Ironically enough, I’m on the last few pages of the Wizard and Glass as we speak. My wife and I decided a couple of weeks ago to re-read the series.
It probably is the best technically, but I really enjoy the first and second in the series. Shardok, the giant mechanical bear really resonated in my young mind when I first read it, and the weird echoes of our own World give it a really eerie vibe. And I’ll always love the opening line in the first book...
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
I remember when I first got my hands on the first book. I couldn't put it down. When I finished, I immediately went out and bought the second. Upon completing that, I immediately bought the third. When I finished that one, I went to the bookstore and discovered that the fourth had not yet been written. After each passing year, I hated Stephen King more and more because after three books, Roland was still 8,500 miles from his Tower.
The only reason he finished the series is because he got sick and tired of receiving letters from readers reminding him of his promise to write seven books. You could notice a shift with book five as it began to venture from a believable futuristic story into one that defied reason. Reading on, you soon discover that villain Flagg shows up, completely out of character, and then you realize you've been had. I really wish now that I had stopped at five.