With his dry, New England accent, Stephen King would never be mistaken for a professional narrator. But that hardly matters when he’s reading his own work, especially a novel as flat-out entertaining as his new addition to the Dark Tower series. Covering events that take place between the fourth and fifth books, this installment follows gunslinger Roland Deschain of Gilead and his pals as they sit out a storm on their journey to the Dark Tower. While they wait, Roland tells them a story about when his father sent him to hunt down a shape-shifter and a legendary tale about a boy named Tim Stoutheart and his adventures with a wizard and magic tiger. King’s narration is so effective, especially when evoking some of the colorful characters—like gruff cowboys or otherworldly critters—that listeners will assume he’s picked up some technique from the pros who’ve narrated his many books over the years. The audiobook includes a bonus: King reading the first chapter of Doctor Sleep, his forthcoming sequel to The Shining. A Scribner hardcover. (Apr.)
