July 26, 2009

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1)Title : The Gunslinger
Author : Stephen King
Reading Dates : 24 July - 26 July 2009

Dark Tower Series. The Gunslinger is the first of a series of 7 fantasy books written by Stephen King as part of the Dark Tower series. King's Dark Tower series was published between 1982 and 2004. The books listed in reading order are as below :
  • The Gunslinger
  • The Drawing of the Three
  • The Waste Lands


  • Wizard and Glass
  • Wolves of the Calla
  • Song of Susannah
  • The Dark Tower

Summary of The Gunslinger. In The Gunslinger, we are introduced to Roland Deschain, the last of the gunslingers, a kind of a knight in the world he inhabits. The book recounts the last weeks of Roland's pursuit after nearly 12 years of chasing the man in black. We meet Roland as he crosses a vast desert on the trail of his quarry and learn of the ruthlessness Roland is capable of. The gunslinger had gunned down an entire town of strangers as well as sacrificed a young boy under his care in order to attain his goal. At the end of a seemingly endless night where the man in black speaks of the Dark Tower, Roland awakes to find the man whom he had known as Walter dead while he himself has aged 10 years. Roland has but made a start on the road to the Dark Tower.

My Reviews. The most compelling part of the Dark Tower is not Roland's quest but the man himself. What I find most amazing is that while our protagonist, Roland is a man willing to sacrifice a child he loves for the attainment of his own goals, I still see him as a hero to be admired and not a villain capable of great evil. And that has been the greatest draw the Dark Tower series holds for me. That the author is able to convey to the reader that Roland's actions are not only acceptable but necessary no matter the cost.

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