Book Review - The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I)

Hello Readers,

Just finished The Gunslinger by Stephen King (1982, Fantasy/Western/Drama)! I will say that I have read this book before, but it's been so long that I was a little fuzzy on the details. This will always be one of my absolute favorite books.

Stephen King has been a favorite author of mine for many years now, and it seemed that I had read all of his books. But I was so wrong when I stumbled upon The Dark Tower for the first time in my mother's bookshelf. She always loved sci-fi, horror, fantasy type books. This one didn't disappoint.
Being a little less popular than my last review (Divergent by Veronica Roth - http://katiesreadingblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-review-divergent.html), I won't give away much about the plot. Then again... this series isn't always necessarily about the plot. You'll get what I mean.

Pros:

• If you enjoy fantasy/mystery genres, you'll very much enjoy this book. The time period is rather strange, but it's very interesting. The Gunslinger is set in a kind of modern western setting. It combines fantasy with the grit of the old west in a surprisingly addictive way. 
• The books itself is not long compared to the lengths of some of King's other books. The language is generally easy to read, unlike titles like It or 11/22/63 where the writing is dense in some places. 
• If you are a fan of very descriptive stories, you'll definitely like this book. I liken it to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time in the way King is highly detailed in his character portrayals. You become attached to the characters fairly quickly. 
• This may be subjective, but depending on the copy of The Gunslinger you have, there are wonderful illustrations in the extended version that honestly make it worth owning for that. They are beautiful watercolor/oil painting inserts that are just striking. 

Cons:

• If you've read any of King's works, you know that at times they can be hard to understand. The Gunslinger is no exception to that rule. Despite being somewhat easy to process, some of the language that King uses can be foreign and archaic. He combines a lot of western speech with High English, among other dialects. 
• This book most definitely has parts that are not suited for young adults. As with most of King's works, this one is not considered YA. While the length may be deceiving, The Dark Tower is by all accounts a mature series. There are a few sexual references in The Gunslinger, therefore I'd say it shouldn't be read to kids before bedtime. 
• The only other downside I could see with this book would be it's not a singular work. There are nine books in The Dark Tower series total (including the prequel Little Sisters of Eluria). So in order to get the full picture you'd have to read start to finish. 

Overall I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a gripping, sinister, touching, mysterious story. Honestly I had to reach for Cons for this one simply because this book holds a special place in my heart. If you do choose to jump into this series, I hope you get as much out of it as I have. 

Until next time, keep reading lovelies! 

Katie