Wolves of the Calla

Dark Tower V

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Roland Deschain and his ka-tet are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World, the almost timeless landscape that seems to stretch from the wreckage of civility that defined Roland's youth to the crimson chaos that seems the future's only promise. Followers of Stephen King's epic series know Roland well, or as well as this enigmatic hero can be known. They also know the companions who have been drawn to his quest for the Dark Tower: Eddie Dean and his wife, Susannah; Jake Chambers, the boy who has come twice through the doorway of death into Roland's world; and Oy, the Billy Bumbler.

In this long-awaited fifth novel in the saga, their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a tranquil valley community of farmers and ranchers on Mid-World's borderlands. Beyond the town, the rocky ground rises toward the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is slowly stealing the community's soul. One of the town's residents is Pere Callahan, a ruined priest who, like Susannah, Eddie and Jake, passed through one of the portals that lead both into and out of Roland's world.

As Father Callahan tells the ka-tet the astonishing story of what happened following his shamed departure from Maine in 1977, his connection to the Dark Tower becomes clear, as does the danger facing a single red rose in a vacant lot off Second Avenue in midtown Manhattan. For Calla Bryn Sturgis, danger gathers in the east like a storm cloud. The Wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to, and they can give the Calla folken both courage and cunning. Their guns, however, will not be enough.

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is unlike anything you've ever heard. Here is Stephen King's most visionary piece of storytelling, a magical mix of fantasy and horror that may well be his crowning achievement. Don't miss the other volumes of Stephen King's The Dark Tower.

©2003 Stephen King (P)2003 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved, Audioworks is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Gonna be a humdinger of a fight! Fore and aft of the showdown, King stuffs the book with juice...One of the greatest cavalcades in popular fiction is back on track." (Booklist)
"The high suspense and extensive character development here...plus the enormity of King's ever-expanding universe, will surely keep his 'Constant Readers' in awe." (Publishers Weekly)

Terrible reader

Compared to the reader of the previous book who did great character voice work. This one sucks so bad that it got to the point I couldn’t wait for this book to be over.

Good, but Frank Muller is Greatly Missed

Overall, this was a great Dark Tower book. After the boring, soap opera nature of <i>Wizard and Glass</i>, this was a nice change of pace more in the vein of <i>The Waste Lands</i>. By the end, I found myself once again eagerly awaiting the sequel; fortunately, Mr. King is going to satisfy that craving quickly this time around. My main gripe is that George Guidall is just not the right person for this series. I guess I was spoiled by Frank Muller's exciting readings, but Guidall, on the other hand, seems bored with the reading and his voice is just too "old" for the characters. A better choice would be Scott Brick (High Druid of Shannara, The Company) or even Ron McLarty ('Salem's Lot).

WOW!

I could not wait to start this fifth book, and I was not at all disappointed. The reader change was difficult to take at first, but I got used to him and enjoyed the story very much. At the end we learn why Mr. King was forced to change readers, it was very sad. I look forward to the last two books in this story with great antisipation.

A great book, but please bring back Frank Muller

No need to comment further on the fabulous quality of this story and this series, which have been rightfully lauded by others.

Unfortunately, George Guidall, who narrated the first installment of the series (The Gunslinger) has returned for books five and six. Guidall's voice is indeed deep and rich, but he lacks the ability to change timbre and accent for individual characters. It isn't so bad that Roland and Eddie Dean sound pretty much alike. But when Mr. Guidall tries to produce female and child voices (especially main characters Susannah Dean and Jake Chambers) he substitues raw speed for the ability to produce a light voice. Their dialog is delivered in a breathy rapid-fire monotone that removes all expression and makes them sound like chipmunks on amphetamines.

The second, third and fourth books (The Drawing of the Three, The Wastelands and Wizard and Glass) were brilliantly read by Frank Muller. Mr. Muller produces such a wide range of credible accents and speech styles that you can hear distinct individual voices as he reads the dialogue. Eddie Dean speaks (and thinks) with an authentic Brooklyn accent. Jake indeed sounds like a boy, and Susannah Dean has a soft, slightly southern drawl that is easily acceptable as a woman's voice.

Kudos to Mr. Muller. Let's hope they bring him back for the final book of the series, The Dark Tower, due for release later this year.

Epic tale gets better&better but where's Muller?

What did you love best about Wolves of the Calla?

This book is wonderful. The series keeps getting better. I was so excited when I realized the priest from Salem's Lot is in this book. Love the story in Calla.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

THE NARRATOR WASN'T GOOD. I really miss Frank Muller's narration of the series. George Guidall sounds so old and tired and makes the book sound that way too. I bet he'd be good for other books but... not this one. I was very disappointed to see he narrates the next book too. UGH!

Dark Tower V

I read the book, and have listened to the audio download from this site. Found it highly entertaining either way.

It's hard without Frank Muller

Honestly Frank really made those first four books the narrator for this one did a good job but it's really hard to go from hearing Eddie with a really thick Brooklyn accent and a very nasaly way of speaking to something significantly more soft spoken. Story wise it's good it definitely takes a good long time to wind up but I guess king's payoffs are usually worth it.

Favorite book so far!

I swear each time I listen to this series I say this is the newest book is the best because these books keep getting better! I have never picked up a Stephen King book in my life until these audio books. Wow. I am literally going to buy this series physically and reread.

amazing book...miss Mueller..still good listen

new narrator isnt that bad. still worth listening too. story is totally kick ass! cant wait to start the next one.

Great story

As always, Stephen King's stories are great. I enjoyed every minute. Can't wait to hear the next one. Thanks for the time.