But where? What desert? What world?Īpparently, “the world had moved on” and the gunslinger’s hunt is in an alternative version of the American Old West but set in the future. The Gunslinger features one of the most famous openings in all of literature-like a bullet from a Peacemaker, we are in the middle of a cat and mouse game. “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” Make sure to bookmark the HQ page for the schedule and links to all of the chapter discussions as they go live! Let's get into the Book 1- The Gunslinger (1982): The plan is to read a chapter a week, and each Tuesday we will meet to discuss major themes, motifs, and reactions. Nevertheless, I only remember bits and pieces of the debut entry so this will be quite a refresher. I would say college, girls, and looking for employment interfered with my search, whereas Roland would say I was weak and undisciplined.

I first enjoyed The Gunslinger (1982) and The Drawing of the Three (1987) in the late 1980s, but admittedly didn’t have the stamina then needed to finish the Dark Tower journey. Either devoted enthusiasts were on the path or knew someone so engaged. Long before avid readers were signing up with Hogwarts or wandering about the countryside walking off cliffs for Pokémon Go, there was an obsession to reach the Dark Tower. *Remember: While this is a reread, please avoid spoilers in the comments. Let’s see if this equal parts Western, mystery, horror, science fiction, and fantasy epic still packs a punch. It’s been 38 years since Roland’s quest began in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and four years since the last Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012). The titular tower itself stands in the center of all realities as a kind of support structure, meaning this series is the spine that holds the entirety of King's bibliography together, even works that don't directly reference Roland, the Crimson King, or various other Mid-World residents.Thank you for joining me on a reread of what Stephen King has called his magnum opus, The Dark Tower series featuring Roland of Gilead, the gunslinger. This is only one of many connections The Dark Tower shares with King's other work. Fans of King's pandemic novel The Stand will recognize the object of Roland's vengeance as Randall Flagg, the dark entity corrupting the survivors of Captain Trips. When we first meet the gunslinger Roland Deschain, he is hunting a wizard referred to as The Man in Black to seek revenge for the fall of his home, the capital city Gilead. It is a post-apocalyptic landscape where inhabitants are doomed to wander and serve as playthings (or food) to the bizarre creatures still roaming this hellish place. Beginning with the novel The Gunslinger, The Dark Tower is an epic sci-fi/fantasy/horror/western series set in an alternate reality called Mid-World.

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