Reviews

I found the first two thirds of The Gunslinger to be a real slog. I didn't care about the story (what little there was) or any of the characters. However, the final act, beginning with The Slow Mutants chapter really worked for me. Certain things happened that made me think "Wait. What?" in a good way. For me, it's far from being top tier King but that final act won me over.

I'm very tempted to go straight into book 2.

kate_rates's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

3.75

Good intro to the series. It can be extremely confusing at times and it doesn't pay off until the next book (The Drawing of the Three)

fozzy33's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It took a while to get going, and I reached a point where I’d have abandoned it if it was any longer, but that’s more than half way through so I finished out of stubbornness. The end is satisfying and sets up the series nicely, I think rereading would change my perspective and be more enjoyable.

seagul's review against another edition

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4.0

A great first book of what seems to be a promising series

thejadedreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Simply eye-opening.

In his forward, King states that the dark tower is not a series exactly but rather one long novel divided into eight parts, and I'm inclined to agree with him. As an introduction to the world, the characters, and what the dark tower is, this novel perfectly captures everything you need to know, and keeps you hooked despite the occasional lull.

I'll refrain from saying more. While I found this novel hugely enjoyable, it is most definitely the beginning of one long journey and I feel it best that I wait until I've seen what the rest hold before properly reviewing.

Content Warnings

chitownbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

1.0

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