The Gunslinger by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The beginning of an epic fantasy adventure from a master storyteller.

In 'The Gunslinger', Stephen King introduces us to the titular character, Roland, as we meet him on his way through the desert, fairly close to the beginning of his quest to reach the Dark Tower, in pursuit of the Man in Black. We hear the tale of the Gunslinger's stay in a remote village amongst the paranoia and suspicion of its residents; and we see him meet a young boy, Jake, who has somehow ended up lost at a way station in the desert, his last memories of being in New York. Together, they continue across the desert, up and into the mountains, before the Gunslinger finally reaches his confrontation with the Man in Black.

I'm a huge fan of Stephen King, for his work on horror, thriller, and sci-fi, but this was the first time I ventured into his fantasy work. 'The Gunslinger' did not disappoint, providing tantalising glimpses of Roland's past, while encounters with an Oracle and the Man in Black lay the foundations for the rest of the series, leaving you eager to move on to the second novel, 'The Drawing of the Three' as you reach the final pages.

I hugely enjoyable and vididly descriptive novel, I am looking forward to what's to come in the continuing journey to the Dark Tower.



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