Okay, I started reading the cycle on the Dark Tower. As I understand it, when King started this series of books, he was inspired by Westerns and classic fantasy, such as The Lord of the Rings.
Only the tip of the iceberg is known about the world of this series, but it's already interesting how King will develop it. There are billions upon billions of worlds and universes, and they all intersect in one place. In the Dark Tower.
In the story, Roland chases the man in black through a strange desert-like world.
Not to say that the plot is dynamic, although there are such moments, for example, the first chapter, where Roland visits a town that the man in black has visited, but for the most part Ronald and Jake (the boy he meets in the second chapter) just follow in the footsteps of the man in black, with moments when Roland remembers his world. And it doesn't boring, because the book is short, only 280-something pages. But in the end >! the disclosure of who the man in black was is poorly done, some familiar character we're hearing about for the first time (I know who he really is, I've spoiled myself).!<
Despite the fact that Roland is clearly made like a cool western hero, he's quite emotional. His homesickness, making difficult decisions, and impulsiveness make him more interesting.
The writing style is good. King dynamically writes action scenes, take the same first chapter where the hero kills all the inhabitants of the city, because they decided to kill him. It's very cinematic.
I liked the book, but it feels more like a prologue to the series than the first part.
by mystery5009
5 Comments
It is absolutely a prologue, I think King has even referred to it as such.
One of my favorite series of all time. Please keep reading!
The thing about this book, and part of the genius that is Stephen King, is that the book reads entirely different AFTER you complete the Dark Tower series as a whole. You don’t have the context you need to **really** understand what happens in the Gunslinger and why. By itself, its a good read with a few exciting moments and a lot of intrigue. But taken into context of the greater series, it becomes a masterpiece of storytelling.
I think Book 5 – Wolves of the Calla captures the western feel the best. It was my favorite.
I liked it for the Michael Whelan illustrations. The novel? More King logorrhea.
Absolutely keep reading. Very enjoyable series.