I read the first of this series so long ago that I don't have any arguments to write a review.

I remember that I liked it, although I found it quite disconcerting. Then, I let time pass to read the second one... and to this day it remains unopened. And, I would like to, but I'm too lazy, with so many books that I have pending. I have always liked the stand-alone works of the master more. What can we do!

But I don't rule out pulling the blanket over my head and continuing with this series. Or not.

Perhaps one day, when I have more free time and less of a backlog of other books, I will finally pick up the second volume and see where the story takes me. Until then, it will just have to wait on my bookshelf.

I know that I'm missing out on something by not continuing the series, but sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to pick up a book that has been sitting there for so long.

Maybe I'll have a sudden burst of inspiration and decide to give it a go. Or maybe it will just continue to gather dust. Only time will tell.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King is a captivating and unique work. Published in 1982 as the first in the 'Dark Tower' series, it takes readers on a dark and gritty journey through a Dream Fantasy/Horror mashup. The story follows Roland, an Old-Western Style Pistolero, as he pursues the enigmatic Man in Black through a desolate world. Along the way, he meets Jake, and their journey forms the core of the book.

5 ⭐

\\n  ”The universe is the Great All, and offers a paradox too great for the finite mind to grasp. As the living brain cannot conceive of a nonliving brain – although it may think it can – the finite mind cannot grasp the infinite.”\\n


The book's setting is strange, with time losing its meaning and language being forgotten. The inhabitants have become deranged due to an unknown force. What sets this book apart is a moment when the scope of the tale expands, revealing King's ambitious vision for the series.

However, the book has its drawbacks. It doesn't have a typical self-contained story with a satisfying conclusion. Instead, it leaves many questions unanswered, making it more of a prologue. Some readers also found the story strange and confusing, as there are too few puzzle pieces to understand the full picture.

Despite this, the book has fantastic characterisation, with both the main and secondary characters being memorable. The recurring themes of Fate, Time, Language, Love, and Sexual Desire add to the mystery and atmosphere of the novel.

\\n  ”Few if any seemed to have grasped the truest principle of reality: new knowledge leads always to yet more awesome mysteries.”\\n

In conclusion, The Gunslinger is a must-read for fans of Stephen King and those who enjoy unique and thought-provoking stories. While it may not be for everyone, those who are willing to embrace its strangeness and mystery will be rewarded with a captivating and unforgettable experience.

I will be continuing with the series and reading 'The Drawing of the Three' next. I'm excited to see where the story takes me and hope it lives up to the expectations set by The Gunslinger.

\\n  ”… three is mystic. Three stands at the heart of your quest. Another number comes later. Now the number is three.”\\n

A Gunslinger, a Man in Black, a Child Out of Time & Space, the Beginning of a Cryptic Saga...

A Second Read. The first time, I was unimpressed, bored, and agitated, so I gave up. However, the second time around, it was so much better. There was a lot to consider, and it became an enjoyable experience.

A Strangely Sparse Narrative. Perhaps there is too much mystery, too much of a tease and not enough action. Maybe there is also too much to think about, and a frustrating lack of detail.

A Tarot Card: THE HANGED MAN... Sacrifice... Renunciation... Contemplation... Waiting...

A Brilliant Passage detailing the life and death of a boy from 1970s NYC...

A Pretty Good Passage detailing the strange beginnings of a gunslinger from Gilead, a knight from Inner-Earth...

An Enjoyably Creepy Passage detailing the death of a town...

A Tarot Card: DEATH... The Ending of a Cycle... Transitioning Into a New State... Regeneration... Goodbyes...

A Poorly Characterized Villain, with too many arch comments and rote phrases, villainy by numbers...

A Kind of First Novel, recently upgraded. It is impressive in conception but less so in execution. And yet...

A Good Start: despite the flaws and the thinness, it is a beautifully written and intriguingly mythic start to a series. I will continue reading as I need to see the end of it all...

A Tarot Card: THE TOWER... Chaos, Sudden Change... Crisis, Revelation... Disillusion, Crash... Ruin, Explosive Transformation...

Twelve years in the making, and finally released in 1992, this book kicks off the story that would envelop King's career.

When I first read it, I thought it was just okay and had no interest in the Dark Tower or the following books. However, after reading some of the subsequent books and then rereading this one, I could appreciate the scene-setting foundation of this series.

On my third reading (second reading of this revised version), this book is more like a marker outlining the rest of the then yet-to-be-written series. First-time readers should beware that this is a magnificent series, so don't let the at times meandering and other times engrossing opener put you off. And for the Constant Reader, this is a book you absolutely cannot skip.

This is a sombre introduction to one of the darkest anti-heroes in fiction, who brings a new meaning to the word collateral damage. Many of the foreshadowings in this book are blatant, yet I missed them on previous reads or forgot them. So much of the Dark Tower lore is set out in this book.

On the first read, the ending didn't sit well with me, and even now it's far from one of my favourites. King does well, as usual, in telling a compelling coming-of-age story (Jake's). The storytelling style kind of works, but it feels like there isn't enough information in the shared tales told by the characters. This is probably intentional, but more depth in the characterizations would/may have served better. However, the characterization of Roland is spot-on.

All in all, it's a quite laid-back start on the road to the Dark Tower. I rate it an 8.5 out of 12; 2 "and the Dark Man followed" very strong Four Star Read.

2018 and 2006 read

Please don't hate me.

I understand that it might seem disrespectful to rate a Stephen King work with less than 4 stars. However, for the first 75% of this book, it was extremely slow. That doesn't mean I didn't like it, but I found it easy to put down and not feel the urge to pick it up again for days.

I've heard many people describe this as a great prologue to the series, and in a way, the action and story don't become truly engaging until book 2. This, combined with the fact that I became very involved in the final 25% or so of this book, has made me eager to continue with Roland. Because, dear God, that ending! I was just cruising along, and then I had to reread the last few pages several times to make sure I understood what was happening.

Overall, I have the feeling that this is a really special series and worthy of the high praise it has received for decades. I expect my future reviews will be more enthusiastic and fangirly than this one.

PS - My prim and proper mother (we affectionately call her Nonni) was the one who first convinced me to read this series and also invest in The Stand because she read both way back when. Who knew Nonni was so cool and trendy and in the know?

The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed. This line has lingered in my mind for countless years, making me believe that one day I would return to THE GUNSLINGER. As a young teenage girl, I read this book but didn't really like it. It didn't make me hate it; rather, it simply confused me. To review it, I must take you back to when I first read it as a teen.

Stephen King holds a special place in my heart. He is special because when I first discovered him, it was the first time I ventured out on my own to read something not influenced by anyone else. Before that, all the books I read were hand-me-downs. I borrowed books from my brother, like John D MacDonald's Travis McGee series, or Nancy Drew from my sister, Agatha Christie from my mother. My dad loved the classics, and my friends liked VC Andrews. I enjoyed them all, but something told me there would be an author who would set me apart from the rest of my family and friends, books that would be all mine.

One night, I watched the movie Dead Zone. In the credits, it said written by Stephen King, and a whole new world opened up to me. I devoured Dead Zone, Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, Firestarter, and Carrie. I got used to his writing and was thrilled with it. Then I picked up THE GUNSLINGER, and everything went haywire. I didn't understand what it was about. It scared me that this might be what the rest of his books would be like. As a young girly girl, I had no interest in westerns and wanted nothing to do with Roland Deschain.

Thankfully, more Stephen King books came out that made me happy, like Christine, Pet Sematary, The Talisman, Thinner, It, and many others. I forgot about The Dark Tower and THE GUNSLINGER and went about my merry way. But that line always stayed with me.

Fast forward to September 2014. Two of my favorite Goodreads friends, Stepheny and Jeff, were reading about Roland, THE GUNSLINGER. I decided it was time to try to overcome my confusion and move forward. I asked if I could join in, and of course, they said yes. Let the buddy read begin.

Roland Deschain travels across the desert with his mule in search of the man in black. Along the way, he meets Brown, a farmer, and Zoltan, his crow. Brown offers to put Roland up for the night. As the story unfolds, Roland's past becomes clearer. His past in Gilead, in Tull, his meeting with Jake, a boy he grows attached to much to his dismay, and his future told by the man in black.
Thank you, Stepheny and Jeff, for opening my eyes to a book I once dismissed. I look forward to the rest of the series. What a great new beginning. :D

DNF @ 75%

Attempt #2 with this went a little better than Attempt #1. During Attempt #1, I made it maybe 6% before giving up. So, I'm patting myself on the back here. However, I just can't get into this. It's simultaneously weird (in a bad way), boring, and yes, I'm almost done, but I just really don't want to waste anymore time trying to enjoy this.

DNF @ 75%



The story seems to lack a certain charm or engaging element that would keep me hooked. It's as if the author's writing style doesn't resonate with me. I find myself constantly losing interest and having to force myself to continue listening.



Audio Book Note: George Guidall is an excellent narrator. His voice and delivery are top-notch, which at least makes the act of listening not also painful. But even his great narration can't completely salvage the overall experience for me. Maybe this book just isn't for me. I'll have to look for something else that can capture my attention and keep me entertained from start to finish.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is an absolute masterpiece.

The first installment, while getting only 4 stars from the reviewer, is still an essential read. It introduces us to the iconic Roland Deschain, a character inspired by Clint Eastwood's "The Man with No Name" and a unique blend of mystical teacher, warrior, master slogan dispenser, noble knight leader, and badass mofo.

The book is set in a world that resembles a deranged version of the Old West, with references to an older, more technologically advanced world that is fading away. We also learn that it is possible to travel between Roland's world and ours, which is a crucial aspect of the series.

Through a flashback in the city of Tull, we see Roland's mad skills as a Gunslinger and the otherworldly powers of the Man in Black. The story then moves briskly towards the final showdown between the two.

Overall, this book is a great introduction to Roland and his world, but it's just the beginning of an epic journey that gets even better in the subsequent books. The reviewer highly recommends following Roland all the way to the end of the story and discovering the wonders of this original and captivating series.

So, if you're a fan of fantasy and adventure, don't miss out on The Dark Tower series. It's a must-read for any lover of great literature.

Okay, this is going to be hard.

Over the years, several people have recommended this series to me, and several more have told me how much they love it. So far, I’m not one of those.

The introduction sounds great.

Set in the world that has moved on, the gunslinger Roland pursues the man in black through tired and desolated landscapes in a struggle to uncover the secret of the Dark Tower. Upon his quest, Roland will face a choice that will haunt him for a long time.

The opening line is quite nice too.

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

From there on? Ehh.

I actually had to read the first third of the book twice because I checked out mentally after some time. With some effort, I managed to get through that part on my second try, without my thoughts floating off to some distant place. There’s a flashback within a flashback at some point. That was nice. But apart from that, I hadn’t really missed much on my first try. I had to face the facts. I just don’t find this story very interesting.

For the rest of the book, it didn’t go much better. I had to backtrack several times because I was losing interest time and again. So what’s the problem? Several, I think.

There’s not a good flow to the whole tale. Probably not surprising, considering that King released this as five separate novellas initially. Still, I’ve read books with a similar publishing history that were more coherent than this.

Then there was quite some metaphorical stuff. Not a problem in and of itself. I enjoyed such writing before. But when I’m not really invested in the tale, it makes it all the harder to read and enjoy.

The five stories taken for themselves respectively didn’t really grab me either. I somewhat liked two of them, found two pretty boring, and one mainly abstruse.

What I did like is the scale of the world(s). Often times only hinted at, but towards the end getting much clearer. It’s the main reason I will continue with the series. That, and that several people told me already that it is getting better after the first novel. Also, considering how much time has passed between the first and the last book in the series, this is a nice opportunity to see how King’s writing has changed over time. Frankly, I didn’t much like it here. It was often kinda cheesy.

Okay, more things I liked. Well, that would be kind of spoilerish. So let’s just say I like the sci-fi elements and the remnants of our own world that are to be found. Don’t forget, the world has moved on.

I also liked the raven at the beginning. Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot. Bwahahaha! Okay, I’m getting silly now.

Bottom line: More buildup and backstory than anything with proper forward movement. Nice world. Possibly very huge. Not a fan yet. Will keep on trying.

Recommended by Mouthful Of Books

The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger trailed behind.

Roland Deschain, the last of the Gunslingers, embarks on a pursuit of the Dark Tower, a mysterious structure that serves as the axle of worlds and holds all of existence together. In this initial volume, Roland chases his nemesis across the Mohaine Desert. He follows the man in black's path to a small town named Tull, then traverses more desert, encounters a boy named Jake from our world, and finally enters the mountains. Will Roland succeed in catching his arch-nemesis after years of unwavering pursuit? And what lengths will he go to in order to achieve his goal?

When I first picked up this book, I had no inkling that it would soar to the top of my favorites list. I devoured the first four books within three weeks and then endured an excruciating period of waiting for the final three to be published. I believe I have read the first four books five or six times each. The entire Dark Tower series,看似是一部奇幻西部小说，实则是关于一个人执念的故事。在这一卷中，我们得以窥见罗兰为了抵达黑暗塔将会采取何种行动。

The writing is excellent and it endeared me to Stephen King. Roland's world is distinct, a blend of fantasy, western, and post-apocalyptic elements. Although it is the first book in a series, it can be read and enjoyed on its own.

If you're seeking fantasy with a unique flavor, look no further.

Additional Thoughts from the April 2011 re-read:

Some of the additions in the revised edition of this book were much-needed and brought the first book in line with the later ones. However, others seemed a bit clumsy and detracted slightly from Roland's mystique.

I like the idea proposed by a certain curmudgeonly Kansan reviewer that the first edition of The Gunslinger and this one are from different cycles in Roland's quest.

I think it's a testament to Stephen King's writing prowess that even on my sixth or seventh reading, I was still hoping Roland wouldn't let Jake fall.

Additional Thoughts from the 2014 reread:

In the forward, King mentioned that he set aside everything else to complete the last three books because he felt a sense of responsibility to his readers. If only George R.R. Martin felt the same way...

It is noted that Roland is the type of man who straightens pictures in strange hotel rooms. Is this a clue to his obsessiveness?

I discover something new every time I read this book. If I had to select one book that inspired me to write, it would be this one.

Nothing can surpass the authenticity of the real Wild West. However, a dark fantasy filled with a badass Kingian character exposition that kicks off one of the greatest fantasy horror hybrid series of all time comes close.

It reminds me of the style of some of his short stories. In fact, it consists of 5 short stories combined into a short novel. Young King's writing was darker, more direct, and epic, distinct from his drug years and again different from the period after when he mellowed down (not that he got old, because he is the King!). One could classify it into the 3 main periods of his work, similar to how it's done with painters, but I'll save that for later in the review of the last part.

I recall when I first read this novel after devouring between 10 to 15 King novels from various decades. I was astonished by the completely different style, brutality, and epic badassity of this one. There is no unnecessary fluff (no, he didn't become overly wordy; every word has its justification). It's the ultimate "Hold my beer" moment, with Chuck Norris-like elements mixed with horror to launch the septology (the one in between doesn't really count for me; it's great, but not part of the series).

Analyzing how King evolved while writing this project is an added bonus to the unique and amazing entertainment it offers. It's a masterpiece of one of the greatest literary geniuses of all time, if not the greatest human to ever write literature. Next to Pratchett. When King was young, he wrote more harshly, dedicating more time and space to detailed descriptions, worldbuilding, and less emphasis (but still more than many other authors) on characterization, focusing on a single plotline. One might find it difficult to believe it's the same author when reading one of his first and one of his newer works, as he shifted his focus to characterization and complexity and cared less about the epic nature of the world and outer plots. Or perhaps he just got too lazy to do all the extra work that comes with it.

However, why are you still wasting your time reading this drivel? Immediately start reading one of the best fictional series of all time!

Tropes reveal how literature is conceptualized and created, and which combination of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed. Our BR gang trailed the gunslinger as he pursued the devil. When he stopped to unwind and set up camp, he shared tales of his recent gunfight, his old world, his childhood training, and the tests he endured to become a gunslinger. We simply followed him, like these flamingos!

King has artfully crafted a distinct world that combines the fantasy genre with the American old west. It's a mysterious realm that presents numerous questions: Is it a descendant of our world? Or a post-apocalyptic western wasteland? Or an entirely new world? Moreover, where did the burgers come from? Do they serve French fries too? What's the tax situation there?

I must admit, this is a peculiar book. It differs from King's typical stories and writing styles. The prose is unique (read: odd), and the slang can be strange at times. I had a great time reading it, but when I paused to catch my breath, the only thought in my mind was, "What the hell am I reading?!" However, the moment I resumed reading, those thoughts vanished.

That, my friend, must be magic! On top of that, I'm not sure what's more captivating: the world of the gunslinger or the gunslinger himself! When I finished the book, I realized there was no mention of the Crimson King, the main antagonist of the series. That's when I discovered my edition was old. King revised the book in 2003 and added around 35 pages of new content. So, I borrowed my friend's Kindle and read the 2003 version too. I'm not sure which one is weirder! The revised Roland seems less cold-blooded, I think.

In the end, it all reminded me of the new Mad Max movie for some reason. You know, the apocalyptic wasteland, the unreal locations, the crazy people, and the strange slang. To be precise, take Clint Eastwood and place him in the Mad Max world (minus the automobiles), then add some supernatural elements and cook it up in a cauldron full of LSD, and you get the Gunslinger. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. This installment serves as an introduction to the characters and their world(s), but saves most of the answers for later installments.

Afterthought: One of the coolest lines from the book is, "Go then, there are other worlds than these." And remember how critics bashed the new Dark Tower movie adaptation? This was the official critic's consensus published on the Rotten Tomatoes website. Well played, RT, well played.

Bonus: BR Report. Shout out to Anish, Avinash, and Izzy for a rather tumultuous Buddy Read. My fellow gunslingers were united in confusion but divided by our ratings. I gave the book four stars. Anish AKA Kraken gave three stars, and you can read his review here. Dean from Supernatural makes a cameo appearance in his review! Avinash (AKA uh... wait... still working on an AKA for him) gave two stars, and you can find his review here. Also, Avinash has abandoned the series after this traumatizing read. Izzy AKA Ninja AKA little Dragon AKA Piggyback rider pulled a DNF on us after reading three dozen pages and gave a one-star rating. There was a cat involved. It's a long story. As you can see, the Gunslinger is a gamble. You might like it, you might hate it, but you will surely be confused!