The Gunslinger

I know that Stephen King can write a better story than what he created in this book! I had to force myself to finish this book because I made the mistake of purchasing it! For me, it was a slow paced boring story that could not grab my attention!

It's a post-apocalytptic sphaghetti western set across several worlds, dreamt up by the most popular writer of horror in the last few decades. In other words, this is far from Stephen King's usual macabre fair, even though there are traces in his tone and savoury details. The plot resembles more of a fantasy quest with a 'Good Bad and the Ugly' aesthetic and that's exactly what makes this first installment SO DAMNED COOL!

(The series tends to dip in quality after book four, but there's still plenty of good stuff to be seen thoughout the entire seven book run)

The first book is about ninety-percent plot and zero context. We know that the gunslinger, the series' stoic and seemingly emotionless protagonist has been pursuing a wizard in black for a very long time, but we have no idea why. We learn that the man in black is supposed to provide a clue to lead our hero in his quest for the Dark Tower, but we have no idea what that is or why he's looking for it either. The world we find this action in seems more than a little askew. We encounter sexually ravenous oracles without physical forms and cave-crawling 'slow mutants' attacking dilapidated rail cars, and in a dingy dust strewn tavern, a crazy old man plays "Hey Jude" on a honky tonk piano.

It's all so marvelously dark and surreal that you can't help but read on and guess at what our gunslinger is searching for and whether this man in black is what he seems to be - assuming our hero ever catches him.

Read this. It's among King's best.

First, I should start this review by qualifying it, my ranking system is tough, 4 for 'would recommend it', 5 for 'would recommend and re-read'. Also I am not a King fan, I actually avoid him, but this series was recommended to me by two very different people so I thought I'd give it a try.


Here's the bad for me:
The story is slow slow slow and I found it hard to follow and stay engaged.
The writing is over stylized and it really felt like King was trying too hard to be deep and obtuse, for instance "a light that was soft yet hard", what??? How can something be soft yet hard, if anyone can explain that to me feel free. This is only one example of where the writing tripped me up and I paused to contemplate its ridiculousness.
The characters aren't really likeable; I didn't get invested at all


The Good Stuff:
Reading this book gets you to book 2, which I found much more engaging and well written, and book 3 is better than 2
There's also a dialogue that goes on for a few pages at the end that was delightful.
And finally I enjoyed the Jake storyline, probably because it's the first believable character interaction.

I'm torn, I disliked this book, and I'm not at a point where I would recommend the series, but I have enjoyed book 2 & 3, so was it worth suffering through 1 to get to those, probably.

A very interesting novel. Did not find it as slow as some people said it might be. Looking forward to reading part two now.

If you ever wondered what lord of the rings would be like if:
A) it was a old western
B) Instead of a short guy with big feet the main character was Clint Eastwood
Than this is the answer, and it's a damn good answer

I read the book in hard cover. Josehf Lloyd Murchison Author of “Tails of a Gay Incubus” sold at chapters.

I got interested in the series after reading Hearts in Atlantis, and I wasn't disappointed. May seem like a slow read to start, but once you get into it, you will find it hard to put it down. Thinking of re-reading the series again :)

My dad got me this book for Christmas one year ago and I'm just getting around to writing the review :) this book was good but hard to get into i found my mind wandered periodically while i read this book because it was bored. i mean for the first couple of chapters absolutely nothing happens he walks through a dessert the climax is meeting the kid and basically sentencing him to death. although this read is worth it only because the rest of the series is fantabulous

I am not a fan of Stephen King's writing (though I am a fan of the man), so I have purposefully stayed away from The Dark Tower series.

King's books always seem to follow a simple pattern with me.

The first third of the book I find myself excited, joyfully surfing the book on the wave of King's pure inventiveness (no matter how I feel about his books in the end, it is hard to deny that his crazy mind is full of interesting ideas). In the second third of the book, the wave invariably begins to lose its power, and I find myself growing annoyed. By the final third I am just angry, and the wave is spent while I'm still yards from shore.

The Gunslinger didn't do this to me. I was in that pleasurable first third of King experience for the entire book (I expect, however, that I will continue to feel this way until somewhere in the third book, where the true first third of King's story finally gives way to the second third. The Dark Tower is seven books, after all). The Gunslinger and Roland himself were completely unexpected joys for me.

I loved King's bleak prose (and his prose is rarely something I would praise) because it matched Roland's bleak soul and the books bleak landscape. I loved the fractured narrative that took us to multiple points in Roland's past, while dropping us smack in the middle of his quest for the Man in Black and thus The Dark Tower. I loved Roland's gray ethics, his ability to shoot a woman he'd slept with only hours before, his willingness to sacrifice a boy he loves to fulfill his obsession, his cold, calculating, hardness, and most of all his tenacity.

I am not a fan of good vs. evil stories (and, sadly, I understand The Dark Tower series becomes one). I don't even believe in good and evil (certainly not in the way most people do), so to see a character whose behavior is decisive action motivated by what he perceives as necessity, and action that is (for now) presented outside the values of good and evil, is a refreshing change.

I am sure "theory of thirds" decline will happen as I continue the series, and I doubt that the story will live up to the promise of this, its first chapter, but I think it will be difficult for the rest of the series to taint the beauty of this one book. And I never thought I would say that about any Stephen King story that wasn't a short one.

I have been a big King fan for many years but the only books of his I have never attempted are the Dark Tower series. So I've decided to finally read all of them, seeing as they are so popular.

The Gunslinger is a good start to convincing me the series is worth it. There's so much to describe and I'm sure the series will only get more complicated but I'm glad to say that it is interesting and unique. The book is probably the most different from any other King book I have read, which I think will prove to be a good thing.

Roland is the last gunslinger, living in a world that is unclear to us as to whether it's the past, future, or another universe all together. He is travelling across a dying world, searching for The Man in Black, which will aid him in his quest to find "The Dark Tower" something that is as of yet never defined.

I am about to start the second in the series The Drawing of Three......

I can't say I really enjoyed this book, but it kept my interest enough to keep reading. The book is a bit confusing with many unanswered questions (which I presume will be answered later). There is not a lot of action or things that "happen." There are also many things that I feel that are minor details in this book, but will become important later (Read the next ones now before you forget!). I can see how this book will set up some great stroytelling, but the book by itself is slow and boring. Although I didn't overly enjoy this book, I am still going to try the next ones... I have already started The Drawing of the Three and already it is MUCH better!!

The first time I read The Gunslinger, I was in high school. I loved it. I fell for Stephen King and developed a taste for fantasy and other forms of fantastic fiction. The Gunslinger showed me that I could (and would) enjoy novels beyond the standard realm of fiction and literature.

i feel like MY world "moved on" while I was reading this. And I wish I had those 24 hours back.

With only an hour left to go before I finish this audiobook, I am starting to question the hype surrounding this series. I hate to be negative because I am a very big Stephen King fan... but, so far, its a lot slower-paced than I expected. It seems like there was only two or three exciting parts in the entire audiobook... and even then, they weren't so great. The gunslinger blows away a bunch of people, but its over so quickly you don't really have a chance to appreciate it. However, I will continue on with the other audiobooks in the series because I hope it gets better. Given its success, I think it will. (Though I heard Wizard and Glass is boring.) In any case, its important to listen to this one (and that) so that you understand the ground work of the tale. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but I don't think so. I feel like this one was over-rated. I mean, half the time you're listenting to nonesense babble with the occasional flashback while the Gunslinger smokes his cigarettes. I don't know what the big deal is about this series so far. I wish I had these six hours back though.

This book is over-rated and not very good. But I loved it.

If you're a King fan, this is something new and completely unexpected that will throw you completely off-balance... but in a very good way. Talk about an original, off-beat and weird story! I was simply unable to close the book, it was extraordinary from the first page to the very last.

This is the one book in along time that kept me interested from front to back, I had a hard time putting the book down. All I could think about was the book and wondering what was going to happen next. A great starting book for a series, you keep wanting more. I look forward to reading more of his books.

Always a skeptic, I could not bring myself to belive how hooked I could become on this series. You can read it cover to cover and still there are simple comments and timy details that upon a second read beg you to notice them and add them to the stock of information and wonder already gleened from this novel. To sum up, it was really good.

Had no idea when starting this book that I would get completely hooked into the series
I'm glad I didnt discover the series before it was complete, because I was able to immediately transition from one volume to the next.
A very enjoyable read...fantasy not horror...a true escape from the everyday.

This series is the best Steven King has produced. If you're a fan of his work, and haven't read the Dark Tower series...get ready to be enthralled.
It's King's very own Lord of the Rings and I truly believe it stands up to Tolkien.
Every book in this series is very different and very great in it's own way. I envy those who have yet to read this first book. Unforgettable. A great journey awaits.