Rating: 
Summary: King, but not entirely like King. One of the 10 best
Review: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." For whatever reason, it's the most memorable opening line I've read. This is the first book in King's post-apocalyptic/parallel worlds Dark Tower series. The gunslinger is a character inspired by the Man with No Name that Eastwood played in the cinema. Certainly he is one of King's best characters. This story melds magic and firearms in an unforced, entertaining way. It's written in a dry, dusty style that suits the gunslinger perfectly. Aside from the fact that the book is very entertaining in its own right, King fans simply MUST read the Dark Tower books, because these days, ALL his other books at least make reference to the Tower, if they aren't extremely intertwined, like Hearts in Atlantis and Black House. These references in other books are like big fat Easter Eggs; you're finding unexpected rewards everywhere! This book is one I'd never do without. Go get it!
Rating: 
Summary: Director's Cut
Review: I get nervous when things that are important to me get the "Director's Cut" treatment. George Lucas's relentless tinkering with the original Star Wars trilogy, not to mention those awful prequels, have managed to tarnish my love for that saga. I hold Stephen King's Dark Tower series in similar regard, so when I heard he was revising the first book, I was a bit apprehensive. At the same time, I was pretty curious. I'm a complete Tower junkie, so I knew there was no way I was going to be able to resist an updated Gunslinger.
The Gunslinger was a tough read for me. I thought the original language was a bit too flowery and I had a hard time sustaining an interest throughout the book. I don't know what made me pick up the second book, Drawing of the Three, but I'm so glad I did. That book hooked me from page 1 and had me totally enthralled until the end. Since then I've been hooked. Apparently King had encountered this situation before. In the introduction to this book he described telling people that if they could get through the Gunslinger, the series got a lot better. So with this revised version, he has taken some steps to fix things.
The essential story is unchanged. The characters, events, and timeline are all unchanged. At the same time, it was almost like reading an entirely new tale. The language was more in line with the rest of the saga, which made the book much easier to read, and there were several revisions that cleaned up the continuity and tied it in to later volumes. These revisions were understandable. King didn't have as clear an idea where the story would take him when he originally started the saga, and some of the supporting characters, locations, and events had changed since being mentioned in that first book..
All in all, I think King accomplished his goal. The book is easier to read, makes more sense in context with the rest of the saga, and should be much more accessible to new readers. Some purists may be disappointed. Much of the mystery and promise present in the first version seems missing from the new one, and the original language, while overly poetic, did add a romantic aspect to the book. So I'll hang on to my worn-out paperback of the original, while at the same time enjoying the "Director's Cut".
One more thing. Am I alone in wanting to hear the full Jericho Hill story? It sounds like an epic, "blaze of glory" kind of tale.
Rating:
Summary: King at his polished best
Review: I have always loved Stephen King's between-worlds books (The Talisman, Black House, Needful Things), but the Dark Tower series is Mister King at this best! Roland will have you rooting him on through each adventure, though he is written as a realistic hero with human flaws that can make you slightly disturbed by his decisions. The villians will have you cheering at their demise, or desiring their end when escaping due to their pure-evil outlook on life. The supporting cast of characters will have you wanting them to learn more from Roland, while retaining their own values as they become driven to reach the end of this adventure. Overall, an amazing series of books that may seem excessively long, but with so much content to share it is well worth the detailed descriptions provided by King to keep you visually on target where the story is going.
Rating:
Summary: Just no comment!
Review: Read it!!! ..and ya`ll get hooked onto Dark Tower for a long-long time! As I was... for 10 years. I read Gunslinger in 1995 being 20 y/o... and yesterday (2.10.2005) I finished the last book!!! What a journey! It was just soooo great!
For those, who are just starting with this first book, my personal favorites are #1, #4 and #5, but that by no way means, that one should skip anything!!!
Rating:
Summary: Let King take you into Roland's world.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though I think that The Gunslinger is really an aquired taste. I never had the time to read through all of one of Kings works, and From a Buick 8 lost me in the first couple chapters. I decided to give this one a try since it was shorter and looked more appealing. After reading it through I was very impressed with it. I must say its very outlandish, but at the same time it doesn't lose me. The whole concept and story of Roland the Gunslinger and his quest for the Dark Tower is so deep and well thought out that you want to follow him on his journey, which perhaps was King's intentions. This first installment of the series does an excellent job with character development, and if you read through the first book you will realize why this is important. Roland becomes very real, you almost become intune with his feelings and emotions. By the time you read through to the Dark Tower, it will break your heart to see Roland go. I have not read much of King's work but i have to believe that the Dark Tower series is his most creative and inspiring work. Give the Gunslinger a try and let King take you into Roland's world.
Rating:
Summary: The Journey for the Tower Begins...
Review: "The Gunslinger," alias "Dark Tower I," is not really what you'd expect from a Stephen King book. Nevertheless, it's a fantasic read and well worth the time. But beware that, like Roland, once you get started, there's no turning back.
"The Gunslinger" takes place in a world that has "moved on," desolate and worn down. We follow the journey of Roland, the last Gunslinger, as he attempts to catch the elusive man in black and complete his quest for the Dark Tower. This chapter of the Tolkien-esque quest is about 300 pages in length, the shortest of all the "Dark Tower" books, and acts as the warm-up before the workout. Like most books, it's a little slow out of the gate, but once the gunslinger hits Tull, the rest of the story takes off.
If you're a fan of King's or of epic journeys, I recommend "The Gunslinger." The entire work is seven books long, so I would only start if you're committed for the long haul. But reading this and all the "Dark Tower" novels are made fun by King's use of language. I could barely finish "Lord of the Rings" because of its language, but I breezed through "Gunslinger," partially because the story became so engrossing that I couldn't put the book down.
So go forth and enjoy. There's a lot to look forward to.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Mr. King!
Review: I really loved the Dark Tower series. The first book was not as good, a bit slow and hard to get into, but King does mention this in his introduction. The rest of this epic adventure was amazing. I loved it...although my husband wasn't happy to have an unresponsive wife for a month (I HAD to read them all!). It was well worth it. I must say that I was a bit disappointed with the illustrations. I wish they had not been included in the hardback editions.
Rating:
Summary: Re-reads required
Review: Slow and heavy. You will need to re-read it again and again to fully get yourself into the story. Once you finish reading the Tull part, you will begin your journey.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Review of a Bad Book
Review: For King- this series is his best.Get all the books in this series.For an Average writer- this is his epoch.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Being a huge Stephen King fan, I was eager to read this book once I found out about the Dark Tower series. The book immediately drew me in and I soon read the other 3 books that had already been published. The final, 7th book was a Christmas present that I cannot wait to read. The Gunslinger draws the reader into Roland's life immediately, although if you do not typically read Stephen King styled writers, The Gunslinger may be... wierd.
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