Song of Susannah – Stephen King (2004)

Song of Susannah is the sixth book in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, published in 2004. A pivotal installment, it follows Roland Deschain and his ka-tet as they split up to navigate multiple realities, racing against time to save Susannah Dean, who is trapped in New York and under the control of Mia, a mysterious entity determined to give birth to a powerful and dangerous child. The novel deepens the connection between King’s vast literary universe and The Dark Tower, blending fantasy, horror, and metafiction as the characters face new threats and startling revelations.

Plot Summary

Beneath a sky that stretched endlessly over Mid-World, the ka-tet stood at the edge of a breaking path. Susannah was gone, stolen away by forces beyond their control, and Roland Deschain knew time was running thin. The Beams were failing. The Tower trembled. And somewhere, in a world not their own, Susannah Dean was preparing to give birth to a child who was never meant to exist.

The magic of Black Thirteen had carried Susannah away, depositing her in New York City, the summer of 1999. But she was not alone in her body. Mia, the entity who had taken root inside her, held the reins now. With an unnatural hunger, Mia’s only purpose was to deliver her chap, the creature growing inside her – a child not entirely human, not entirely of any world. The journey led them to the Dixie Pig, a sinister restaurant on Lexington Avenue where the forces of the Crimson King gathered. Vampires and Low Men lurked in the shadows, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. This was the place of the birthing, where Mia’s child – and the fate of many worlds – would be decided.

Meanwhile, Roland and Eddie stepped into another time, another place. The pull of ka dragged them to East Stoneham, Maine, in 1977. A world terrifying in its normalcy, where gunslingers were nothing more than legends and bullets were not conjured by will but fired with consequence. Here, they sought a man named Calvin Tower, a bookseller in possession of a critical piece of land – the lot where a single red rose grew. The rose, tied to the very essence of the Dark Tower, had to be protected at all costs.

But Tower was a man lost in his own fear, reluctant to let go of what he barely understood. Balazar’s men were closing in, drawn by the promise of profit and the scent of blood. Eddie, filled with the rage of loss and desperation, took the lead, reminding them all that a gunslinger did not wait for fate – he seized it. Deals were struck, lines drawn in the sand, and as Roland looked into the face of his young companion, he saw more than the reckless junkie he had once pulled from another world. Eddie Dean was becoming something else entirely.

Yet there was another reason ka had drawn them to this place, something more terrifying than Balazar, more unshakable than Tower’s cowardice. In this world, there was a man who did not belong, and yet without him, the Tower itself might fall. His name was Stephen King. He sat in his house, an unsuspecting god, scribbling away at a tale he barely understood himself. He had dreamed Roland into existence, carved the path the gunslinger had walked since Gilead had burned. And as Roland and Eddie stood before him, the man trembled, for he realized that the story was real.

King was no mere storyteller – he was a conduit, his words bound to the fate of the Tower itself. But he was also fragile, just a man, prone to fear, to doubt. He had strayed from the path, let the tale grow cold. And if he abandoned it, if he let the pages remain unwritten, everything would collapse. Roland, whose quest had spanned centuries, whose hands had killed more than he could count, did something he had rarely done before – he pleaded. He reminded the man of his duty, of the weight of his words. King, shaken and bewildered, could not look away. He could not ignore the ka-tet standing in his home, nor the destiny they carried upon their shoulders.

While Roland and Eddie walked the corridors of fiction made real, Jake Chambers and Father Callahan prepared for battle. They had tracked Susannah to the Dixie Pig, but stepping inside meant walking into the mouth of hell itself. The place reeked of blood and death, a slaughterhouse masquerading as fine dining. The Low Men waited with gleaming teeth, their yellow eyes filled with malice. Callahan, once a priest, once a man running from the shadows of his own past, gripped the handle of the black revolver at his hip. He had faced monsters before, but never had the stakes been so high.

Susannah, still trapped within herself, watched as Mia reveled in the coming of her chap. The child, forged of magic, of demon seed and stolen lineage, would be no ordinary infant. He would be Mordred, the one prophesied to bring ruin. A creature of two fathers – Roland Deschain, whose blood ran in his veins, and the Crimson King, whose madness whispered in his soul. Mia, blind to everything but her maternal devotion, did not see the truth. The child was no savior. He was destruction made flesh.

Jake and Callahan stormed the Dixie Pig, their weapons blazing. The Low Men fell, their bodies twisting and howling as bullets found their mark. Yet the tide of enemies seemed endless, and even a gunslinger’s skill had limits. Callahan, the man who had fled from darkness once before, now stood his ground. He had been a coward in another life, but not now. Not when so much was at stake. He raised the revolver, the cross around his neck burning with a power beyond comprehension, and met his fate head-on.

The battle raged, but Susannah had already been taken beyond the walls of the Dixie Pig, beyond the city itself. The child was coming, and with him, the end of everything. Mia, for all her strength, for all her desperation, was merely a vessel. She had been used, discarded before she even understood the truth. When she looked upon her son, she saw not the love she had longed for, but cold, merciless hunger. The child had no mother. He had only need.

Mordred, the thing of prophecy, turned his gaze upon her, and Mia’s existence ended in pain and betrayal.

Susannah, her mind sharp despite the torment, did not wait for grief. She acted. The demon-child was newborn, yet powerful. If she hesitated, she would die. The struggle was brutal, a battle of will and flesh, but she was still a gunslinger. The blood of Eld ran in her veins. She fled, knowing that this was not the end, that Mordred would not stop until his hunger was sated.

Far away, in another world, Roland and Eddie felt it – a shift in the path, a darkness that had been born and was now loose upon the world. The quest for the Tower had never been easy, never without sacrifice. But as they stood in the fading light of East Stoneham, Roland knew the hardest road was still ahead.

Mordred was coming.

And the Tower still waited.

Main Characters

• Roland Deschain – The last gunslinger and leader of the ka-tet, Roland is determined to reach the Dark Tower. He remains focused and relentless, despite the growing dangers.
• Eddie Dean – Once a heroin addict from New York, Eddie has grown into a formidable gunslinger. Desperate to save his wife, Susannah, he grapples with fear and rage.
• Susannah Dean/Mia – Susannah, once Odetta Holmes, struggles for control of her body against Mia, an ancient entity carrying a child with a dark destiny.
• Jake Chambers – A young but fierce gunslinger, Jake continues to prove his worth and is haunted by visions of danger surrounding Susannah.
• Father Callahan – A former priest from ‘Salem’s Lot, Callahan has found his purpose in Mid-World. He joins Jake on a mission to save Susannah.
• Stephen King – The author himself appears as a character, revealing his connection to the Dark Tower and the ka-tet’s quest.

Theme

• Identity and Duality – Susannah’s struggle with Mia represents a fight for self-control and the complexity of identity.
• Fate and Free Will – The ka-tet constantly battles against the forces of ka (destiny) while trying to assert their own choices.
• Metafiction and the Power of Stories – King weaves himself into the narrative, exploring the relationship between the creator and his creations.
• The Battle Between Good and Evil – The Crimson King’s influence looms large, reinforcing the novel’s central conflict.
• Sacrifice and Loyalty – The ka-tet is tested as they risk everything for each other and their quest.

Writing Style and Tone

King’s writing in Song of Susannah is immersive and fast-paced, mixing rich world-building with psychological depth. His ability to shift between horror, adventure, and philosophical musings keeps the tension high. The dialogue feels natural, and the metafictional elements add a surreal layer that blurs the line between fiction and reality.

The tone is dark and foreboding, filled with a sense of impending doom. However, King balances this with moments of humor, camaraderie, and emotional weight, making the reader deeply invested in the characters’ struggles. As the series nears its climax, the tension and urgency in Song of Susannah are palpable, leading to a chilling and suspenseful conclusion.