The Dark Tower

Leaving the tunnels and the monster behind, the trio emerges onto cold, desolate terrain. A battle seemingly took place here, and signs marked with the sigil of the Crimson King warn people to stay away. In a small hut, they find more tinned food and more Sterno. Roland crafts a cart for Susannah, and they set off again. Roland is pessimistic about their chances of finding anything to build a fire, believing that the Crimson King “murdered this land when he darkened Thunderclap” (471). The temperature is plummeting, and they all feel the cold. As they journey on, the cold eats away at Susannah, who longs for clothing or anything warm. Roland seems angrier, wearier, and more bitter than ever before.

At one camp, Susannah examines the watch given to Roland. He shows off his innate penchant for keeping time: When they approach the Tower, the watch will behave strangely, he tells her. Roland warns that they will soon exit the Badlands and arrive at Le Casse Roi Russe, the castle of the Crimson King. Though the Crimson King is no longer there, he may have left a trap. Susannah is worried that Mordred is still on their trail. She dreams of him, knowing that “Mordred’s a-hungry.”

They come across a road between Castle Discordia and Le Casse Roi Russe. They pass through a decimated city; though they find wood, it will not burn. The wood hates them, Roland explains, like everything else in the kingdom of the Crimson King. By this point, almost a month has passed since they left Fedic. As they pass through a strange village near the castle, Susannah senses that this place is not empty. Roland wonders whether they might be able to trap Mordred at the castle. He assures Susannah that he would not hesitate to kill his monstrous son. They continue, reaching a snowy place lined with fir trees. Roland recounts the many places and the great distances that they have left behind on their journey through In-World, Mid-World, and End-World (the various regions of All-World, Roland’s home world).

Approaching Le Casse Roi Russe, Roland and Susannah pass by political posters and feel as though they are being watched. They reach the castle, which seems deserted. However, a painted banner welcomes them by name, telling them to “keep on rockin’ in the free world” (486). The narrow windows are blank, and black rooks lurk nearby.

As Susannah and Roland approach the bridge over the moat, three figures appear. They all look identical to Stephen King. Two carry wicker baskets while a third stands behind them. Susannah smells roast meat and feels a pang of hunger. As the Stephen Kings work through a comedic routine, they reveal themselves to be “shape-changers” who have been ordered to take on the appearance of someone whom Roland can trust. Naming themselves as Feemalo, Fumalo, and Fimalo, they compare themselves to the id, ego, and superego. Fimalo is the spokesman. He talks about the cruelty of the Crimson King: When the ka-tet achieved victory in Devar-Toi, the Crimson King was so angry that he broke his six wizard glasses. The Crimson King’s work to break the Beams was undermined; with time, the Beams will heal themselves. The only way to stop the regeneration of the world is for the Crimson King to ascend the Tower and bring it down. The Crimson King now wants only to destroy the Tower and to reach the Tower before Roland. The Crimson King is so obsessed with this objective that he used a spoon and died by suicide: He is now undead, meaning he does not need sustenance and does not fear death. Though he is immortal, he is stuck on a balcony halfway up the Tower. From there, he will be able to kill Roland if Roland approaches.

Since the Crimson King cannot be killed, Roland reasons, the quest has become much harder. However, the trio of Stephen Kings is unable to talk Roland out of abandoning his quest. They try to tempt him with the contents of their baskets: One contains roasted meat, while the other contains warm clothing. Susannah is tempted but knows better than to trust these men. Roland and Susannah refuse the offer and bid farewell. As Feemalo and Fumalo reach into their baskets, Roland and Susannah draw their guns and shoot the two men dead. Fimalo abandons his Stephen King appearance, resuming his natural form as “an old man who is dying slowly” (497). He reveals that he was once from New York and that the baskets actually contain writhing snakes and human limbs. Roland leaves Fimalo alive to deliver a message to Mordred, warning him that—when the time comes—Roland will kill both Mordred and the Crimson King. Roland and Susannah leave the castle. Roland admits that he is still unsure what he will do when they reach the Tower. A scream in the distance suggests that Fimalo has met Mordred.

By this time, Mordred is no longer a baby. In his human form, he resembles a nine-year-old boy. He is gaunt and starving, surviving on bugs and rooks. When he hears Roland’s message, he uses his mind to summon the rooks to kill Fimalo; then he turns into his spider form to eat the man.

That night, for the first time in a long time, Roland is able to build a fire. Roland takes first watch as Susannah points out a worrying sore on her lip. She believes that it is not just a pimple and asks Roland, when the time comes, to cut it off. Out in the dark night, Mordred sleeps cold and alone, “jealous of their companionship” (507).

Susannah continues to suffer from the cold, but Roland assures her that the area ahead will have wood and game, allowing them to build fires and hunt for food. The coldness is so intense that Susannah forgets her grief. Behind them, Mordred struggles. He is not quite close enough to hear the content of their conversations and has no protection against the cold and no food supplies. His last meal was the basket of rotting human limbs in Le Casse Roi Russe. He is bitter about his loneliness and feels increasingly sick.

The next day, the trio hunts deer. Oy flushes the herd, and then Roland and Susannah open fire. As they butcher the carcasses, Roland teaches Susanna to use every bit of the animal for food, clothing, and supplies. The preparation of the animals takes days, and Susannah fears that Roland has pneumonia; he eats the kidneys of the deer for a natural cure. They eat deer steaks and dress in deer hides, cured into leather. At night, Susannah dreams of Eddie and Jake in New York. They warn her about Dandelo, but she still does not know the meaning of their words. She wakes with the name Patrick Danville fresh in her mind.

After three weeks’ journey through the snow, Roland, Susannah, and Oy reach a downward sloping hill. Susannah has built snowshoes for Roland. Mordred, Roland believes, has fallen further behind. He has a psychic connection to his son that he cannot explain, so he knows that Mordred is suffering and ill-prepared for the conditions. Roland insists that he does not pity Mordred, as he “can’t afford pity” (526); Susannah suspects that this is not true.

They eventually reach what seems to be a plowed road and a town, though all but one building seem deserted. A defaced road sign says that they are at an intersection between Tower Road and Odd’s Lane. Heading in the direction of the occupied cottage, they are met by an old man. He has one eye and a heavy limp and is accompanied by a bedraggled horse. His name is Joe Collins, he says, and his horse is named Lippy. The warm welcome prompts even Roland to laugh. Susannah relaxes as the old man invites them into his home. Joe explains that he was once from America. He has lived on Odd’s Lane for many years, however, and he is helped by a robot named Stuttering Bill. Susannah feels that something is strange, but Roland seems to warm quickly to the old man, so she ignores her instincts.

Joe has a picture of the Dark Tower on his wall. The photograph of the Tower surrounded by roses captivates Roland. Joe claims that the Tower is not far away, and Susannah senses that their journey is coming to an end. Something about Joe continues to perturb her, but Roland is keen to discuss the Tower. They may be just three weeks from the Tower itself. Joe serves them food, and they are happy to be so well fed. Briefly, Susannah thinks of Mordred, starving out in the cold.

Joe tells his story: He was a traveling comic in 1960s America. He performs his routine, and Roland is very amused by Joe’s jokes. Susannah, however, notices issues in Joe’s story and hears a strange wailing sound. Eventually, she snaps out of her laughter long enough to go to the bathroom. As Joe resumes his routine and Roland laughs, Susannah finds a mysterious note, a “deus ex machina” from Stephen King (552). She realizes that Odd’s Lane is actually Odd Lane, hastily changed because “Odd Lane” is an anagram for “Dandelo.” She hears Roland’s laughter turn into choking.

Susannah rushes from the bathroom to find Joe standing over the choking Roland. He is growing visibly younger, feeding off Roland’s emotions like a “vampire.” Joe is so caught up in his feeding that he does not notice Susannah knock him down. Then, she shoots him with Roland’s gun. The dying Joe—actually Dandelo—shifts through various terrifying insect- and clown-like shapes. As Dandelo dies, the spell cast over the cottage dies as well, revealing the warm, cozy space to be a dilapidated shack.

Roland begs Susannah’s forgiveness for falling for Dandelo’s trick. She explains that she found a note in the bathroom, likely from Stephen King. In the medicine cabinet, they find another note from King. Since they saved his life, he says, he has saved theirs. Now, “all debts are paid” (560). There is also a copy of Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” which Susannah reads to Roland. They find eerie similarities between the old poem and their quest.

They hear a cry from the basement and, investigating, find a prison cell containing a bedraggled boy: Patrick Danville. He has been held captive by Dandelo, who tore out Patrick’s tongue and feasted on his emotions. They free Patrick and feed him. Outside, a storm gathers, and they agree to rest in Dandelo’s barn until the storm passes. If either Mordred or Lippy appears, Roland will kill them.

Three days pass. Lippy returns, but Mordred does not arrive; Roland puts the old horse out of its misery. Patrick reveals himself to be an incredibly talented artist. He uses his art to communicate, sketching with art supplies found in Dandelo’s house (though all the erasers have been removed from the pencils). After three days, the robot named Stuttering Bill arrives. The storm has passed, and Bill is plowing the roads. Bill greets Patrick warmly; he shows “genuine gladness” that the boy has been freed. He did not like Dandelo and wants to help those who killed him.

Mordred watches the conversation from a distance. He sees Bill drive Roland, Susannah, Patrick, and Oy away in his plow. Mordred then enters Dandelo’s cottage and eats everything he finds. He hears the Crimson King in his mind, calling on him to kill Roland and the others. They will destroy the Tower together, the Crimson King says, and “rule todash together for eternity” (576). By the time he leaves the cottage, Mordred has grown into a man in his early twenties.