I wanted to read “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” as part of my Dark Tower journey, even though I am not a big poetry reader. It felt important to experience the literary source that inspired Stephen King’s entire saga, so this poem was a must read for me.

„Browning’s narrative poem, which was initially published in 1855, eventually served as the source of inspiration for Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series. The poem narrates the story of Roland, a knight who arrives at the Dark Tower, the goal of his quest, last. He is the last survivor after all of his teammates have died. He perseveres, marching relentlessly, until he finally arrives at the Tower.“

Blurb

I was surprised by the length of the poem and by how straightforward its structure is. However, I found the reading experience rather difficult. The poem felt long winded and not particularly pleasant to read, with heavy language and a slow pace. Much of it is vague and abstract, at least for me, which kept me at an emotional distance. This is probably why I tend to prefer more modern poetry when I read poetry at all.

In the end, this was a 4 star read for me, mainly because I enjoyed looking for thematic connections to Stephen King’s Dark Tower universe. As a stand alone poem, however, it would have been a 2 star read for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Find all information about my reading journey to „The Dark Tower“, here!