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challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can appreciate the element of do-or-die in a coming-of-age found in "The Gunslinger" similar to: "Naruto" during the days of the 'Village of the Bloody Mist' & Anthony Ryan's "Blood Song" first installment novel in the "Raven's Shadow" trilogy & Rebecca Yarros's "Fourth Wing" riders. This element is always a definite YES for me. It doesn't seem to get old.
This was my first Stephen King novel. Many people recommended me the Dark Tower Series. He has an avid imagination for sure. I'm not sure I really resonate with his style. I was also told not to judge the series too harshly by the first installment. I will read the second book, but I'm not sure, if I'll finish the series.
There is only 5 chapters in the book. Thank Jesus that Stephen King put many breaks between!
There isn't strong character development other than flashbacks of the Gunslinger. I really prefer a full round cast with plenty of exposition. Maybe there is simply much room to grow?
The main character, the Gunslinger, seems to have very high stakes in a hero's journey, but honestly it isn't clear to me what he is after and why. He has such high drive for his goal, and I don't yet know WHY this goal is important to HIM.
I felt the religious and vulgar elements put in during the character Sylvia Pittston's were absolutely unnecessary and nonsensical.
The religious elements are repeated, but to me they seem like nonsense and rambling. Maybe they will puzzle out later? Was this poor creative filler?
Again, the crude incest element to Jubal Kennerly, a character with such small purpose in the story, was unnecessary.
I have heard that the author regularly explores themes of the darkness within humanity, and he is known for developing compelling and often flawed characters. But. It almost feels as though Stephen King inserts blurps of disturbing and controversial elements to seem interesting without actually making these concepts contribute the the story. I suppose at least it is never dull or boring.
There are some pretty neat concepts in the book. There were some good quotes and ideas. I'm just not sure how much they will actually contribute to the plot and development. The book really just tunnel visions on the Tower and the Gunslinger.
I was super surprised to find out the book is also a movie. The movie is not a direct adaptation. It is claimed to the books' ending allows for a variety of interpretations, and the movie takes advantage of that to create a new story.The movie incorporates elements from various books in the series, but they are not necessarily presented in the same context or order. It is claimed it is not a spoiler and can be enjoyed separately. If I do not feel the second book satisfies me, I will try out the movie.
This was my first Stephen King novel. Many people recommended me the Dark Tower Series. He has an avid imagination for sure. I'm not sure I really resonate with his style. I was also told not to judge the series too harshly by the first installment. I will read the second book, but I'm not sure, if I'll finish the series.
There is only 5 chapters in the book. Thank Jesus that Stephen King put many breaks between!
There isn't strong character development other than flashbacks of the Gunslinger. I really prefer a full round cast with plenty of exposition. Maybe there is simply much room to grow?
The main character, the Gunslinger, seems to have very high stakes in a hero's journey, but honestly it isn't clear to me what he is after and why. He has such high drive for his goal, and I don't yet know WHY this goal is important to HIM.
I felt the religious and vulgar elements put in during the character Sylvia Pittston's were absolutely unnecessary and nonsensical.
The religious elements are repeated, but to me they seem like nonsense and rambling. Maybe they will puzzle out later? Was this poor creative filler?
Again, the crude incest element to Jubal Kennerly, a character with such small purpose in the story, was unnecessary.
I have heard that the author regularly explores themes of the darkness within humanity, and he is known for developing compelling and often flawed characters. But. It almost feels as though Stephen King inserts blurps of disturbing and controversial elements to seem interesting without actually making these concepts contribute the the story. I suppose at least it is never dull or boring.
There are some pretty neat concepts in the book. There were some good quotes and ideas. I'm just not sure how much they will actually contribute to the plot and development. The book really just tunnel visions on the Tower and the Gunslinger.
I was super surprised to find out the book is also a movie. The movie is not a direct adaptation. It is claimed to the books' ending allows for a variety of interpretations, and the movie takes advantage of that to create a new story.The movie incorporates elements from various books in the series, but they are not necessarily presented in the same context or order. It is claimed it is not a spoiler and can be enjoyed separately. If I do not feel the second book satisfies me, I will try out the movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Excrement, Vomit, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
first time listening to the audio book of this, 3 rereads total.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Incest, Sexual content, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I was a child/young teen, my mom would semi-frequently tell me in-depth summaries of her favorites works I was too young to experience myself (glossing over the violent or sexual content they contained). One of them was the Dark Tower. All these years later I still remember the sense of wonder as she introduced me to a multiverse for the first time, of an evil train, of a gunslinger chasing a man in black across the desert. But she eventually hit a book in the series she disliked so much she never kept going (my understanding is that the whole thing is a flashback, and she found it boring and lacking tension because she already knew the fates of all characters involved). It's lived in the back of my mind since then, my understanding crumbling into a few fragments. I gave King's books a couple of stabs as a proper teen, but I had zero tolerance for any sexual content at that time and never finished one. I'd only read a collection of novellas from him, and On Writing.
And then I started listing to the Talking Scared podcast by Neil McRobert, a King superfan. I remember cheering when he announced King would be on the podcast, and being surprised by how charming King was. I'm an adult now with a stronger stomach and a couple of years of vociferous fiction reading under my belt now. I was already turning to face the Dark Tower when Neil announced he was going to be doing a special set of episodes where him and a fellow superfan/horror-author were going to go through the series (and some related books) with a horror author who has never read them before, and encouraged us listeners to follow along. It's time to start.
So, how does this book written by a 19 year old in 1970 hold up? Well... the female characters in this story sure don't, my god. Women in this world exist for men to have sex with them, including incorporeal demon women. (I think a main character will be a Black woman and I shudder to think what awful stereotypes she'll fall into.) This is a very brutal place I almost want to call grimdark, where young boys are beaten and abused into being unstoppable killing machines. And yet I kept turning the pages. The disjointed narrative compelled me, as we are dropped into this story in medias res with at least three lengthy flashback sequences to give us some understanding of Roland and the long-destroyed place he came from. I also loved how the book refused to hold my hand and I have to listen and read between the lines to figure out what things like a howken was. I love a series that respects my intelligence.
And then we got to the end, the conversation. The Tower. It was enough to whisk away my reservations, to make me fully buy in. I've heard that the ending is derisive, and just from that one conversation I can understand why. There is no answer to the questions posed that can truly satisfy. But I'm in board now, I'm going to follow Roland to the end of the line.
And then I started listing to the Talking Scared podcast by Neil McRobert, a King superfan. I remember cheering when he announced King would be on the podcast, and being surprised by how charming King was. I'm an adult now with a stronger stomach and a couple of years of vociferous fiction reading under my belt now. I was already turning to face the Dark Tower when Neil announced he was going to be doing a special set of episodes where him and a fellow superfan/horror-author were going to go through the series (and some related books) with a horror author who has never read them before, and encouraged us listeners to follow along. It's time to start.
So, how does this book written by a 19 year old in 1970 hold up? Well... the female characters in this story sure don't, my god. Women in this world exist for men to have sex with them, including incorporeal demon women. (I think a main character will be a Black woman and I shudder to think what awful stereotypes she'll fall into.) This is a very brutal place I almost want to call grimdark, where young boys are beaten and abused into being unstoppable killing machines. And yet I kept turning the pages. The disjointed narrative compelled me, as we are dropped into this story in medias res with at least three lengthy flashback sequences to give us some understanding of Roland and the long-destroyed place he came from. I also loved how the book refused to hold my hand and I have to listen and read between the lines to figure out what things like a howken was. I love a series that respects my intelligence.
And then we got to the end, the conversation. The Tower. It was enough to whisk away my reservations, to make me fully buy in. I've heard that the ending is derisive, and just from that one conversation I can understand why. There is no answer to the questions posed that can truly satisfy. But I'm in board now, I'm going to follow Roland to the end of the line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Incest, Sexual content
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Excrement
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual assault
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Incest, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprisingly lots of sex and sexuality. Approximately 50% of the pages in the first three chapters make mention of sex or attraction in some form. Which is fine, I was just surprised.
Most women are described breasts first, including a woman that has no physical body. Most women are also begging the main character to have sex with them, despite most being villainous or disliked by the main character. Even the section told from a woman's perspective gives her the single one dimensional motivation of having sex with a man, yet fails to explore why she may be attracted to any man. Clearly written by a 19 year old boy for men with a limited ability to inhabit a woman's point of view as full human persons.
The main character is not only an anti-hero, but deeply unlikeable.
That being said, this book, like many Steven King books, presents some uniquely novel ideas and defies limits of genre. The worldbuilding is fascinating, and despite the poor depiction of women, I am interested in knowing what happens next in the series.
Most women are described breasts first, including a woman that has no physical body. Most women are also begging the main character to have sex with them, despite most being villainous or disliked by the main character. Even the section told from a woman's perspective gives her the single one dimensional motivation of having sex with a man, yet fails to explore why she may be attracted to any man. Clearly written by a 19 year old boy for men with a limited ability to inhabit a woman's point of view as full human persons.
The main character is not only an anti-hero, but deeply unlikeable.
That being said, this book, like many Steven King books, presents some uniquely novel ideas and defies limits of genre. The worldbuilding is fascinating, and despite the poor depiction of women, I am interested in knowing what happens next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape
Minor: Incest