Reviews

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

unkunkel's review against another edition

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1.0

Endlich!
Dass ich fast zwei Wochen für das schmale Büchlein gebraucht habe, sagt ja eigentlich schon alles, aber ich führe das gern noch mal näher aus:
Es war sagenhaft langweilig und ich habe von der ganzen Geschichte nur etwa 20 % mitbekommen, weil mein Gehirn ungefähr jede dritte Seite in den Lalalala-Modus geschalten hat. Außerdem hat es mir bei dem pseudo-tiefsinnigen Schreibstil regelmäßig die Fußnägel nach oben gerollt.
Warum ich es dennoch zu Ende gelesen habe, weiß ich auch nicht, also fragt gar nicht erst. ;)

lurath's review against another edition

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1.0

Wholly unsatisfying story of detached vignettes with a main character with no depth and confused intentions.

alaichoy's review against another edition

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3.0

Not sure I can get into this series and finish them. It was a bit slow, but maybe they pick up because obviously they're fan favorites.

kestrel_uk's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

frankenprunk's review against another edition

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3.0

I know a lot of folks (friends of mine included) who like this book. I give it a hearty "meh".

It was too long for what needed to be said, it was too "back and forth" and I tended to get lost if I walked away and picked it back up. I feel it had a lot of potential, but not enough for me to read any further.

kimabill's review against another edition

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3.0

I have been told that I cannot call myself a Stephen King fan if I haven't read the Dark Tower series, so I went ahead and read this one, even though I had a feeling it wasn't going to be my thing. I appreciate that it is a lot of complicated, world-building mythology kind of stuff, which normally I like. But I just couldn't really get into the story. Not sure yet if I will continue with the series, but I am glad that I at least gave this one a try.

mister_cross's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sheri_w's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I just finished and will let it sit at three stars while I ruminate for a few days.

joycersb's review against another edition

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1.0

I was told that this series was good, but not until the 3rd book. I had to fight my way to finish this book so that I can move on in the series.

breakaway71's review against another edition

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3.0

First off, I read this book about twenty years ago and was...not a fan, really. Certainly never had any desire to read more of the series later, despite being a huge Stephen King fan. Very quickly, I forgot the entire plot, what little I felt there actually was.

Recently, I acquired a new job, which allows me to spend 90% of my day wearing headphones. I've never been a big audiobook fan, but I said to myself, "What the hell. I'll give it a shot with one of my favorite authors and some books I've already read."

This turned out to be an A+ decision because frankly, the audiobook and George Guidall's narration brings life to the story that the book, for me, never had. It doesn't make it less difficult to follow, and doesn't do much for how slow the book is to start, but I still found myself enjoying it that much more. Enough to be curious about the rest of the series, finally, if nothing else.

I will say, there is a lot of classic King in here. I've been a fan of his since I was a kid, but sometimes the vulgarity and graphic depictions still make me roll me eyes. There's a fair amount of that here. It's something I'm used to with King, but not something I'm particularly used to with the fantasy genre, so it took some getting used to.

Still...if you're dying to read this series and can't get around the book itself, I urge you to give the audiobook a try. And there's a thing I never thought I'd say about anything. :)