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  • The Wind Through the Keyhole

  • A Dark Tower Novel
  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Stephen King
  • Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (728 ratings)
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The Wind Through the Keyhole cover art

The Wind Through the Keyhole

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Stephen King
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Summary

Stephen King's epic fantasy series, The Dark Tower, is being made into a major movie starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Due in cinemas February 17, 2017 USA.

For listeners new to The Dark Tower, The Wind Through the Keyhole is a stand-alone novel, and a wonderful introduction to the series. It is a story within a story, which features both the younger and older gunslinger Roland on his quest to find the Dark Tower.

Fans of the existing seven books in the series will also delight in discovering what happened to Roland and his ka tet between the time they leave the Emerald City and arrive at the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis.

This Russian Doll of a novel, a story within a story, within a story, visits Mid-World's last gunslinger, Roland Deschain, and his ka-tet as a ferocious storm halts their progress along the Path of the Beam. (The novel can be placed between Dark Tower IV and Dark Tower V.)

Roland tells a tale from his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt ridden year following his mother's death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape shifter, a 'skin man,' Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter.

Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Book of Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime, The Wind through the Keyhole.. 'A person's never too old for stories,' he says to Bill. 'Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them.' And stories like these, they live for us.

©2012 Stephen King (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

What listeners say about The Wind Through the Keyhole

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Save it for last.

As a Tower junkie I obviously loved this book but I'm glad I saved it for last. Although he wrote it to fit between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla I would personally recommend saving it so you can return to the story after the last book and revisit the group at their strongest.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, but mixed narration

I loved this book as I have enjoyed all the dark tower books. This said the narration by King himself is at times monotonous, but at other times, such as with the tax collector fantastic. This uneven approach balances out, but initially I found it a bit off-putting.

This said I am loathe to criticise him as he wrote such a great story.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The weakest of the first 4.5 books in this series

Stephen King as an author is fantastic... but as a narrator, his voice drones on and on, and I found it increasingly difficult to maintain my concentration. It also did not help that the book itself was far from the quality of the preceding four books.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Good Addition to the Series

I've read the whole Dark Tower series, finishing some years ago, so a revisit was met with eagerness but also some doubt. This was also my first on audio. The story is as good as any in the series and the stories engaging. I could also see this being a good introduction to somebody who hasn't read the others as it stands on its own well.
I had seen previous comments that King's narration wasn't brilliant but I had no problem at all. There's something about the words read as they were written that makes it special. His voice is softer than I imagined and can suffer a bit from monotone in places but I wouldn't hold off just because of this.
All round an enjoyable experience.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not a stand alone novel

I bought this as it says it's a stand alone novel. However, this isn't true at all as the narrative starts with a very long winded history of everything you need to know before the book starts. I really like King's writing so it's not a slur on him at all - just that perhaps you do actually need to have read all of The Dark Tower books first. I now have this two part audio which I can't listen to until I've bought and listened to all the Dark Tower series! Mis-sold in my opinion, but happy to keep because I know it'll be great to listen to after the seven Dark Tower books...

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

I think Mr King gets away with the narration, mainly because Roland is young during most of the narrative in which he features. The Dark Tower stories put me mind of a surreal, wondrous and melancholic dream, after which you awake a little disturbed but also marvelling at how inventive it was. OK it's not Steinbeck, but King has a similar talent for pulling you into the story, making you feel for his characters. More please ! (However, get a pro narrator in for a older Roland). Mark

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Please get this re-recorded

I got about 30 mins into this and Kings reason is just too poor to carry on... bought a physical copy. If you are working though the Tower series and are tempted by this... check the sample first... as you may not be able to listen to it

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply awful narration

I love the Dark Tower series. The stories are great fun and the narration by Frank Muller and George Guidall is first class. Stephen King’s narration, however is dire. There is no distinction between characters’ voices, his tone is monotonous and drearily dull and he has an awful, nasally drone. Whoever told him narrating this book himself was a good idea needs firing. Immediately. Stephen, you’re a great writer but please, stick to what you do best and leave narrating audiobooks to the professionals.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The Wind through the Keyhole

Initially I was sceptical about this title on two fronts. Most obviously I was concerned King was just cashing in on an established series to pacify his publisher. Second, King chose to read the book himself, and whatever his capacity to spin a yarn, his voice is a tad dreary. But for the most part my concerns were laid to rest. I still think that King should accept his auditory limitations, however, you get use to his drone over time. More importantly, the book itself is a pleasant enough add-on to the main story. I actually think he made a good choice to make the central characters of the Dark Tower a vehicle for a side story, and while I am no closer to understanding why anyone apart from the Crimson King was so interested in destroying everything, or quite why most of them would ever have wanted to work for him, it was still pleasant to be re-acquainted with Roland and his ridiculously named Ka-Tet (I really will not apologise for any spelling mistake on that one.)

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, dreadful narration

Another intriguing journey to Midworld. Loved the story but next time Steve - leave the narration to a professional. The reading was flat and droning with no emotion at all. If this audio is re-released with George Guidall narrating I will buy again.

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2 people found this helpful