The Dark Tower - Fall of Gilead by Robin Furth

*note, The Dark Tower is a Stephen King series but apparently he is not actively writing these graphic novels.

I loved this book. It just moved so well. I did find I had missed the previous book when I was finished but I didn't feel like I was missing anything (helps that it was November when I read the first two).
This is all action. Gilead is preparing for war which concludes at the end of this book. For those who are familiar with the Dark Tower books - you know that the war never really ended but the big battle happens in this story.
This is the core battle that leads to Gilead being destroyed. It's been long enough since I read the actual books that I don't remember when (or if it was mentioned) certain characters die. I had sort of expected Roland to be standing alone in a pile of rubble at the end of this book. That's not the case but the battle will break your heart. Good people die and the bad guys are worse than you can imagine. Some wonderful characters die in horrible ways. It's not for the faint of heart.

American Vampire by Stephen King and Scott Snyder

This was a fun book to read. What a twist on the average vampire tale. I see this and a few other books as an indication of where the vampire tale is going. People are tiring of the romantic version of the vampire and they want vampires back where they belong - in nightmares. The story weaves two tales - one set in the old west and the other in the 20's as a gunslinging outlaw becomes a new breed of vampire - the American Vampire. He's ruthless and different from his European counterparts - he can move in the day and doesn't seem to have the same weaknesses.
This story is moving to a battle between the two types of vampires. Sadly, Skinner Sweet, the outlaw, was the only one of his type until he meets Pearl and makes her like him.
Again this book is a lot of scene setting and little plot even though we get Skinner Sweet's story of how he became a vampire and what measures were taken to prevent him from rising.
It's a really good tale but not sure it's one they'll do for the big screen - at least not yet.

The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger Born/The Long Road Home

I was looking forward to The Dark Tower graphic novel series. The original books are quite good (The Gunslinger is a little dry for me but had some great passages). This story is right out of Wizard and Glass when Roland tells his ka-tet about his beginning as a gunslinger and his great love Susan Delgado. This is that story. If you have read Wizard and Glass then there will be no surprise. However, the pictures are worth the time to re-read the story. This graphic novel gives Roland's story more depth and humanity.
For those not familiar with the Dark Tower books, this story is about an ambitious 14 year old boy, Roland Dechain. He is training to be a gunslinger. In this world, time has passed and reverted to a strange time of kingdoms where knights are gunslingers. Relics of the old world include tanks and oil fields. There is a great war going on between the Affiliation and John Farson. John Farson is a great and evil man who appears to be a tool for the Crimson King. Through this story, all this is hinted at. You learn about John Farson but the real story behind the war is fairly muttled.
Roland is goated into testing to be a gunslinger by his mother's lover. Her lover is no other than the Man in Black who will be Roland's nemesis through the entire series. The plan was that Roland would be killed or exiled, allowing the bad guys to have one up on the good guys. Instead Roland is successful, so much so that his father worries he will be killed and sends him and his friends on an errand to count horses in a neighboring kingdom. This is not a fools errand but is suppose to be seen as such - the boys are there to see if John Farson is tapping into the oilfield there.
It's a good introduction into this world. It's quite different from the books which start sort of in the middle and work both ways. The graphic novels are suppose to be the back story that is only hinted at.
This story is continued in The Long Road Home. I found myself struggling to remember this story only to find that this part of the tale was never told in the books. I like this. As I said these novels are the back story (I didn't know that until I read the second book and the really interesting commentary from those involved). These back stories can only add depth to an already deep character. Roland comes across as heartless in the books only to surprise the reader with his compassion. These graphic novels will tell the reader why Roland is so hard and how he came to be on the journey he is on.

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King

Granted this is not a juvenile book but I can't help when requested books will come in from the library. This is a short, easy to understand book so it could easily be read by a juvenile. This book is not your typical Stephen King. I wanted to read it because I have fallen in love with Haven on the Syfy channel which is based on this book. I was a little nervous that it might ruin the show for me - like give me the answer to the mystery. The book was good maybe even great but I haven't really decided yet.
The book is a story told from two elderly newsreporters (at a very small newspaper in a small town)to their young intern. The story they tell is about a man who is found on the beach 25 years earlier. No one knows really how he died and he had no identification. They tell her how they discovered his identity and all the little mysteries they solved but in the end - there is only mystery no solution.
In someways, I really liked that it wasn't all neatly wrapped up in a bow - it allows me to come up with my own solutions. But then I really am not one who likes an unanswered mystery so I suppose it's a good thing I really like the TV show.
It's a well composed story so I definetly recommend it.