The end has finally come. Well, sort of (view spoiler)[ (Sorry, Roland). (hide spoiler)] 
 This is a great series. I'm a little sad to be finished with it. It's dark. It's fun. It's bizarre. The main protagonist is a weathered, mystical, Italian-western cowboy on a Lord of the Rings inspired quest to find the Dark Tower and save the multiverse. What's not to like? It's a unique take on the fantasy epic. 
 (view spoiler)[Even though I greatly enjoyed The Dark Tower as a whole, I tend to agree with many of the criticisms others have had concerning the later parts of the series. King's foray into metafiction was interesting at times, but mostly I found it distracting. I understand that King writing this way was probably therapeutic and helped him to stay motivated to finish The Dark Tower. I can only imagine the struggles a writer goes through in their attempt to finish a story of this scope. That said, I don't agree that writing this personal struggle into the story was a net positive for the series. 
 The Crimson King was rather disappointing, as King did a great job building up his mystique until his reveal, where, as another reviewer pointed out, he seemed more like an end-boss in a video game than a terrifying and powerful figure. Walter's last moments are also a bit of a letdown--his death being a result of uncharacteristic miscalculations. 
 And of course, I have mixed feelings about the ending as others have already written about many times over. The end gives new meaning to what Roland's quest signifies, but it feels shaky in its execution, especially with King's essay on writing endings as a lead-in. That said, I am thankful for King's reminder to enjoy the journey while it lasts rather than overly focusing on the end as the ultimate payoff of reading a good story. The most positive aspect of the ending for me is that it allows you to play around with different interpretations of what can be learned from Roland's quest as a whole, and what it will take for him to complete his journey for the last time. I'll likely update this review at a later date when I've had more time to digest it all. 
 That seems like a lot of criticism, but I felt King more than made up for these shortcomings throughout the series. I'll likely pick up the comic adaptation as I've read good things about it. (hide spoiler)]