Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger, is on a mysterious quest for the mysterious Dark Tower. Aside from that, he was also in a quest to follow the man in black, for answers. With his trusty companion, the child named Jake, he sets on an unforgettable adventure.

The synopsis was really short and vague, but once I finished the book, everything seemed to clear up. This novel was about a man's quest for something meaningful to him, and he was so desperate, desperate enough to do unimaginable things.

The main plot of the novel was interesting enough, but King decided to kick things up a notch. This novel just makes you thirst for more. Nothing seems adequate enough, and 6 more books plus 1 novella in the series seems like a good way to quench the thirst. It clearly explained what the quest was about, but not the purpose. I'm not complaining though, because this first novel was more of an introduction to the plot and characters. Most epics are character driven, and The Gunslinger was not an exception. I love character driven novels, as long as the characters are likeable and unforgettable. The Gunslinger himself proved his worth. This novel was a mixture of Fantasy, Western, and maybe Sci-Fi. I can't believe I haven't read much Western. Some of my favorite movies are of the Western genre, I must read more.

The Gunslinger, or Roland Deschain was a man with an obsession problem. He was obsessed with The Dark Tower, and clearly he would continue to be in that state throughout the series. It was a bit sad reading about a man with an addiction problem, but that just sparked my interest even further. What more can the series offer if the first book managed to surpass my expectations? I loved the characters (especially Gunslinger and Jake) and I'm sure that I'll be introduced to more amazing characters throughout the series. Such a terrific first book in a promising series, all I can say is, I can't wait to read more.

I am 100% sure that this will be one of my rereads in the future. Not only was it such an easy read, but it was so enjoyable too. I don't think I ever read so comfortably in the past. This novel felt light, even though it was filled with so many things in 300 pages. A lot of speculations running inside my head right now, and I think I'm slightly going obsessed and mentally insane. I'm hopefully going to devour the series, but we'll see, hopefully I don't jinx things. Stephen King is an absolute genius, and a gift to all readers. Many may not like him that much, but he's my favorite of all time. This early on with the series and I already considered the first as my favorite, what more can happen?!

I will never forgive you Roland, and you Stephen King, for killing the amazing kid. Jake was a character I felt a connection with, and the fact that you killed him, Stephen, you also killed a part of me.

I told you guys I think I might be going crazy. I don't care if he revives Jake from the fucking Pet Sematary, HE NEEDS TO DO IT!!!

or maybe the man in black can, since he was mentioned as an evil being who can bring the dead back to life. , but yeah, I forgot that he died too.

5/5 stars, and it deserves no less (it deserves more). Such an amazing introduction to an unforgettable world and characters. All I can say is, King did it again. Go read this amazing novel.

What do you get when you mix the epicness of Tolkien, exalt in the cool of “The Good The Bad and The Ugly,” are partial to Arthurian legend, and possibly (some have suggested) have overindulged in too much weed? You get “The Gunslinger” the first book in Stephen King’s Magnum Opus “The Dark Tower Series.”

This will be the third time I’ve read “The Gunslinger,” and each time I read it the more I appreciate it. Not for its plot structure, which is often times as broken as Roland – but more for its “vibe.” A certain coolness that exudes from a character who is chillingly relentless and unapologetically single-minded in his quest to the point of obsession.
Plus he has a massive pair of .45 calibre six shooters.

For those who have finished the series, there is a lot to appreciate in rereading the beginning. There are people and characters and places and events mentioned, sometimes only in passing, that will have veterans nodding their head. But for the first timer – a lot of it will be just gibberish. And a lot of first timers will hate the ending or “non” ending and possibly curse the day King was born. That’s why I often suggest that virgin Tower Knights skip this book altogether. There’s nothing in the plot you actually need to start the journey. Because as a beginning this book is hopeless to the point where many will despair of the quest before its begun. But as a prequel this book is fantastic. It will be like returning to an old lover and discovering something deeper about their soul.

Do yourself a favour cully and wait a book or two till you are ready. There is no rush for this one. Else by the time you can appreciate this story you will have forgotten it – “Time’s the thief of memory” as Vannay says. So will you cry off maggot and turn aside? No? Its too bad. It will be sad to see you broken and set upon a blind path. But if you are so determined to pull leather, then take your stance with legs set wide and I will do what I can, not to convince you to read this book, but rather to continue with the next should you stumble on the way.


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So come, let us have our Palaver, do it please ya.

Firstly I’d advise getting a copy of the 2003 edition or later. Its been edited and revised to fit better with the following books and possibly make a bit more sense for first timers. I would also recommend having a squiz at Robert Brownings poem which inspired this book “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” It’s about 34 Stanza’s long and tells the story of a knight on an elusive quest for the Dark Tower, driven by duty and obsession

n  The Settingn
Somewhere beyond In-World, but not Mid-World. The world is broken.
‘The world has moved on,’ we say . . . we’ve always said. But it’s moving on faster now. Something has happened to time. It’s softening’
Clocks can’t be trusted and people measure time by other means, like Jake who counts one to two weeks as “3 poops.” Distance and direction is also adrift.

The landscape of the story looks pretty much like any barren wilderness in any Western. In fact, at the start, one could be forgiven for mistaking this book for a Western. But its not long before the reader will get the unnerving feeling that things are off kilter. Walk into Tull for example. Its your typical Western shanty complete with stables for your horse and good old saloon come whorehouse. Except there’s a honky-tonk piano playing a rendition of “Hey Jude.” What the..? And pretty early on we get a random glimpse of a Taheen. Do you ken “Taheen?” Cry your pardon, but how could you unless you had already read further into the series. Say sorry. Man’s body, raven’s head – this one anyway. There are old machines long dis-used that were powered by electricity or atomics. There are slow mutants and threaded stock(non mutated men and animals) are getting rarer. Ah, an alternate Universe? Or rather, a parallel Universe. Do you say so? One of many. ”...... there were many remnants of the gone world, just as there were demons.”

n  The Goodn

n  Jaken

The boy who didn’t come from this place but vaguely remembers dying in a vaguely remembered other world. A world where the buildings are so tall they scrape the sky and people drink Coca Cola and watch teevee, and there is a katet of musicians who call themselves “Kiss.” Do you kennit? He loves the gunslinger, even though the gunslinger doesn’t deserve his love any more than his neglectful ma and da did – possibly less.

n  The Badn

n  The Man in Blackn

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”

In Browning’s poem he is referred to as a “hoary cripple” a liar a kind of devil who is all too happy to take deals to point out the road to obsession. In this story he is the sort of villain who resurrects a devil weed addict and embues him with eternal life – not because he wants him to be well, but because he wants the addict to suffer in his addiction forever. He offers a barren woman a child. A child king. Just kill the unkillable interloper first. Not because he wants his enemy dead, but because he wants his enemy damned. He gives his enemy a boy to love, but .... “While you travel with the boy, the man in black travels with your soul in his pocket.”

This bad man . . . this Marten . . . he was a wizard. Like Merlin. Do they ken Merlin where you come from?”
“Merlin and Arthur and the knights of the Round Table,” Jake said dreamily.
The gunslinger felt a nasty jolt go through him. “Yes,” he said. “Arthur Eld, you say true, I say thank ya...


n  The Uglyn

n  The Gunslingern

What is a “gunslinger” in this world? Well its not a cowboy with a pistol. Roland Deschain comes from the heart of In-World. From Gilead in New Canaan. A city of castles.
Yar!” He paused. “When I was your age, I lived in a walled city, did I tell you that?”
The castles are ruled by knights called “Gunslingers.” So called because of the “Irons” that are the mark of their office. Roland’s father Steven Deschain was a direct descendant of Arthur Eld and Lord of his version of Camelot.
My father had by then taken control of his ka-tet, you must ken—the Tet of the Gun—and was on the verge of becoming Dinh of Gilead, if not all In-World

But the world has moved on. And Roland is the last gunslinger and he is on a mission to fix the Universe. To find the Dark Tower. Everything else, love, family, humanity, his very soul is expendable in the light of the greater good. See it well. See it very well indeed.


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So have I convinced you yet to carry on to book 2? I hope so. Because I’ve seen the end of that journey and would have you set upon the path. Not because I am wise or good. Perhaps I just play the hoary cripple – I say true. I say thank ya.



n  From Robert Browning's Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Camen

I.
My first thought was, he lied in every word,
That hoary cripple, with malicious eye
Askance to watch the working of his lie
On mine, and mouth scarce able to afford
Suppression of the glee, that pursed and scored
Its edge, at one more victim gained thereby.
II.
What else should he be set for, with his staff?
What, save to waylay with his lies, ensnare
All travellers who might find him posted there,
And ask the road? I guessed what skull-like laugh
Would break, what crutch 'gin write my epitaph
For pastime in the dusty thoroughfare,
III.
If at his counsel I should turn aside
Into that ominous tract which, all agree,
Hides the Dark Tower. Yet acquiescingly
I did turn as he pointed: neither pride
Nor hope rekindling at the end descried,
So much as gladness that some end might be.

n  n


Long days and pleasant nights

5 stars

Novela introductoria hacia algo que promete ser tan grande y épico que me da miedo seguir por que no cumpla las expectativas.
Está escrita en los comienzos de King y se nota en el ritmo y estructura de la obra. Desde la primera frase te suelta en el universo de la Torre Oscura sin saber las motivaciones de los personajes o siquiera dónde están. Poco a poco vas entendiendo lo que ocurre y cuando mas o menos tu cerebro va situándose, se acaba.
Mientras escribía esto le iba a poner 3 estrellas pero me he dado cuenta de que a pesar de lo que digo antes, no hacía más que continuar leyendo por lo hipnótico de la historia, y eso no lo consigue todo el mundo.
Así que si te lo tomas como prólogo a una historia más grande te va a gustar. Si lo que esperas es una historia típica con desenlace te decepcionarás.

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

This is my first experience with Stephen King’s work. I am surprised that it isn’t one of his pure horror stories, but I also had a feeling I was going to end up exploring the Dark Tower universe before anything else. With an adaptation in the work, starring both Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba—two formidable actors, might I add—I vowed I’d get my hands on this series before indulging the movie. The first book in this series, The Gunslinger, introduces us to two mysterious figures. While their motives and their personalities remain ambiguous right from the beginning, you quickly get a grasp of who you’re dealing with as you tag along in their cruel and enchanted adventure. One thing ultimately drives this story forward and it all lies in the gunslinger pursuing the man in black through a desolate universe. Poetic and enigmatic, the first book in the Dark Tower series is a character-driven story that lays out a world that has yet to be fully understood.

Talk about a book that fills your mind with more questions than answers. In all honesty, I started this book with a lot of expectations. Not for the first installment alone, but for the series as a whole. Having completed this, I felt hooked to a strong desire to find answers, similar to what the gunslinger Roland Deschain seeks from the Man in Black. What on earth is going on? Where the hell are they? Who is the Gunslinger and the Man in Black? It’s truly astonishing how every bit of information thrown at me was quickly snatched and gulped. The atmosphere was completely intangible, blurry, and abysmal. Knowing that Roland Deschain has been following the shadows of a man in black for countless days gives you the impression that the history between the two characters must have been truly abhorrent. However, the most frightening part of it all is that catching up to the man in black is only the beginning of something much more grand.

I was truly intrigued by the idea of a whole world within a world and how stories were told within the story itself. The universe in which the narrative takes place is fascinating, timeless (literally; you can feel the world stagnant in space and time) and purely mysterious. Something about facing the man in black to get the answers to all the questions that have been accumulated and finding the mystical nexus of all worlds gave this first book a truly mouthwatering flavor. What I truly loved about the first book is the tone of a prophecy slowly unfolding that enveloped the whole narrative. It felt like every single character that crossed paths with the gunslinger had a role to play and a message to give. Jake, a little kid who finds himself in the same world as Roland, yet came from a place much more similar to our present days, is the perfect example. While our protagonist knew what Jake represented, his connection to the kid was inevitable. There are also some fantasy elements sprinkled around this essentially western-themed book. While these parts contributed to the lore and the world-building, their presence also reminded us that the reality in which they live in a world that has “moved on” and added a layer of complexity to the whole universe.

The Gunslinger should definitely not be the last stop for anyone’s expedition into the Dark Tower series. The first book (even if I got my hands on a revised edition that adds in some extra elements to make the story more fluid for newcomers) is definitely a prologue to something much bigger. While this is Stephen King’s epic fantasy saga, the little bits of horror that were present in the story were truly fantastic. The universe is spell-binding, completely mesmerizing. It shows that you don’t need to feed a reader a mountain of information for them to fall in love with the landscape. All you need to do is tickle the curiosity within all of us. The Gunslinger is Roland Deschain’s quest to uncover the fine and fragile fabrics of his reality. I definitely can’t wait to see what The Drawing of the Three has in store for me. One thing is for sure. My first experience with Stephen King’s work has been an excellent one.
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Talk about a book that fills your mind with more questions than answers. In all honesty, I started this book with a lot of expectations. Not for the first installment alone, but for the series as a whole. Having completed this, I felt hooked to a strong desire to find answers, similar to what Roland Deschain seeks from the Man in Black. What on earth is going on? Where the hell are they? Who is the Gunslinger and the Man in Black? I was truly intrigued by the whole world within world idea and the stories told within the story itself. The universe in which the narrative takes place is fascinating, timeless (literally; you can feel the world stagnant in space and time) and purely mysterious. There are some fantasy elements sprinkled around, but everything felt natural and added to the world-building. The Gunslinger should definitely not be the last stop for anyone's adventure in the Dark Tower series. The first book (even if I got my hands on a revised edition that probably adds in some elements to make more sense for newcomers) is definitely a sort of prologue to something much bigger, much grander. I can't wait to see what The Drawing of the Three has in store for me.

One thing is for sure. My first experience with Stephen King's work has been an excellent one.

P.S. Full review to come soon

I just could not get into this book. It started out good for me but I don't know. I liked some things about it but the rest I felt like I wasn't getting what was going on. I'm not going to give up on the series though, I'm going to read it and I'm going to re-read this book when I can because I want to make sure it wasn't just my mood or what as I love most of King's books. I'm going to re-read a lot of his stuff I haven't read since a child and new stuff.

I never got to read this series and I really want to give it another try for this first book. But, we can't all love each book an author writes, although when I feel a little skeptical about something I like to try it again at a later date. Hopefully it will work out.

This was a Group BR with Mr. Smarty Pants, The bummy bunny who read 36 pages and The guy who gave up on the series. This was a BR that went haywire for me bcz, well, bcz real life! I apologize to the last man standing and I hope the next one would be better.

I have had the pleasure of reading some good authors and a few great authors. I think I am a budding reader and yet, one thing I have noticed from day one, especially when I picked my first book from SK, Mr. Mercedes, was that for me, there are two types of authors, essentially.
Ones who talk AT you. Tell you their story.
And,
Ones who talk TO you. The guy who makes it your story by letting you in and by talking TO you!

This is one of the most important reasons of my love for Stephen King! I happen to have most of SK books as revised and illustrated editions, a complete stroke of luck. I didn’t know how that would enhance my reading experience with him, but it has. Hugely!
In all his books, I read his Forewords and Introduction and Illustrations and I see him telling tidbits about his life. His drinking problems, his accidents, him smoking Pall Malls, the greediness of us readers and so much more. And every time, it’s a conversation. And every time, the way he introduces the book, I have to take a step back after the foreword and stay away for a few hours before I can begin the book bcz it is such a lovely thing. Its like a trailer for a blockbuster movie and it sets up the tone perfectly. n  

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”

n So begins the tale of the Gunslinger! This has to be one of the most famous openings to a book. Even when I was new to the whole reading circuit and was not a ‘Constant Reader’, I knew about this line. I slowly came to appreciate the SK style of writing and I wanted to read this series from him. But I had no clue as to what I am getting myself in!

This is a book that you do not get into lightly. Why, you ask? Bcz it’s gonna do this to you:


This book is so very different from anything I have read from SK that it almost feels like its not from him to begin with and yet…yet…when you are reading it, there is that trademark style of SK that you can’t miss if you’ve read a few of his works! There is that craziness that I have only ever read in his books. This book is not gonna answer any questions. It’s not going to be an easy to understand one. It’s not even going to try and maintain a tight hold on to you. It’s gonna make you go all like:


In short, this book is awesome in its own right! As Dean-o would say, “Fun times!”
It had me so confused for the most part but I was still enjoying the ride. But the ending, the encounter of the Gunslinger and the Man in Black was AWESOME! I loved that part and I am now almost questioning the genre of the book. This book is a slow, world building kinda thing and yet it makes sure the story is moving along nicely. I am not even going to try to give out a synopsis for this book bcz I am not sure if I even grasp it completely.
But I can say 2 things for sure:
1.tI would never suggest this book as an initiation into the works of SK to anyone. (Sorry Izzy, didn’t know it before we began!)
2.tI am invested in this series for now and will be carrying on my journey with the Gunslinger (and hopefully with Mr. Smarty Pants).

Before I sign off on this review, I have a couple things to mention, as an afterthought and as an advice of sorts.
As I have slowly grown as a reader, I have come to appreciate SK more and more and I love him for all his “flaws” that some people out there might like to point out. A few people have been kind enough to taunt me about his “meandering” writing (you know who you are), almost implying I have a bad taste. To all you, I would say this: I do not judge you for the books you read, do not judge me for mine! Just bcz you like to read books about societal issues or nonfiction, it makes you absolutely NO BETTER than me. We are all here for the love of books, not to judge and taunt. And frankly, if anyone of you cannot accept me or my books or my reviews and think I have a bad taste in books, you are welcome to please, very kindly and respectfully, FUCK OFF. And honestly, I suggest you take your hatred to FB or Insta or someplace else and just let this place be a place to be cherished. Ask, not question. Discuss, not disrespect.

Also, I would like to take a minute to curse thank the person who maintained or created the Wiki page for The Dark Tower movie and very kindly gave out a small, one liner of a spoiler that has essentially spoiled THE WHOLE SERIES for me!
I want to torture you by peeling your skin off and poking holes in your eyelids and then kill you slow thank you, sir/madam. May Karma bless you for this! Fucking Fucktard!

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

The road is long and twisted, and the gunslinger's quest will be fraught with traps, temptations, evil.  As he travels, dust-devils created by an ill wind writhe and snake their way along the desert floor.  Beware the slow mutants with their rotten stinking heads.  Prepare yourself for the petrifying church service at Tull with its slathering and gibbering congregation, the very color of madness.  Soon now, there will be a terrible pack of tarot cards, from which three are to be drawn.   

Go then, there are other worlds than this.

Fue difícil calificar este libro. Entré a él sabiendo que iba a ser confuso e incluso aburrido.
Al comenzar la lectura me decía a mí mismo: ¿Por qué tiene malas críticas si su comienzo es increíble? Cinco páginas después me enteré del porqué. Es extraño.
Te meten a un montón de gente loca y tú estás tipo: pero ¿qué...? Te hablan de personas como si ya las conocieras, no te dan una introducción previa. Y todo éso, compañerxs, hace que la historia se sienta malhecha, o mal organizada.

Sin embargo, quiero rescatar a los personajes, Jake, Roland y el Hombre de Negro, que hacen que la historia sea un poco más entretenida. También quiero resaltar los diálogos finales del Hombre de Negro, donde explica, más o menos, cómo funciona la Torre Oscura. Fue súper filosófico. Y gracias a ese diálogo es que le subo una estrella, porque mi calificación iba a ser de dos. Y por último... la introducción y el prólogo de King, hablando justamente de sus 19 años, y cómo creía tener el mundo en sus manos.
Pero bueno, aun así continuaré con la saga. Y si no estoy mal, la historia mejora en el segundo libro.

n  n

n  INTRODUCTIONn:
A few things you should know before deciding how helpful this review will be for you.
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*** I think the Dark Tower series as a whole is a staggering achievement and belongs in any discussion without qualification of the “Greatest Fantasy Series of All Time.”

*** There are no spoilers in this review but I have read the series twice all the way through and am doing a third reading as part of a group read this month. Therefore, my review is colored by my knowledge of how the rest of the series is. Hence, I only give this book 4 stars because in comparison to the rest of the series, I thought this book was by far the weakest. In a vacuum, I would have probably given this 5 stars due to the “Chilly Palmer/Josey Wales” awesomeness of the character of Roland.

*** Roland Deschain is THE MAN and belongs among the truly ICONIC figures in 20th century literature and is certainly among my top ten favorite characters of all time. I think this is even more astounding given the Roland himself was initially patterned on the classic, iconic western gunfighter. Yet, through the series, I thought he grew beyond his original programming and became a truly unique figure.

*** I have read a number of Stephen King books beyond the Dark Tower series and have really liked some (The Stand, The Green Mile, The Night Shift) and really disliked some (Dreamcatcher, Cujo and The Dark Half). I just wanted to be clear that I like Stephen King but am not a “everything he writes is gold” fanboy…..beyond the Dark Tower series that is.

*** I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the ending of the series (don’t worry, no spoilers). I can not think of a better way to have ended this epic series and believe that it created a much more powerful memory of the journey through all 7 books. I think Stephen King should be applauded for allowing the story to take on such “MYTHIC” importance as I think he achieved with the way he ended this series. I know that MANY (and I mean MANY) disagree with me on this one and I can understand where they are coming from…….(psssst however, just between us….they are all wrong and I’m right…but shhhhhh).

*** I have listened to all 7 books are audio (the first 4 read by the late Frank Muller and the last 3 read by George Guidall). I believe that anyone who has read the books and not listened to these stories on audio is REALLY MISSING SOMETHING WONDERFUL. Those who have listened to the “Dune” series on audio can understand the incredible quality and enhancement that a superb reading of a great story can bring.
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As mentioned in the above introduction, this book only gets 4 stars from me. In large part this is due to both the quality of the later books and also the fact that it is plagued by some inconsistencies that arose due to changes that King made in the later books. I applaud King for going back and re-writing this story to resolve these conflicts, but I still think this book suffers from the fact that King did not know how LARGE the story would become when he wrote this.

That said, this book is an absolute essential read as it introduced the world to Roland Deschain of Gilead, Son of Steven, Gunslinger, Champion of the White, Descendant of the line of Arthur Eld, Bane of the Man in Black and Seeker of the Dark Tower. How best to describe Roland? Physically, he was inspired by Clint Eastwood’s “The Man with No Name” and so a younger Clint Eastwood is an excellent way to visualize him.
n  n
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From there, you need to mix in a little MYSTICAL TEACHER/WARRIOR/MASTER SLOGAN DISPENSER:
n  n.
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Add a helping of NOBLE KNIGHT LEADER:
n  n
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And then top it off with a large triple shot of BAD ASS MOFO:
n  n
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…..with the end result being one of the most intriguing, layered (though it takes some time to peel those layers back) and complex figures in all of literature(in my opinion).

In this first installment, which is quite short compared to subsequent volumes we are introduced to Roland and the world he lives in as he is chasing the Man in Black. Roland’s world appears like a deranged version of the Old West but with occasional references to an older world that was much more technologically advanced. We are left with the impression of a very ancient world that is fading and running down. As Roland describes it, his world “has moved on.”

We also come to find that Roland’s world is not “our world” but that there are strange similarities between the two (e.g., Arthur Eld the great hero of Roland’s world would seem to be their version of King Arthur; both world’s have a version of the song “Hey Jude”, etc.). In addition, we learn that it is possible (though difficult) to travel between the worlds which is a fundamental aspect of the rest of the series. It is in this story that Roland first meets Jake Chambers who arrives in Roland’s world from a version of “our” New York City. I will leave you to learn for yourself the circumstances surrounding Jake’s appearance and the results

Through a lengthy flashback in the city of JethroTull we learn of both the mad skills of Roland as a Gunslinger and the otherworldly powers of the Man in Black. My takeaway, Roland can shoot the eyes out of hummingbird and 50 paces.

From there, the book moves ahead briskly until the inevitable final showdown between Roland and the Man in Black. The details, the interesting nuggets and the time spent with Jake are best experienced fresh so I will avoid spoilers. Overall, a good introduction to Roland and his world but merely an appetizer to the warm buttery goodness that is to follow and the epic tale of the Gunslinger really gets going in the next book.

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed….” And you should follow to, all the way to the end of the story and discover the wonders of this most original journey. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!.

yippee ki yay

The atmosphere of decay, society that fell apart into one unhinged, big, harsh struggle of survival, is well conjured by King.
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

I have a thing for rereads this month, this being the third already. Maybe its the comfort of known books that’s alluring in strange times. Anyway, this one, like the other rereads if this month didn’t disappoint. As a child around 13 I devoured the books of Stephen King but this all started it for me in my recollection. The Dark Tower saga is epic, fantastical and as layered as J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision of Middle Earth. Set in a Western world, with dystopia, horror and high fantasy mixed into it, it really captivated my imagination and awakened a hunger to know where the overall story is going towards.

Allusions to later parts of the series, like a horn, a talking badger, some events in Wizardglass, Jake of course and Algul Siento are subtly woven in this part and give the tale depth.

The flashback in flashback in flashback structure of the first part leads to a significant slowing down of the story of The Gunslinger.
But soon it becomes noticeable how much of the book is about Roland Deschain, the titular Gunslinger, his youth and losses he sustained to become who he is now. It's not a straightforward tale of moving from A to B, and King was clearly a younger writer when he wrote this, not entirely following his advice of limiting the adjectives.

This time reading I had real Moria vibes at the end, in the slow mutants chapter. This chapter always remained with me, due to the moral ambiguity and ruthlessness of Roland, and the haunting visions of a world that has moved on.

The mystical, unhinged and epic world King creates is impressive and he manages to capture something of the full scale of the multiverse we supposedly live in. Eager to reread the whole series!

Am început să citesc această carte fără să am pretenția să înțeleg totul. Așa mi-au sfătuit și prietenii mei care au citit seria. Dar mi-a plăcut foarte mult cartea.