The Gunslinger
Published: 10, June 1982
Author: Stephen King
Genres: America, Dark, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Media Tie-In, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Western
Book 1 of 7: The Dark Tower
Check the summary of this book here:
The Gunslinger Summary
The Review:
Stephen King's masterpiece The Gunslinger is a dark fantasy. The Dark Tower series begins with this volume. The Gunslinger was initially released as a tweak novel in 1982, uniting five short tales published between 1978 and 1981. The novel was significantly reworked by the author in 2003, and this version has stayed in print ever since, with the subtitle resumption. The plot revolves around Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger who has been on the trail of his enemy, The Man in Black, for many years.
I started reading this book a few pages every day because I wanted it to last a long time, but then I got so busy that I had to utilize the audio version, and everything changed for me.
The transformation of some of the pages into heart-stopping situations on several occasions, I genuinely forgot to breathe, and you really need to listen to the audio to understand what I mean. In simple terms this book's narrator, George Guidall, is outstanding.
This first book establishes the groundwork for a world and character creation, giving readers just enough to get a sense of both but not all the specifics, literally just enough to whet the palate.
Just enough to have you rush passively-aggressively towards the next book if you've already purchased it, or towards the bookstore if you haven't.
This is something I say in every review, and it's something I'll repeat again. Stephen King is a master of character development; no matter how unbelievable the events or environment are, it's always plausible because the characters are so real.
This series is no exception. He took a long time to finish this series; I began reading it many years ago and am now through with it till The King decides to publish another volume in the series.
It was quite a voyage; each time a new book was released, I would reread the entire series from beginning to end.
Luckily, each read-through took place at a different point in my life, and I always found myself admiring fresh and different things each time.
I've been away from them for a long time, and now I'm revisiting them with my new perspective.
I adore the books and am grateful for the author's lifetime of dedication to us all. I'm already listening to the audio versions of the novels to catch up for the reviews I'm writing these days, but at 2x speed, which isn't much fun.
So, once I finish the eighth book in the series, I'm going to listen to the whole series again at normal speed.
The Gunslinger is a quick book that just hints at Roland's life's background, tragedies, and troubles. Through flashbacks, his pursuit of the mysterious Man in Black through the bleak wasteland foreshadows the true intricacy of the series to come.
The characters' extraordinary authenticity in this odd environment is interesting. All aficionados of magic, horror, quests, and westerns will like this novel. It's tough to find a fantasy that makes you stop and consider.
This series contains wonderful characters, a fast-paced tale, one of the most unique universes since Tolkien, and is, of course, brilliantly put together by Stephen King.
He constructs a universe that is gradually but steadily linked to the majority of his prior writings. It's fascinating how all the parts of the previous novels fit into the Dark Tower series and make you think, Yeah, that's how it should go together.
Now, let's talk about the readers who never gave it a chance or were disappointed by it and never went on to read the rest of the series.
The challenge is that it involves a whole new worldview and mythology. There's nothing really newer here, such as western-style gunslingers, Arthurian social classes, or the epic size of the earth, time, and space, but Stephen King's presentation makes it difficult to grasp what's going on.
For some readers, it may take the entire book to realize and truly begin to feel at ease with the story's timeframe, characters, and probable future.
He's also a superb writer, and it can be tough to understand since he uses a lot of jargon that many readers are unfamiliar with.
But I feel it can encourage a reader to seek up terms and be challenged to think more deeply about what they are reading, but for many readers, reading it will take some time.
However, if you can grasp this book or simply give it another try, the series becomes a little easier to follow and you will undoubtedly like it.
It was a wonderful read for hard-core readers like me and many others who spend endless hours reading all types of books; so sure, it can be easy and challenging at the same time depending on who is reading and their skill level.
Final Thoughts:
Stephen King's work is one of my favorites. It's utterly immersive, transporting you to a universe, unlike anything we've ever seen before.
This book demonstrates the author's ability to create a complete universe out of his mind, and it is great.
This is the first novel in the Dark Tower series, and it quickly plunges you into the action, which is truly incredible.
I've never seen the movie and may never see it since there are so many beautiful moments in this book that I'm afraid I'll destroy them if I see the Hollywood adaptation of this gem.
Friends advised me to disregard what I saw in the movie (though, as I previously stated, I never saw the movie) since the books are incomparably better and you get to know the characters.
This is a nasty, gory, and dark book. If you've ever read a book by Stephen King, you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyone searching for a mind-bending, action-packed, adrenaline-laced sensation should check this out.
I can't give this book anything less than a perfect rating just because of the audio, and even that isn't enough because this book is wonderful for me.
This is an epic tale about the start of the Gunslinger's adventure. It, in my opinion, is the only narrative that successfully mixes parts of King Arthur, the Bible, Lord of the Rings, and an old Western.
It's descriptively gorgeous, and the characters are developed in meaningful ways. I would suggest this book to everybody, regardless of their preferred reading style. Like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, this is a must-read.
Synopsis:
“An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen King’s greatest literary achievement” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), The Gunslinger is the first volume in the epic Dark Tower Series.
A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.
Inspired in part by the Robert Browning narrative poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” The Gunslinger is “a compelling whirlpool of a story that draws one irretrievable to its center” (Milwaukee Sentinel). It is “brilliant and fresh…and will leave you panting for more” (Booklist).”
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Rating: 100/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
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The Dark Tower 8 Book Boxed Set (Paperback)
The Dark Tower (2017) (PG-13)
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