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When reviewing one of Stephen King’s novels, I must make sure I stick to the subject and not veer off into a rambling bundle of prose. I must admit that Mr. King is a literary hero of mine. His creations spark life and horror into all those items I once found safe, such as clowns, dogs, nurses, dead animals, credit cards and even toys. That’s why I was so trusting to engage myself in one of the most fabulous fantasy novel rides since Harry Potter.
The Gunslinger- The Dark Tower: Book 1 is 300 pages, and is the first novel from Stephen King’s series “The Dark Tower.” The novel seemed to be a little short, and I saw the newest edition to the Dark Tower collection, was sitting on a shelf, looking like it weighed 700 pounds. Actually, it’s around 700 pages- I know, I checked- and can you believe I’ve only just finished one book in the series?! But luckily for you, you wont have to use your credit card to purchase it. The price for hard copy is a little over $25.
I have read and re-read the afterword from the volume, and I was surprised to find out that it took the author 12 years to complete the entire series. While an undergrad, Mr. King wrote the first sentence to the Dark Tower series, and from what he says, it rang forever in his mind. That sentence is: “The Man in Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed.” That’s genius before your very own eyes. The fact that he kept the story fresh in his mind, while working on many different projects speaks of his genius, patience, and passion for his craft.
The Gunslinger, the Man in Black, Jake, Allie, and all of the other characters – hell, the entire world he crafted- is worthy of future films. The characters and environments were 3 dimensional beings that seemed like individuals or places I’ve passed some time in a dream. There is truly no one better. This first installment keeps us on course, with a desire to continue and read thousands upon thousands of pages filled with great prose- and to think, we didn't have to use those credit cards afterall.
Until the next post, much love, peace, and medicated hair grease.
- Thierry
