The Wind Through the Keyhole

Stephen King returns to the lush world of Mid-World, the breathtaking setting of the fantasy Dark Tower trilogy, which is his most alluring work to date.

On their trip to the Outer Baronies, Roland Deschain and his ka-tet (Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler) cross the River Whye and immediately come across a violent storm. Roland tells his buddies two odd stories as they seek cover from the roaring wind, shedding fresh light on his own dark background in the process.

Early in his career as a gunslinger, in the year after his mother's death, Roland's father sends him to look into reports of a deadly shape-shifter, a "skin-man," preying on the locals of Debaria. Bill Streeter, the courageous but afraid youngster who is the only survivor of the beast's most recent massacre, is under Roland's care. Roland, who is still a teenager, reads to the youngster a tale from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother used to read to him before bed to help him relax and be ready for the challenges of the next day. Roland tells Bill, "You're never too old for stories." "You can never be too old, man or kid, lady or woman. They are our life. In fact, the fable of Tim Stoutheart, which Roland relates, is a timeless gem that will always captivate us.

The Dark Tower series was started by Stephen King in 1974, picked up steam in the 1980s, and reached a dramatic climax with the publication of the last three books in 2003 and 2004. Enthusiasts of the Dark Tower saga will undoubtedly find The Wind Through the Keyhole fascinating. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland’s world and testimony to the power of Stephen King’s storytelling magic.

from the jacket's original edition