On the Booklist I have been recently talking about the Dark Tower books, since I have just finished WaG. We also discussed theories of Stephen King book cosmology at work one night, so I think I'm going to propose some of my own theory on what will happen to the ka-tet in the later installments of the books, and how it ties into King's writings as a whole.

Read or don't.

First, I think that it doesn't really matter whether or not Roland's world is the future of one of the other books of King's, only that it intersects these as it sits at the top of all his realities, or at least at the center of the spokes.

In the Dungeons and Dragons game of Planescape there is a city that sits at the center of all realities called Sigil, and it is as the center of a wheel in all reality. There are doors from Sigil that go to everywhere, and I think that this is what Roland's world is.

One of the possibilites that I see is that the Dark Tower is merely reality itself, and that King himself is the Crimson King and when Roland and his Ka-tet reach the top, or the center this is what and who they will find. Elsewhere on the net, I read someone's idea that the reason that the worlds are moving on and falling apart is that King is getting older and they are fading as he gets older.

Could be true.

One thing that I do think will play into the series are the Dark and Light hotels from the Talisman, and I think that the Talisman itself may have been part of Maerlyn's Rainbow. I don't know if King consciously thought this when he (or Straub) wrote that part of the Talisman, but that is how it may play now.

In the prologue to the Wolves of the Calla, he tells of children being taken away by wolves on iron horses. I believe that these are wolves working in the company of Flagg and under the Crimson King, as we saw in Black House, where part of the action took place in an area that I think is reminiscent of the land known as Thunderclap, or perhaps is Thunderclap. The roont children that come back have been touched by otherworldly power, much like Collie in Desperation and other characters that were worn by Tak.

I also think that Tak will play a role in the final drama and probably has something to do with the Crimson King himself. I also think that it is likely that John Farson, Marten and Flagg are all the same man, as we know that Flagg and Marten are.

It is also possible that Sunlight Gardner is or was one of the lieutenants of the Good Man, or perhaps he was just one of Flagg's underlings in the Territories, much as Trashcan and Roy were in the Stand.

What will happen when they reach the tower? I don't know.

I do think that almost every book that King has written ties into this series somehow though, if only through a character having the touch, also known I think as the shine.

Here are some of the ways that I see some of the books as linking.

Desperation and the Regulators--Tak and the idea of the power inhabiting a body and blowing it up They take children in the Wolves of the Calla, because they won't use up as quickly as adults, perhaps even the great Lord Perth was a human touched by one of these spirits.

IT-It concerns an otherworldy entity, envisioned as a spider at sometimes, who could be one of the guardians on the wheel, I don't think that King has listed all twelve animals. The turtle is most certainly tied in, and the symbolism of the ka and ka-tet are too. Perhaps It is another manifestation of Flagg?

From a Buick 8-The world that the car opens onto is strangely reminiscent of the Waste-Lands that Blaine drives over.

The Shining-The shine itself, known as the touch in the Dark Tower Books, and the overlook hotel, which could be a mirror of the dark hotel in the Talisman.

Black House-There are many direct ties there, from the Little Sisters, to Parkus's appearance as a pseudo-Gunslinger, and even discussion of Roland and his quest.

The Stand--Again direct ties, as Flagg appears, and the ka-tet walks through part of the Stand's Kansas.

Insomnia--There is much discussion of the Tower and what it means in this book, thought I need to read it again, it's been awhile.

Needful Things--Is Gaunt Flagg, or is he perhaps just another Demon?

Eyes of the Dragon--Flagg, and the fact that Roland mentions meeting characters from this book mean that they overlap directly, though the world of Delain is not neccessarily that of Gilead.

I think that's enough for now.

I was just thinking about the world's only ass kicking machine, and I was wondering, how do they know it's the world's only one? I'm sure in the wide world of creation, throughout time there has been the urge and drive by some to create such ass kicking constructions.

In fact I have no doubt that in some remote region there is an ass kicking machine waiting to be re-discovered. The Greeks were smart people, so were the Incas. They all liked to kick ass too.
I e-mailed Martin at the screensavers and suggested that they build one on the screensavers set. I think it would liven the place up a bit. It would be an interesting twist for their show. Instead of Patrick destroying computers with a sledgehammer, they could kick their asses. If computers have asses that is. I'm sure I-macs do.

I watch alot of Tech-tv, sometimes I think they're my only friends.

I have to watch out, or this will become every other blog, some social reject whining about how they can't get a date or don't have any friends, because they are sitting behind the computer all day, or night as the case is with myself.

I recieved my tape of Mayhem at the Atrium III from Kaiju Big Battel, yesterday, and let me tell you, it's the best backyard-wrestling-Japanese-monster-filmed-in-New-York action I've ever seen. Thirty Six minutes of non stop garbage style wrestling by guys in costumes with such names as the Silver Potato, and Los Plantanos. It's pretty good if you like this sort of thing, and I do.
They're not as good at making costumes as Gwar, but a few of them are pretty good, like Dust Bunny and Hell Monkey.
It's not Ricky Steamboat v. Rick Flair by any means, it's not even Colorado Kid v. Ashley Hudson, but it's heart is in the right place, and for teenagers beating on each other in silly costumes, it's pretty good.
Do you like Gwar videos? Do you like bad wrestling? Then this might be for you.
Come to think of it, why doesn't Gwar put together an all wrestling tape? I think that would be pretty good. Techno v. Oderous was the best match at Dragon*Con wrestling the first year they had it. Perhaps Gwar could invade Kaiju.
It's a thought.

I've been playing Hitman 2 for the playstation for the last week or so, and damn if that isn't a fun game.
It's not on par with GTA3, but it is very engrossing in its own right. I'm still trying to get the whole "silent but deadly" aspect of creeping around without being seen or heard, and prefer to just rush in with a machine gun and do my business, but maybe I'll catch on one day. The mission I'm on currently has something like 60 ninjas guarding the door to a castle where there are no doubt a lot more ninjas waiting.
I sure do like me some shooting of the ninjas.
Heh.

Imagine this if you will.
Jon Bon Jovi stars in a film as a Vampire Hunter.
Still with me? Now it's the sequal to a John Carpenter film, and he executive produces. Should be good right?
Predictably, no.
Just finished the film, tried to get two other people to rent it and tell me if I needed to see it, couldn't get them to, though. I was in the video store today and Big Trouble wasn't in, so I picked up Vampires Los Muertos and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
D is very good, if you are an anime fan and haven't seen it, pick it up. It's actually better than the original.
Los Muertos was not engaging to me in the least, during it I got up and watched an episode of ER, read part of a book, and generally ignored most of the travesty that was presented before me.
Especially bad was the performance of Natasha Gregson Wagner, who was just annoying. There were also inconsistancies in the staging of action in the film that I noticed early on that put me off, such as a vampire entering through a dark archway, then being staked and pushed through the same arch outside.
How did he come in from outside where it was sunny.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust 7/10--beautiful animation, some bad voice acting
Vampres Los Muertos 4/10--Pointless and boring

Back after all this time to bring you the joy and happiness your life is lacking.
I was watching Charmed today on TNT, and I don't think that I've ever seen a show that tries so hard to have good writing and fails, badly. The writer's knowledge of the occult seems to be drawn from children's mythology books, possibly of the pop-up variety, and a lot of episodes of Bewitched with a little bit of Practical Magic thrown in.
I can't really blame Holly Marie Combs (sp?) for her terrible acting in part of the episode, though. How is she supposed to know how a Zen master would act and talk, much less be able to do it. It would be like asking Martin Short to be funny, or William Shatner to grow hair.
They are attractive girls though. I think the world would be a bit of a different place if magic were as simple as reading a spell from an old book or cooking a potion according to ingredients listed in the same book. (a book of shadows nonetheless, I haven't caught whose book of shadows it is though, and it doesn't look to me to be the homemade type).
Ah, well a real show about magic, now that would be just plain boring. Imagine it, some guy or girl does a lot of reading and meditating, then performs a ritual or to says that the thing is done, does a banishing ritual, and then...nothing. For the spell to be truly successfull it has to be forgotten. It's too bad magic takes effort, and isn't just something you can do and make, say a million dollars appear in front of you immediatly by saying a rhyming couplet.
But they're sisters, and they're hot.
Perhaps this is an incredibly clever show about magic, only of the prestidigitation variety. Pay no attention to the flimsy plots and acting. Do not delve to deeply into the meaning or the research of the writers, watch as three attractive sisters wear revealing clothing and, much as on friends, always seem to be in cold rooms with thin shirts.
Where's my remote?