The Gunslinger
14th October 2017
The first novel in Stephen King's Dark Tower epic introduces us to Roland, a gunslinger on a quest to pursue a dark wizard. It's been on my shelf for some time, and after enjoying the recent film based on his novel It, I thought it time to give it a go.
It's slow. The plot plods along with little clear direction. Pretty much the entire book is about slowly building the world, and it feels like painfully little detail stretched over several long sections. The most interesting parts are the flashbacks to Roland's childhood, and they do the most to build him up and give an insight into his character.
The scenes in the present however are dull and dreary. Very little happens, and it feels like King's idea of epic just means long and unmoving. The scenes make little sense - with not a lot following logically from what's gone before, and the narrative does little to explain what's meant to be real and what illusion. And ultimately they do little to entertain or inform the reader.
So I was unimpressed and am uninspired to pick up more of the series. The language used seemed pretentious and unnecessary, and the narrative did little to make me care about what happens to the character. I have the mildest of temptation to see if it changes as the series progresses, but don't really think I will bother - instead using my time to read more deserving books.
