The Dark Tower

Nigel fetches food for the ka-tet. He is experiencing a “total systemic breakdown” (124), he explains, which is affecting his ability to communicate. Susannah does not trust him. She notices blood on his metal hands, which he claims came from “rats in the kitchen” (125). Susannah suspects that Mordred is making Nigel lie. Since they do not want to remain in the Extraction Room, the ka-tet goes to Nigel’s quarters. Nigel owns many books, including books by Stephen King. Roland rejects Eddie’s suggestion that they read these books.

Mordred watches the ka-tet from a control room. He is in his human infant form, though the helplessness of his baby’s “idiotic” body infuriates him: Changing into a spider takes a great deal of energy, and he is less conscious of his thoughts while in his spider form. When he falls out of his chair, however, he must turn into a spider to get back up again. Mordred is growing fast but must depend on Nigel to help him. Fearing that calling the robot will alert the ka-tet, he scrambles on the floor and curses the broken machines of this decaying world. He understands why his father (the Crimson King) wants to destroy everything. Switching back and forth between his forms, he returns to his chair until Nigel brings him a meal: a baby billy-bumbler that Mordred devours.

In Nigel’s room, Oy has a nightmare about Mordred killing the billy-bumbler. Jake urges his friend to be quiet. They share dreams in which Oy reveals that many of his friends have died; in a second dream, they struggle to understand a billy-bumbler who cannot speak English.

Still in his control suite, Mordred bemoans how quickly he uses up his energy and wonders at how much he knows—about vampires, for example—even though he is so young. The knowledge is conveyed via blood. Mordred resents the closeness of the ka-tet; he has “no circle” of his own. He wants to hurt them, especially Roland.

Ten hours later, Mordred wakes up. In the room with him is a stranger: the man in black, also known as Walter and Randall Flagg. Walter has a gun pointed at Mordred and seems pleased with himself, as he is wearing a homemade hat that—he believes—blocks Mordred from reading his thoughts. Unbeknownst to Walter, this does not work. However, Mordred allows him to believe that it does. Walter chats anxiously about his plans as Mordred thinks about the imminent collapse of the Dark Tower. Once Stephen King is dead, he thinks, the Tower will fall with King’s cycle of unfinished books.

In contrast, Walter believes that he has several days to reach the Tower. He wants to amputate Mordred’s foot and, by showing the red birth mark on the heel, gain access to the Tower. He will be able to move past the Crimson King, who seems to be stuck halfway up the Tower. Once he moves past the Crimson King, Walter will be able to become “God of All” (139). He reflects on his past, including his interactions with Roland. He killed Cuthbert Allgood, Roland’s childhood friend, at the Battle of Jericho Hill, and he believes himself responsible for helping Roland to become his current self. Walter believes that he has done well for someone who was “little more than a wanderer left over from the old days” (140). Like Roland, he has long sought access to the Tower, which brought him into the service of the Crimson King.

Walter pledges his allegiance to Mordred, and while Walter eats, Mordred encourages him to talk. Walter babbles about how he hypnotized Roland in the desert (at the end of The Gunslinger) and then put his own clothes on a skeleton to make Roland think that he was dead. Walter talks about how the Crimson King is imprisoned halfway up the Dark Tower and how he has grown irrational. Walter shows Mordred a secret stairway that will allow him to follow the ka-tet to Thunderclap. Walter, unaware of how much he is talking uncontrollably, admits that he wants to see Roland dead. He then becomes aware that his hat has not shielded his thoughts. As he reaches for his gun, Mordred attacks Walter. First, he makes Walter pluck his own eyeballs out and feed them to Mordred. Then, Mordred eats his tongue and devours the rest of him quickly. In his spider form, he follows through the secret door in pursuit of Roland. Having eaten his “legendary meal,” Mordred now has access to his knowledge and memories. He spins a web and falls asleep.

After resting, the ka-tet resumes the journey. Nigel has left food for them, though Jake senses that this will be the last time that the robot does anything. Roland notes that Jake is quietly mourning the death of Callahan. Oy helps the group find the door to Thunderclap. The thought of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a town on the borders of the region, makes Jake remember his friend Benny Slightman, who died during a battle with the Wolves that would periodically kidnap twins. He thinks of how his gunslinger training has prepared him for his own death.

Arriving in the staging area from which the Wolves launched their kidnapping raids, the ka-tet finds a number of robots in a state of poor repair. Jake laughs at the sight because they look “like commuters in Penn Station” (156), which lightens the mood. Finding a door powered by degraded machinery, they pass through. This experience is unlike passing through magical doors; the ka-tet is struck by sudden nausea. They arrive on the other side retching and are met by three men, who warn them to move quickly before the alarms sound.

After mistaking Jake for a boy named Bobby Garfield, the older man in the trio introduces himself as Ted Brautigan (a character from Hearts in Atlantis). One of the younger men, Dinky Earnshaw, urges the group to move before guards arrive. They move through a giant switching yard filled with trains from different eras. Ted reveals that they fear being caught by the guards from Heartbreak House (a structure in Devar-Toi, where the Breakers are kept); the taheen guards will kill anyone they catch, he says. Dinky helps them through a locked door, past skeletons and broken robots that—Ted suggests—were poisoned by the Crimson King, “probably for a lark” (163).

Ted suggests that they head to a spot on the horizon. Susannah worries that she may not be able to make it, but Ted turns to his third companion, Stanley. Ted encourages everyone to join hands and picture the rocky outcrop to which he pointed. A magic door appears in the back of a closet, and they pass through, finding themselves on the outcrop. Ted fetches the supplies he stashed earlier as Stanley stares at Roland. In the distance, a guard known as the Weasel arrives at the yard but fails to find any trace of the ka-tet. Above, an artificial sun casts light on a small town, Devar-Toi, fashioned to look like a “perfect little Main Street America” (168), complete with dormitories, shops, and lawns. Surrounding the town is bleak, rocky desert. The town is known by different names, including Algul Siento and Blue Heaven. There, “a bunch of folks [are] busy bringing about the end of […] all the worlds” (169).

Eddie asks why the Crimson King is fixated on bringing down the Dark Tower. The Crimson King is “mad,” Ted says. In Devar-Toi, the Breakers are focused on bringing down the Beams. These Breakers are housed in Devar-Toi in a cult-like community that has no desire to rebel. Ted, Dinky, and Stanley are all Breakers. Stanley, Dinky points out, either cannot or does not talk much. Roland disagrees but changes the subject. The children kidnapped by the Wolves were experimented upon; important chemicals from their brains were extracted and turned into pills. These pills were then fed to the psychics to make them more powerful. Ted suspected as much and believes that it is time for this “grotesque comedy” to end. He has filled a cave with supplies for the ka-tet, as well as any weapons they might need to attack Devar-Toi and end the Breakers’ efforts to bring down the Beam. Meanwhile, the trio of Breakers will return to Devar-Toi. Roland asks them to bring him one of the Children of Roderick (a kind of mutant) when they visit next. He also wants to talk to Stanley, revealing that Stanley is actually his old friend Sheemie. For years, Sheemie blamed himself for the death of Roland’s love, Susan Delgado (as told in Wizard and Glass). Roland absolves him of his guilt.

Pimli Prentiss is the master of Devar-Toi. He was once a prison guard but was recruited on Earth to run Devar-Toi, a place that causes many health issues, such as pimples. His subordinate, a weasel-headed taheen named Finli O-Tego, enters his office. They discuss the odd readings that led them to the switching yard the previous day. Both men are anxious—especially with the objective of breaking the Beam seemingly so close—but they convince themselves that there is nothing to worry about. Prentiss, a devout Christian, wants to pray on the matter. As they make their rounds of the town, they see Dinky reading a book. Like many taheen, Finli aspires to be more human. He tries to engage Dinky in a literary discussion, only for Dinky to respond in an insulting manner. Prentiss tries to soothe Finli’s hurt feelings; Dinky has always had a bad attitude, he assures his head of security. They both suspect that their work to destroy the Beam may be complete in less than a month. They pass by Ted and Stanley and assure each other that the rumors of gunslingers in the Calla are just “rumors.” The Wolves who have not returned from the Calla, Finli says, were likely damaged by a computer virus.

They enter Heartbreak House and see the Breakers at work before venturing into a basement to monitor the surveillance equipment. Above them, the Breakers sit in the Study, a lavish room from which they direct their psychic energy at the Beam. The surveillance equipment should allow them to monitor unsanctioned psychic power use, such as the use of teleportation (which is strictly forbidden). However, Prentiss and Finli assure themselves that there is nothing to worry about. From a balcony, they watch Ted enter the study. Ted is unique among the psychics: He is a facilitator, whose presence makes the psychics around him more powerful. Prentiss and Finli do not notice that Ted is closely observing them. Prentiss lies awake at night, worrying. When thunder rolls, he gets up to pray.

A feeling of “melancholy” falls over the ka-tet. They explore the cave, stashed with supplies by Ted, Dinky, and Stanley. They find sleeping bags, food, and lots of weapons—so much so that Roland understands that the trio of psychics foresaw the arrival of the ka-tet. Jake’s attempts to explain his trepidation, which is similar to what he felt just before Roland allowed him to fall to his death, are interrupted by the discovery of an electric vehicle that will allow Susannah to be much more mobile. Roland casts aside a playing card pinned to the vehicle; it reminds him of Walter, and he knows that Walter is dead. The feeling of melancholy, he explains, is ka-shume: the feeling that a ka-tet will soon be broken. Like Walter, his “old nemesis,” one of the ka-tet will soon be dead. For the first time, Roland wonders whether he might be the one to die.

The ka-tet reviews the huge stash of weapons, including the explosive sneetches that are branded “Harry Potter Model” (204). When Eddie finds a map of Devar-Toi, Roland grabs it from him. Stepping outside, he studies the town through binoculars. The artificial sun has begun to set. In the distance, the howl of a coyote is cut short. Roland hosts a ritual in which each member of the ka-tet sips water and pledges their allegiance to Roland. He does not know which of them will die, he admits, but they will remain “one and will not forget, even in death” (211).

Nearby, Mordred eats a coyote—the howl the ka-tet heard. He has been listening to the ka-tet plot their attack on the town and the Breakers but has chosen not to warn Prentiss, even though this would aid the Crimson King’s plan. He does not care about his “Red Father’s” plans, he says. Mordred is obsessed with his own loneliness and his desire to kill Roland, his “White Father.” He will only interfere in the battle to save Roland, though this is only so that Mordred can kill Roland himself.

The ka-tet listens to the tapes that Ted recorded. For four hours, Ted reflects on what brought him to this point. He talks about Stephen King, the Crimson King, and ka. Many of the Breakers are selfish loners, Ted admits. Their rejection of community makes them easier to control. Dinky befriended Stanley early, telling his stories to help him escape from his situation. Ted joined them later, forming a band of resistance. Stanley has teleportation powers, while Dinky can look into the future (or, at least, certain unblocked paths of the future). The trio are rebels in a society that is “dedicated to the idea of going along to get along, even if it means the end of existence” (219).

Ted talks about his life, which the ka-tet notes is similar in many ways to the life of Father Callahan. Mordred, outside the cave, listens to the tapes as well. Ted tried to use his powers to help the military but was rejected. He attended Harvard and then became something of a drifter. When a man stole his wallet, he used his telepathic powers to kill him with a mind spear. He ran away, horrified by what he had done. From then on, Ted continued to run. Soon, he began to feel as though he was being followed. He saw patterns of stars and comets everywhere, as well as red eyes. Eventually, he replied to a job listing in a newspaper. Ted used his powers to answer just as the test-givers wanted, even when he was not telling the truth, and was one of a few chosen for the supposed job of a lifetime. The job would entail many years away from home but was very well remunerated. Ted suspected that it was a government job. Eventually, however, he arrived in Thunderclap, where he soon began to work as a Breaker. Other than a brief escape attempt, he has been in Devar-Toi ever since. Many of the Breakers are happy, he says, because their abilities are being put to use.

Ted talks about the work the Breakers do. He knew that they were attempting to break something, but he was happy enough. The food and the lifestyle offered to the Breakers make their lives very comfortable. Ted also enjoyed using his powers to help others, empowering them in their work. He then explains that the Breakers work in shifts to bring down the Beam. Devar-Toi is patrolled by the Crimson King’s henchmen; many of the low men and taheen envy the Breakers’ humanity. Ted befriended Trampas, one of the guards, and used the brief moments when Trampas would lift his thinking cap to enter Trampas’s mind. Doing so, he learned about the Dark Tower and the Beams. He learned that four of the Beams were gone and that the Breakers were focused on destroying the rest. Ted realized that he was complicit in this “horror” and sought out Stanley for help teleporting away. Listening to this, Roland realizes that his old friend Sheemie, now known as Stanley, can create magic doors.

Ted explains that he was caught and threatened, though he was too powerful as a facilitator to send away or execute. He lied to the guards, and eventually they believed him. When he did not betray Trampas, the guard was thankful and revealed that—of the many other worlds—there is one known as the Real World, where time only moves forward. In that world, there is a facilitator who guards one of the remaining Beams (Stephen King, though his exact name is not known to Ted). The Crimson King has tried and failed to kill King, as ka protects the author. However, since King has stopped writing the Dark Tower books and “forgotten the rose” (243), ka can no longer protect him.

Mordred, hearing about King, slinks away to think about this revelation. He does not hear that the Crimson King’s minions are competing among themselves to break the Beams first. The Breakers want to succeed before King is killed, thus facilitating the end of the universe. Roland wants Ted to hurry to the point, as little time is left on the tapes. As the tape runs out, Jake pieces together that the Keystone Year in the Keystone World is 1999. This is where Mia had her baby and where Black Thirteen (one of thirteen powerful spheres, also known as wizard glasses, associated with the Guardians of the Dark Tower) is currently hidden. Roland delves into the history of Gan, the god/spirit who underpins the Dark Tower. Gan emerged from the Prim (the primordial chaos before the creation of everything) and created time.

Susannah suddenly remembers being in the Dixie Pig in 1999, when she heard that Stephen King died. Roland realizes that King bought a house on Turtleback Lane, which is near where he will be struck by a minivan. They figure out the time and the date on which he will die. They must avert his death to save the Beam. Roland suggests that his rapidly increasing pains relate to the places where King will be fatally injured, such as his ribs, hip, and head. They can change ka, he says, but “there is always a price to pay” (248). They can use Stanley to send them to the right place through a magic door, but they must first liberate the Breakers and stop the attack on the Beam.

The next day, Jake wakes up early. Roland is absent, so Jake goes with Oy to find him. The tired Roland is squatting, surveying the distant town. Roland rolls a cigarette for Jake, dismissing his “aches.” Jake can sense Roland’s anger through his Touch but is hesitant to pry into Roland’s mind to find its cause. However, Roland tells him to do so, testing Jake’s psychic abilities: Roland tries to keep Jake out of his mind, but Jake overpowers him. As the artificial sun switches on, bringing dawn to Devar-Toi, Jake learns that Roland is angry at Stephen King, who was too afraid or too tired to finish his books. Now, the ka-tet must save him. Jake tries to defend King, but Roland criticizes the “lazy” writer.

Next, Roland shows Jake the tracks in the desert. He shows him the desiccated coyote, revealing that Mordred is following them. Jake notices Roland’s subtle tendency to humanize Mordred, eliciting a flash of envy from Jake. Roland suggests that they keep Mordred’s presence a secret so as not to distract Eddie or Susannah.

Back in the cave, Susannah has prepared breakfast. As they eat, Ted, Dinky, and Stanley arrive, bringing a Child of Roderick with them. As Roland invites them to sit, Stanley has a seizure.

With the Child of Roderick (also known as a Rod) loudly pledging allegiance to Roland, everyone tries to save Stanley. Roland’s words eventually calm his old friend. More harshly, he then commands the Rod to be quiet. Susannah prepares more food as Eddie worries about Stanley’s health. Eddie talks to Dinky in private: Dinky explains that the seizures coincide with Stanley using his power to create magic doors. Dinky does not like to make Stanley use his powers and is worried about his friend’s health. He knows that Stanley loves Ted and Roland too much to refuse to do so, however. Dinky believes that Stanley may only be able to use his powers a few more times before the effort kills him.

Meanwhile, Roland converses with the Rod in his own language. The Rod is named Haylis, he says. He is one of many mutant day workers hired by the guards to perform menial tasks. Roland next speaks to Stanley, who insists that they must save the Tower. Roland must climb the Tower, he says, and there may be renewal, death, or “both.” Jake asks Stanley whether they should free the Breakers first or save Stephen King. Stanley reveals that a boy much like Jake came to him in a dream the night before. This boy represents the Beam, Susannah believes, which clarifies Roland’s plan. He warns Ted to ensure that Stanley is safe, as they will soon attack Devar-Toi and free the Breakers.

While Stanley plays with Oy, Roland tells his plan to Dinky and Ted. Stanley must be protected, he says: If they successfully free the Breakers, then Stanley must transport the ka-tet to 1999. Ted and Dinky fear that Stanley may not survive and that even if he can send the ka-tet there, he may not be able to bring them back. Roland knows this but continues to outline his plan to launch a surprise attack and “spill an almighty lot of blood” (276).

Bad dreams wake Prentiss early. He cannot explain his sense that something is amiss. He prays and holds his pistol tightly. Finli is also anxious, mentioning strange measurements that he cannot explain. They see Haylis exiting an office, carrying a wastepaper basket. He is reluctant to explain why he was in the building but shows them the used tissues he has plundered for his own enjoyment. Finli and Prentiss laugh at the habits of the mutants, forgetting to ask why Haylis was in the office. They do not know that Roland asked Haylis to plant an explosive device in the office.

Riding the electric trike, Susannah watches Haylis exit as she points automated guns at the watch towers. Roland was right, she notes, as the security is lax during the shift change. Elsewhere, Eddie, Jake, and Roland approach the town from the other side. An argument between Prentiss’s house staff is interrupted when they both smell smoke: Everyone is scared of fire in the town built from wood.

The guards notice Ted and Dinky acting strangely but are then themselves distracted by the smell of smoke. When the attack begins, Ted and Dinky broadcast a message telling the Breakers to head south. As the fire alarms blare, Prentiss realizes that the town is “vulnerable to all sorts of things” (290). Susannah shoots the guards from the towers, a robot fire response team rushes to the street, and Susannah’s automated guns fire lasers into the town. Amid the chaos, Stanley is hidden away in his dormitory. The fire response team crashes into propane tanks; the explosion heightens the chaos. Jake, Eddie, and Roland begin their assault, shooting any guard they see. Prentiss tries to organize his men to halt the Breakers’ escape. Finli blames Dinky, while Prentiss is certain that Ted is responsible. He orders Trampas to bring Dinky to him; Ted fires a mind spear, killing Trampas and breaking his long-held promise not to use his powers to kill. Finli shoots Ted in the arm; Stanley stands up, proclaiming thanks from the Beam but injuring himself by standing on broken glass.

Eddie, Jake, and Roland wait for Prentiss and Finli. Roland shoots Prentiss in the head and then urges his ka-tet to “leave not one of them standing” (309). By the time Susannah arrives, most of the guards are dead, and the Breakers are successfully corralled outside the town. The ka-tet celebrates their victory, with Roland joining a group hug. However, Prentiss is not yet dead. With his dying act, he points his gun and fires. As Eddie is busy dealing with Finli, Prentiss shoots, fatally wounding him.

Jake sits with Oy, weeping. He wishes that ka could intervene to save Eddie from his slow, painful death. Roland tried to comfort Susannah after Eddie was shot; Ted and the Breakers could have used their powers to mediate her pain, but she asked them not to “steal [her] grief” (315). Even Stanley’s message—that the Beam sends its thanks—cannot cheer anyone. Roland explains to Stanley that Eddie is hurt. The guards who were not shot have been sent away. Roland has given Ted and his Breakers an assignment, but he will not reveal the full details to Jake, who was with Eddie for some time before Roland sent him away. As Eddie was being carried into the bedroom, one of the Breakers demanded that Roland take care of the Breakers. Since he has destroyed their comfortable lives, she reasoned, he must take care of them. Roland lost his patience and told her to stand aside. The Breakers backed away from him.

Dinky is not sure that Susannah will survive Eddie’s death, at least not in her current state. Jake recalls the sight of Eddie’s face in the moments before he was sent away. As he smokes a cigarette, Jake thinks about Mordred, who is watching them from a distance. As Jake is walking outside, Roland sends him a mental message, recalling him. Eddie will soon be dead. If Jake is old enough to smoke a cigarette, he tells himself, then he is old enough not to cry. Jake passes by Ted, Dinky, and Stanley, whose eyes are bloodshot. Ted gives Jake a message for Roland: They have peered into the Real World, and Stanley will be able to send the ka-tet to 1999 to save Stephen King, but the strange passage of time means that the window of opportunity is getting “a little thin” (324).

Jake gives the message to Roland, who chooses to focus on Eddie as they “owe him that” (325). Susannah notes that her husband fights hard. Eddie, in a faltering voice, tells Susannah that he will wait for her in the clearing, “the one at the end of the path” (326). She promises to see him there and says that she will be walking when she sees him. Eddie beckons Jake closer and whispers a message: Watch out for Mordred, and watch someone called Dandelo. Eddie tells Jake to protect Roland and then asks to speak to Roland. He thanks Roland for his second chance, referring to Roland as his “father.” Then, Eddie dies. The ka-tet is broken.

After 30 minutes, Roland and Jake talk with the Breakers while Susannah prepares to bury Eddie. Ted explains how the Breakers can transport Roland and Jake to June 18, 1999. Stephen King will die in less than a day, with time rapidly slipping beyond them. Susannah will stay to grieve and join them later, Roland says; he makes arrangements for Ted to put her on a train to Fedic. As much as Jake does not want to leave Susannah, he understands the urgency. Ted notes that many of the Breakers are not pleased; they did not want to be freed, as they were quite comfortable. Roland gives instructions to Susannah, who repeats them back. She admits that she has lost any drive to complete the mission but says that she will go to the Tower because that is what Eddie would have wanted. Jake suspects that she has not lost all her desire, as ka still remains. As they bid farewell, Jake cries again, and Susannah comforts him.

Jake wonders more about the name Dandelo. Dinky has never heard it. A group of disgruntled Breakers confronts Roland, who stops the furious Jake from drawing his gun. Roland curses the Breakers, telling them to seek forgiveness in the Callas for the role they played in hurting so many children. Otherwise, they might stay in Devar-Toi and rely on the robots to care for them until the robots break down. Roland ends his speech by threatening to kill the next person who speaks, as he is “full of grief and rage” (335). Roland plants an image of their destination in Stanley’s mind. A young female Breaker named Dani places two kisses on Jake’s lips, surprising him. Then, the Breakers join in a circle around Roland, Jake, and Oy. A door opens to the Keystone World, where time has already passed. As Stanley is on the verge of passing out, the trio steps through to East Stoneham General Store on June 19, 1999.