Long Live Roland of Gilead
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.
Synopsis: Roland, the last gunslinger, is on a mission - to find the Dark Tower. He is chasing the man in black, Walter, across the desert. Along the way, he encounters a short list of characters - most notably Jake, a young boy from our world who has been transported to Roland's world when Jake is pushed in front of a car and dies.
You might surmise that Roland's world is the afterlife or even heaven. I grin wickedly at you, for it is far from that. His world echoes ours in many ways, yet it is stark, bleak, and seemingly without hope. It is a mystical world, where jawbones talk and men rise from the dead. It is a world which has moved on, where men chew devil's weed and beam like idiots with grass-stained teeth. It is a world where religion takes a back seat to insanity, a world where base needs are filled only when absolutely necessary.
The Gunslinger is of a different style than recent King writings. Written early in King's career, it is austere and sober.black and white.simple and stark. Reading is easy, the plot is a bit complex but easily captured unless you have been drinking heavily. Roland's character is not fully developed in this book and is decidedly not likeable. However.in the end, one is hooked and must go on to the rest of the series.
The boxed set of Books One - Three is an excellent purchase or gift for any King fan who is not expecting a Shining, Pet Sematary, or 'Salem's Lot. While there are elements of horror in each of the books, the Dark Tower series is more fantasy/sci-fi genre than true horror. King has written DT over a period of 20 years; and it is easy to see the development of his writing style in these three novels. For those who claim to dislike horror, DT is a nice introduction to an alternate style of King's writing.
And like a good epic, DT goes on. A fourth book has been written and published: Wizard and Glass (1997). King followers either hate it or love it.no middle ground here. A fifth book is in the works in 2003.
Throughout the books, phrases and words that are within Roland's vocabulary are used frequently.while they may not be directly translatable, they are easily understood. You have forgotten the face of your father is a phrase which is interpreted to mean "you have disgraced your family name" - a statement that Roland will only say with the greatest of distaste.
Stephen King has not forgotten the face of his father in the Dark Tower series. Rather, he shoots with his mind, not his hand, and shoots true and clear.
Long live Roland of Gilead. Long live Stephen King.
