The Dark Tower #1: The Gunslinger by Steven King
Author Biography:
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Signet
ISBN: 0451210840
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Crossover
Reading Level: Grades 9 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
In a dogged chase of the man in black, Roland – typically referred to as The Gunslinger – chases his quarry across the vast wastes of a land similar to the Wild West. During his pursuit Roland meets a child named Jake who is in desperate need of someone to care for him. Roland brings him along, but his choices during his pursuit of the man forever change his and Jake’s future.
Plot Summary:
Roland, a grim individual who is an incredible shot with his gun, travels across the wastes in a single-minded pursuit of a man cloaked in black. The wastes mirror the real world in some ways, but appears to be far more dystopian and dead. As he stomps across the brittle and inhospitable land, we learn Roland has been in pursuit of the man in black for some time and even annihilated an entire town the man used in an attempt to kill Roland. Frighteningly, Roland was able to kill every single towns person with minimal effort – and with minimal concern. From this we learn that, while Roland is the protagonist of the series, he’s a far cry from what could be considered a “good” guy.
During his pursuit, Roland stumbles across Jake Chambers, a child that has no memory of why he is in the wastes or of his parents. He also swears that he had died once, but can’t recall how or why. The duo’s pursuit of the man in black takes them to a mountain full of monstrosities that would mean certain death for any other traveler. Jake and Roland attempt to push through, resulting in a wild mine cart ride through the mountain while they are chased by the abominations. During the attack, however, Jake’s life is endangered and Roland must make a hard decision to continue his quest, or leave Jake to his death. Roland’s choice has far-reaching consequences, chasing him throughout the remainder of his quest and beyond.
Critical Evaluation:
The Dark Tower series is an incredible work and has taken nearly 30 years to write and spans eight novels. The novel is a fantastic work of fantasy, realistic fiction, and horror detailing Roland’s attempts to hunt down the man in black and find the Dark Tower. Descriptions are short and to the point, giving readers just enough information to tell what is going on and what the characters basically look like, but then enabling them to formulate the rest of the details themselves. King also does a fantastic job of creating a main character that is morally ambiguous, and keeps them guessing why Roland is the way he is and how he can commit such terrible acts with seemingly no concern.
Fans of King’s works will also find many of the references to his other novels amusing at first, but the series actually seems to create a framework that ties all of his works into a series of universes. The Dark Tower, therefore, is in some ways a structure that binds all of his novels together. Fans of King’s works, as well as those who enjoy flawed characters and unusual story lines, will enjoy what The Gunslinger and the following seven books have to offer.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
Defensive Maneuvers:
Book Talk Ideas:
With your ultimate goal just in sight, someone's life depends on you. If you help that person, you may never reach that goal and wasted untold years of your life. Can you let that person die so that you can succeed?
Why This Book
The Dark Tower is an epic work of fantasy by one of the leading horror novelists of our time. The books are gritty, action packed, and full of memorable and flawed characters that make the entire series worth reading.
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Signet
ISBN: 0451210840
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Crossover
Reading Level: Grades 9 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
In a dogged chase of the man in black, Roland – typically referred to as The Gunslinger – chases his quarry across the vast wastes of a land similar to the Wild West. During his pursuit Roland meets a child named Jake who is in desperate need of someone to care for him. Roland brings him along, but his choices during his pursuit of the man forever change his and Jake’s future.
Plot Summary:
Roland, a grim individual who is an incredible shot with his gun, travels across the wastes in a single-minded pursuit of a man cloaked in black. The wastes mirror the real world in some ways, but appears to be far more dystopian and dead. As he stomps across the brittle and inhospitable land, we learn Roland has been in pursuit of the man in black for some time and even annihilated an entire town the man used in an attempt to kill Roland. Frighteningly, Roland was able to kill every single towns person with minimal effort – and with minimal concern. From this we learn that, while Roland is the protagonist of the series, he’s a far cry from what could be considered a “good” guy.
During his pursuit, Roland stumbles across Jake Chambers, a child that has no memory of why he is in the wastes or of his parents. He also swears that he had died once, but can’t recall how or why. The duo’s pursuit of the man in black takes them to a mountain full of monstrosities that would mean certain death for any other traveler. Jake and Roland attempt to push through, resulting in a wild mine cart ride through the mountain while they are chased by the abominations. During the attack, however, Jake’s life is endangered and Roland must make a hard decision to continue his quest, or leave Jake to his death. Roland’s choice has far-reaching consequences, chasing him throughout the remainder of his quest and beyond.
Critical Evaluation:
The Dark Tower series is an incredible work and has taken nearly 30 years to write and spans eight novels. The novel is a fantastic work of fantasy, realistic fiction, and horror detailing Roland’s attempts to hunt down the man in black and find the Dark Tower. Descriptions are short and to the point, giving readers just enough information to tell what is going on and what the characters basically look like, but then enabling them to formulate the rest of the details themselves. King also does a fantastic job of creating a main character that is morally ambiguous, and keeps them guessing why Roland is the way he is and how he can commit such terrible acts with seemingly no concern.
Fans of King’s works will also find many of the references to his other novels amusing at first, but the series actually seems to create a framework that ties all of his works into a series of universes. The Dark Tower, therefore, is in some ways a structure that binds all of his novels together. Fans of King’s works, as well as those who enjoy flawed characters and unusual story lines, will enjoy what The Gunslinger and the following seven books have to offer.
Curriculum Ties:
- Life in the wild west
- Ethics in the pursuit of an ultimate goal
Challenge Issues:
- Violence
- Sexual situations
Defensive Maneuvers:
- Have the library's collection policy on hand and memorized. Even though you may have it committed to memory, being able to show specific provisions as proof with strengthen your position.
- Be familiar with the book. Having great knowledge of it will prove you understand the content and the way the challenged matters interact with each other.
- Cite any awards the book may have. Though the patron may disagree with the book, showing that it is well known and seen as having great literary merit will strengthen your defense.
- Have a few reviews ready from respected sources such as Amazon or VOYA. At the very least, you can prove you understand the material and reviews will corroborate that.
- Have a strong idea WHY that item is in the library. Explain its merits, who the intended audience is, and so on.
- State your library's commitment to providing intellectual freedom as written in the Library Bill of Rights.
- Stay calm. Getting defensive or hot under the collar will only weaken your position.
- And finally, be open to discussion and LISTEN. Even if you do not agree with the patron, their concerns are still legitimate and you should show that you are engaged with them. Listening to their concerns may be enough to take the edge off.
Book Talk Ideas:
With your ultimate goal just in sight, someone's life depends on you. If you help that person, you may never reach that goal and wasted untold years of your life. Can you let that person die so that you can succeed?
Why This Book
The Dark Tower is an epic work of fantasy by one of the leading horror novelists of our time. The books are gritty, action packed, and full of memorable and flawed characters that make the entire series worth reading.