While there are collections of academic essays dedicated to Stephen King's work, academia as a whole has been dismissive of his writing. The "Dark Tower" series in general and Song of Susannah in particular has received little attention among literary scholars. However, this sixth volume of the "Dark Tower" series, like most of King's fiction, has received a great deal of attention from mainstream reviewers.

On the positive side, Matt Thorne of The Independent, an enthusiastic fan of the "Dark Tower" series, called Song of Susannah "by far the best in the series so far." The book, he argued, has "none of the bagginess" of other"Dark Tower" volumes, and "almost works as a stand-alone novel." Thorne said it should appeal especially to those readers who like King at his most "metafictional," referring in particular to King placing himself as a character in his own work...