Wow. Finished reading The Dark Tower on Monday. Although, I am glad to see the story reach a conclusion, I have mixed feelings about it. In some ways, I found it to be very satisfying. Just to reach the end of something, to have closure, whatever it might be, is a good thing. There's always a concern when reading something like that, that it will never be finished...and like so many people, I just want to know what happens to everyone. I have, after all, been waiting for this moment for a long time (though not so long as some). I received the first 3 books in the series as a Christmas present in 1991(?). I read them over the course of my Christmas vacation. I spent those couple of weeks babysitting my nephew, and actually read most of the books out loud to him, since he found the sound of my voice soothing, regardless of what I was saying. I have some distinct memories of bizarre contrasts between the text I was reading, and the sing-songy voice I was using to read it. In any case, I was pretty much hooked from the first book, and have anxiously awaited each subsequent addition to the series. Speaking in the vaguest of terms, so as not to have too many spoilers, I have to say that in my opinion, although the ending was not the one I would have wished for...it seems to be the right one. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a happy ending....but I hate it when you get a happy ending just for the sake of the happiness. Better to have my guts wrenched, than to feel nothing...and the wrong happy ending can leave you feeling so empty. Something that I have said before, in relationship to death in books or films, is that often times, we become attached to the characters, and sometimes authors or filmmakers are afraid to let them die...to "kill" them. And yet, death is a part of life, and something we all have to deal with...why should the characters in our books or movies be any different? Why should they get all the happy endings, while we're down here in the trenches? It's been a long journey, one that I enjoyed...and will probably take again as soon as I manage to get myself copies of the new hardcover editions of the first four books (I gave away my originals, due to the horrible magenta cover of Wizard and Glass and have been meaning to replace them, but somehow haven't). It seems sad that it is done, that I don't have another book to look forward to, but I guess that everything has to have an ending, and I am glad that I got to see this one.