The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah

Published: 2004

Song of Susannah (2004), the penultimate Dark Tower novel, follows the scattered ka-tet as they pursue urgently converging storylines across multiple worlds. Susannah Dean, pregnant with a potentially monstrous child and dominated by the personality of Mia, has fled to 1999 New York to give birth. Roland and Eddie travel to 1977 Maine to secure the vacant lot containing the rose, encountering obstacles from both the Crimson King's agents and the real world of property laws. Meanwhile, Jake, Father Callahan, and Oy journey to 1999 New York to rescue Susannah before her mysterious pregnancy comes to term. Most controversially, the narrative introduces Stephen King himself as a character, as Roland and Eddie visit the author in 1977 to ensure he continues writing the Dark Tower series, suggesting the entire saga is being channeled rather than created, with implications for all realities. The novel delves deeper into meta-fictional territory, questioning the relationship between creator and creation while accelerating toward the series' conclusion. Published just months before the final volume as part of King's push to complete the series following his near-fatal accident, Song of Susannah received mixed reviews. Critics praised its propulsive narrative momentum while questioning the self-referential introduction of King as a character. Some found it primarily a transitional novel setting up the finale rather than a satisfying standalone entry. For readers, the novel represents the series at its most challenging and philosophically complex, raising questions about free will, creation, and the nature of stories themselves. The cliffhanger ending, with multiple plotlines in crisis, created intense anticipation for the final volume. The book's shorter length compared to other Dark Tower volumes reflects its focused, urgent pacing as the narrative strands converge. Song of Susannah demonstrates King's willingness to take narrative risks in service of his larger vision, even when those choices might alienate some readers.

Themes

• Destiny vs. free will
• Meta-fiction
• Identity
• Creation
• Motherhood

Adaptations

Collector Notes

The most controversial Dark Tower book for its introduction of Stephen King himself as a character. Published just months before the final volume as King worked to complete the series.