Stephen King's "Gunslinger" novels

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More properly the Dark Tower, I suppose. Anyway, I'm chewing my way through what Mr. King says is the last of these, The Dark Tower. Overall, I have enjoyed this series, though the first couple were perhaps better. The only thing that has consistantly annoyed me is this:

Given a series of books which heavily feature guns, shooting, and other weapons so frequently, it's odd that King makes so many god-awful boners regarding the weapons. His characters are forever checking non-existant safties, swinging out the cylinders on single-action revolvers, and a variety of other things that make you wince when you read 'em.
Now I can forgive this in the many Brit authors who may have never seen or handled any firearms, but a good American lad like King should have a passing familiarity, or at least do a little research.

Other than that, a typically-entertaining King read...
 
I loved the third book, Wastelands, and liked the first, second and last books. Post again when you read the ending of Dark Tower.
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My 2 favorites of them was the waste lands and wizard and the glass. Those books were some of the best books i've ever read.
 
Midworld is not our own, and its reality is constantly shifting. No where is it said that Roland carries Colt SAAs, just the big revolvers with the sandalwood grips. Perhaps in his world they do have swing out cylinders, and in Jake's version of New York Ruger made a 44 automatic. I refuse to get nitpicky with what is high fantasy to begin with.

I love the way that the series became the lynchpin around which the rest of his work revolved. After you finish the Dark Tower, go back and (re)read his earlier work and notice how it all ties together. If you havn't read Insomnia, I highly recomend it.
 
He needs to bone up on his automotive intelligence also.He had the facts wrong in several of his novels and short stories involving car drivetrains,specifics I'll relate after 6 o'clock meds. :D
 
If you like the Dark Tower books, don't forget there's a short story (a 'missing' chapter from one of the novels) in the collection, Everything's Eventual.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Its not a missing chapter from any of the books. Its just a short story from and episode in Rolands child/teen hood. Good read no matter what.

Everythings Eventual is a good read for some short stories:thumbup:
 
Its not a missing chapter from any of the books. Its just a short story from and episode in Rolands child/teen hood.
You're right, of course. I just checked King's notes; it takes place before the first novel.

-Bob
 
I've tried more than once, and I can't get past 1/3 of the way through the first book without losing interest. Given all of the reviews, it must be me!
 
My favorite is Drawing of the Three. The airplane scene is a laugh riot. I also really like The Wastelands. My distant favorite is the first half of the seventh novel DT7. SK's description of his own roadside "accident" is chilling to say the least. Totally at the ends of fictional/nonfictional imagination.

A wonder of the craft. :p
 
rhino said:
I've tried more than once, and I can't get past 1/3 of the way through the first book without losing interest. Given all of the reviews, it must be me!
Nope!!!!! Skip the first book, and then go back and read it. I couldn't get past the first book either.
And you won't really be missing anything by skipping it, either.
 
I am a big fan of "science fiction" and the "western" genres , which makes it natural that The Dark Tower is one of my favorite reads (plus it's epic and I love that :D ) . The first book is necessary to set the "mood" so to speak and besides , the story will take you back to events in The Gunslinger . If you didn't read it you won't know what they are talking about latter on .

I first read the Gunslinger in '88 when Mom got me the trade paperback as a gift (the wait for the finale was evil) . I would reread all of them when every new one was released , but never paid any attention to the forward (I need a dumb a$$ smiley inserted here) . Then a friend who is also a big fan of the series , pointed out to me , that King had gone back and revised the first 3 books . So now I have to get them and reread the whole series :D :cool: (This will include all the side stories.) .


"The man in black fled across the desert , and the gunslinger followed ."
 
This is one of the few series of books I follow. It started with me being home sick from school in 8th grade (that would make me around 12-13 years old I think) with the Wastelands. I remember my teacher not being happy that I was reading a Steven King book, and he was even less thrilled when he saw me reading BattleField Earth a week later.

I must say, I read the Wastelands and loved it, then tracked down the earlier books. Then if felt like I waited a lifetime for him to begin releasing books from the series again. I'm 24 now, so I've been following the series for almost half of my life, a series that is possibly older than I am, and its rather sad to think its ended.

While I like the newer works, I still think the earlier works were better, or at least held my interest better.

"The Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came"
 
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