Soon to be a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba “An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen King’s greatest literary achievement” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), The Gunslinger is the first volume in the epic Dark Tower Series. A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful … to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.
Inspired in part by the Robert Browning narrative poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” The Gunslinger is “a compelling whirlpool of a story that draws one irretrievable to its center” (Milwaukee Sentinel). It is “brilliant and fresh…and will leave you panting for more” (Booklist).
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This book contains what is probably the best first line of any book I’ve ever read: “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” That’s a great opener! If you’ve read my books, it probably won’t surprise you that I love this book (and the entire Dark Tower series).
Strongly recommended.
At 4,000+ pages for the entire series, this is one of the longest series that I have ever read…..and RE-read 3 times since the first book, The Gunslinger, came out. The scope of the imagination of Stephen King never ceases to amaze me. You’ll be drawn into the lives of every character, including something called a billy-bumbler. If you are a fan …
This is hands down, my favourite book. Ever.
The book that started a decades-long journey for Roland Deschain, it still has that air of mystery surrounding the main characters every time I read it. Now that the series is complete, I still get that sense of excitement about what is coming next after this book. Some people have cause to complain …
The Gunslinger is one of my all-time favorite books. I’ve read it (and the Dark Tower series) numerous times. The world-building and plot are some of my favorites amongst anything I’ve ever read, and were instrumental in my becoming an author.
If you are looking for a series that features a great mashup of genres, amazing protagonists, and a …
Best first line ever! Was hooked from the very start.
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. …
Roland Deschain became the youngest challenger to ever best his trainer in the yard behind the Great Hall, beating the record by two years, a record set by his father. Roland’s unconventional choice of weapon was David, a raven he did not train but friended.
The gunslinger is now on a confusing quest through a dystopian Old West littered with …
What an incredible character Roland is, and what an amazing fantasy world Mr.King has created. I highly recommend this book (and series) to all fantasy lovers.
I have been wanting to read The Dark Tower for such a long time and after reading the Marvel prequel graphic novels, I finally got round to it.
It’s good. Stephen King is a great writer, although can sometimes ramble, and the story is very creative. Am not sure why, as with most King books, we get too many references to our protagonists sexual …
Easily the BEST fictional series in the world above potter, hobbit, and even game of thrones…..Roland is a real character easy to relate to and his entire Ka-tet. All 8 books are some of the best books ive ever read. Stephen King is a Legendary Giant among men in the world of words. Nobody can ever top the King.
If you love classic blood and gore horror this series is probably not for you. It is more in the fantasy realm. Although I have enjoyed many of King’s novels, this series may be my favorite. He creates strange worlds and unique characters. It’s hard to find stories that keep you guessing, but King’s mind is definitely unpredictable. As usual, the …
I’d been holding out reading the Gunslinger for the longest time and for a variety of reasons. The main one was that a lot of people seem to LOVE the Dark Tower series though not so much this first installment. Once I get reading the rest I’ll find out if there’s truth to what I was told though I can honestly say this was an extremely enjoyable …
Good start for the series. I enjoyed this one.
It is the first in the series and sets the ground work really well. If you like Stephen King and his style you will be hooked from the first page. The character development is superb and the mystical and magical creatures that are created for this world are also fantastic. It is a great read.
To be honest it’s kind of hard to put into words how I feel about this book. When I started it I was kinda confused on who was who, if the scene was a memory or wasn’t, but by the middle of it, I was like oh this is this and that is that. My dad has been dying for me to read Stephen King books. This was the first one he let me read. He wouldn’t …
Once you read this one, you need to read the rest of the series!
One of my favorite book series of all time & it kicks of with the greatest opening line ever. “The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed…” Its got a bit of every genre. Western, high fantasy, horror, sci-fi & romance. If you love reading Stephen King, this is considered his Magnum Opes.
This book is good, but only if you read the whole series. This book alone is terrible. I read it for the first time when I was younger and was so disappointed in my favorite author that I didn’t read any more in the series for many years. I’ve now read the whole series and think it’s great, but any one book alone will make no sense.
Anything written by Stephen King has always been a favorite. Loved the characters and the storyline
it’s bloody brilliant