I'm going to keep this short and sweet. If you're a Dark Tower fan and you (like me) put off reading this one because you were worried about how it would slot in with and stack up to the original seven books, fear not. It is quite good, and in my view sits comfortably among the best entries in the series. It could almost be read as a standalone but I'd strongly advise against doing so as I believe it will have much more resonance and impact for most readers if consumed within the context of the other books that now surround it.