The Gunslinger by Stephen King

I’ve finally begun my own Dark Tower journey.

Throughout this whole book (which, in itself, is not long), I kept thinking of how huge this series is, both with its fans and in page count. I wondered how expansive this world could get, and what the hunt for the Tower actually entails. That mindset while reading kept me glued to small details and the desire to read carefully and analytically while also enjoying the journey. I absolutely cannot wait to get to the rest of the series, and once the rest of the books come in the mail (should be tomorrow!), I plan to marathon it.

I really enjoyed how the story takes place in the future, but the landscape seems to have regressed to what we know as past. I’m excited to see how time and space gets played with through this story, as that’s one concept that I really enjoy reading about.

At first I felt like it was difficult to keep names and characterizations straight, but once the plot of the novel was laid out, the picture expanded and I understood so much more. I really enjoyed how King used flashbacks and storytelling to build characters’ backstories, and I’m interested to see how the Gunslinger’s past relates to this future in this quest to find the Tower, as well as specifically why he feels he must find it.

King’s writing does have a different feel in this book than I’m used to (compared to The Shining and other favorites of mine), but I thought this style worked really well for the subject matter. I was really intrigued while reading King’s afterword (in my first edition of the book) that he doesn’t have a set plot plan for this entire series as he was writing it out, and that’s something that I’ll also be keeping in mind while reading the rest of this series, if only to see how he builds this world based on heart and gut feelings, rather than set planning and outlines. I think that’s also something I really enjoy about all of King’s works, is how they all are somewhat connected (if only in minor details) though he doesn’t strictly plan that. It’s like the world of King inside his head that he decides to share through his books.

Rating: ★★★★★

On a related note, while reading this book, I came across a quote that I thought would be an awesome shirt design. I knew I needed to pass along the idea to Nameless City Apparel, who specializes in Stephen King shirts, and they’ve decided to go forward with my design idea! I absolutely love the ‘Salem’s Lot shirts I got from NCA last year, and I’m so excited for this one to come into being, and that I sparked it. If you haven’t checked them out, definitely do so, and if you’re interested in seeing the prototype design for my idea, NCA posted it here earlier today.

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