The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Stephen King |
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| Cover artist | Dave McKean |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Dark Fantasy, science fiction |
| Publisher | Grant |
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Publication date
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November 4, 1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 787 |
| ISBN | 978-1-880418-38-3 |
| Preceded by | The Waste Lands |
| Followed by | The Wind Through the Keyhole |
Wizard and Glass is an exciting fantasy novel written by the American author Stephen King. It is the fourth book in The Dark Tower series. This book was published in 1997. It was very popular and came in fourth place for the best fantasy novel in the annual Locus Poll.
Contents
Story of Wizard and Glass
The story of Wizard and Glass picks up right after the events of the previous book, The Waste Lands. Roland, Jake, Eddie, and Susannah, along with their animal friend Oy the billy-bumbler, are still on a strange train called Blaine the Mono. Blaine is a crazy computer that loves riddles.
Eddie, one of the main characters, uses silly, childish jokes to defeat Blaine. The computer cannot understand these "illogical" riddles. Because of this, Blaine has a short-circuit and stops working.
A Strange New World
After Blaine stops, the four heroes and Oy get off the train. They find themselves at a railway station in Topeka, Kansas. But this Topeka is different from what they know. It's the 1980s, and the city is completely empty.
This version of the world has lost most of its people. A terrible sickness, like the one in Stephen King's novel The Stand, caused everyone to disappear. There are small clues that link this world to other King stories. For example, a famous villain called Randall Flagg (also known as The Walkin' Dude) is mentioned.
This world also has small differences from their own. For instance, the baseball team in Kansas City is called the Monarchs, not the Royals. Also, a popular soft drink is called Nozz-A-La.
The group, known as a ka-tet (a group of people linked by fate), leaves the city. They travel along the Kansas Turnpike. One night, they camp near a strange, dangerous dimensional hole. Roland calls this hole a "thinny."
Roland's Past: A Young Gunslinger's Tale
While camping, Roland, the main gunslinger, decides to tell his friends a story from his past. He talks about his first time seeing a thinny. This long flashback makes up most of the book.
Earning His Guns
Roland's story begins when he is only fourteen years old. This is when he earns his guns and becomes a gunslinger. This event is also told in a comic book series called The Gunslinger Born. Roland had to challenge his teacher, Cort, to a duel to prove he was ready. Roland won the duel, becoming the youngest gunslinger ever.
After this, Roland's father sends him away from their home, Gilead. This is to keep him safe. Roland travels with his two friends, Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns.
Love and Danger in Mejis
Soon, Roland and his friends arrive in a far-off place called the Barony of Mejis. Here, Roland falls in love with a girl named Susan Delgado. Susan was promised to the mayor, Thorin, which causes many problems. Roland's love for Susan makes him forget his duties for a while. This almost causes a big fight between him and his best friend, Cuthbert.
Roland and his ka-tet also discover a secret plan. The leaders of Mejis are working with a rebel leader named John Farson. They plan to give Farson oil from Mejis to power his war machines.
The authorities in Mejis arrest Roland's group. They are falsely accused of killing the mayor and chancellor. But with Susan's help, Roland and his friends escape from jail. They then destroy the oil and defeat Farson's soldiers. They also stop the people in Mejis who were helping Farson. The big battle ends at Eyebolt Canyon. Here, Farson's troops are tricked into running into a thinny, which leads to their downfall.
The Mysterious Wizard's Glass
During their adventures, Roland's group also finds a special object. It is a pink, magical orb called the Wizard's Glass. They take it from the town witch, Rhea of the Cöos. The glass had completely taken over Rhea. She was so busy watching visions in the orb that she forgot to eat and care for her pets.
The glass shows Roland visions of his future. It also shows him a sad vision of Susan's death. She is burned as a sacrifice. These visions make Roland very upset for a time. When he recovers, the glass shows him other visions. These are events he wasn't there for but still affected his life and Susan's. This is how the Wizard's Glass works. Roland's sad story from his past then comes to an end.
The Journey Continues
The next morning, Roland's new ka-tet (Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy) arrives at a city that looks like the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. Inside, they find that the Wizard is actually Marten Broadcloak. This is another name for Randall Flagg, the villain from Roland's past.
When Roland tries to shoot Flagg, Flagg escapes. He leaves behind another magical orb called Maerlyn's Grapefruit. This orb shows the ka-tet a sad day from Roland's past involving his mother. Roland's journey often brings challenges to those he cares about.
Despite these difficult visions, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake all decide to continue their quest. They refuse to give up on finding The Dark Tower. As the book ends, the ka-tet sets off once more. They follow the Path of the Beam, continuing their long journey to The Dark Tower.
About the Illustrations
Dave McKean created eighteen special drawings for The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. These original eighteen drawings were only included in the first edition of the book, which was a hardcover released in 1997.
See also
In Spanish: La Torre Oscura IV: mago y cristal para niños
