Series: Book 1 in the The Dark Tower series
Rating: Not rated
Tags: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Lang:en
Summary
Thirty-three years, a horrific and
life-altering accident, and thousands of desperately rabid
fans in the making, Stephen King's quest to complete his
magnum opus rivals the quest of Roland and his band of
gunslingers who inhabit the Dark Tower series. Loyal DT fans
and new readers alike will appreciate this revised edition of
The Gunslinger, which breathes new life into Roland of
Gilead, and offers readers a "clearer start and slightly
easier entry into Roland's world." King writes both a new
introduction and foreword to this revised edition, and the
ever-patient, ever-loyal "constant reader" is rewarded with
secrets to the series's inception. That a "magic" ream of
green paper and a Robert Browning poem, came together to
reveal to King his "ka" is no real surprise (this is King
after all), but who would have thought that the squinty-eyed
trio of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach would
set the author on his true path to the Tower? While King
credits Tolkien for inspiring the "quest and magic" that
pervades the series, it was Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly that helped create the epic proportions and
"almost absurdly majestic western backdrop" of Roland's
world. To King, The Gunslinger demanded revision because once
the series was complete it became obvious that "the beginning
was out of sync with the ending." While the revision adds
only 35 pages, Dark Tower purists will notice the changes to
Allie's fate and Roland's interaction with Cort, Jake, and
the Man in Black--all stellar scenes that will reignite the
hunger for the rest of the series. Newcomers will appreciate
the details and insight into Roland's life. The revised
Roland of Gilead (nee Deschain) is embodied with more
humanity--he loves, he pities, he regrets. What DT fans might
miss is the same ambiguity and mystery of the original that
gave the original its pulpy underground feel (back when King
himself awaited word from Roland's world). --Daphne Durham