The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Book

INTRODUCTION :
A few things you should know before deciding how helpful this review will be for you.
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*** I think the Dark Tower series as a whole is a staggering achievement and belongs in any discussion without qualification of the "Greatest Fantasy Series of All Time."

*** There are no spoilers in this review but I have read the series twice all the way through and am doing a third reading as part of a group read this month. Therefore, my review is colored by my knowledge of how the rest of the series is. Hence, I only give this book 4 stars because in comparison to the rest of the series, I thought this book was by far the weakest. In a vacuum, I would have probably given this 5 stars due to the "Chilly Palmer/Josey Wales" awesomeness of the character of Roland.

*** Roland Deschain is THE MAN and belongs among the truly ICONIC figures in 20th century literature and is certainly among my top ten favorite characters of all time. I think this is even more astounding given the Roland himself was initially patterned on the classic, iconic western gunfighter. Yet, through the series, I thought he grew beyond his original programming and became a truly unique figure.

*** I have read a number of Stephen King books beyond the Dark Tower series and have really liked some (The Stand, The Green Mile, The Night Shift) and really disliked some (Dreamcatcher, Cujo and The Dark Half). I just wanted to be clear that I like Stephen King but am not a "everything he writes is gold" fanboy…..beyond the Dark Tower series that is.

*** I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the ending of the series (don't worry, no spoilers). I can not think of a better way to have ended this epic series and believe that it created a much more powerful memory of the journey through all 7 books. I think Stephen King should be applauded for allowing the story to take on such "MYTHIC" importance as I think he achieved with the way he ended this series. I know that MANY (and I mean MANY) disagree with me on this one and I can understand where they are coming from…….(psssst however, just between us….they are all wrong and I'm right…but shhhhhh).

*** I have listened to all 7 books are audio (the first 4 read by the late Frank Muller and the last 3 read by George Guidall). I believe that anyone who has read the books and not listened to these stories on audio is REALLY MISSING SOMETHING WONDERFUL. Those who have listened to the "Dune" series on audio can understand the incredible quality and enhancement that a superb reading of a great story can bring.
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As mentioned in the above introduction, this book only gets 4 stars from me. In large part this is due to both the quality of the later books and also the fact that it is plagued by some inconsistencies that arose due to changes that King made in the later books. I applaud King for going back and re-writing this story to resolve these conflicts, but I still think this book suffers from the fact that King did not know how LARGE the story would become when he wrote this.

That said, this book is an absolute essential read as it introduced the world to Roland Deschain of Gilead, Son of Steven, Gunslinger, Champion of the White, Descendant of the line of Arthur Eld, Bane of the Man in Black and Seeker of the Dark Tower. How best to describe Roland? Physically, he was inspired by Clint Eastwood's "The Man with No Name" and so a younger Clint Eastwood is an excellent way to visualize him.

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From there, you need to mix in a little MYSTICAL TEACHER/WARRIOR/MASTER SLOGAN DISPENSER:
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Add a helping of NOBLE KNIGHT LEADER:

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And then top it off with a large triple shot of BAD ASS MOFO:

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…..with the end result being one of the most intriguing, layered (though it takes some time to peel those layers back) and complex figures in all of literature(in my opinion).

In this first installment, which is quite short compared to subsequent volumes we are introduced to Roland and the world he lives in as he is chasing the Man in Black. Roland's world appears like a deranged version of the Old West but with occasional references to an older world that was much more technologically advanced. We are left with the impression of a very ancient world that is fading and running down. As Roland describes it, his world "has moved on."

We also come to find that Roland's world is not "our world" but that there are strange similarities between the two (e.g., Arthur Eld the great hero of Roland's world would seem to be their version of King Arthur; both world's have a version of the song "Hey Jude", etc.). In addition, we learn that it is possible (though difficult) to travel between the worlds which is a fundamental aspect of the rest of the series. It is in this story that Roland first meets Jake Chambers who arrives in Roland's world from a version of "our" New York City. I will leave you to learn for yourself the circumstances surrounding Jake's appearance and the results

Through a lengthy flashback in the city of JethroTull we learn of both the mad skills of Roland as a Gunslinger and the otherworldly powers of the Man in Black. My takeaway, Roland can shoot the eyes out of hummingbird and 50 paces.

From there, the book moves ahead briskly until the inevitable final showdown between Roland and the Man in Black. The details, the interesting nuggets and the time spent with Jake are best experienced fresh so I will avoid spoilers. Overall, a good introduction to Roland and his world but merely an appetizer to the warm buttery goodness that is to follow and the epic tale of the Gunslinger really gets going in the next book.

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed…." And you should follow to, all the way to the end of the story and discover the wonders of this most original journey. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!.