This a pivotal instalment in the epic saga provides the key to the quest that defines Roland's life. In the next part of their journey to the tower, Roland and his band of followers face adversity from every side: Susannah Dean has been taken over by a demon-mother and uses the power of Black Thirteen to get from the Mid-World New York City. But who is the father of her child? And what role will the Crimson King play?Roland sends Jake to break Susannah's date with destiny, while he himself uses 'the persistence of magic' to get to Maine in the Summer of 1977. It is a terrible world: for one thing it is real and bullets are flying. For another, it is inhabited by the author of a novel called 'SALEM'S LOT.SONG OF SUSANNAH is driven by revelation and by suspense. It continues THE DARK TOWER series seamlessly from WOLVES OF THE CALLA and the dramatic climax will leave readers desperate to read the quest's conclusion.

About the Author

Stephen King is the bestselling author of more than thirty books including the epic The Dark Tower series, On Writing and Bag of Bones. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, in Bangor, Maine.

Reviews

This summer promises to be marked by a growing sense of anticipation for Dark Tower fans, as the climax to the tale with which King has tantalized readers for nearly a quarter of a century approaches. Close on the heels of Wolves of the Calla, this penultimate volume winds its way nimbly through the time-space continuum. In classic hero-journey fashion, Roland Deschain returns with his ka-tet of gunslingers from the ordeals they faced in Mid-World to a 1999 version of New York City, where the conclusion to Susannah Dean's uncertain pregnancy and, it would seem, the Dark Tower itself awaits them. Father Callahan continues, in comic parallel, to search for Stephen King-a plot line ripe with the wry satire of the relationship that King fashions between a writer and his work. In the end, King has his readers where he wants them: breathlessly waiting for more. (Illustrations not seen.) For all libraries.-Nancy McNicol, Ora Mason Lib., West Haven, CT Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

'Pulse-poundingly engaging' -- Sunday Express on SONG OF SUSANNAH 'Join the quest before it's too late' -- Independent on Sunday on SONG OF SUSANNAH

There's something about a crippled, black, schizophrenic, civil rights activist-turned-gunslinger whose body has been hijacked by a white, pregnant demon from a parallel world that keeps a seven-volume story bracingly strong as it veers toward its Armageddon-like conclusion. When Susannah Dean is transported via a magic door on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the scene of much of The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla) to New York City in the summer of 1999, the "demon-mother" who possesses her, Mia, has only one thing on her mind. She must give birth to her "chap" at a predetermined location in Manhattan's East 60s, as instructed by the henchmen or "Low Men" of the evil Crimson King. Pressed for time, Father Callahan, preteen Jake and talking pet "billy-bumbler" Oy follow Susannah and Mia's trail in an effort to prevent an act that would quicken the destruction of the Dark Tower and, in turn, of all worlds. Meanwhile, gunslingers Roland and Eddie travel to 1977 Maine in search of bookstore owner Calvin Tower, who is being hunted down by mobster Enrico Balazar and his gang, who first appeared in Eddie's version of New York in The Drawing of the Three. Avid readers of the series will either be completely enthralled or extremely irritated when, in a gutsy move, the author weaves his own character into this unpredictable saga, but either way there's no denying the ingenuity with which King paints a candid picture of himself. The sixth installment of this magnum opus stops short with the biggest cliffhanger of King's career, but readers at the edge of their seats need only wait a few short months (Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower will be released on September 21) to find out how and if King's fictional universe will come to an end. 10 full-color illus. not seen by PW. Agent, Arthur Greene. (June 8) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.