The Gunslinger
Finishing this book is a foggy dream, and the presentation of an opportunity to set fire to the fog. I was not terribly impressed or entertained, but I still recomend reading it, because I bet it’s just a slow start to a great series. Here’s what I thought…
This is one of those rare-ish books where each chapter is distinct and memorable. I can tell ya exactly what happened (in broad strokes) during each of the five chapters, which is something I absolutely cannot say about It or The Stand. Maybe it’s a symptom of The Gunslinger’s length. I dunno. ANYWAY, the first chapter was a nice hook; the last chapter was super-duper and inspired me to really want to keep reading the series; and the middle chapters were good enough to carry me from the good-start to the good-end.
Chapter 1 introduces us to Roland, a (the last?) Gunslinger, who’s pursuing the mysterious “Man in Black.” The opening line is iconic; I won’t spoil you the pleasure of picking up the book and reading it yourself. Then we learn, by telling of his recent passage through the desert town Tull, of his brutally professional approach to gunslinging.
Chapter 2 introduces us to Jake. I LOVE that he comes from New York, and I desperately want to figure out how Roland’s world is connected to ours. Ya know, it’s reallll lucky that they happen to meet in an abandoned shack with plenty of food to fuel their journey’s next leg… This is unbelievable but not unfair, you could say, so no legs are getting chopped off by this Constant Reader.
Chapter 3 takes Roland and Jake out of the desert and into the forest. They overcome some mystical sexual spirit thing. Roland is becoming close to Jake, starting to love him as a father loves his son. And for a brief moment they catch up to the Man in Black.
Chapter 4 takes them out of the forest and forces them underground, their only passageway through the mountains. They find a handcar (believeable but a bit unfair in my opinion… lucky bastards). It’s dark. They manage to get away from some (underwhelming antagonists) “slow mutant” things. Roland ends up sacrificing Jake, at the end, to get after the Man in Black.
Chapter 5 is the long awaited confrontation. The Man in Black lays out some tarot cards, an unclear foretelling of Roland’s future, and induces in Roland a dream-journey through the absolute size of the universe. He dares itty-bitty Roland to take on by himself such enormity. We learn that the Man in Black is a messenger, and that this whole pursuit is merely prelude to bigger things: we have been led to a garden, full of stones we must wait for Roland to uncover.
I have one question for you to answer after reading: would you consider the Man in Black a MacGuffin? I would. He’s not entirely irelevant, but for the most part he’s just a thing to pursue. And he even turns to dust, having served his getting-the-story-started purpose.
I also have some to-be-answered-maybe questions:
- why did Roland start chasing the Man in Black?
- when will Jake be back? I don’t believe he’s gone forever… haha.
- what is “the tower”?
- ah, man, so many more… these are just the ones teetering on the tips of my fingers.
Well, that’s all I got to say. Onwards to book two!
With love,
-Ryan.
p.s. Gilead is the place to be, yo!