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The Wind Through the Keyhole

The Wind Through the Keyhole

FantasyHigh Fantasy
Pages
335
Published
2012
Language
English

Synopsis

Roland Deschain, a young gunslinger, is tasked with hunting a dangerous shapeshifter. He finds himself protecting Bill Streeter, a boy who witnessed the creature's latest attack. To calm the frightened child, Roland shares a story his mother used to tell him, a tale called "The Wind Through the Keyhole.

Prose complexity
8/10

Vibe

DarkAtmosphericAdventurousThought-Provoking
QuestMentor FigureComing of AgeSacrificeDual Timeline

Genres

Fantasy High Fantasy Literary Fiction Dark Fantasy Folklore Horror Science Fiction

About the author

S
Stephen King

Stephen King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author whose work has defined popular horror fiction for more than half a century. Born in Portland, Maine, he grew up in poverty after his father abandoned the family, and credits his mother's resilience and a voracious reading habit as the foundations of his imagination. He began selling short stories to men's magazines while working as a high school English teacher, and published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974—his wife Tabitha retrieved...

Characters

Roland DeschainProtagonist
Bill StreeterSupporting
All characters in The Wind Through the Keyhole

Frequently asked questions

  • Where does The Wind Through the Keyhole fit in the Dark Tower series?

    It is Dark Tower 4.5—set between Wizard and Glass (Book 4) and Wolves of the Calla (Book 5). Published in 2012, it uses a story-within-a-story-within-a-story structure: Roland tells a tale that includes an old story his mother used to tell him, creating three nested narrative levels.

  • What is 'The Wind Through the Keyhole' fairy tale within the novel?

    The innermost story—the fairy tale Roland's mother told him—follows a boy named Tim Ross who enters a dangerous forest to find a wizard who might cure his blind mother. It is King's most explicit fairy tale, with the tone of Grimm or Andersen, and functions as the emotional heart of the novel's otherwise adult themes.

  • Is this a good starting point for the Dark Tower series?

    It works better as a midpoint pause than an entry—the frame story assumes knowledge of Roland's world and his ka-tet. King has said new readers can read it first as a fairy tale entry, but the full emotional payoff requires knowing the series. It is best read between Books 4 and 5 as intended.

  • Why did King return to the Dark Tower universe with this book?

    King has said readers and Constant Readers persistently asked him what happened between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla. He had a story ready—the nested fairy tale had existed in his mind for some time—and this book was the result. He has said he is unlikely to write another Dark Tower novel but has not ruled it out entirely.

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