Reviews

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

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bantwalkers's review against another edition

3.0

The first part is incomprehensible. The middle is really intriguing and the end gets a little too philisophical. Good enough to make me want to read the second book.

adutcher's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

joshkiba13's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

"Time's the thief of memory . . ."

And so begins my journey to the Dark Tower. I've been waiting to start this series for a looong time, so this was an exciting read accomplished in just a few sittings.

A lot of people aren't huge fans of this one, so it was nice having the advantage of knowing going in that it was mysterious and left a lot unexplained. Knowing that, I just buckled up and went along with the ride.

The Gunslinger is full of allusions both to Roland's past and his future. Stephen King explains in the foreword that he revised The Gunslinger in 2003 after completing the series so that the foreshadowing in the prophecies and visions would encompass where the series eventually led him---decades after starting it. So it was cool to get so many hints and seeds laid down, while simultaneously knowing that the bulk of what I read was written by a very young college-age Stephen King.

I found much of the prose alluring, and much of his figurative language unique. The style of narration and simplistic dialogue to be very reminiscent of works by Cormac McCarthy; King is a big fan of McCarthy so it is possible. And actually, though it was written many years later, if reminded me heavily of McCarthy's The Road; a gunslinging man trudging through a dying world with a young boy.

People say this series really kicks off in the next book, The Drawing of the Three, and the ending of this first book left me perfectly ready to continue. I'm excited to keep going, and I'm excited to return to The Gunslinger after completing The Dark Tower to see all of the foreshadowing anew.

Content Warnings

leftyphive's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book did things to my mind. It did things to my dreams. I don’t know how or why, but it was not at all what I expected. I’m eager to read the next in the series but feel I need time to process.

frankincredible's review against another edition

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4.0

This was my second time reading The Gunslinger, the first being about 18 years ago. I'll admit I enjoyed it more as an adult. This is probably partly due to King having re-written some of the book in his 2003 re-release, and partly because I'm older. Honestly, I'm still not completely blown away by the story, but I will admit that I'm intrigued to find out what happens next (I never continued on to the second book of the Dark Tower series).

Roland is a gritty, driven character. There were some things that didn't quite add up for me. For example, why was Roland so sure he loved Jake, the boy he found? It really didn't seem to fit the character. Especially since he wasn't even convinced that Jake wasn't just an enchantment left behind by the Man In Black.

Anyways, I guess I'll just have to read on to see if some of my misgivings about the book are addressed down the line.