Gosh, this first episode was absolutely incredible. As a Tower Junkie, I have to say, @scribeofhades.bsky.social you were such a joy to listen to when discussing the book. I’m so excited for this!

Long days and pleasant nights.

Regardless, I’m grateful beyond words for these works, the Constant Reader community (truly some of the kindest people on the internet), and the places I’ve gone in my imagination through all of this reading.

If I was on the English lit PhD track today, would I swap William Blake for a deep dive dissertation on the Dark Tower? Maybe.

And many of the other books will be revisited with regularity (such as the Steven Weber audiobook performance of IT, which is truly incredible).

Now I’ve made four journeys to the Tower and am officially a Tower Junkie as well as a Constant Reader. It’s a journey I’ve taken once a year since 2022 and plan to take annually.

I did take a break while academic work pushed me in other directions—except to finish The Dark Tower (at long last!) when those final books were published.

Reading King as a lonely middle & high schooler in the ‘90s is a singular experience that I know a lot of my fellow Gen X/Xennial comrades will likely remember with great fondness.

It’s hard to believe that 35+ years ago, when I was around 10 years old, I picked up a book that changed my life forever with one sentence:

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”