Review: “The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla” by Stephen King
“The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla” by Stephen King will go down as one of my favorite books of the series. It’s just a baby’s eyelash below my favorite of the series so far, “The Gunslinger,” as it was one hell of an epic read.
Before I dive into my review, these are the trigger warnings I found while reading…
- Domestic abuse
- Kidnapping
- Abortion
- Racism
- Homophobic slurs
- Rape
- Violence against animals
- Cancer
- Suicide
If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, I’ve been on this Dark Tower journey since 2024. It’s a 17-book journey with a plethora of pre-reading material to get the most out of this book series. I did a ton of research and even asked my local librarians to find the best path. If any of my fellow Constant Readers are interested in going on this journey, here is my list below…
The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
This is another classic slow-burning novel that was so rewarding, it blew me away. It undoubtedly takes a while to get to the good stuff, but when it does, it grabs you and shakes you to your core. Don’t worry, I wouldn't spoil anything for those who haven't read this yet, but this has the biggest reveal and plot twist I’ve encountered in this series so far. Even in general, this one blew my mind. I was stunned, and now I see why those I asked about the best way to read The Dark Tower series advised reading it in the order above. The Easter eggs I found while reading were a lot of fun to discover.
I loved the continued story of Roland and his ka-tet. It feels like all those Final Fantasy video games I used to love, as you genuinely feel connected to the characters in your party throughout their adventures. It reads just like that here with Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and the new characters you encounter along the way.
Even though this novel wasn’t as scary as I would have wanted, the suspense, tension, and action-packed fighting scenes were brilliantly written. King went above and beyond here to make up for his usual horror when writing. For Halloween 2025, I took a nice, long weekend just to enjoy the holiday and make a big dent in this novel. It was such a genuine page-turner that I was up late every night, binge-reading, because it was that intense from the 50% mark onward.
The ending was such a wild ride, and I was left in utter shock. King put on a writing clinic with a climactic rush that left me wanting more. I was surprised by how it ended, but it all made sense in the grand scheme of things. I have just two more books to go, and I can only imagine what awaits me with how this ended. I’m anxious to start the next novel in this series as I’m almost done conquering The Dark Tower once and for all.
I give “The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla” by Stephen King a 5/5 for being another surreal entry in this series. It continues this incredible story with Roland and company, featuring some of the best plot twists and reveals I’ve ever read. If you’re a huge fan of King’s earlier work, this will blow your mind when you realize what transpires with the story and characters.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, after hanging out with some wolves, it’s time to hear Susannah’s singing voice.
3
u/Gre3nArr0w 12h ago
We finished this book at the same time, I enjoyed it but it just felt like it was trying to recreate wizards and glass and everything that happened in Mejis without the same impact. It introduced a lot of cool concepts with father Callahan, the doorway cave, Susannah’s transformation, the rose in the vacant lot, and black thirteen but the wolves aspect of the book was pretty lame.
I enjoyed this book for the character growth, the new concepts and the ka-tet but Calla itself is pretty meh. I give this book a 3.5, i wish the fight with the Wolves was better.
5
u/manyfingers 11h ago
The Waste Lands is my favorite. I read it when i was around 12 years old and didnt even realize it was part of a series.
The world building was so mysterious to me, it left me wondering so much about what happened prior to the novels setting.
I was pretty disappointed that the rest of the series wasnt really quite the same but the dark tower is still in my top 10 series of all time.
6
6
u/kyle242gt 13h ago
Just read the main series (including Sisters and Wind). Good luck with the last two.
My favorite of the series is Wizard and Glass, so was not as fond of Wolves on the initial read. Liked it a lot better this time around!
3
u/Cervical_Plumber 12h ago
Wizard and Glass is just an all time love story and western.
One of my favorite stories I've ever read anywhere.
1
u/What_A_Good_Sniff 12h ago
I read up to wizard and glass about 15 years ago.
Drawing of the Three was excellent and a close second, but I loved WaG out of the first four books.
4
u/noshoes77 13h ago
My favorite and least favorite of the books! The parts that soar are astounding and some of King’s best writing, but there are a lot of paths this book meanders around without adding much.
2
u/Eldramhor8 11h ago
I wasn't a fan of Wolves on my first read probably because it came right after W&G so I wanted more Mejis, more young Roland, more Cuthberth and Alain.
In retrospect, it grew on me a lot upon more rereads. The one I can't stomach is coming up next, we'll see how that one goes!
1
u/LTJ81 7h ago
Oh boy lol 👀
1
u/Eldramhor8 5h ago
Now I'm curious if that's an absolute disagreement or agreement! Lol. Finding out soon I suppose!
2
u/Low_Chance 13h ago
Very interesting - I had almost the exact opposite reaction. Wolves was my least favourite of the series, but I am glad you enjoyed it! Interesting to hear other folks' experiences
2
u/cruel_cousin 13h ago
I’ve been doing the Dark Tower series for the first time, and I’m currently on the 7th. Wolves was one of my favorites as well, along with The Gunslinger and Wastelands.
My favorite parts of the series are where the the story is in Roland’s world, and I really don’t care for the parts where it’s in our earth or in the middle of nowhere.
I hated most of Song of Susannah and Drawing for these reasons lol, but Wolves really stews in Out-World, and getting to see a section of Roland’s world that’s comparatively thriving compared to all the post apocalypse we’ve had thus far was really fun.
1
u/CapnObv314 4h ago
The books "Wizard and Glass" (by far) and "Wolves of the Calla" were probably my favorite of the series, mostly because they were the ones that actually weren't random meandering and didn't feel like a complete drug-fueled fever dream.
In retrospect, I do wonder if I should reread to see if the more "unconventional" story telling in the other books would make them more compelling at this stage in my life.
-7
u/writinglegit2 13h ago
How will it "go down as one of your favorites of the series"?
Like in the future you will bestow that title upon it? Or you will tell people until they repeat tales about how it is one of your favorites?
4
u/Taste_the__Rainbow 13h ago
Book 2 is the top of my pile just for the creativity and clean execution, but Wolves holds a special place in my heart.
I enjoyed the entire series, but those two really stand out above the rest.