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Book summary and reviews of The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

The Wind Through the Keyhole

A Dark Tower Novel

by Stephen King

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  • Published:
  • Apr 2012
    320 pages
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Book Summary

In The Wind Through the Keyhole, Stephen King returns to the rich landscape of Mid-World, the spectacular territory of the Dark Tower fantasy saga that stands as his most beguiling achievement.

Roland Deschain and his ka-tet - Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler - encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two... and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past.

In his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt-ridden year following his mother's death, Roland is sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a "skin-man" preying upon the population around Debaria. Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, the brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter. Only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy and prepares him for the following day's trials by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother often read to him at bedtime. "A person's never too old for stories," Roland says to Bill. "Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them." And indeed, the tale that Roland unfolds, the legend of Tim Stoutheart, is a timeless treasure for all ages, a story that lives for us.

King began the Dark Tower series in 1974; it gained momentum in the 1980s; and he brought it to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003 and 2004. The Wind Through the Keyhole is sure to fascinate avid fans of the Dark Tower epic. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland's world and testimony to the power of Stephen King's storytelling magic.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. This gripping novel is sure to put King back on the bestseller lists." - Publishers Weekly

"In his foreword, which gives a brief series background that will allow even the uninitiated thoroughly to enjoy this book, King says that he was 'delighted to discover my old friends had a little more to say,' and for that we all say thankya. Fans will be lining up for this one." - Library Journal

"[The Wind Through the Keyhole]...feels fresh and wide-open, attaining its own unique flavor among the Tower books while meshing seamlessly with the fabric of the series." - Fearnet

This information about The Wind Through the Keyhole was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Laura S.

Another Dark Tower!
I thought it was a wonderful addition to the Dark Tower legacy. So much fun to see Roland and the others on another adventure. I'm hoping Stephen King will do even more!

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Author Information

Stephen King Author Biography

© Tabitha King

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the ...

... Full Biography
Link to Stephen King's Website

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