Wizard and Glass
Donald M. Grant, 1997
Bracket #8
Voting for this Book is Closed
Final Average Score:
4.360360360
Bracket Runner-Up!
Wizard and Glass will advance to Round 2
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Let me go ahead and give it a 5 before the routine trashing of this book begins in earnest.
I will never understand why people hate this book. I've explained before in the thread for this book how I don't consider the Mejis story a "flashback" or a distraction from the "real story".
Ok, trash away.
A 4 for me. If I'd voted on this four years ago, or so, it would have been a 5. My first read of the DT books, this was my favorite. On my second go at it, I think The Drawing of the Three was my fave with this book being on par with The Wastelands. From what I can remember, anyway.
Who knows? Maybe on my third read, it'll be something else.
This is my favorite of the Dark Tower series, but the last to get a five from me unfortunately. The stories were still good, but the whole side story with Mia really irked me for some reason and colored the rest of the series.
A 5, I love this book.
I gave it a 3. It paled in comparison to the other DT books, and was my least favorite. I didn't mind Roland's backstory, but I just couldn't get into it.
I really dreaded this one ...I couldn't think of how to describe my
feelings about it, but Hannah just about summed it up perfectly.
This was my least favorite in the series, I gave it a 3.
Thanks Hannah :rose:
I gave this one a big fat 2. Probably the lowest I'll rate a King book. I wrote a lot about my feelings in the Baronies section, so I won't repeat myself here. I'm just hoping this book won't make it out of this bracket, and so I've done my part. :nope:
I love this book as it is. 5
A definite 3 for me. Love it because it's part of the DT series, could have totally lived without Susan Delgao. Just sayin'.
This is the first DT volume I didn't like more than the previous one. I still recognized it as having greatness, and so I still voted it a 4 (plus it is still The Dark Tower), but I didn't like it as much as some other volumes. The backstory in particular was hard to get into, and I even read The Gunslinger Born BEFORE I read this.
It was good. The first time I read this book I was freaking out about how much I loved it. I talked about it with anyone that would listen. It didn't hold up too good for me on reread. *shrug* I've probably read this book cover to cover twice and skimmed about three to four times and it has never been as good as it was the first time.
I like it very much as it standsSpoiler:
5 for me. :clap: 12-04-2008 02:22 PMmaeOoh, another 2 and even a 1! :nana: 12-04-2008 02:34 PMHeather19That 2 is from me. The only thing that saved it from being a 1 was the beginning with Blaine, and the end with the emerald city. Also coming off of The Wastelands which is my favorite of the series, this was a huge letdown. 12-04-2008 02:37 PMPasiuk57one of the best in the DT series... 12-04-2008 02:41 PMat_one5* WnG ftw!!! 12-04-2008 02:48 PMmaeFully agree, Heather. Afterwards I've come to appreciate the so-called flashback portion a bit more, but taking the novel as a standalone work, which is what we're supposed to do when we rate these books, that was a very jarring and overlong section. 12-04-2008 02:56 PMJean 12-04-2008 03:38 PMpickleI really liked it, not as much as some of the others, but it was still good and important for the story. 12-04-2008 04:43 PMB RagI didn't care for this one too much. I probably would have enjoyed Roland's backstory, but I was trying to rush through it, because I knew that my favorite character, the Tick Tock Man, would be returning at some point. When he actually did, it was a pretty big letdown. 12-04-2008 05:44 PMGirlystevedaveIf I had voted right after my first read of this book I probably wouldn't have given it more than a 3. For some reason, it just didn't grab me.
But since I've reread it at least 4 times since finishing the DT series, I love it.
I give it a 5.
:) 12-04-2008 06:09 PMksmithcats5 from me. I thought it was just wonderful. But then, I don't think I could give any SK story a bad review....it's a sickness of mine. 12-04-2008 07:06 PMIWasSentWestsame thoughts as myself
the middle just really draaaaaggged along. i couldnt give a rats ass about susan delgado. i liked the book, loved how it gave alot more history on john farson and all that, but man the love story part just didn't float my boat
4 for me (merely bc it IS the dark tower series) as a stand alone, i'd prob. rate it a 3 12-04-2008 07:13 PMmaeIWasSentWest, that's how you should've rated it, as a standalone work, solely on its own merit. 12-04-2008 07:29 PMIWasSentWesttoo late now bud, and u dont gotta spell out my long ass sn everytime. just call me west, or pbyrd (patrick byrd's the name, heh) 12-04-2008 07:37 PMMrQuintBest of the series. 5 12-04-2008 10:24 PMMatt of GileadI didn't realize how much I loved Wizard and Glass until I reread it. The first time through, I enjoyed the story, and I considered it the best DT book so far. However, when I reread the book, I got most of the way through very quickly, and then found that my reading had slowed way down. After a bit of pondering I realized that I didn't want to keep reading because I would have to read aboutSpoiler:again, and it made me sad. It honestly caught me by surprise. 12-05-2008 01:30 AMManOfWesternesse5......5.....5.....5 ! 12-05-2008 01:48 AMDarkthoughtsI have to quote Maer, because this is exactly what I was going to say!
I'm not a fan of romances, but this is without a doubt the best romance I've read...yet, it lost a bit of it's magic on the reread. Which is why I've given a 4 - anything worthy of 5 needs to have staying power as well as that initial wow factor. 12-05-2008 06:42 AMBrainslingerConcerning Mia:
Spoiler: 12-05-2008 06:44 AMBrainslingerI did love this book overall, but I chose 4. Mainly because I found the Roland/Susan relationship stuff a bit irritating. I understand it needs to be there though, it's just not quite my cup of tea. 12-05-2008 07:33 AMEmpath of the WhiteI rated it as a 5. My reason is that I really liked all the world-building King accomplished through Roland's tale. It also seems like a part of the Tower story that really deserved a place in the main series because of how well it matches up with Browning's poem in regards to the stanza about "a call to past to set all to rights" (rough paraphrase there). I regarded it as Roland basically warning his ka-tet before the last stretch of their journey. I also think I might be in the minority who wasn't confused by the ending. Finally, I really liked the artwork in the book as well.
And that brief palaver with Roland and the Turtle at the end really got me excited for the endgame of the series and almost immediately started filling my head with all kinds of theories.
EDIT: Some of Susan and Roland's hanky panky did get tiresome. Thankfully Cuthbert knocked some sense into Roland. 12-05-2008 01:08 PMSamQuote:True Brainslinger. Very true. Which is why I said W&G was the last of the series that will get a grade of 5 from me. Because they have her side story. 12-05-2008 04:35 PMSpaceMaN5. The flashback is great when it all culminates, and all you Susan Delgado haters,It's part of Roland and his life and his story, and therefore deserves the appreciation of such. How did you think he got the way he became? Wery interesting to me, indeed.SPOILER! 12-05-2008 06:29 PMtippy4
Agreed. I really liked the story a lot....but there were several parts that sucked the big one. The encounter with The Tick Tock Man....Blaine passing into the world of The Stand. I could have done without Rhea feeling-up Susan too.
Still I gave it a FIVE because the parts that didn't suck were really good. 12-06-2008 09:22 AMBillyxRansom 12-06-2008 10:06 AMJeanIt has been discussed in the W&G subforum. To basically sum it up, we - who are not happy with W&G - have nothing against Roland's backstory, but we were dissatisfied with how it was done; saying very little of Roland and his development, and very much about a trivial romance and a girl who hardly differs from thousands "romantic" females from countless romances written by female authors. No story deserves appreciation solely for its intention if it is inadequately told.
And no, very few of us are "Susan haters" - so the inside of the spoiler isn't quite relevant. She was so annoying that for some readers nothing about her could rise to a real tragedy. I was a tear-jerking moment, but giving her overall artificialness and cliched-ness, not very touching.
(the above was brief and, I hope, correct summary of many views expressed in W&G subforum. If any deep discussion is to be continued or resumed, I beg to do it where it belongs.) 12-06-2008 11:18 AMMianjoThis is my favorite of the series. Well, right now it is...it vacillates between this and DotT. I loved the "side trip" to Mejis. I loved meeting Cuthbert (again) and Alain. It expanded Roland's world a bit. It was a Western and a Romance and a Fairy Tale all in one. And Roland as a boy...not quite grown, but almost, and his first love.
I remember finishing it and being delighted that Stephen King could write a book that was so different from his norm, yet keeping within the Dark Tower universe. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get too much further along the line toward the Tower, but my satisfaction with the entire tone of the book far, far outweighed that.
5--no question. 12-07-2008 06:05 PMblueoccultI gave it a 4, mostly because I haven't read it in years, but what I remember of it I loved. I'm currently re-reading the series again, because I haven't read it in ages and things are a bit fuzzy, so maybe after I re-read it I might vote differently. I noticed that some of you didn't like how Susan was cliched and all, but you have to remember, Roland is telling the story. It's told how he remembers it, and she was his first love. Maybe the reason she is this way is because that is how he remembers it? Anyways, 4 out of 5, W&G is a great book.