Dark Tower: The Gunslinger

Name: Eric

Grade: 12

Title: Dark Tower: The Gunslinger

Author: Stephen King

Stephen King is considered the greatest horror writer of all time; the Dark Tower series is his masterpiece, starting with The Gunslinger.

The Gunslinger is a story first and foremost about love, life, and the meaning of both of them. It a story of a man, of a boy, and their journey. It is of a tower. It is this kind of vagueness and interpretation that makes The Gunslinger a masterpiece.

The Gunslinger's main character is Roland, a gunslinger from the land of Gilead, his world's version of Camelot, and is a descendant of Arthur Eld, his world's version of King Arthur. Roland is in pursuit of the man in black, a mysterious, magical figure who Roland has a deep-seated hatred for. Along the way, Roland meets Jake Chambers, a boy lost in a world not quite his own.

Roland tracks the man in black across a great desert, in pursuit of revenge, but also as merely a step toward his larger goal: ascending the steps of the Dark Tower, the very center of all worlds, and meeting whatever inhabits the top floor. Along the way he is hounded by starvation, fatigue, religious zealots, demons, goblins, and spirits, all under the influence of the Crimson King, who works against Roland.

This is a book "not for the faint of heart", to use a cliché expression. It is very adult in nature, but not to an extent that takes away from the book; it is all necessary, for it adds to the characters and the realism of the story. Any reader who is a fan of Stephen King, fantasies, sci-fi, or even just epic story lines should invest their time in the first novel of the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger.

Why I picked up the book: A family member recommended it to me, and I had previously read Stephen Kings works and liked them immensely.

Why I finished it: It is quite honestly one of the greatest books I have ever read; the immenseness of the story is indescribable. On top of that, it’s all part of a much bigger story!

I'd give this book to: Anyone interested in Stephen King, and anyone looking for more substance to their fictional library. Any fool can write a fictional story; few can write the universe that King has composed.

My Rating for this book: *****