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max_j_b 's review for:
The Gunslinger
by Stephen King
As someone who has read a decent amount of Stephen King stories, I thought that I had figured out his style. His books are usually 1) based in suspense/horror, 2) tend to have similar character archetypes, and 3) feature a supernatural threat, a human threat, or quite often both. This holds true for [b:The Shining|11588|The Shining (The Shining, #1)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353277730s/11588.jpg|849585], [b:Carrie|10592|Carrie|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1166254258s/10592.jpg|1552134], [b:It|830502|It|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1334416842s/830502.jpg|150259], [b:Dreamcatcher|11570|Dreamcatcher|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386922451s/11570.jpg|643924], [b:The Green Mile|11566|The Green Mile|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1373903563s/11566.jpg|15599], all the short stories in [b:Four Past Midnight|133266|Four Past Midnight|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1321023197s/133266.jpg|1733095], etc. And those are just the ones I've read.
So imagine my surprise when I picked up the first Dark Tower book, expecting a typical Stephen King story. The Gunslinger is different from the content I'm used to reading from King, and it almost seems like a different person is writing it. I noticed a few King-isms here and there, but otherwise this is a highly original fantasy story the likes of which I haven't read before.
For a good portion of the book, I was confused- it takes a long time before any context is given for the plot, or any world-building occurs. This made it more difficult to become invested in the story, at least at first, but I admit that it was worth it by the end.
I found Roland, the Man in Black, and Jake to be compelling characters, which is good because they are some of the only characters in the whole book. The flashback origin chapters were some of my favorite parts. I was invested in the backstories of the characters and finished the book ready to see what happened next.
The ending was my favorite part actually- I love how
The Gunslinger is an intriguing setup for a fantasy series, and now I plan on reading the rest of it. This first entry was a bit threadbare, and at times didn't seem to have much direction beyond "let's catch the Man in Black, who is evil because... reasons." It's apparent that this was intentional though, and it still ties up nicely in the end. I trust that there is more to look forward to. 7.5/10
So imagine my surprise when I picked up the first Dark Tower book, expecting a typical Stephen King story. The Gunslinger is different from the content I'm used to reading from King, and it almost seems like a different person is writing it. I noticed a few King-isms here and there, but otherwise this is a highly original fantasy story the likes of which I haven't read before.
For a good portion of the book, I was confused- it takes a long time before any context is given for the plot, or any world-building occurs. This made it more difficult to become invested in the story, at least at first, but I admit that it was worth it by the end.
I found Roland, the Man in Black, and Jake to be compelling characters, which is good because they are some of the only characters in the whole book. The flashback origin chapters were some of my favorite parts. I was invested in the backstories of the characters and finished the book ready to see what happened next.
The ending was my favorite part actually- I love how
Spoiler
the story ends basically with a conversation. The Man in Black gives Roland a fascinating perspective about the scale of the universe and the meaning of everything, which I found engaging and thought-provoking.The Gunslinger is an intriguing setup for a fantasy series, and now I plan on reading the rest of it. This first entry was a bit threadbare, and at times didn't seem to have much direction beyond "let's catch the Man in Black, who is evil because... reasons." It's apparent that this was intentional though, and it still ties up nicely in the end. I trust that there is more to look forward to. 7.5/10