Finally, after 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 true "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.

deep allegorical fantasy

Roland Deschain of Gilead knows he is obsessed over finding the Dark Tower, but does not care. He will follow the Man in Black wherever he goes and for how long it takes even into eternity until he catches this person, if he is a person, and force him to reveal the locale of the Dark Tower. If others die at his hands after meeting the Gunslinger so be it.

Currently he tracks his prey across a desert stopping at a way station where he meets a child whom he thought at first was his target, albeit two feet shorter. The kid is John "Jake" Chambers from 1977 New York City wherever in hell that place is. Shockingly to the solitary Deschain, instead of his usual killing or just another soul left behind, Roland allows Jake to accompany him on his trek towards the mountains, the Man in Black, and ultimately the Black Tower.

This is somewhat of a reprint, but Stephen King has added back in edited out sections and rewritten some passages. The story line retains the strange, deep allegorical fantasy reminiscent of the cult movie El Topo with less gore and Michael Whelans' drawings add to that overall eerie feeling. The desert looms so vast and is so critical to the plot that the audience will see it as a character unto itself. The other key players fit in this TS Eliot Wasteland meets the Stand environs. Fans of the horror master and those who appreciate a powerful parable fantasy will join the Gunslinger and Jake on their quest.

Harriet Klausner

An Amazing Novel

First, if you are a Stephen King fan, this novel is unlike his other works. Secondly, if you don't like Stephen King's other works and you enjoy reading fantasy, you will like this book. This book is unlike any horror novel written by King. If you have read the Eyes of the Dragon, this book is similar to that.

I read this book for the first time three years ago. Since then I have read the entire series and read this book two more times. It seems like King is telling two stories. One is of Roland's past life and the other is the situation he is faced with. I find Roland's past as interesting as the current plot. For fantasy lovers, I might compare Roland to Aragorn from Tolkien's work. One of the last great men of a great people. Willing to die for his cause and for honor. He is the best at what he does, he does not feel pain, he cannot quit. His task is to find the Dark Tower. Where he will find it and what it holds he does not know.

What happens. The gunslinger is following the Man in Black. He tells us the story of a town he destroyed because of the Man in Black. We meet Jake, a boy sent from our world to Roland's by the Man in Black. We follow Jake and Roland across a vast desert as he trails the Man in Black. Nothing can keep Roland from the Man in Black, and in the end Roland talks with the Man in Black.

I like this novel, I like this series. I highly recommend it.

The only thing Stephen King has written that I like!

I grew up reading alot of Stevie's old horror books and even back then I found them goofy and badly written. When I was a freshman in high school I needed something to read during the finals. Around that time, The Wastelands had just come out. I took a chance and grabbed the paperback version of The Gunslinger. I was blown away by what I read! I devoured the first book in one day and I had to buy the next two installments. One of the things I really like about this book is how the world of the Dark Tower brings desperate elements together. From westerns to old English knights of the roundtable. Even eastern religion and philosophy are covered in this series and are apart of Roland's world. String that together with King's renowned ability for characterization and you have a true masterpiece of fantasy fiction. I thought Stephen King was a bad writer, but through this series I realized how wrong I was. The entire series is a tribute to all things horror and fantasy and fiction in general. The series gets much better after this first volume, but it was this book that drew me in. I can't comment on the revised material. I myself am against revising the old content. All I know is if you love fiction and fantasy you can't do much better than this book.