Literature Review | Song of Susannah (Dark Tower VI)

   

     Another step closer to the Tower, but will it fall?  Published in 2004, Song of Susannah is the sixth entry in the Dark Tower series, and the shortest one since Drawing of the Three.  Picking up where Wolves left off, Susannah and Mia have crossed through the Cave Door, taking Black 13 with them.  This presents a problem for Roland and the Tet, as they counted on the Bend’s magic to manipulate the door.  Luckily the Manni also possess the ability to open the door, through a complicated, taxing ritual.  With their door open, the Tet must split up.  Finding Susannah and protecting her from the Crimson King’s minions is critical, but protecting Calvin Tower from Balazar is even more so.  If he caves, the Rose falls, and Discordia calls.
King’s wording is consistent, the prose a continuation of the previous novel.  The chapters are called Stanzas, tying in with the novel’s title.  After the character’s split up, the arrangement is logical, allowing the plot the flow smoothly while allowing some suspense to build.
The opening chapter begins with a literal bang, as one of the Beams shatters.  This breaking caused what Roland calls a Beamquake.  They don’t happen often, but when one occurs, the land within the Beam’s path is devastated; fortunately for the Tet, it wasn’t Shardik’s beam that broke.  Roland claims to have witnessed a quake following Gilliad’s destruction, although he doesn’t elaborate on specific details.  This quake answers why Farson and his men seemly vanish from the story following this point.  Their purpose serves, Flagg and the King left them to their fate, although this is a theory on my part.  Beamquakes flesh out the Breaker concept.  With Wolves we knew the King had breakers, and now we know exactly what results from their work, although it is poultry compared to their ultimate goal.
From Mia we also learn further details on the fate of the Calla children.  After being seized, they are transported to a town miles beyond the river.  There they are laid upon tables and devices are placed on their heads.  While the process is unseen, King gives enough detail for the Constant Reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks, and it’s not pretty.  Given the choice, I’d rather be dead than Roont.
Wolves introduced King himself as a character, and Song further fleshes this concept.  While King writes the books, he didn’t create the characters or their adventures.  He is merely a scribe, typing the words as they blow through him; if anyone is the true author, it’s Ka or Gan.  This concept is meta, but also Lovecraftian, bearing similarity to the origin of the dreaded Necronomicon.  King hears the voice of Gan just as the Mad Arab dreamed of Cthulhu.  Each wrote based on these visions.  King’s writings put his life in peril, as the Crimson King has tried several times to dispose of him.  The Coda hits that it may eventually be successful.
    While it might not be every Tower fan’s cup of tea, for me it suits the series semi-meta nature, especially when multiple-worlds are considered.  King pokes fun at himself several times throughout the novel, although one does come off as self-effacement.  There’s only a few aspects that feel off.  19 is important, but that fact seemingly comes out of nowhere, although timing and location could explain that.  Perhaps the number doesn’t have cosmic importance in Oz or Lud, outside of Blaine the Paine.  I also wonder if Calvin Tower and Balazar—since they exist in the same world as King—learn they are characters in a novel.  Balazar especially, considering how notorious he is.  Perhaps he’s dead by that point.
    While I have several small problems, Song of Susannah is still an entertaining read, setting up the final act nicely.  The Last Battle approaches.  Load your guns, and blow the horn.