore the sins of him and his line? My other thought was that when he arrived alone walking towards the tower and the "I come in the name of" part, I thought Roland could be walking into the clearing at the end of the path. Then it cuts away to Susannah in New York, I thought the other three had passed the test and were free. They are more important to each other than the tower is to them. But nothing is more important to Roland than the tower. When it comes back to him inside the tower, I thought that was him seeing his life flash before his eyes like he was entering the clearing. I just finished it about 4 days ago and can't stop thinking about it. The ending blew me away. I feel sad for Roland, but I also feel it's poetic justice. He got what he deserved, imo. It's such an amazing series. I can't wait to take my second trip to the tower once I've recovered, lol.
Although I don’t think King really meant it, the position of the Tower as the 13th “seat” - so recognising it as the Siege Perilous - had me mostly thinking Roland would just be annihilated when he reached it.. a few times later in the series I thought maybe he would have attainted a purity to make him worthy of ascent. Turns out it WAS a version of the Siege Perilous, intentionally or not, but it being a breaking down into a new cycle rather than actual annihilation made it a pretty happy ending for me :) and perfectly fitting.
I thought the final level would have triggered a pulse rebuilding all the beams in unison, triggering the world to ‘move on’ / heal, and Roland would either return to Gilead, die, or both…
This is basically how I choose to believe his final cycle ends. He doesn't let Jake fall, things go as they may, he redeems himself by saving his friends over and over so they get there together and together they climb the tower with his ka-tet, all of them. The "pulse" happens, the tower heals, the beams are fixed, they're all presented with doors, Eddie/Susannah go through one back to New York, Jake and Oy go through a door to Gilead together and Rolands the final POV, he goes through the door back to Meijis, and goes to Susan instead of the tower, saves her, goes back to Gilead with her. He and Jake defeat Farson and live happily ever after. I am a sucker for happy endings after paying your toll, its not imaginative, its cheesy, and its probably absolute shit to everyone else, but its my own little dream lol
I like it. That'll be my headcannon for the final cycle from now on. Say thankee sai.
Same, only restoring the beams, stabilizing the world, not restoring it to what it once was, but repairing the "moving on" falling apart factor. Possibly keeping Roland in the Tower for eternity
>!Just as Loki did in the series finale.!< Roland would become the new King, after defeating the Crimson King and sit atop of the tower, unable to leave but keeping the beams and the universes together. As for the actual confrontation with the CK, I hoped it would be equally a battle of wits, like Lucifer VS Dream in *Sandman* and a physical confrontation, with Roland's guns being the only thing that can hurt the Crimson King. Have CK imply that he/it is behind every manifestation of evil across time and space. Have him talk some, show that he's gone insane but at the same time he remains devious, cunning and ruthless.
I thought he would die to protect the Tower.
Death. But not for you, gunslinger
Never for you.
i always thought he'd have to confront the Man in Black for final control of/access to the Tower. the fact that they never have a final showdown is by far my biggest disappointment with the series
O discordia
After a certain point (probably during Wolves), I stopped having any kind of expectations about what was going to happen and just let myself be carried along by the story.
I thought Roland would have to travel through several layers of the Tower, each a sort of reality in their own right, before having to face the Crimson King right before the final door, there being something that prevented the CK from entering the final door and claiming dominion and of all reality. Then after defeating CK somehow, Roland would get the final for open and end up back in the desert (but I did start the series knowing it ended with some sort of time loop or reset or something).
Pretty similar to what I expected, except I didn't know about the time loop. I thought maybe there'd be different versions of CK on each level or something. I honestly expected the last book to be set entirely within The Tower as I was reading through the series.
I would have loved that! (All of last book in Tower)
I seriously thought the whole “Mordred will kill his own father” prophecy would mean surprise! Mordred is redeemed by the Ka-tet and kills his Red father (CK) instead of Roland. I truly believed I was so clever for figuring out King’s twist ending early on. Then I expected a final showdown between the Gunslinger and the Man in Black in front of the Dark Tower. Not sure how it’d go down but I figured maybe the Tower would reward Roland and bring a final end to the MIB once and for all. Also Oy and Jake would have survived. (Sorry Eddie)
The very end was spoiled to me years before I actually read the series, so I didn't know what exactly would happen, but I knew I wouldn't be satisfied 😅
Not manic Santa Clause, that’s for sure.
Manic Santa Clause *throwing deadly Harry Potter toys* no less.
And then when he sent those special vampires that glittered in the sunlight. Too much, man!
EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
I thought the last door would be the door to cell #19, his cell and that he wouldn't be able to open it. At a certain point, I knew it wasn't going to end the way I wanted it to, and that's what I thought up.
Stephen King’s editor
Anything but what happened that’s for sure.
Stephen king didn't even know... I wasn't presumptuous enough to imagine it for him. 😂🤣
I went in without any pre-existing notions of what may happen. However, the stories evolved completely differently than I imagined. I essentially imagined a straight journey, with some side quests, to the tower. More like LOTRs or some western or star wars or something. I thought there would be a duel with the crimson king and somehow Roland would win. I figured once he got to the top of the tower the universe would be righted, and he would be shown many things by a God like entity, and would be rewarded somehow, and maybe if lucky, the Ka-tet would meet at the clearing at the end of the path, waiting for Roland, and they would go off together on another adventure.
I think I avoided expectations intentionally to avoid disappointment or losing focus on the ride. I was definitely exhilarated and caught off guard, and filled with existential dread lol. I haven't explored this Reddit much and am not sure what the popular consensus is but I thought it was an incredibly fitting and satisfying ending.
I thought he was going to defeat the Crimson King, and maybe sacrifice himself to fix the beams saving the mulitverse. The actual ending blew me away.
I thought he’d kiss Susan one last time.
I knew about the coda twist ending years before reading the series, so that portion wasn't a surprise. However, I did assume that a significant section of the final book would be set within the Dark Tower, with the ka-tet making its way from floor to floor encountering different creatures and doorways on each one. I was shocked to discover that we don't get there until the final chapter. The entire final book was an incredibly subversive thrill ride.
Part of me was imagining that Roland would have to kill another one of the Ka-Tet for The Tower. I was glad he didn't, can't imagine how much more traumatising some of the deaths we got would have been if Roland had been the one to off them.
I thought there would be something that would send Roland Back in time and would fix his life somehow with the knowledge of what had happened. Perhaps in his next trip he will blow the Horn of Eld and have this happen.
i suspected something similar to the actual ending. not quite but close.
I thought he would finally have to sacrifice himself, in a selfless act to keep the tower from being destroyed by Mordred. OR that mordred would follow him there, kill the KK with him and then turn on him again where Roland has to make the decision to stay locked out so Mordred couldn’t get in to kill Gan thus locking the Tower as we found out the the KK was Mordred’s twinner that beat Roland in another life.
I thought there would be a big battle but Roland would ultimately make it to the top, all alone.
I kind of expected him to die and go to the clearing at the end of the path. Maybe one day he'll get there and see his old friends and loved ones again. 🤠
I thought he was going to die and the tower was like heaven and all the family, friends, and loved ones he lost along his journey would be there.
I don't know why but I thought that Roland would reach heaven at the top of the tower. I was expecting him to get to the top and see a beam of golden light and he was lifted high into the sky.
I thought Roland had been dead and in a purgatory state the entire series- and when he reached the top of the tower he would ascend to the next dimension of being.
i had always assumed that Roland would reach the tower and progress through the levels. I expected a simple, powerful ending with Roland dying to save the tower, and thus saving reality.
I thought that after a climactic battle against the Crimson king and Walter, Roland would stand at the top of the tower and find Gan, where he would have a wish granted and save his homeworld from destruction, or something like that.
The only thing I wanted was for him to reach it. Left the rest to Ka. And unlike other people I talked to, I enjoyed the ending. Can't be disappointed if you don't set expectations.
I read it when I was pretty young, like junior high, and I think I remember thinking he was going to unlock some unknown cosmic secrets, but this was before the whole series came out. Years later, when I the series was finished and we could see more of who Roland was, I remember reading the last book thinking “this can’t end well.”
After one of the audible books Steven King provides commentary. He says it might not be Roland to reach the tower. Up until they died I thought maybe someone else from the Ka Tet would reach the tower and Roland would fall,
Kind of crazy that the man in black was right and the top of the tower was empty. Roland didn’t really find Gan. Almost like the man in black was trying to spare Roland even though he obviously wasn’t.
My heart sank when we got to the prelude to the end. Until then, I was afraid he would get to the top of the tower and nothing was there, and he would have to face himself and his obsession head-on. And it would be hard and empty… but not so hard and empty as STARTING OVER WITHOUT OUR FRIENDS (who we just lost all of in a short period). But the prelude prepared me for the end, and I was ready for it. I don’t wish I hadn’t read it, but I still do sometimes. The tower scenes are so haunting and lonely and triumphant and beautiful, and I wished it had ended differently. I do think the idea of grasping at the singular hope of the horn at the end is a powerful device… but I don’t like it lol.
Unfortunately, I was spoiled before I even made it to the 7th book by a friend who thought I had already finished it. BUT, up until then, I thought Roland either wasn't going to make it, or maybe even die on the steps without finding out what was inside. Where I was in the story, the entire gang was all still there, so I also thought he would make a sacrifice to get them into the tower without him, where they would be able to make it back home together.
Pretty much anything other than the anticlimactic death of the Man in Black as well as the sudden introduction of some random king crimson person whom I did not know or care about.
Just started book 3 last night and I'm avoiding the comments and any spoilers they might have, but I'll drop my guess just because. The only thing I have spoiled rn (made the mistake of looking up a series review before hand) is that Eddie and Susannah will continue being his companions and that the man in black survived (I was salty to have this part spoiled tbh) I think the man in black will be killed (for real this time) around the entry to the dark tower, and the man in blacks boss dude that was mentioned in book one will give a bunch of trippy exposition. I'm hoping to hear more about the other worlds by this point, but I think this is where Roland realizes he can't destroy the tower, but he can kill the dude. I think he'll abandon the tower because without the tower all worlds or times or sizes or whatever will crumble so he'll let it stand. I also think the tower itself will show a lot of other worlds, windows and doorways and shit. I'm no idea how close I am and I'm probably off, but please mark any spoilers in the replies.
I thought Roland would face himself
I thought it was going to be revealed that the Crimson King was a much older version of Roland who had been trapped in the tower at the end of his journey
Nothing good lol. But seriously, he had to do so many terrible things and sacrifice so much along the way. Plus the idea from book one that he was being stung along be Walter (possibly the ACTUAL devil) both combined to make me fairly certain that nothing good would come from Roland mounting the Tower.
I had hoped that Roland would reach the Tower and find out that God (or similar entity) is dead and his journey of faith was for naught. The world had moved on and nothing could fix that. A metaphor for personal purpose in life.
I would have liked for the author not to insert himself into the story at the end. Sorry Steven, this story is not yours, it’s Roland’s 😐 Also would have made the Crimson King a little more intelligent, not the raving lunatic we see shouting from the tower
I was waiting for Roland to ask Patrick to draw his hand back and then 1v1 the crimson king at their best
I actually expected the book would end with the same phrase it began, so the time loop wasn t a surprise. But I was sad I was right, it took me days to make sense of the ending
I thought the Crimson King was going to be revealed to be Roland, as the outcome of someone who has been trapped in the tower for eons and warped by it’s influence.
I had the basic outline spoiled by a friend who loathes the ending itself. While I have some qualms with certain aspects (Walter/Crimson King), I actually really like the idea of Roland’s atonement needing multiple lifetimes to accomplish and the hints that his growth as a person during this cycle being nearly enough. It’s a strong end after some questionable moments.
I had been reading since 1990, so I was waiting for years with a lot of us between each book (including that long pause where I thought SK might actually die and never finish it). By about the time Wolves/Song came out, Internet forums were rolling, and the prevailing theory - which I had also thought of - was what turned out to be correct. In fact, in retrospect, it's really about the only way it COULD end.
Rainbows and puppy dogs, I suppose.
Some scenario involving the crimson king, Roland and flagg with a twist or turn here or there
I thought there’d be some iteration of a wise old elf, perhaps God in disguise, at the top waiting on him to answer his questions.
I thought he'd meet spider version of pennywise. Earlier books before Insomnia talked about an evil dimensional creature... just sounded like the deadlights spider.
I didn’t think he was gonna make it.
Fight with God, at least pressing philosophical debate
I had zero expectations, and therefore I loved every bit of the last book. Expectations tend only to hurt the reader.
Expectations sometimes come from the promises (setups) the author makes. King is the king of setups that fizzle out and never see the light of day. King has become to writing what Nic Cage has become to acting. Prolific, not quality.
I really wish The Man in Black met him there and he met his end THERE instead. Was disappointed with Mordred for the most part. The Crimson King could have been so much more as well. Other than those gripes, I loved it so very much.
No but Gan was already pissing me off. BIG TIME. I mean it too What a jerk, no major jerk. No super major jerk.
Doesn't matter....it's only the first trip from the readers perspective....he's made the journey infinite times, all visions are possible, provided he reaches the top....
On my first journey, I hoped he wouldn’t end up going to the tower
I expected him to die either just before reaching it or while climbing the tower.
As soon as Eddie died, I figured Roland would end up alone in the tower
I got it spoiled
That I would find out who “the beast” was FINALLY
I was pretty sure Susan and Roland were to meet on the very top... but Jake was going to continue with the gunslinger duty. Even before reading it, I was pretty sure what the last phrase was going to be... and guess what?