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The Gunslinger (The Dark
Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King, Michael Whelan (Illustrator)
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- Hardcover: 256 pages ; Dimensions
(in inches): 0.93 x 9.42 x 6.10
- Publisher: Viking Press; Revised &
Expanded edition (June 23, 2003)
- ISBN: 0670032549
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Thirty-three years, a horrific and life-altering accident, and
thousands of desperately rabid fans in the making, Stephen
King's quest to complete his magnum opus rivals the quest of
Roland and his band of gunslingers who inhabit the
Dark Tower series. Loyal DT fans and new
readers alike will appreciate this revised edition of The
Gunslinger, which breathes new life into Roland of Gilead,
and offers readers a "clearer start and slightly easier entry
into Roland's world."
King writes both a new introduction and
foreword to this revised edition, and the ever-patient,
ever-loyal "constant reader" is rewarded with secrets to the
series's inception. That a "magic" ream of green paper and a
Robert Browning poem, came together to reveal to King his "ka"
is no real surprise (this is King after all), but who would have
thought that the squinty-eyed trio of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van
Cleef, and Eli Wallach would set the author on his true path to
the Tower?
While King credits Tolkien for inspiring the "quest and magic"
that pervades the series, it was Sergio Leone's The Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly that helped create the epic proportions
and "almost absurdly majestic western backdrop" of Roland's
world.
To King, The Gunslinger demanded
revision because once the series was complete it became obvious
that "the beginning was out of sync with the ending." While the
revision adds only 35 pages, Dark Tower purists will notice the
changes to Allie's fate and Roland's interaction with Cort,
Jake, and the Man in Black--all stellar scenes that will
reignite the hunger for the rest of the series. Newcomers will
appreciate the details and insight into Roland's life. The
revised Roland of Gilead (nee Deschain) is embodied with more
humanity--he loves, he pities, he regrets. What DT fans might
miss is the same ambiguity and mystery of the original that gave
the original its pulpy underground feel (back when King himself
awaited word from Roland's world).
--Daphne Durham
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