Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews's Reviews > The Gunslinger

2 stars! I shall have to stop liking your reviews now.

I can’t wait for this review! A lot of people say you have to read the second book to actually get a feel for the series. But frankly, I do not like giving a series a second chance if I didn’t enjoy the first book. That’s kinda the point and the goal of the first book yknow

April fools??

It dramatically improves in book 2, I almost gave up on the series after this one.

Same! This is the book that made me give up on Stephen King.

You will hear over and over that you gotta get to book 2 before you give up on the series and everyone is NOT lying. If all the hype for the series still has you interested but you are confused why book 1 wasn’t good I’d def give book 2 even like 3-4 chapters of a shot before deciding you aren’t going to continue at all!!

This was totally expected and you were probably warn about it.
And now go read book 2 and on. They are like next level compare to book 1.

Fwiw I have up after book 3.

First book leaves you with a lot of questions instead of answers. It is an introduction, in second book the real action begins and you will meet unforgettable characters. Or maybe the dark tower's world may not for you. But don't give up.

I completely understand. I actually liked Gunslinger and hated book 2. Tried working through Book 3 and DNFed it quickly. Disliked the majority of the characters.

I love this series...it was my first fantasy series, and Roland remains one of my favorite characters.

However, the first book is definitely a bit slow. Hope you give the series another try...but definitely understand that King isn't for everyone.

FWIW - I love, love, love the first four books, and Wizard and Glass is one of my favorite books ever. There's a big drop-off in books 5-7, though I enjoyed them more on my second read.

First book is a bit rough, but the series picks up

King wrote this when he was 18 years old, as a kind of a collection of short stories. He acknowledges in a foreword that the book is not very good but he wanted to keep it close to the original with minor editing because.... well, because he is a major best seller and does what he wants.

Book 2 was published in 1987, when King was already a very well established author, so the improvement in writing and plotting is huge, My opinion is that "The Gunslinger" is a toll you have to pay to enter the Dark Tower series and no one should give up the series before reading book 2.

Completely agree with the book being a mess part!