I have a confession to make - this is the first time I have read a Steven King novel. Ever. Yes, I know he is reputed to be an excellent writer, but I don’t do horror. Period. But, I was talked into trying this series and after reading the afterward (I tend to do things backwards), I was intrigued enough to read the book from the beginning.
I read it in one sitting.
Then I went and begged my friend for the rest.
In this book, we are introduced to Roland, the last of the Gunslingers. The story revolves around Roland, Jake (from an alternate Earth) and the Man in Black. In a world turned upside down from some kind of climatic change, revolutions and war, Roland is the last of the Gunslingers. Jake is a young boy, found in the middle of the desert at a way station (a nod to Cllifford Simak perhaps?). The Man in Black carries knowledge of the Dark Tower that Roland wants.
I loved the setting - an eclectic cross between a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western and a fantasy novel with a tich of Victorian England thrown in (complete with Stonehenge). It’s almost Steampunk-ish, but not quite. Dark and mysterious, the story pulls the reader along as Roland revisits the past while doggedly pursuing the future.
I can’t wait to start the next book.
1 comment:
Stephen King has a reputation as light reading and therefore probably not good, but the man can write. Seriously. I used to re-read IT every year because it was such a good book.
I seem to recall slurping down The Gunslinger very quickly, too, when it came out, but I never picked up the rest.
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