Youth, Hobbits and Wizards
Like most young people I grew up in a world filled with hobbits, Orcs and wonderful wizards who out of the blue would turn up on your doorstep with the promise of adventure and excitement. The Hobbit was the first real book I ever read (if you discount the spot is a dog variety), and I would spend hours sitting in the tree at the back of my Aunts house engrossed in this magical world I never knew existed. I tried my hand at many fantasy novels after this, and while I enjoyed them at the time none have set up home in my imagination in the same way that the Hobbit did. It wasn't until I hit my teens that I discovered the story of the Hobbit continued in the form of The Lord of the Rings. This was a very different beast to the Hobbit, but it well and truly delivered and the epic quest was at time mind blowing, and I was there for every step and stumble as Frodo and Sam struggled to complete their quest to destroy the one ring in the fires of Mordor. I never again encountered a novel that captured my imagination like these two books did, but that never diminished my love for reading and indeed writing as my creative flame was well and truly ignited.
Enter Stephen King
Skip forward many years and I discovered the works of Stephen King. I devoured each novel like a homeless person devours a well cooked meal, but it wasn't until someone pointed me in the direction of the Dark Tower series that I finally found a series that finally gave the Lord of the Rings a run for it's money. I wasn't too surprised when I discovered that Stephen King himself drew inspiration from the works of J.R.R Tolkien himself. Each book was eagerly anticipated as each volume bought me closer to elusive Dark tower. The wait between books was excruciating but ultimately worth the months (and sometimes years) we had to endure. Throughout each book Roland of Gilead, the gunslinger who was forced to earn his guns early, and his eventual ka-tet Jake Chambers, Eddie Dean & his wifeSusannah Dean grow from unwilling travelling companions to eventually gunslingers themselves. While each novel is an exhilarating ride Stephen King doesn't limit his unique world solely to the Dark Tower but ingeniously draws establish's a link between the Dark Tower novels and his previous works. 1984'sThe Talisman and it's sequel Black House immediately spring to mind. When the final volume The Dark Tower was published I wasn't disappointed, because I somehow knew there more stories that were just waiting to be discovered.
So it didn't come as much of a surprise when a series of Graphic novels were released chronicling Roland's early days and his adventures with his first ka-tet. Now Stephen King has published a further novel, The Wind through the Keyhole, set roughly between the fourth and fifth books. It's a stand alone novel that can be read without reading any of the titles, although I recommend reading books one to seven first. I have a feeling Mr King will never really leave the world of Roland behind, and I for one am entirely grateful. If I have the good fortune of meeting Stephen King in the flesh I intend to tell him so. I ultimately owe him and the great Tolkien a great deal of gratitude because ultimately if it wasn't for these two gentleman I never would have put pen to paper in the first place. I say thank ye!
Yours in writing,
