Dark Tower Tours

Stephen King's magnum opus The Dark Tower is a difficult set of books to pin down and describe:  A sprawling western, a science fiction laced fantasy, an epic tale on par with The Lord Of The Rings... all of these descriptions fit.

The story centers around Roland, the last of the gunslingers (think Jedi Knights) struggling to save all of Mid-World.  The world has moved on, and Roland knows to save it he must reach The Dark Tower, a central nexus point that connects ALL worlds and ALL whens.  To do this, he must have help, and draws to him three companions from our world.  Together, they form a Ka-Tet (wondering where my blog name came from, Constant Reader?  Wonder no more!) a group more powerful than friends, closer than family.

At the start of the fourth novel, the Ka-Tet has just survived a ride on a homicidal monorail and crashed at the last stop of... Topeka.  It's not totally the Topeka, KS of our world, but it's the Topeka, KS of a parallel world, one what was devastated by the super-flu known as Captain Tripps from another of King's epics, The Stand.

Now I imagine that folks who live in New York or L.A. get this all the time.  The "oh look, that was filmed just around the corner from where I live" syndrome.  But friends let me tell you, it just doesn't happen here in Topeka KS all that often.  I mean, our claim to fame is THE WIZARD OF OZ and let's face it, that's just about played out.  When I read that I had goose flesh crawling up and down my arms.  So I decided to share the experience.  My hope is that my fellow Topekans will see these photos and think it's cool that Mr. Stephen King took care to get most of the details right, (we'll of course, forgive any literary changes!) and my Dark Tower aficionados who DON'T live nearby (you know who you are) will be able to look through these and think "yep, just how I pictured it in my head."

The accompanying picture descriptions come directly from the fourth book, Wizard and Glass. I recommend watching in full screen, setting the options to show info, and move slow...

Fictional Geography

Did you ever notice that fantasy novels tend to include maps of their fictional locations?  It's become quite the trope now that when you crack the cover to the latest adventure novel you are bound to find some sort of line drawn map within it's pages, usually on the inside cover with clearly marked notations as to where parts of the adventure will take place.  Now, I'm no expert, but I have always thought the writer's job was to tell a story, and tell it well.  Surely part of that job description is to make the course of the narrative clear enough for the reader to follow WITHOUT A MAP!

And yet, there they are.  From the classics going all the way back to R. L. Stevenson's Treasure Island on...


Ever had a hankering to walk Narnia?  Not from the movies, but as portrayed in the authentic book series The Chronicles Of Narnia by C.S. Lewis?  Cause there's a map for that.  (Pity there isn't one to help me find my way out of the back of the wardrobe.)

Of course, the 900 lb. Gorilla of fantasy novels is J.R.R. Token's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.  It's map has become the go-to design for style and substance in the mythical world, with it's stylish details of The Shire, Rivendale, The Misty Mountains, The Sea Of Rhun, The Lonely Mountain, Rohan, Gondor, Mirkwood forest, and even Mordor, which one does not simply walk into, apparently even with a map.

Stephen King avoided the issue through most of his entire magnum opus The Dark Tower, (mostly because the geography of Mid-World is finicky and changes) but finally provided a map in the seventh installment.  It's inclusion may be because the reality of the tower is based so much on King's own memories of reading Tolken and being inspired to write something equally as massive, an homage to King's inspiration.  Or it may be a case of jumping on the band wagon.  Since then, a plethora of maps have been produced, mostly coming out of the Marvel comic book series, but since comics are a visual medium, that's a bit more acceptable.

Even George R.R. Martin and his Game Of Thrones books features a map of the realm, masterfully depicted in the animated opening of the HBO series based on the stories.



There are a few exceptions to rule, J.K. Rowling for example did not include one single map in the Harry Potter novels.  No Hogwarts floor plan, no Hogsmeade village, no shopping map of Diagon Alley.

Now, I'm not knocking the practice, per-say.  These maps are well thought out, beautifully drawn and highly imaginative.  I myself used to spend hours doodling my own made up maps to lands that didn't exist anywhere but within my creative subconscious.  The question is why?  Why are these maps necessary?  I mean, yes, when I read a book I will go and check out the map to position the players in my mind's eye.  But is that just an automatic reflex just because the map is there?  If there was no map would we comprehend or enjoy the story any less?  Is it part of the human need to categorize and label everything, even that which we know to be fake?  Or does the inclusion of a map make the fictionalized world that much more real? Does it allow the fan to touch a part of the story that would otherwise be left foreign and unknown?  And which is preferable?

How much is too much?  When does including a map for a fictional location become less helpful to the audience and more an exercise in vanity?  Hey, check out the location map for Waterworld!

View Larger Map

For my own thoughts, I think the world should be best left to the imagination.  The paint brush of my mind is quite happy to rise to the challenge of filling in those blank empty spots that simply read: "Here there be dragons"...  <>

What is the Ka-Tet Of Geek?

In Stephen King's magnum opus The Dark Tower, the heroes embark on a journey to save Mid-World (and in deed, all worlds) from the insane Crimson King, who seeks to topple the Dark Tower which sits at the nexus point of all creation.

The tight-knit group is called a Ka-Tet, meaning in the high speech of the land, "a group of people drawn together by Ka for a purpose."  Ka is fate, or destiny, or god, or whatever you make it out to be.  Roland, the lead protagonist of the novels describes Ka-Tet as being "one from many", while one of his friends and followers, Susannah derives it as even simpler, it is the notion of family.

So what is the Ka-Tet of Geek?  It is, in my own estimation, that strange conflux of fans who become friends, and friends who become family.  Like Google+, you can belong to one or many circles or groups, and frequently the people within that circle will cross into the orbits of others.  Star Trek fans for example, are not exclusively Trekkies. (Or Trekkers, depending on their preference.)  

People who worship at the alter of STAR WARS can also be as deeply embedded in the religion of Joss Whedon's Firefly, which hovers close to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which probably joins up with True Blood, and by proximity of network, Game Of Thrones, which should be read by all accounts, and if you like George R.R. Martin, then you simply must read J.R.R. Tolken's Lord Of The Rings trilogy if you haven't already.  Thus, in six degrees of separation, we moved from the height of popcorn pop culture film through cult television, to premium network adaptation to classic novels.

But it's not just that.  Yes, Potterheads can be comic book fans (and frequently are), but the Geek family extends beyond a mere fandom or celebration of content.  Most fans are well read, deeply passionate about various causes--everything from fighting Cancer to animal cruelty--and are students of science as well.  I hate to shatter your illusion, but those geeks on The Big Bang Theory?  Yeah, they really do exist, and they ARE that much smarter than you. 

Geek circles exist in part because society at large has always shunned them.  Nerds, geeks, dweebs. Whatever negative derogatory term was brandied about to classify someone who didn't conform to the "norm".  No, jocks aren't evil (In fact, I'll go one better and submit that it is perfectly fine to be a die hard geek, and also like sports.)  It's not quite as bad as they make it out to be in the movies, Jocks and Geeks don't have to always come to contests of brawn vs. brain.  But the geeks laughed last, didn't they?  The computer I'm using to write this blog?  Invented by a nerd.  The touch screen tablet you're using to read this?  Nerd.  The film you watched last night?  A geek directed it.  

Blessed are the Geek, for they shall inherit the Earth.  Yep.  Already happened.

But of course, it's not just that either.  Fans are are a...well, fanatical, devoted bunch.  Weather it's the writings of Douglas Adams, the film styles of Quentin Tarantino or Kevin Smith, or even the composing work of Danny Elfman or John Williams, geeks exhibit an almost proprietary attachment to their fanaticism.  But unlike a miserly Scrooge like hoarder who wishes to keep the treasure for himself, a true geek is always willing to share, to bring someone else into the magic of that universe.

To find another piece of the Ka-Tet.  Another friend, another family member. 

And so, my Ka-Tet, we assemble Avengers style.  We share the same interests, watch the same shows, read the same books.  So come along with me for the journey, as I attempt to navigate my own personal solar system of Geek circles.  Some will intersect with yours, and some will be like the rouge comet that randomly shows up every few dozen years only to disappear back into the void.  But the ride should be interesting. <>