I finally finished reading Stephen King's Wolves of the Calla today, and overall I was fairly impressed.

This novel is the fifth in King's Dark Tower series and continues from where Wizard & Glass left off. Roland and friends meet some people from the town of Calla Bryn Sturgis who come to them seeking help for a problem that has plagued their town for generations.

The townspeople explain that every 20-odd years, 'wolves' on horseback come and steal their children. Twins are the norm for these people, and every generation, one out of every two is stolen and returned 'roont' (ie giant and struck dumb). Being gunslingers, Roland and his crew offer their services to the town, knowing that ka works in strange ways and this sidetrack may prove to be an important part of their quest.

What follows is a story styled around Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and classic American Westerns. The main plot thread involves the gunslingers exploring the town, learning as much as they can, and preparing for the eventual showdown with the wolves.

A character from one of King's other novels plays a big part in this one and we learn about his adventures since the conclusion of that novel. We also learn a little more about the minions of the Crimson King and the vacant lot in New York City.

It's a great yarn -- especially with the twists and turns in the second half, but the pacing does tend to be slow in parts. I was also a little annoyed by the way King foreshadows events (which works well sometimes and not so well at others) and withholds information that the characters learn, keeping the reader in the dark until much later.

Minor quibbles aside, Wolves of the Calla is a great addition to the Dark Tower series and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next in Volume VI - Song of Susannah, due out next year.

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I was surprised they finally found Saddam yesterday, but I reckon the preliminary media analysis was a tad too optimistic, with various talking heads suggesting that this should put an end to the daily guerilla attacks.

I doubt Saddam's capture will do much to change the current situation in Iraq - I expect casualties will continue to mount for both the Iraqi people and the U.S. military. Still, it was a job well done by the military and intelligence services, finally capturing the "Ace of Spades".

It's about time that murderous tyrant was put to trial for all the death and destruction he's caused over the years. Let's hope that the country gets back on its feet sooner rather than later.

What I'm Reading:
Asimov's Science Fiction, August 2003
Locus, November 2003