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Description edit
In the first book of this brilliant series, Stephen King introduces readers to one of his most enigmatic heroes, Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own,... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The Gunslinger introduces Roland Deschain of Gilead as he pursues the man in black to the mountains that separate the desert from the Western Sea. Along the way he rescues the boy, Jake, who is from a different time and place, and soon they become ka-tet in spite of Roland’s single-minded goal... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Roland Deschain of Gilead: Roland Deschain, son of Steven Deschain, was born in the Barony of Gilead, in In-World. Roland is the last surviving gunslinger, a man whose only goal is finding and climbing to the top of the Dark Tower, purported to be the very center of existence. This quest is obsession, monomania and geas to Roland: the success of the quest is more important than the lives of his family and friends. He is a man who lacks imagination, and this is one of the stated reasons for his survival against all odds: he can't imagine anything other than surviving to find the Tower.
- The Man in Black: A man clad in black whom the gunslinger is pursuing...
- John "Jake" Chambers: Add a description of this character.
- Brown and Zoltan: A kind farmer in the desert and his pet crow.
- Cuthbert Allgood: Cuthbert Allgood, apprentice gunslinger. One of three friends mentioned from Roland's childhood. This character is fleshed out later in the series.
- Cort: Cortland Andrus, gunslinger instructor. Teacher of Roland.
- Nort: Tull's resident weed-eater.
- Marten: Marten Broadcloak, Stephen Deschain's sorcerer. Analogous to Merlin
- David: Roland's trained and old hawk.
- Hax: Head cook of Gilead's castle.
- Allie: bar owner of Tull, shares information about the man in black to Roland.
- Jubal Kennerly: A citizen in the town of Tull. He has three daughters, and puts up Roland's mule in his barn for gold
- Susan Delgado: A girl from Roland's past.
- Jamie DeCurry: childhood acquaintance of Roland. This is a character that is fleshed out in later books of this series.
- Kennedy
- Walter o ' Dim
- Alain Johns: childhood acquaintance of Roland. This is a character fleshed out in later books of this series.
- Sylvia Pittston: Priestess in Tull.
- Roland: Kind, curious, almost a child-like innocence when it comes to the outside world. He is or becomes the gunslinger
- Mrs. Greta Shaw: Jake's maid
- Mille: He is the gunslinger and is a very nice man whom makes friends with in the desert such as Jake.
- The Ageless Stranger
- Aileen: Intimate acquaintance of Roland.
- Amoco Preacher: A minister who did his sermons with an Amoco gas hose between his legs.
- King Arthur: In Mid-World, Arthur is the namesake of Roland's ancestor Arthur Eld.
- Roland, the Gunslinger: Main character
- John Chambers, Jake: A kid the gunslinger meets up with
- Oracle
- Steven Deschain
- Charles
- John Farson
- Sheb
- Brown
Quotes edit
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“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
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“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
Jake Chambers -
“Imagine the sand of the Mohaine Desert, which you crossed to find me, and imagine a trillion universes - not worlds but universes - encapsulated in each grain of that desert; and within each universe an infinity of others. We tower over these universes from our pitiful grass vantage point; with one swing of your boot you may knock a billion billion worlds flying off into darkness, in a chain never to be completed.”
Setting & Locations edit
- The Dark Tower: Roland's seemingly mythical destination.
- Brown's Hut: Located in a transitional desert area bordering the Mohaine Desert.
- Coach Road: A two-rut track that Roland follows. It runs from Pricetown into the wastes of the Mohaine Desert. It was once one of Mid-World's highways.
- Cyclopean Mountains: One of the barriers Roland must traverse in pursuit of the Man in Black.
- Gallows Hill: Located on the Farson Road.
- Hendrickson: One of the many towns attacked by The Good Man.
- King's Town: One of the towns Roland travels through on his quest for the Dark Tower.
- Tull: One of the towns that Roland passes through while chasing the man in black.
- Sheb's: A Honky-tonk located in Tull.
- Western Sea: A terrible, barren place that is the home of the man-eating Lobstrosities.
First Sentence edit
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
Table of Contents edit
Chapter One: The Gunslinger
Chapter Two: The Way Station
Chapter Three: The Oracle and the Mountains
Chapter Four: The Slow Mutants
Chapter Five: The Gunslinger and the Man in Black
Glossary edit
- Ka-tet: A group of people who's paths are brought together by ka (fate)
- Ka: Ka has multiple meanings and so is difficult to define precisely. It signifies life-force, consciousness, duty and destiny. In the vulgate, or low speech, it also means a place to which an individual must go. The closest terms in our language are probably fate and destiny.
- Sai: Although used in low speech, Sai appears to be a form of address that originated in High Speech. Sai is a term of respect and can be roughly translated as sir or madam.
Themes & Symbolism edit
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 8 in The Dark Tower. (standard series)
Followed by The Drawing of the Three.
This book is in Best Fantasy Books. (community list)
This is book 1 of 13 in The Dark Tower - Japanese. (community list)
This is book 1 of 24 in Dark Tower Universe. (universe)
This is book 23 of 99 in National Public Radio's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. (authoritative list)
This book is in Significant Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror). (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Stephen King (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Michael Whelan (Cover Artist)
- George Guidall (Reader)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Donald M. Grant
Country: USA
Publication Date: June 10, 1982
ISBN: 978-0937986509
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Donald M. Grant
Country: USA
Publication Date: June 10, 1982
ISBN: 978-0937986509
Page Count: 224
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3561.I483 G86 1982
- Dewey: 818'.54
Subjects edit
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
- TheDarkTower.com: Official Stephen King website devoted to the Tower Epic, including glossaries, links between it and King's other works, info on supplemtal materials, like the line of Marvel comics.
Books with Additional Background Information edit
Books That Influenced This Book edit
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