lvl52_grant 's review for:

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

4.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

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This book is by far the oddest of the series, but sets you up for one of the greatest stories told. A mix between western, fantasy, and horror, King builds up and tears down and builds up again his protagonist, Roland the Gunslinger. He travels through a desert at the end of the world, watching people and places slowly decay, never letting anything prevent him from achieving his goal: the Dark Tower. I first read this book as a 19 year old, a number of importance to the series, but I had never read this second publishing. Some of the newer details felt odd, like sprinkling fan-service-y cameos, but it still sets up the protagonist and reader for their journey to the Tower, answering no questions and asking many.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Sexual content