‘The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger’ by Stephen King

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

In the first of Stephen King’s Dark Tower, we meet Roland of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. As he pursues the Man in Black in his quest to the Dark Tower, the Gunslinger meets a young boy, Jake, who accompanies him across the desert.

This isn’t the easiest of King’s books to get to grips with and the writing style is less accessible than usual. However, the cowboy/fantasy scenario is a fascinating one and sets the scene for the later books (which I’m told are more interesting). Apparently, much of what the author sets up in this volume makes a lot more sense later, but of course I’ll have to read all the others to confirm that. Though there is some proper gunfighting early on, much of the book is taken up with recounting the memories of Jake and the Gunslinger and building up the backgrounds of the characters.

An interesting read that promises much for the rest of the series.

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