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zimmm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Couldn’t get into it
manadabomb's review against another edition
5.0
A friend and I are tackling this series once again. We've both already read all 8 books but with the new movie coming out in February, we wanted a refresher. Plus, this is such a damn good series, how could we not??
I believe I read The Gunslinger first in either 8th or 9th grade and then I just eagerly awaited all the books as they came out. The first 3 books are paperbacks so I'm guessing I grabbed them all at once? Who knows. My mind has blotted out middle and high school for the most part.
Roland Deschain is our intrepid gunslinger. The first book introduces us to Roland as he crosses a desert in search of the Man in Black. The Man in Black is pure evil with the ability to bring the dead back to life. If you are a fan of King, the Man in Black appears in other books as well. The gunslinger was raised in a world that is no longer. Once his world, and those he loved, were destroyed, he set out for his destiny of destroying the Man in Black.
Along the way, Roland comes across Jake, a young boy of 9 who is mysteriously and suspiciously set in the middle of Roland's path. Jake was killed by the Man in Black in his world (basically OUR world) and ended up in Roland's world. The gunslinger comes to love the little boy but his pursuit of the Man in Black can't be stopped, even if it means the death of Jake.
Re-reading this book reminded again of King's lyrical storytelling. He's not being funny or creepy or disturbing here. There's bloodshed but not in the way King is known for. This is a story unfolding into another story with flashbacks into more stories. THIS is storytelling. This is amazing characters on an adventure in a world that is unlike any other. This reminds why I adore this series so much.
I believe I read The Gunslinger first in either 8th or 9th grade and then I just eagerly awaited all the books as they came out. The first 3 books are paperbacks so I'm guessing I grabbed them all at once? Who knows. My mind has blotted out middle and high school for the most part.
Roland Deschain is our intrepid gunslinger. The first book introduces us to Roland as he crosses a desert in search of the Man in Black. The Man in Black is pure evil with the ability to bring the dead back to life. If you are a fan of King, the Man in Black appears in other books as well. The gunslinger was raised in a world that is no longer. Once his world, and those he loved, were destroyed, he set out for his destiny of destroying the Man in Black.
Along the way, Roland comes across Jake, a young boy of 9 who is mysteriously and suspiciously set in the middle of Roland's path. Jake was killed by the Man in Black in his world (basically OUR world) and ended up in Roland's world. The gunslinger comes to love the little boy but his pursuit of the Man in Black can't be stopped, even if it means the death of Jake.
Re-reading this book reminded again of King's lyrical storytelling. He's not being funny or creepy or disturbing here. There's bloodshed but not in the way King is known for. This is a story unfolding into another story with flashbacks into more stories. THIS is storytelling. This is amazing characters on an adventure in a world that is unlike any other. This reminds why I adore this series so much.
cming88's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.75
rae5tar's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
WTF is this book even about? 😆 It was rather odd like reading about someone’s disjointed dream.
soap13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jordanm13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
beepiary's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read this for a couple of years, and this is my second read of it since King released the updated version. I had forgotten how intense and engrossing the story is... how implacable Roland's character, how desolate and forlorn the world is, having moved on. This book draws you in effortlessly and with an iron grip, and even though I know how it ends, I savored each word. The world Roland inhabits is so much like our own, and still different enough to be mysterious and enthralling. It reminds me of old western movies blended with a bit of steampunkish technology, all of which is broken down and crumbling under the weight of age. Roland, the Gunslinger, is on a quest to catch the Man in Black, but is Roland really a white hat? He's terrifically flawed, terribly romantic, and yet as frightening in his own way as any of King's more recognizable monsters. There's so much to like about this story, I can hardly pick just one thing.
But when it comes down to it, I think what I love most about this book is how excellently written it is. King's writing here is sublime, and I often stopped to marvel at his mastery. I could re-read the first section of this story over and over and still feel that I am only grasping at the skill it takes to write such an amazing opening. If you're on the fence about this book because you think King is "only" a horror writer, but you appreciate true skill and storytelling mastery, read this book for the pleasure of the craft, and I'm pretty sure you'll be swept away by the story too.
But when it comes down to it, I think what I love most about this book is how excellently written it is. King's writing here is sublime, and I often stopped to marvel at his mastery. I could re-read the first section of this story over and over and still feel that I am only grasping at the skill it takes to write such an amazing opening. If you're on the fence about this book because you think King is "only" a horror writer, but you appreciate true skill and storytelling mastery, read this book for the pleasure of the craft, and I'm pretty sure you'll be swept away by the story too.
lauracooleyjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve heard about the Dark Tower series for what seems like my entire life. So when my son read it over Christmas break, I thought I’d finally give it a go. Maybe I had overly high expectations, hyped over decades of hearing about it. But Gunslinger was only okay in my opinion. A little too much of nuthin to really greet it with 4 or 5 stars. It was well written, and interesting, so it handily emerges above a 1 or 2 star book for me. The Man in Black even tells Roland that this is just “the end of the beginning.” And it reads exactly like that: one giant prologue introducing something, but leaving the reader not really knowing what’s going on. Time travel? Religious allegory? A nuclear post-apocalyptic world with mutant zombies? Cowboy western? Coming of Age? Space travel? Umm, yes, and/or maybe?!? So I’m totally not sure I’m continuing with the series. Happy to be convinced otherwise, please let me know if you’re a fan and why!