Stephen King's The Gunslinger

The setting was very unique in this book because it had been described as the result of the world's "moving on." To me it kind of felt like a cross between Planet of The Apes and The Lord of The Rings and at the same time having a kind of alien feel to it. There is both magic and science in the world that is sensible and believable. The story definitely had a mysterious and gripping feeling because of these elements. I don't have the words to describe it.

I didn't see a moral or emotion preside above any others in this story, however there were many instances of love and loss throughout the story. The story seemed to represent the fact that when pursuing a quest that takes precedence above everything else, the things you love may have to be lost for the completion of that dream or mission.

There are three main characters in this book: The Gunslinger who was sent upon a mysterious quest that has led him to chase another main character known simply as "The Man in Black." The Gunslinger is chasing this man for information that will lead him to the destination where his quest can be finished. On his way, The Gunslinger finds a young boy named Jake. Jake's origin is described when the gunslinger puts him under hypnosis. The characters are very believable and you can clearly see each person’s mind working.  Reluctantly, The Gunslinger allows Jake to travel beside him to chase the Man in Black.

The characters change greatly over time. The seemingly cold-hearted Gunslinger finds an almost fatherly admiration for Jake. Jake also changes and matures from a boy into a fine young man on their journey. They are shaped by supernatural and physical challenges alike. The Man in Black does not change at all. While he is a main character, he does not have any lengthy dialogue or presence until the end chapters of the book.

Most of the characters’ mannerisms are direct or cut and dry. They aren’t scripted or overly justified like in other novels. The characters share very real perspectives of their surroundings. I do not know how Stephen King is able to accomplish this and at the same time have the story flow so smoothly.

To be honest this book was really confusing at first and I had no clue what I was reading. Don’t be fooled by this temporary confusion. Further into the book you learn that not knowing is okay and that everything will be explained later. This book is such a great read and is very entertaining and insightful at the same time. I give this book 9 out of 10 for dialogue and story alone. I’ve never read a book with characters like these that are so real that you could imagine them walking around in real life someday, or even compare them to living persons in their actions and speech. I would recommend this book only for mature and intelligent readers. This is due to the fact that there are some graphic scenes of violence and nudity. There are difficult words, along with some curses in this book, but they are used appropriately and not often. I would recommend this book to people my age and older without a second thought.