The End. (spoilers)

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Bardo

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2011
305
1,408
san diego
Okay, heading into the Field of rose's,
Fourth time on this trip and doing it a little bit different.
Spoil alert!!
I noticed that my enjoyment tapered off after Eddie died on my first few trips with the "TET" so I have been taking breaks between deaths(Eddie,Jake and Oy)and leavings,Susanna, to give myself grieving time.
I find it helps my focus to enjoy our big guys stroll to the Tower,
 

twiggymarie

Daughter of One
Mar 17, 2011
332
1,911
Texas, United States
Okay, heading into the Field of rose's,
Fourth time on this trip and doing it a little bit different.
Spoil alert!!
I noticed that my enjoyment tapered off after Eddie died on my first few trips with the "TET" so I have been taking breaks between deaths(Eddie,Jake and Oy)and leavings,Susanna, to give myself grieving time.
I find it helps my focus to enjoy our big guys stroll to the Tower,

Just finished my own re-re-I-don't-remember-how-many-reading a few days ago, and it never gets easier. I found myself reading slower the closer I got to
Eddie's death, because I wanted more time them happily reunited.
Urk.
 
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Celephais

Member
Aug 3, 2010
14
25
Greenville, SC
My journey is done, I reached the end and I was a bit unsure for a few minutes as to whether or not I liked the ending, then I realised - yes, I do. Susannah's story was nicely wrapped up - I was very pleased to see Eddie and Jake again in yet another version of the Universe. Roland's, despite being a loop, you know he has the chance of finaly breaking it this time.

I completely did not expect the final line - very good writing from Stephen.

I do wonder if anyone actually stopped at the Coda like the writer offered?
Just got to the end myself earlier in the evening on my lunch break. Still debating if that was worth the six years I spent agonizing over Wizard and Glass and the last month or two I've spent powering through the last three in time for the movie. There's just so much beautiful writing in the series, particularly in books I and IV but...that ending just seems like a cop out. It's brilliant in its own way, and makes sense given what type of person Roland is and what his journey entailed, but on the whole it feels like an empty non-ending. I'm beginning to understand all those Mass Effect fans that were up in arms over the ending of Mass Effect 3. However, I will say that not I'm outraged or furious with King like I was after the end of book IV. I'm just deeply disappointed. All well, it was a fun ride until the last 200 pages.
 
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Robert Gray

Well-Known Member
Just got to the end myself earlier in the evening on my lunch break. Still debating if that was worth the six years I spent agonizing over Wizard and Glass and the last month or two I've spent powering through the last three in time for the movie. There's just so much beautiful writing in the series, particularly in books I and IV but...that ending just seems like a cop out. It's brilliant in its own way, and makes sense given what type of person Roland is and what his journey entailed, but on the whole it feels like an empty non-ending. I'm beginning to understand all those Mass Effect fans that were up in arms over the ending of Mass Effect 3. However, I will say that not I'm outraged or furious with King like I was after the end of book IV. I'm just deeply disappointed. All well, it was a fun ride until the last 200 pages.

King did warn you to stop reading if you wanted a specific kind of ending. The ending is not a cop out. It is painful, but it was clearly what the ending was going to be... oh... I'd say from the end of the very first book. It was the only ending possible from the moment...
Roland let Jake fall. That is the only moment in the series where Roland truly fails, i.e. doesn't "stand and be true." He knew it himself the moment he did it. He had the nightmares about it on the beach before losing his fingers. He wished he was Jake rather than himself.

Ka is a wheel and you do not escape that wheel by failing to "stand and be true." Roland knew this. The ending was the only one possible and earned. The next turn on the wheel may be different. This has hardly been his first. I do think when you have some time and distance, you will reconsider your feelings. They are hot and fresh and we want certain things for characters we love. But, what we want and what we deserve aren't always the same thing.