The fifth of seven books in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, Wolves of the Calla, is not dissimilar to the fourth book in that it does not move the ka-tet much closer to the conclusion of their journey by the book's end. However, the story it tells is compelling and I was rarely irritated in the course of this long novel. The plot has our travelers stopping in a small community to help them fight a mysterious bunch of marauders that sweep into their hamlet every twenty odd years and steal half the children--these invaders are the literal wolves of the title. We also are reminded of some of the less savory aspects of the characters that are the heroes of this series, and have to recognize that, in their own way, they too are wolves.
King paints a convincing landscape and makes good use of a local dialect to help establish a sense of place. Also, I found having previously read 'Salem's Lot was an advantage in this book, as a character from that novel makes a return appearance. I am told that other characters from other King works also find their way back into this series, but since I haven't read him exhaustively, I can't say for sure. I can understand on one level why Tower fans might be disappointed with this entry, as it is essentially another pit stop (or even a stalling maneuver), but why argue with it when it's perfectly enjoyable? The Tower will be here soon enough.
