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The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 150,320 ratings · 5,088 reviews

Beginning with a short story appearing in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, the publication of Stephen King's epic work of fantasy -- what he considers to be a single long novel and his magnum opus -- has spanned a quarter of a century.

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dar

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ebook, 175 pages

Published July 1st 2003 by Signet Book (first published 1982)

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Apr 08, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, audiobook, quests, science-fantasy, kings-of-badassia

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...more

134 likes · like · see review

Dec 12, 2011 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: western, plan-on-rereading-one-day, favorites, reread-in-2011, 2011, weird-western, cool-covers

The man in black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed.

Roland Deschain, the last of the Gunslingers, is on a quest for the Dark Tower, a mysterious edifice that is the axle of worlds and holds all existence together. In this, the first volume, Roland pursues his nemesis across the Mohaine Desert. He follows the man in black's trail to a little town called Tull, then through more desert, encountering a boy named Jake from our world, and then into the mountains. Will Roland finally c...more

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Nov 24, 2012 mark monday rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to mark by: Dan, Kemper, Stephen

Shelves: mythopoeikon, horrortime

A Gunslinger, a Man in Black, a Child Out of Time & Space, the Beginning of a Cryptic Saga...

A Second Read. the first time: unimpressed, bored, agitated, gave up. the second time: so much better, a lot to consider, an enjoyable experience...

A Strangely Sparse Narrative, perhaps too much mystery, perhaps too much of a tease and not enough action, perhaps too much to think about, a frustrating lack of detail...

A Tarot Card: THE HANGED MAN...
Sacrifice... Renunciation... Contemplation... Waiting...more

36 likes · like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, fantasy, series, the-dark-tower

The Gunslinger
"The Interloper, The Lord of Flies, The Man in Black cometh!"
Stephen King our modern day Charles Dickens takes you on beginning of an epic journey with Roland 'The Gunslinger' in this poignant tale. The story takes us through the past and future and the coming of age of a man and a boy in search of The Tower.
'The more you eat the more you toot!' or should I say the more you re-read it the more you will appreciate it, that's what I felt second time round reading the novel and als...more

23 likes · like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recently, my comrades in literature featured a Dark Tower conversation on (prepare for shameless plug) Shelf Inflicted. Unfortunately, I was unable to participate because I had not yet read the series. It felt a little like being the uncool kid who gets picked last for kickball. I decided it was time to remedy this. I was going to prove I could kick that damn ball.

Now I have made vague promises for years to them and to others that, yes, I would read the book and I was sure that I would love it....more

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Mar 09, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

King is a gifted writer and has constructed a sort of intertwined "multiverse" (thank you Albert Einstein and Michael Moorcock)for his novels. It is compelling, detailed, gritty, and flawed. I have observed before that I can't really call myself a King fan. He seems unable to conceive of what I might call "actual good" or "altruistic good". His protagonists are usually terribly (even fatally) flawed in some critical way. In this I don't mean the in the "I'm human with feet of clay" type of flaw...more King is a gifted writer and has constructed a sort of intertwined "multiverse" (thank you Albert Einstein and Michael Moorcock)for his novels. It is compelling, detailed, gritty, and flawed. I have observed before that I can't really call myself a King fan. He seems unable to conceive of what I might call "actual good" or "altruistic good". His protagonists are usually terribly (even fatally) flawed in some critical way. In this I don't mean the in the "I'm human with feet of clay" type of flaw, but the "I'm also perfectly capable of stomping a puppy if I have a weak moment" kind of flaw.

Still this book, its sequels and the other tie-ins that help create the said "multiverse" are compelling. I read the series, but I don't believe that I can be said to have "enjoyed" the experience. They will lead you down a dark and dangerous road where you will be enthralled, fascinated, and absorbed. You'll get a view of certain places in the human heart where maybe we haven't looked a lot. Be ready for a dark, bloody, mucus smeared world where evil henchmen eat bloody secretions and you find that, "The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?" (-Jeremiah 17:9)

King says he worked at this (the series) for years and had multiple influences. (From The Lord of the Rings, and the Arthurian Legend to Clint Eastwood's man with no name. He mentions giving a nod to Robert Browning's poem, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.) It is a fairly unique read and worth it, if it's what you are looking for. It will definitely not be some people's cup of tea while others will love it.

I suppose the correct term here would be, I like or I appreciate this book. When I say the book or the story is "crude" I'm not referring to the writing. The prose is at times almost inspired, Mr. King is an excellent writer. No I mean the characters live in a crude world. It's a world of slime covered evil, creeping infectious debauchery. But, I actually like much of the book and story. It's another one of those stories I sort of got "trapped" in. The character Roland (ironically the name of arguably the first Paladin) (and I didn't miss that King probably chose that name deliberately. He mentioned, as noted before when writing about the book that another of his inspirations was the poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Came". Roland is also the name of Charlemagne's best know Paladin.) is a well constructed one and I must admit to loving the line: "The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed." I read somewhere that it was "the hook to end all hooks". I agree or at least would agree that it's "a hook to end all hooks". As I said, some of the prose is inspired.

So, while a lot of the needless "crudity" puts me off and tends to greatly lessen my liking for the book(s), I go with 3 stars and recommend you "might" try reading them for yourself and see what you think. It will strike different readers in different ways.

A solid, "pretty good" or "excellent in places" from me.

(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 David Sven rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favourites, audiobooks

What do you get when you mix the epicness of Tolkien, exalt in the cool of “The Good The Bad and The Ugly,” are partial to Arthurian legend, and possibly (some have suggested) have overindulged in too much weed? You get “The Gunslinger” the first book in Stephen King’s Magnum Opus “The Dark Tower Series.”

This will be the third time I’ve read “The Gunslinger,” and each time I read it the more I appreciate it. Not for its plot structure, which is often times as broken as Roland – but more for its...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Jonathan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fantasy-sci-fi-challenge, fantasy-challenge, popularity-contest

It was okay with flashes of some fantasy brilliance underneath. I have been informed by a friend I trust that this is one of the weakest books so I will push on and read others in the series. I just wasn't overly impressed by this as a novel.

The juxtaposition of the book was not great as an entry into a series. It jumped all over the place chronologically and didn't provide an easy smooth ride. I like to think of writers as pilots (well I just made that metaphor up then but I shall think of...more It was okay with flashes of some fantasy brilliance underneath. I have been informed by a friend I trust that this is one of the weakest books so I will push on and read others in the series. I just wasn't overly impressed by this as a novel.

The juxtaposition of the book was not great as an entry into a series. It jumped all over the place chronologically and didn't provide an easy smooth ride. I like to think of writers as pilots (well I just made that metaphor up then but I shall think of them as pilots from now on). Their job is to guide you from point A to point B while helping you relax and focus on the sights. You don't want to be caught up wondering where you're actually going and whether the writer is taking you to your desired destination (or even: whether there's a fire in the cockpit; whether turbulence is ahead; whether you have a full tank of petrol). Actually maybe writers are meant to be more like tour guides... Yes, writers are tour guides of the imagination!

Either way this was not a smooth ride. It was like seeing a gold nugget still coated in the rock. every so often the gold would shine through and keep me entertained but then I'd notice the bulky nature of the rock rather than the gleaming gold. That is when I'd wonder where on earth the pilot was taking me. Apparently he was meant to be taking me to the Dark Tower with a side-trip or two along the way.

I'm sure it didn't help that our hero was somewhat amoral and had no qualms with killing whoever happened to be a liability. Not cool.

To quote Terminator 2 (by now I've quoted both Gladiator and Terminator 2 in my reviews):

John Connor: You just can't go around killing people.
The Terminator: Why?
John Connor: What do you mean why? 'Cause you can't.
The Terminator: Why?
John Connor: Because you just can't, OK? Trust me on this

And I don't think our gunslinger fully grasped the concept. I can't help but wondering what kind of chaos would ensue if Stephen King and Cormac McCarthy got together and wrote. Or at least collaborated. You'd have gore in the extreme!

Still I'm curious to see what Stephen King makes of this multiverse containing series. This is my first King book and I want to see whether I can find something better of his to read that is non horror. (I will not read pure horror books or watch pure horror films with no more plot than scream and run). Anyway this was just not my book but I'm sure others may like it more.(less)

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Apr 07, 2008 Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adventure seekers, people who like stories centered around a hero

Recommended to Taylor by: Tim

Shelves: fiction, recommended, borrow-ed-or-ing

Dear Stephen King,

I'd like to apologize for the times that I've made fun of you in any way, shape or form, including the kid in my English 2 class sophomore year who would not stop raving about you as if you were the only person to ever write a book.

It's not that I think that kid was justified for only ever reading your books and no-one else's, and it's not that I thought you were a horrible writer and now I think you're amazing.

But, this was really quite a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure what...more Dear Stephen King,

I'd like to apologize for the times that I've made fun of you in any way, shape or form, including the kid in my English 2 class sophomore year who would not stop raving about you as if you were the only person to ever write a book.

It's not that I think that kid was justified for only ever reading your books and no-one else's, and it's not that I thought you were a horrible writer and now I think you're amazing.

But, this was really quite a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure what I expected. This was recommended by someone whose taste I trust, so I didn't expect it to be bad, but I don't know that I had anticipated that I would enjoy it quite so much as I did.

Basically, Roland ("the Gunslinger") is chasing "The Man in Black" (which couldn't help but remind me of Johnny Cash, especially considering this whole Western theme) across a desert. In the process of this, he meets a lot of people (major characters include a woman with a scar on her face, a young boy and a guy with a house in the desert), shoots up an entire town, runs away from/kills mutants, talks about his history, and a few different worlds and languages that I still don't really entirely understand. It's all a little confusing and some things were cleared up and some things weren't. I forgive you the confusion, though, because I'm sure that's part of what's supposed to keep us pushing on to the next book in the series.

Roland is an interesting enough character, though a somewhat typical hero type - complete loner, no more connections with anyone he loves (friends, family, romance), continuing on a quest because he's sworn out of some kind of duty and he's unrelenting, even at the sake of others' lives and his own, best on his own, etc. You've sent him through some compelling moral dilemmas and it's just the first book (HOLYSHIT THERE'S SEVEN), so I'm interested to see what you do with the rest of them. And your descriptions are one of the best things about the book - I can picture everything pretty clearly.

Honestly, my biggest complaint is a small one: you use the word "sardonic" way too much! I swear, you use it more than I heard it in my 23 previous years - doubled, and I read some smart shit. You could've just said "everything is sardonic," and it would've achieved the same point. I should've kept a running tally. There were also a couple others words that seemed out of place, like you were trying to say, "I know my way around a dictionary, and here's proof! See, I'm fucking smart!" Which I don't have a problem with if it feels natural, and I can't say that about some of your word choices.

All in all, it's an adventure book, so I can't say I derived any huge themes from it, but also, hey, it's only the first book, and you've got the leisure of stretching your point over many of them, should you ultimately have one (which I would hope you do). It's off to a decent start, though, and I think there really is some good promise contained here, so I'll definitely be checking out the next book in the series.

I liked it enough to not be embarrassed by the fact that I was reading one of your books, so that's a clear victory for you. Congrats!

Best,
Taylor Long(less)

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Apr 04, 2011 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, alt-universes, 2011-r, magic, western, dark-tower

The Dark Tower series was one of the great joys of my reading life. However, it also frustrated me to the point where I often wanted to bludgeon Stephen King with a hardback copy of It.

I was baffled by The Gunslinger when I first read it way back in my high school days. It had been an unobtainable limited edition that had popped up in the title card of King’s other books, and when it finally went into wide release I couldn’t wait to snatch it up. But then I couldn’t make sense of it. There was a...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: april-list, best-reads

An awesome fan based movie trailer @ my webpage along with the review>>>http://more2read.com/review/the-gunslinger-the-dark-tower-1-by-stephen-king/

The Gunslinger
"The Interloper, The Lord of Flies, The Man in Black cometh!"

Stephen King our modern day Charles Dickens takes you on beginning of an epic journey with Roland 'The Gunslinger' in this poignant tale. The story takes us through the past and future and the coming of age of a man and a boy in search of The Tower.
'The more you eat...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 02, 2010 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: stephenking, ebooks

UPDATED REVIEW: I finally returned to the beginning of The Dark Tower and re-read The Gunslinger, and it is incredible. I stand by my review that it may be less incredible on first-reading, but as a completion to the cycle (as in read 1-7... and then 1 again), it's pure genius, as only King could manage.

Previous review:
My 3-star rating is based on what I remember thinking about the book when I read it nearly four years ago. I was not all that impressed by the Gunslinger nor by his endless quest...more

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May 24, 2007 Zan G rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have heard a lot of hype about this book and a lot of my friends are really into it. I saw the paperback cheap at a used book store and decided to pick up the first two in the series. I am probably never going to touch the second book.

I have never been a fan of Stephen King, I don't really like horror books and I really don't understand how many times you can read about a car killing people before you get bored of the man. The reason I read this is because the Marvel comic version of this is r...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Christina White rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The imagery in this novel is awesome. The bulk of the story is in a western style post apocalyptic desert. There's saloons, gun fights and creepy abandoned towns. The Gunslinger also had flashbacks that took us to some kind of medieval-style fantasy world and we even meet a character that took us back to current time New York. I couldn't figure out how they all fit together though. I spent most of this story trying to piece together details to help me figure out the plot. Roland, The Gunslinger,...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Darcy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone and everyone

Shelves: armageddon, fantasy, epic, dark-tower-tie-in, favorites

Let me say something first. There's really no point in reading any Stephen King story if you don't read "The Dark Tower" series first. I'm very serious about this. Every short story, every sentence in one of his huge novels will resonate so much more if you read these novels outright. Because King is a geek of the best kind - he writes for his fans, who are as obsessed, if not more, with the world of the Dark Tower. And so every story has a shout-out - whether it be momentary, or whether it prac...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it, other-adult-fantasy, 2010, author_stephen-king

I wish I'd listened to my friends sooner and started this series a long time ago, because if the series lives up to the promise it shows in Gunslinger, I'm going to fall in love with it!

I had a solid 4 star rating in mind as I was reading, but then I loved the conversation between Roland and Walter at the end about the passage of time and the size of the universe so much, plus (as silly as it sounds) I loved King's afterward. I love the way he admitted he basically wrote Gunslinger having no clu...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-tower, audio-book

Executive Summary: This is a book that introduced me to Stephen King and my very first adult series. A friend gave me the book that first time and told me I must read it.

It's been many years since that first time, and many re-reads since then, but it was just as enjoyable this time as it was the first. Maybe more-so as I am much better read and more experienced than that teenaged version of myself.

Audio book: I borrowed the audible version of the revised edition of this book from a friend. The...more

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view all 4 comments

Lee Great review. I also liked this the least in the series, but had been told that the books get much better, so stuck with it. The series certainly chan...more
Jan 01, 2013 03:57pm

Rob Well see, it's my least favorite, but still 4 stars for me. You rated it 2. lol. I just don't get why people don't like it, but it must be a bias I ha...more
updated Jan 01, 2013 04:14pm

Apr 07, 2012 Madeleine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: our-libeary, what-he-brought-to-the-bearriage, mmxii, reread-and-reread-and-reread

I first read "The Gunslinger" almost five years ago, not knowing that it would indelibly alter my opinion of Stephen King's literary merit. I was so taken with the titular character and so wrapped up in his story that I finished the book in a matter of hours, immediately and hungrily scrabbling for "The Drawing of the Three" because I couldn't bear not knowing what happened to Roland next. When I returned to the introductory novel for a second helping of the series a few years later, it felt ver...more I first read "The Gunslinger" almost five years ago, not knowing that it would indelibly alter my opinion of Stephen King's literary merit. I was so taken with the titular character and so wrapped up in his story that I finished the book in a matter of hours, immediately and hungrily scrabbling for "The Drawing of the Three" because I couldn't bear not knowing what happened to Roland next. When I returned to the introductory novel for a second helping of the series a few years later, it felt very much like coming home to dearly missed friends. I rarely reread books -- let alone seven-book series -- these days because there's simply too much I still need to read for a first time, but I will always find a reason to travel the path of the Tower again.

It was the expanded-and-revised edition of "The Gunslinger" that I'd twice devoured with a nerdish urgency; our copy of the original, which I'd never read, slipped into the nether regions of our dormish apartment to remain unfound for years. When the moving process unearthed all sorts of forgotten or lost treasures by the metric butt-ton, my husband's discovery of this original introduction to Sai King's magnum opus was among the most celebrated finds.

I didn't think that the tale of the last gunslinger could have been improved upon: I was half-right. In truth, it didn't need any tweaking. Yes, the revised version is more canonical in terms of where the series wound up heading (and, given how long King toiled at this series -- I mean, it's a thing measured in decades and a near-fatal car accident -- I can understand why the series's first installment needed to be reworked for the sake of the overall story) but the original is perfect as a standalone piece. Its sparseness and terse voice suit the atmosphere and Roland's character perfectly. It's creepy in all the right places, heartbreaking where it needs to be and an all-around tighter narrative.

There's something special about seeing a familiar story in a new light. It's a double joy when that experience comes with finding that a much-loved tale can be told even better than the first two times one has both heard and loved it.(less)

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Feb 21, 2009 Primrose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: stephen-king, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. To say this book was a watershed for me is an understatement. It literally changed the way I read, how I read, and I probably wouldn't write at all if not for reading it.

The Gunslinger is the first in the Dark Tower series, which not only consists of the seven books in the series but also has ties to a great many of SK's other books. It's not Horror, nor is it Science Fiction. It's dark Fantasy at its very best, and it will by turns make you laugh, cry, scream in frustration, and probably throw...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Nicola rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, apocalypse, still-reading-series, fantasy, given-up-on-series

The Gunslinger is not my usual type of book so I wasn't really sure how much I would like it. However, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The imagery is the one thing that really stuck out to me- King really succeeds at bringing the desolate world to life and I could picture every moment clearly which made the book really creepy at parts. Roland was a well developed character and I found it interesting to follow him through his journey. I liked all the interesting (often desperate) people he me...more

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Oct 11, 2007 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of the awesome

this was the first Stephen King book I ever read, and I read it about 6 months ago. King wrote the intro to one of the volumes of Neil Gaiman's nothing-short-of-epickly-awesome Sandman series, and I always wondered why. That probably sounds stupid to avid King fans. I just always assumed he was a schlocky writer, having more in common with John Grisham than Alan Moore. but after having a few friends rave about this series (even to the point of tattoodles ref'ing it), I decided to give it a go.

I...more

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Jul 19, 2007 Nichole (Dirty H) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Well... the jury's still out on this one. But my overall impression was "Uh...."
I decided to read this book because one of the executive producers of Lost (which I love) loved this series. And I tend to like the fantasy quest type thing... so I had high expectations for Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
But this book was... weird. And icky. There was a lot of sex in this book that I found completely unnecessary, unenjoyable and kind of gross. And the protagonist is not particularly sympathetic......more

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Feb 24, 2012 Traci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aficionado-top-100-challenge, fantasy

I have read, both here and in the introduction of this book, that this first installment of The Dark Tower series is different than the others which are better. So I read this with an open mind. I loved the western fantasy setting. It's nice to read something that isn't the usual Old England tradition. An epic fantasy for America that doesn't go the urban city vampires and other ghouls route. I like the writing. Stephen King is usually dependable for a good read. One of the best character writer...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Luis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"El hombre de negro huía a través del desierto, y el pistolero iba en pos de él"

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Mar 27, 2012 John Montagne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the setting for the Gunslinger, the story itself is quite gritty and grim. Constant guessing game as to what direction the tale will take - and King (of course) manages to only give the background history to the reader as it progresses - other writers try this and it ends up being a confusing mess. This is a great weird west novel overall, and its one of my favorite genres so my 4 star rating may be a bit bias... which surprised me since I'm not one of the dedicated fans of this v...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Cortney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: made-me-laugh

So here I was thinking that I could handle Stephen King; even though I don't like horror. I can make an exception for Stephen King. I've seen Cujo, Pet Sematary, & Carrie (ok, so it was a long long time ago and my cousins forced me to watch them.) The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption are on my list of all time favorite movies. And plus The Gunslinger was supposed to be about a guy chasing another guy across the desert. I mean, what's so scary about that? So I was prepared for whatever...more

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Oct 23, 2008 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I have a confession to make - this is the first time I have read a Steven King novel. Ever. Yes, I know he is reputed to be an excellent writer, but I don’t do horror. Period. But, I was talked into trying out this series and after reading the afterward (I tend to do things backwards), I was intrigued enough to read the book from the beginning.

I read it in one sitting.

Then I went and begged my friend for the rest.

In this book, we are introduced to Roland, the last of the Gunslingers. The stor...more

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Sep 15, 2007 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have wanted to start this series for years now. The premise of a lone western gunslinger trekking a strange fantasy world in search of a dark tower has always been an intriguing one. King talks in his forward of a character reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's "The Man With No Name" series. Even before purchasing the book I had already anticipated the archetype and was sadly disappointed. Though that may have served as a basis, it is juxtapositioned against a feudal world with a kni...more

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Chris I was surprised at your review. I was surprised with your reasoning. First, I disagree that the sole purpose of a flashback is to support the characte...more
Oct 13, 2008 12:50pm

Jul 08, 2007 Jack Rudra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thebestofthebest

Here's the thing...

The Dark Tower is a culmination, a grand conjunction of Stephen King's literary world. It is his masterpiece. Most importantly, though it reminds us many times throughout that King is a horror writer at heart, these books are a work of modern literature.

King began this first book in 1970 and didn't finish it until 81' or 82. The next book came out in 87'... and the last three were published in 2003 and 2004. His writing style changes and grows as the series progresses, which i...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Διόνυσος Ψευδάνωρ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Διόνυσος by: Eric Herod

Shelves: own-mine, lit-contemporary

Stephen King's The Gunslinger is simply a marvelous work. I started reading the Dark Tower series because a friend of mine suggested that there could be a Nietzschean element to the series (of all things). Perhaps I'll return to that topic when I finish the series (which, at this rate, might be a few years). Nevertheless, the book is first rate because Roland—the protagonist— is an almost perfect, masculine protagonist. He's a master of his art, tougher than nails, and wholly virtuous in a surpr...more

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Discuss This Book

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Bookworm Buddies: * The Gunslinger #1	27	58	May 20, 2013 10:00pm
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Stephen King Fans: Revised or original? Spoilers.	16	175	Mar 24, 2013 02:30pm
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Stephen King Fans: Connections to King's Dark Tower Series -- CAUTION: SPOILERS FOR ALMOST ALL KING BOOKS	63	314	Mar 06, 2013 02:54pm
SPSV Mrs. Rodgers...: Colton Souza	1	3	Feb 27, 2013 08:19am

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About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

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Quotes from The Gunslinger

“Go then, there are other worlds than these.” — 903 people liked it

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” — 669 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6987279-the-gunslinger?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1255873679l/6987279.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6987279-the-gunslinger?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Gunslinger by Stephen King[/url]

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)

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