The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder
Goodreads Summary: 
'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.' The iconic opening line of Stephen King's groundbreaking series, The Dark Tower, introduces one of his most enigmatic and powerful heroes: Roland of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger.

Roland is a haunting figure, a loner, on a spellbinding journey towards the mysterious Dark Tower, in a desolate world which frighteningly echoes our own.

On his quest, Roland begins a friendship with a kid from New York named Jake, encounters an alluring woman and faces an agonising choice between damnation and salvation as he pursues the Man in Black.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: 
Roland of Gilead is the last Gunslinger. He is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. The only thing in his way? The man in black, who he is always chasing but never catching. A shadow which holds all the answers, yet none of the ones Roland wants. On his journey, Roland will come across two people. As he walks the path to damnation, will he continue or turn around in hopes of salvation?

The Gunslinger is a good story, but contains an overwhelming amount of information. I found some of it hard to process, and read at a much slower pace than I'm used to. The mystery of the story, particularly at the beginning, got quite frustrating for me as I just wanted the story to progress beyond Roland's day to day travels. There are highs and lows, parts of the story I greatly enjoyed, and parts which bored me to death.

Really, there's only one main character (Roland) which is an interesting way of telling a story. Jake's character really intrigued me, he's just a boy from another world, yet insightful and intuitive. The idea of having many worlds is a good one, which really adds to Roland's story.

The style of the text is vastly different from what I'm used to reading, probably because I rarely read adult fantasy with the long descriptions us teenagers seem to get sick of after awhile. I'd enjoy knowing more about Roland's past, however I believe more bits of information will be revealed as the series goes on, for Roland has an extremely interesting character with a significant backstory.

The Gunslinger is a fantasy unlike no other, set in a world with many worlds within. Stephen King's detailed descriptions will blow you away just as the book surprised me. I expected a regular fantasy novel, instead I got an extraordinary one which challenges your views on the world around you.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition:
Paperback
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Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin