The Dark Tower III

The Waste Lands

Description

Roland and his group continue their journey along the beach, and meat one of the 12 guardians - Shardik, a diseased mechanical bear. Once the bear is defeated, Roland and his ka-tet follow the path of the beam towards the centre, and the Dark Tower.

On their way they make a startling discovery - a doorway into Jake's world, and Jake is once again united with Roland. But once they reach Lud, Jake is cruelly ripped from the group. Roland and Oy, Jake's pet, work to find Jake, who is being kept by the Tick-Tock man - a twisted individual.

They all meet once again and gain a ride with Blaine the nasty monorail, who insists on taking them to their deaths at the far end of his track.

Published

1991 Donald M. Grant

Dedication

This third volume of the tale is gratefully dedicated to my son: OWEN PHILLIP KING: Khef, Ka, and Ka-tet

People

Name	Description
?, Alice (Allie)	Woman in Tull with a scar on her forehead. Killed by Roland
?, Billy	Guy playing Naughts and Crosses on the wall
?, Dorothy	Character in the Wizard of Oz
?, Eli	Black guy that spoke to a cop that was talking to Jake
?, Frank	Part of the group that attacked Eddie and Susannah in Lud
?, Laurie	This name was said by John Chambers when talking to his wife Megan. Maybe it is a nickname? In Key and Rose, Subchapter 1
?, Leon	Friend of Sarah Dean that was called a Pinko-fag
?, Luster	Part of the group that attached Eddie and Susannah in Lud. Shot
?, Maryanne	Jake Chambers watched Henry Dean pick on her while she worked at the Majestic Theatre. 18 years old
?, Maud	Part of the group that attacked Eddie and Susannah in Lud. Led the 2 of them to Blaine
?, Norton (Nort)	A weed eater in Tull that died and was brought back to life by the Man in Black. Killed by Roland
?, Reg	Uncle of Eddie Dean. Worked as a painter on bridges
?, Sophia (Aunt Blue)	Aunt of Odetta Holmes. Odetta was going to her wedding when the brick was dropped on her head
?, Timmy	Worked at the Midtown lanes bowling alley
Adams, Richard	Author of "Watership Down" and "Shardik"
Ageless Stranger, The	Also known as Richard Flagg and Richard Fannin. Mentioned by Walter to Roland
Allen, Mel	Eddie Dean listened to him call on the Yankee Baseball Network
Allgood, Cuthbert	Childhood friend of Roland. He believed in the 12 guardians, but would not believe in Ghosts until he actually saw one
Andolini, Jack	Drug Dealer that was killed
Andrus, Cortland (Cort)	Roland's teacher as a child
Anthrax	Band listened to by Eddie Dean and friends in New Jersey
Apon	Name used for Old Star. Married to Lydia (Old Mother)
Ardis	Last person to go near Blaine in Lud. He was asked a question, and when he could not answer it, he was electrocuted
Avery, Bonita (Bonnie)	English teacher at The Piper School. Gave Jake an "A+" on his final English report titled "My Understanding of Truth"
Balazar, Enrico	Drug Dealer that was killed. Owner of the Leaning Tower bar
Bambi	Character in a children's book mentioned in passing
Bango Skank	Graffiti artist name on the wall outside the location of the new Turtle Bay Luxury Condominiums
Barons, The	They used to shoot fireworks into the sky when Roland was a child
Barrow, Clyde	Of Bonnie and Clyde fame. Mentioned in passing
Bear, The	One of the 12 Guardians. Known as Shardik. Opposite The Turtle. It was dying, and was killed by Susannah Dean shooting it in the radar disk on it's head. More information in Shardik's entry
Bissette, Harvey	French teacher in The Piper School. Came to see Jake's parents after he ran out of school on May 29, 1977. His home phone is 5557661
Blaine the Mono	Evil Monorail on the Lud to Topeka run. He agreed to take Roland and the group on a trip, provided they ask him riddles, but once they were on board he hinted that this was actually a suicide run
Blaine, Little	Hidden 'Personality" of Blaine. Tried to warn and help the ka-tet
Bogart, Humphrey	His voice was impersonated by Blaine
Brandon	Worked for the Tick-Tock man. He retrieved the knife for The Tick-Tock man, but was stabbed in the arm by Gasher, then shot by Roland
Brenton, Thomas Hart	Artist on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Briggs, Mr	Roundhouse manager in the book Charlie the Choo-Choo
Broadcloak, Marten	Wizard from Roland's past who seduced his mother
Brooks, Bob	Engineer for Mid-World Railway in the book Charlie the Choo-Choo. He did the St Lewis to Topeka run, and when Charlie was retired, so did he
Brooks, Mrs	Wife of Bob Brooks in the book Charlie the Choo-choo. She died in New York
Brown, ?	The owner of Zoltan the bird, and the last person Roland saw before entering the desert
Browning, Robert	He and his poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" was mentioned by Jake Chambers English teacher in a note to Jake. And he was quoted at the start of Jake Chambers English essay "My Understanding of Truth"
Bunkowski, Mrs	Friend of Mrs Dean
Carmichael, Hoagy	Mentioned in passing
Carroll, Lewis	Author that is not mentioned by name, but his book "Alice in Wonderland" is mentioned
Carter, Jimmy	President mentioned in Passing
Cassiopeia	Person in one of Roland's stories. Caught with Apon (Old Star)
Chambers, Elmer R	Father of John (Jake) Chambers. TV Executive in charge of Programming. Smoked 60 or more Camel Cigarettes a day. Possibly uses drugs as well. His middle name is just an initial, not a name
Chambers, John (Jake)	Young boy that was killed in DT1, but now is causing problems because Roland saved him from dying in DT2, making his memory divide into 2 realities. He eventually re-joins the group through a doorway between the worlds
Chambers, Megan	Mother of Jake Chambers
Chandler, Raymond	Wrote Phillip Marlow novels. His books were seen in "The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind" by Jake Chambers
Charlie	The train in Charlie the Choo-choo. He is retired, then brought back to work in a fun park for children. A 402 Big Boy Steam Locomotive
Cheshire Cat	Character in Alice in Wonderland
Conan the Barbarian	Mentioned to Jake Chambers by Calvin Tower
Copperhead	Worked for the Tick-Tock man. He started the Drums each day. He was shot in the back by Roland
Creedence Clearwater Revival	Band in Eddie Dean's time that he liked
David	Slew the giant Goliath with a slingshot
De Curry, Jamie	Childhood friend of Roland
Dean, Edward Cantor (Eddie)	One of Roland's Travelling companions. Ex drug addict. He carved the key from a piece of wood that allowed Jake Chambers to rejoin the group
Dean, Gloria	Sister of Eddie. Died when run over by a drunk driver at 6 years old. 4 years older than Eddie, and 4 years younger than Henry
Dean, Henry	Older brother of Eddie. Died of a drug overdose. He always had to "Watch Out" for his younger brother
Dean, James	Actor mentioned in passing
Dean, Mrs	Mother of Eddie
Dean, Susannah	Susannah is the product of the combination of Odetta Holmes and Detta Walker 2 personalities
Dedrie the Mad	Grandmother of Roland
Deepneau, Aaron	Played chess with Calvin Tower in the "Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind"
Denby, Tom	Name used to the police by Jake Chambers
Deschain, Roland	The gunslinger who is after the Dark Tower with his ka-tet
Deschain, Steven	Father of Roland
Dewlap	Old man who fed apples into cider machine in Lud when Andrew Quick was a child
Dillon, Mat	Marshal on a TV show mentioned in passing
Dog, The	One of the 12 Guardians. Opposite the Horse
Doorkeeper, The	Part of the house on Rhinehold street that tried to stop Jake Chambers from entering Roland's world
Dylan, Bob	Singer mentioned by Calvin Tower
Eastwood, Clint	Actor seen on a poster by Jake Chambers
El Tiante 91	Graffiti name seen by Jake Chambers
Elbert, Donald Merwin (Trashcan Man)	Richard Fannin thought of a person in his past that said "My life for you". This COULD have been Donald Elbert (Trashcan Man), out of The Stand
Eliot, T S	Quoted at the start of Jake Chambers English essay "My Understanding of Truth"
Evans, Beryl	Wrote the book "Charlie the Choo-choo" that was bought by Jake Chambers in "The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind"
Fannin, Richard	The Ageless stranger, who befriends Andrew Quick (Tick-Tock Man). Note the R.F initials (He turns out to be Randall Flagg in DT4)
Farson, John	Led the revolt that destroyed Roland's world. Roland stole "Something of importance" from him, and killed many of his followers
Faulkner, William	Wrote the Snopes novels. His books were seen in "The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind" by Jake Chambers
Feeney, Andrew	Chauffeur for Odetta Holmes
Fish, The	One of the 12 Guardians. Opposite the Rat
Fontleroy, Little Lord	The dwarf that started the attack on Eddie and Suannah in Lud was dressed as Little Lord Fontleroy
Franks, Joanne	School secretary at the Piper School. She manually rings the bells for each class
Gasher	Kidnapped Jake and took him to the Tick-Tock man in Lud. Shot by Roland
Gaye, Marvin	On a poster in Jake Chambers bathroom
Golding, William	Wrote "Lord of the flies", which was suggested reading for Jake Chambers English Class. His name was not actually mentioned
Goliath	Killed by David
Grant, Donald M	Mentioned to Jake Chambers by Calvin Tower
Great Old Ones	Not Gods, but people that almost had the knowledge of Gods. They created many things in the ancient earth of Roland's past. They created the Beams
Gretel	Character in a children's book mentioned in passing
Guardians, The	The 12 guardians of the portals to the Dark Tower. All animals, including the Bear, Dog, Fish, Horse, Lion, Rat and Turtle
Hansel	Character in a children's book mentioned in passing
Harley, Mr	Headmaster of the Piper School. He gave a speech to the students on Exam week
Hax	Head Cook in Roland's fathers Castle. He said that the Great Old Ones created the 12 Guardians
Heller, Joseph L	Author who's name was not mentioned, but his book "Catch-22" was recommended reading in Jake Chambers English Class
Hitler, Adolph	Mentioned in passing
Holmes, Odetta Susannah	Nice personality, and original name of the woman who became Susanna Dean
Holmes, Sarah Walker	Mother of Odetta Holmes
Hoots	Worked for the Tick-Tock man in Lud. Shot in the back by Roland
Horse, The	One of the 12 Guardians. Opposite the Dog
Hotchkiss, Mr	Piper School psychologist
Howard, Robert	Author mentioned to Jake Chambers by Calvin Tower
Icarus	Character that was supposed to have flown too close to the sun, and his wings fell off and he died
Jackson, Shirley	Author that wrote "The Lottery"
Jeeves	Part of the group that attacked Eddie and Susannah in Lud. Spoke about the machinery under the streets
Jesserling, Petra	In the Piper School with Jake Chambers. She flirted with Jake
Johns, Alain	Childhood friend of Roland that believed in the 12 Guardians
Kennedy, John	President mentioned in passing
Killington, ?	Passenger on the monorail in Eddie's mind when he is in the Cradle in Lud
King Arthur	Mentioned by Eddie Dean. Had a magician called Merlin
King Kong	Eddie Dean thought that Shardik was as big as King Kong
Kiss	A Band who's song "Dr Love" started on a boombox just as Jake Chambers was about to die. The song played, but he did not die
Knopf, Mr	Jake's Algebra teacher in the Piper School
Krenkel, Roy	Artist who's work appears in Donald M Grant books
Lady of the Shadows, The	Susannah Dean. The shadows were her 2 personalities
Leach, Robin	Host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Mentioned by Eddie Dean to Blaine
Leonard, Sugar Ray	Boxer mentioned in passing
Liddy, G Gordon	G Gordon Liddy and the Grots are a band who's posters were seen by Jake Chambers
Lion, The	One of the 12 Guardians
Little, Rich	Mentioned in passing
Lobstrosities, The	Took some of the fingers of Roland's hand, and part of his toe when he awoke near the beach at the start of DT2
Lydia	Name used for the Old Mother star. Married to Apon (The Old Star) in Roland's story
MacDonald, John D	Wrote Travis McGee novels. His books were seen in "The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind" by Jake Chambers
Maerlin	One of the names for the Ageless Stranger. He was really never Maerlin, only called it by the people
Man in Black, The	Also known as Walter. He died in DT1, and Roland has his jawbone. When it is thrown in the fire, Eddie Dean sees the shape of the key required for the door to Jake Chambers world
Marten	Steven Deschain's Court magician. He taught Roland to hypnotise people using a bullet. He used this on Jake Chambers
Martin, Raymond	President who ordered Charlie the Choo-Choo replaced in the book Charlie the Choo-Choo
Martin, Susannah	Daughter of Raymond in the book Charlie the Choo-Choo
McCurdy, Sheb	Piano player in Tull that Roland has met in the past. Owner of Sheb's Bar, and was killed by Roland
Megadeath	Band listened to by Eddie Dean and friends in New Jersey
Mercy	Woman in the town of River Crossing. Wife of Si. Blind in both eyes when she was burned in the face with a branding iron by the Harriers 25 years before Roland's group went into River Crossing
Merlin	Magician who was also known as The Ageless Stranger, but never admitted by him. He was really never Merlin, only called it by the people
Michaelangelo	Mentioned in passing
Mir	One of the 12 guardians. This is the earth name given to him, but his real name is Shardik. A bear shape robot. Mir means "The world beneath the world"
Mort, Jack	Pushed Jake Chambers in front of the car and killed him, Dropped the brick on Odetta Walkers head, and pushed her in front of the train when she lost her legs. When Roland entered Mort's body, he sensed that he was about to kill Jake, and he stopped him. This led to the 2 realities faced by Jake and Roland - that Jake both dies and does not die
Motorvan Mike	Graffiti name seen by Jake Chambers
Muffin, ?	Son of Bill. He saw the bridge into the city of Lud 10 years before Roland and the group were in River Crossing
Muffin, Bill	In River Crossing. He saw the bridge into the city of Lud 10 years before Roland and the group were in River Crossing
Mulligan, Mike	Character in Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, a book liked by Jake Chambers when he was younger
Murdock, Reverend	Known to Odetta Holmes. He preached at the Grace Methodist Church
New people, The	What Shardik called Roland and his group when he sensed them
Newman, Paul	Actor mentioned in passing
Newton, Wayne	Mentioned in passing
Newton-John, Olyvia	She was on a billboard seen by Jake Chambers in New York
Old Mother	The star in Roland's world. Known as Lydia
Old People, The	The people that lived in the Great West woods. They attacked Shardik the bear, and he killed some of them in return - often women and children
Old Star	The star in Roland's world. Known as Apon
Old Yeller	Character in a children's book mentioned in passing
Orlando, Tony	Singer mentioned in passing
Orwell, George	Author Mentioned in passing
Overholster, Wayne D	Author mentioned to Jake Chambers by Calvin Tower
Oy	Billy-Bumbler who joined the ka-tet and saved Jake's life by attacking the Tick-Tock man
Parasites, The	White parasites were slowly eating all the flesh bits of Shardik, the Bear. They died as soon as they left the bears body
Parker, Bonnie	Of Bonnie and Clyde fame. Mentioned in passing
Patricia	Monorail who was friend of Blaine, but committed suicide. She travelled North-West
Perth, Lord	Giant man in a story by Roland. He was a giant that was brought down by a boy hitting him in the knee with a stone
Pittston, Sylvia	Religious woman in Tull that was killed by Roland
Poe, Edgar Allan	Poet mentioned in passing
Prisoner, The	The Prisoner of Heroin - Eddie Dean
Quick, ?	Father of Andrew
Quick, Andrew	Name of the Tick-Tock man. Great Grandson of David Quick. His left eyes was punctured by Oy during a bight, and Jake shot him in the leg, and then in the head with a .22 pistol. He was left for dead, but did not really die as the bulled grazed his skull
Quick, David	Giant man who was a Warrior Prince who led an army through River Crossing 90 years before Roland and the group passed through River Crossing. Legend says that he died "Falling from the Sky" and was found dead in a German Focke-Wulf plane by Roland and the group
Rat, The	One of the 12 Guardians. Opposite The Fish
Reagan, Ronald	President mentioned in passing
Reed, Jerry	Actor mentioned in passing
Remington, Frederick	Artist on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Reynolds, Burt	Actor mentioned in passing
Rolling Stones	Band in Eddie Dean's time that he liked
Shardik	Name of The Bear, known to the locals as Mir. It was made by North Central Positronics Ltd, in Granite City, Northeast Corridor, and was a Design 4 Guardian with a serial number of AA 24123 CX 755431297 L 14. When Roland and his group found it, it is dying, and full of white parasites. Part flesh, and part machine. When it dies it asks for people to call 1-900-44 to receive a reward. Oddly enough Shardik is also a mythical bear in Richard Adam's book "Shardik"
Shaw, Greta	Chambers family house keeper
Si	Old man in River Crossing. Husband of Mercy
Slow Mutants, The	Evil and nasty mutants who now inhabit much of the earth
Spankers	In charge of a group in Lud that attacked Eddie and Susannah. He was killed by the group just before they attacked Eddie and Susannah
Speaking Demon, The	Roland found the speaking Demon in the cellar in the Way Station, and used its jawbone as a talisman
Speedy Gonzales	Graffiti name seen by Jake Chambers
Staunton, Andrew	The police officer that shot Roland/Jack Mort in the chest, hitting his lighter
Stevens, Belinda	Girl in the toilet at the Piper School
Summer, Donna	Singer playing on the boombox just before Jake was supposed to die, but did not
Surrey, David	In the English class at Piper School with Jake Chambers
Tick-Tock Man, The	The man in charge of a group in Lud. His real name is David Quick. More information under David Quick
Tilly	Worked for the Tick-Tock man. Heavyset red headed woman that was let go by Roland, but would have died shortly after by poison released into the atmosphere in Lud by Blaine
Tin Woodman, The	Character in the Wizard of Oz
Tolkien, ?	Author mentioned in passing
Tolkien, J R R	Author that is not mentioned by name, but his book "The Hobbit" is mentioned
Topsy the Sailor	Part of the group that attacked Eddie and Susannah in Lud. He was not there in that day
Toto	Character in the Wizard of Oz
Tower, Calvin	Ran "The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind" bookshop where Jake bought 2 books - Charlie the Choo-choo and a riddle book
Truman, Harry S	Mentioned in passing
Tudbury, Bill	One of identical twin albino's in River Crossing. Brother of Till
Tudbury, Till	One of identical twin albino's in River Crossing. Brother of Bill
Turtle, The	One of the 12 Guardians. Opposite to the Bear. He has the earth on his back on Roland's stories. Subject of the poem Jake Chambers read on the wall near the Rose: See the TURTLE of enormous girth! On his back he holds the Earth. If you want to run and play, Come along the BEAM today
Twain, Mark	Author that is not mentioned by name, but his book "Tom Sawyer" is mentioned
Unwin, Aunt Talitha (Old Mother)	Old lady in River Crossing. Head of the community and over 105 years old
Vannay, Abel	Tutor of Roland. He was an excellent Riddler, and said that a boy that could answer a riddle was a boy that could think around corners
Walker, Detta Susannah	Nasty personality of Odetta Holmes that has now combined to form Susannah Dean
Walker, Sarah	Maiden name of Sarah Holmes
Walter	The man in Black from Roland's past. He died at the end of DT1. Roland thinks that Walter was behind Jack Mort pushing Jake Chambers in front of the car
Wayne, John	His voice was impersonated by Blaine
Wilder, Thornton	Author who's name is not mentioned, but Susannah Dean mentioned one of his books - "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"
Winston	Attacked Eddie and Susannah in Lud. He wielded a cutlass and was wearing a Kilt wrap. Shot by Susannah
Wolfe, Thomas	Author of "You can't go home again". On the front of the book were a Rose, a Key, and a Door. The first line of his book is the same as the first line of The Dark Tower 1
Z Z Top	Band mentioned in passing. The Drums in Lud sounded like one of their songs "Velcro Fly"
Zoltan	Raven owned by Brown in DT2