Post by Bartwald on Apr 12, 2004 15:50:07 GMT -5
Stephen King [glow=red,2,300]The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger[/glow] (1982/2003) ***
Well, well, well - I finally finished the first volume of King's famous Dark Tower series. I'm not as impressed as I hoped to be, I'm not disappointed too badly, either. It's a quick read. 250 pages, right? What is it in the King usual scale, eh? It starts very well, with Roland visiting a strange village in the desert, where he not only has a love affair coming at him but also a tricky trap to escape from. Some of the ideas King put in this first part of The Gunslinger are the best in the book, with the 'number 19 as the gates to losing your mind' being the standout (can't tell you more, guys - read it for yourselves to discover the creepiness of it!). Then it doesn't go so smooth anymore. The first meeting of the boy, Jake, is full of suspense and creepy atmosphere with a bonus adventure into the present (well: it's the present for a present day reader, anyway... not for Roland) to explain the boy's past and the reasons why he got kicked out to the desert. I always adore this King's mixing of the realities and I wish we had more of it here (thankfully, he goes for it without limits in the second volume of Dark Tower). After this meeting, however, things get way too sentimental and/or philosophical for my tastes and I shamefully admit to reading some passages rather carelessly (and I'm not a guy who feels good doing that!). Then our interest is being raised again when the two characters meet the Mutants, but even this doesn't work 100% perfect in the end. And when Roland finally meets The Man In Black? Well, I can't tell you too much about it - it's the finale, for godsakes! - but I was disappointed with this scene, as well.
Do I recommend The Gunslinger, then? Oh, sure - I do. But mostly because I know that it's a bridge to a much better volume: The Drawing Of The Three.
Well, well, well - I finally finished the first volume of King's famous Dark Tower series. I'm not as impressed as I hoped to be, I'm not disappointed too badly, either. It's a quick read. 250 pages, right? What is it in the King usual scale, eh? It starts very well, with Roland visiting a strange village in the desert, where he not only has a love affair coming at him but also a tricky trap to escape from. Some of the ideas King put in this first part of The Gunslinger are the best in the book, with the 'number 19 as the gates to losing your mind' being the standout (can't tell you more, guys - read it for yourselves to discover the creepiness of it!). Then it doesn't go so smooth anymore. The first meeting of the boy, Jake, is full of suspense and creepy atmosphere with a bonus adventure into the present (well: it's the present for a present day reader, anyway... not for Roland) to explain the boy's past and the reasons why he got kicked out to the desert. I always adore this King's mixing of the realities and I wish we had more of it here (thankfully, he goes for it without limits in the second volume of Dark Tower). After this meeting, however, things get way too sentimental and/or philosophical for my tastes and I shamefully admit to reading some passages rather carelessly (and I'm not a guy who feels good doing that!). Then our interest is being raised again when the two characters meet the Mutants, but even this doesn't work 100% perfect in the end. And when Roland finally meets The Man In Black? Well, I can't tell you too much about it - it's the finale, for godsakes! - but I was disappointed with this scene, as well.
Do I recommend The Gunslinger, then? Oh, sure - I do. But mostly because I know that it's a bridge to a much better volume: The Drawing Of The Three.
