The Gunslinger

Hello readers. Once more I find myself under the spell of Stephen Kings imagination, and encapsulated by the quest for the Dark Tower - A quest that begins with The Gunslinger.

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”

I mentioned being re-introduced to the series in Senseless Superstition, and since I began reading The Gunslinger that evening I have read little else; only just managing to squeeze in the last chapters Nineteen Eighty Four between long sessions sat with my nose in the Dark Tower books.

The story has me captivated, so much so that it becomes a battle to put the books down, because I know if I don’t I’ll read until my eyes get sore and begin to stream. Such has been my desire to relearn of the journey, that six days on I am already over halfway through the second instalment, The Drawing of The Three.

For those who have not read any of the Dark Tower series, I should point out that they are quite different from other Stephen King titles, largely due to the themes bordering modern fantasy and sci-fi. Yet the series ties in with many more familiar titles such as The Stand, Insomnia, Salem’s Lot and It; to name but a few.

The Gunslinger introduces us to Roland Deschain, the last of a chivalrous order of Gunslingers from; we learn, a nation that is now only a memory and has been forgotten by time, left to crumble into the darkness – much like the rest of the world he inhabits. At this stage we are given the impression Roland’s world is perhaps our in a distant future, having undergone a drastic change, or even a parallel universe. Yet it resembles the American Old West and fragments of the world we know appear sporadically, making it seem a lot closer to a time we could relate to. Even though the characters to refer to these fragments as relics from an age long past.

Roland is pursuit of the mysterious man in black, who he believes can lead him to the even more mysterious Dark Tower. The reason for the quest, and the purpose of the Dark Tower are never explained in much detail in The Gunslinger. We are shown that even Roland does not fully understand why he must find the tower; he believes it is destiny and is completely dedicated to discovering what that destiny is.

The story concerns the final months of Roland’s pursuit of the Man in Black, switching between Roland’s present, his childhood, and events in the recent past, thus setting the scene for the rest of the series and finally culminating in an intriguing encounter between Protaganist and Antagnist in an ancient bone littered Golgatha, beyond the edge of explored territory.

What I really enjoy about The Gunslinger is how Roland appears to be of huge importance, and that he and the tower are central to some grand scheme. Yet simultaneously he appears so small and insignificant in a vast, barren world which appears to be unravelling at the edges. He is not an intellectually smart man, he sees things simply, and the odds continue to mount up against him. But through instinct and belief he continues to march forward, almost automatically. I have been told that compared to the later books in the series, The Gunslinger is relatively boring; but what is may lack in action, it more than makes up for in an atmosphere that you will quickly become immersed in, gripping set pieces, and enough intrigue to keep you hurriedly turning the pages as the encounter with the Man in Black draws closer.

The Gunslinger is amongst my favourite books, at only 238 pages long it is perhaps short enough to persuade you to pick it up and try. Even if you don’t care to read the rest of the series, I think you’d appreciate what Stephen King has produced in The Gunslinger.