This heroic fantasy, set in a world of ominous landscape and macabre menace, features one of Stephen King's most powerful creations-The Gunslinger.
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
King's (Pet Sematary, Audio Reviews, LJ 11/1/98) fantastical and allegorical "Dark Tower" series commenced in 1982 with the publication of The Gunslinger. Subsequent volumes have appeared about every five years thereafter. The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has "moved on." Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest. The Waste Lands sees Roland and his fellow travelers continuing the quest for the Dark Tower. They journey through imaginative landscapes, over astounding obstacles, and meet with and confront a unique and fully drawn cast of characters, both human and nonhuman. Reader Frank Muller gives voice to the characters with a thoroughly engaging precision, accuracy, and great humanity and with an edge that drives the story onward and seems to amplify King's skill as an author. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.?Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Pulse-poundingly engaging' -- Sunday Express on SONG OF SUSANNAH King's magnificent uberstory is finally complete... King's achievement is startling; his characters fresh... his plot sharply drawn... It is magic. -- Daily Express on THE DARK TOWER 'Join the quest before it's too late' -- Independent on Sunday on SONG OF SUSANNAH 'Classic King, fine characters, compellingly written in a gripping, well-honed plot' -- Daily Express on WOLVES OF THE CALLA 'Superbly energetic, it's King at his best' -- Mail on Sunday on WIZARD AND GLASS
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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More About the Author
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
109 of 115 people found the following review helpful
By Adam Shah
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is the first installment of Steven King's fantasy series, The Dark Tower, which follows the story of the Gunslinger Roland, the equivalent of an Arthurian knight in the world King has created, and his quest to reach the Dark Tower in order to make the world right again.
This installment tells the story of Roland's search for a mysterious stranger who may be able to help Roland find the Dark Tower. It is long on atmosphere and short on action. Therefore, fans of Steven King's horror works will find this book a distinct change of pace. However, the book will not disappoint you if you try it, especially if you are a fan of fantasy series such as the Lord of the Rings. Furthermore, you will find in later books that elements of King's horror world also exist in Roland's world, and therefore, to have a full understanding of King's horror villains, you have to read this series.
The Gunslinger offers several intriguing views of Roland's dying world. The book is not devoid of action; there is a dramatic shoot out for shadowy reasons which one hopes will be better explained in the concluding volumes of the work. There is a lost child who provides the first direct evidence that Roland's world is connected to our own, and there is the introduction to Roland himself, a man who is capable of fantastic violence but still comes across as human and quite possibly kind (a fact which becomes more clear in later books).
I recommend this book most highly to anyone who enjoys stories involving quests such as Arthurian legends, the Chronicles of Prydain and the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
142 of 162 people found the following review helpful
By "vaoy"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
At under 300 pages, "The Gunslinger" - the first book from Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series - may seem oddly short, especially when compared to the latest volume from the epic, weighing in at around 700 pages. And still, Constant Reader, there are thousands more to go!
According to the afterword from this book, it took King twelve years to complete the writings. He wrote the opening line, "The Man in Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed" while an undergraduate, the middle portions when "`Salem's Lot" was going bad, and was inspired with another concurrent writing: "The Stand." For King to have kept the Gunslinger, the Man in Black, Jake, and the other characters - and really the entire world of the Dark Tower - alive for so long in his mind is a testament to not only the power that this held over the author, but holds over us - his Constant Readers. Moreover, since the first publishing of "The Gunslinger," around twenty years have passed, a number of newer volumes in this series have come and gone - yet with this first, partially inspired by Robert Browning's poem, "Childe Roland," and partially inspired by reams of green paper (read the afterword to the book), you know that this was a very special creation indeed.
I am not a fan of King's horror fiction. But when he gets down to writing about "other worlds than these," such as "The Stand," "Insomnia," "The Green Mile," and "The Talisman" (co-authored with Peter Straub) - there is no one better. His is an imagination to be jealous of. There is always a feeling that alternate universes exist, next to our own.
... Read more ›37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The hype surrounding the Dark Tower series finally got to me and I picked up The Gunslinger, unsure of what I would find. What I found was a stark, fresh, somewhat surreal and demanding (yet light!) experience that left me wanting more, much more.
This first novel in the series finds the hero (for wont of a better word!), The Gunslinger, slugging across the desert in search of the mysterious Man in Black. The desert is bleak and so our the words - yet they have a definite beauty. Along the way The Gunslinger meets a couple of people (are they alive or dead?) and reveals some of his back history - a strange massacre in a town, his childhood friends and mentors and hints at a Dark Tower.
Death permeates this book. We're not sure who's dead or alive. Something strange has happened with time - the main search right now is for this cause - and strange fragments of the "real" world appear through the fog - Hey Jude playing in a Western Saloon is one of the strange and wonderful images we encounter. Time itself is an illusion it seems and still the Man in Black is ahead of us.
My one reservation about the book is that the final meeting with the Man in Black is a little anticlimactic. Perhaps that's because it's been building up but after the meeting we wonder why he was running at all. However, there is a lot of backstory missing in the book - obviously slated for the later books - so perhaps issues like this will be resolved. All in all a most strange but powerful book - well worth reading.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Lots of five stars here. Lots of one stars, too. Comments like "hard to follow". "Boring." "No plot." I would argue that the plot is so big, some are not seeing the forest for the trees. The books of the Dark Tower cycle are King's most important, not because they are the easiest to follow, not because they are quick reads, but because with these novels not only is the author is tapping into a collective mythology, but is tying all of his works (see "Insomnia", "It", "Eyes of the Dragon", "The Stand", and many others) together. In other words, these novels stand at the center of King's entire body of work, connecting them to itself and one another, and thereby lending deeper meaning to the whole (kind of like the Dark Tower itself, no?). This is an ambitious attempt, and one in which I believe that King is unique. And the guy is pulling it off.
Now, as for "The Gunslinger." If you are one of those that were unimpressed by this offering, please follow this advice: Read the whole thing. All of it. That includes the "tributary" books like "Insomnia" and especially "The Stand." Get a feel for what King is trying to do. Then go back for a re-read. You'll be amazed. Admittedly the pace is disjointed, and if you have read King's other stuff, you won't be prepared for this. But realize that the sparseness of the prose, the disjointedness and abjectness and disaffection of the novel mirrors the desolation and madness of Roland's soul (which is in turn reflected by the desolation of the desert and the madness of the man he chases).
... Read more ›Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Books!
I just discovered the series, I love it. I'm glad I wasn't into it before now - waiting between installments would have made me crazy! Read more
Published 10 hours ago by Blues Babe
2.0 out of 5 stars
No Original Version Available
I realized when I purchased this that it was a revised edition but the story and characters are different from the original, I for one am going old school and getting it in... Read more
Published 14 hours ago by Bcbski
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stephens King's beginning of his lord of the rings
The gunslinger is great. It's the beginning of the epic dark tower series. The whole book is sort of introducing the gunslinger character and showing you what makes him tick, and... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Josh Bosely
2.0 out of 5 stars
What? This is Stephen King?
Wow! You sure can tell that Stephen was young and eager to impress when he started this epic. He must of had a copy of every thesaurus ever printed at his disposal. Read more
Published 10 days ago by mustryde
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!
I read this book cover to cover upon downloading it! I am starting the next set! I read these books while in the Navy some time ago and enjoyed them just as much then.
Published 10 days ago by Tim Davis
4.0 out of 5 stars
Roland of Gilead!
The Gunslinger is a foot into the door to a crowning achievement of Mr. King's Dark Tower series. The imagination behind the narrative is without bounds, and the story leaps from... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Sean
4.0 out of 5 stars
Confusing
Im still rather confused about many things in this book, but it was really intriguing cannot wait to read the rest of Rolands story and learn more about the dark tower.
Published 11 days ago by Yay
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring disappointment that's not worth your time.
I understand I'm in the minority here but this is the worst book I've ever had the displeasure of finishing (though I've read worse books that I haven't finished). Read more
Published 12 days ago by Nikhil Baliga
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and unique story line.
I enjoyed the coloful characters and the isolated world in which Roland lived. Interesting corrolation between the past world that we know and the world to come which shows itself... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Patrick Mintz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very riveting
Print is perfect, not too small, not too big. No idea why anyone would pay more for a fancier copy when this one does the trick. Perfect condition. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Raven
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 33
books:
See all 33 books this book cites
- The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7) by Stephen King on 5 pages
- Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6) by Stephen King in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- The Waste Lands: (The Dark Tower #3)(Revised Edition) by Stephen King in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Wizard and Glass: (The Dark Tower #4)(Revised Edition) by Stephen King in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Black House by Stephen King in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
See all 33 books this book cites
