Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King

in a sentence or so: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed"

I've never read a Stephen King book, so I had no idea what to expect.  But I HAD heard that The Dark Tower series was unlike King's other books anyway...so make that doubly unsure of what to expect.  That first line was an absolute hook for me - and the tension and pace sustained throughout the read.

I appreciated the mysterious tone and the slow unraveling of purpose, while still maintaining many unanswered questions throughout the journey.  The internal reflections of the gunslinger were perhaps my most favorite.  His thoughts on a knife, and how that is merely a tool that man turns into a weapon that then seeps their being, was totally mind boggling and insightful for me.

Because I feel like much of the enjoyment for me was the total mystery, I will not reveal the plot or characters too much.  Just let it suffice to say that the journey with the gunslinger for the man in black was incredible.  The reasons for the chase, the characters that pop up throughout the chase, and the social commentary dripped in by King created a captivating read.  The hybrid of western/sci-fi was tastefully done, and I'm pretty excited to delve into the rest of the series.

fave quote: it's from page 57 about the knife...but unfortunately it was a library book that I no longer have on hand...

fix er up: Perhaps it's because I read this book over a month ago and cannot remember the finer points, but I cannot think of anything I would change...I really liked "The Gunslinger" that much.

title: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I)
author: Stephen King
genre: western, mystery, sci-fi