This - the fourth episode of "The Dark Tower" series - is perhaps the best of the series up to this point. Part of the reason it is so good is because it tells a great story of our hero Roland's past. Unfortunately, because most of this book involves our crew sitting around a campfire while Roland tells us about his past, our fellowship is no closer to The Dark Tower. For a book with so much plot - one front on the war which destroys Roland's world - not much happens regarding the larger plot arc. (Sure, there's a little bit about the revival of the Tick-Tock Man villan, and some direct allusions to The Wizard of Oz - but that part actually feels forced on to the end, as though King realized that he needed to move his characters forward.)
We find out about Roland's first (and probably only) love, as well as about some of his friendships. We learn that Walter (the Man in Black from the first book) was on the side of the Good Man, betraying Roland's world. We also learn that, at the time of his world's crumbling, Roland was just a young man. Stylistically, there are some great action sequences, and the mythology of Roland's world and all its political and social complexities become more clear.
Without giving it too much praise, this book definitely gives the mysterious hero more definition.
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