This book was considerably shorter than the three volumes of the series surrounding it. It was still a good read, much like the other books were. It answered a lot of questions, but brought up even more. Beginning with the book before this, the series became much more complicated and complex, and it's occasionally hard to follow. It's a great series, but I miss the stark simplicity of the first book. Also, the book focused too much on Susannah, even though it's named after her, than on Roland, whom the whole saga is supposed to be about. The gunslinger took a backseat in this novel, and not for the better. Roland is by far the best character in the series, and sending him backstage for the second to last book was a disappointment. The book's peak, for me, at least, wasn't either of the dual climaxes, but the introduction of King himself as a character. I thought this move was brilliant and very-well executed. The journal entries at the end I thought were somewhat of a cop-out, but were still interesting and different. Even so, this book, and the series, is fantastic, and I look forward to the final volume.