"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
Written by Stephen King in 1970, five years before the publication of his first novel, that sentence opens up a world still unknown to many of his readers. It begins a spectacular seven-volume epic fantasy -- The Dark Tower -- that is sure to become an American classic.
Now, preparing the way for the publication of the saga's concluding volumes, King offers a revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger, the mesmerizing first book of the series. This hardcover edition, for which King has written a special introduction and foreword, contains all of the full-color paintings and pen-and-ink drawings created by Michael Whelan for the original limited edition published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher in 1982.
Eerie, dreamlike, set in a world that is weirdly related to our own, The Gunslinger introduces Roland Deschain of Gilead, of In-World …
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
Written by Stephen King in 1970, five years before the publication of his first novel, that sentence opens up a world still unknown to many of his readers. It begins a spectacular seven-volume epic fantasy -- The Dark Tower -- that is sure to become an American classic.
Now, preparing the way for the publication of the saga's concluding volumes, King offers a revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger, the mesmerizing first book of the series. This hardcover edition, for which King has written a special introduction and foreword, contains all of the full-color paintings and pen-and-ink drawings created by Michael Whelan for the original limited edition published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher in 1982.
Eerie, dreamlike, set in a world that is weirdly related to our own, The Gunslinger introduces Roland Deschain of Gilead, of In-World that was, as he pursues his enigmatic antagonist to the mountains that separate the desert from the Western Sea. Roland is a solitary figure, perhaps accursed, who with a a strange single-mindedness traverses an exhausted, almost timeless landscape. The people he encounters are left behind, or worse -- left dead. At a way station, however, he meets Jake, a boy from a particular time (1977) and a particular place (New York City), and soon the two are joined -- khef, ka, and ka-tet. The mountains lie before them. So does the man in black and, somewhere far beyond...the Dark Tower.
(front flap)
People say this is a good book and series but I can't agree to that. It's just chaotic and doesn't make any sense, the writing seems overly dramatic and "flowery", meaning he describes things so weird, with weird details and weird metaphors. I couldn't even read it to the end and stopped at like 80 or 90%. I have no interest in reading the other novels in the series, it's just not my type of writing I guess. I never liked any Stephen King books until this one and I read a bunch now. It's not getting any better, maybe I should just give up on trying to like his writing.
This book, and the series it starts, have been a part of the public consciousness for a while now. I've never read any of them before, though, so with this being my first time through, I'm aware of how highly it's regarded by some whose opinions matter to me. All of which has led to a certain degree of expectation...and I'm not sure if this book met it.
To be clear: There's a strong sense from this book that there's SO MUCH MORE to come, and you don't (or I didn't) come away feeling ambivalent about the journey. I'm excited, I'm in. I'm just...nervous, maybe? No, more likely cautious.
