The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) - Harry Potter 6 Books

Product Description

Stephen King has recently concluded his masterpiece Dark Tower series with The Dark Tower, bringing new readers to this odyssey. This edition of The Gunslinger includes newly-written material and an introduction by the author.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151044 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06
• Released on: 2003-06-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.com Review
Thirty-three years, a horrific and life-altering accident, and thousands of desperately rabid fans in the making, Stephen King's quest to complete his magnum opus rivals the quest of Roland and his band of gunslingers who inhabit the Dark Tower series. Loyal DT fans and new readers alike will appreciate this revised edition of The Gunslinger, which breathes new life into Roland of Gilead, and offers readers a "clearer start and slightly easier entry into Roland's world."

King writes both a new introduction and foreword to this revised edition, and the ever-patient, ever-loyal "constant reader" is rewarded with secrets to the series's inception. That a "magic" ream of green paper and a Robert Browning poem, came together to reveal to King his "ka" is no real surprise (this is King after all), but who would have thought that the squinty-eyed trio of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach would set the author on his true path to the Tower? While King credits Tolkien for inspiring the "quest and magic" that pervades the series, it was Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly that helped create the epic proportions and "almost absurdly majestic western backdrop" of Roland's world.

To King, The Gunslinger demanded revision because once the series was complete it became obvious that "the beginning was out of sync with the ending." While the revision adds only 35 pages, Dark Tower purists will notice the changes to Allie's fate and Roland's interaction with Cort, Jake, and the Man in Black--all stellar scenes that will reignite the hunger for the rest of the series. Newcomers will appreciate the details and insight into Roland's life. The revised Roland of Gilead (nee Deschain) is embodied with more humanity--he loves, he pities, he regrets. What DT fans might miss is the same ambiguity and mystery of the original that gave the original its pulpy underground feel (back when King himself awaited word from Roland's world). --Daphne Durham

From Library Journal
King's (Pet Sematary, Audio Reviews, LJ 11/1/98) fantastical and allegorical "Dark Tower" series commenced in 1982 with the publication of The Gunslinger. Subsequent volumes have appeared about every five years thereafter. The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has "moved on." Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest. The Waste Lands sees Roland and his fellow travelers continuing the quest for the Dark Tower. They journey through imaginative landscapes, over astounding obstacles, and meet with and confront a unique and fully drawn cast of characters, both human and nonhuman. Reader Frank Muller gives voice to the characters with a thoroughly engaging precision, accuracy, and great humanity and with an edge that drives the story onward and seems to amplify King's skill as an author. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.?Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
'Pulse-poundingly engaging' -- Sunday Express on SONG OF SUSANNAH King's magnificent uberstory is finally complete... King's achievement is startling; his characters fresh... his plot sharply drawn... It is magic. -- Daily Express on THE DARK TOWER 'Join the quest before it's too late' -- Independent on Sunday on SONG OF SUSANNAH 'Classic King, fine characters, compellingly written in a gripping, well-honed plot' -- Daily Express on WOLVES OF THE CALLA 'Superbly energetic, it's King at his best' -- Mail on Sunday on WIZARD AND GLASS

Customer Reviews

i wanted to like it
i wanted to like it but i couldn't get into it. it was very slow paced and the story doesn't get anywhere in my opinion. and it is badly written

Gripping and Majestic
After months of hearing about The Dark Tower series, and since I'm already a big Stephen King fan, I decided to finally read the first book in the series, just to see what it was all about. It took me until the last page to decide what I thought of it. All I can say really is that I liked it, and I'm planning to read the next one, but of all the Stephen King books I've read, this was the most difficult and unusual. The problems I had with this book were not stylistic; the book is very well written, and the characters, though mysteriously aloof from the reader, are well developed. The title character, known throughout most of the book simply as the gunslinger, is not easily identifiable as a hero and is deeply complex. There are mysteries surrounding his past, as well as the lives of most of the characters and the reality in which they live. I think it was these very mysteries that I didn't really love. They distressed me unexpectedly. However, being the first book in a series, it's understandable that there will be unanswered questions. Anyone who ventures to read this book should be prepared to read the rest of the series! I certainly will.

intriguing, but slow and convoluted
Roland, the last gunslinger, pursues the man in black across a Western landscape, a land where time is winding down, meets up with a woman and a kid (from our world), and flashes back to his past and his destruction of an entire town. While the story has potential and intriguing imagery, it is written in so convoluted a manner that the characters and story suffers. I've been told that the sequels are much better, so I will try them. Grade: C