The Gunslinger (Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Title: The Gunslinger

Author: Stephen King Webpage: Stephen King Narrator: George Guidall Webpage: George Guidall Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Website: Hodder & Stoughton ASIN: B008BJ5F16 Genre: Fantasy

Listening Length: 7h:19m

Synopsis: Roland is a haunting figure, a loner, on a mysterious journey,

through desolate world, toward the Dark Tower. On his quest, he begins a friendship with Jack, a kid from New York, and faces an agonising choice between damnation and salvation as he pursues the Man in Black.

I tried reading this story as a novel, but floundered (see my previous review), not because it was not a good or well written novel, but because I struggle with “road stories” – I prefer to know what happens once the protagonists get to their destination. This audio version was, however, a revelation which brought home the excellent style of King’s writing. It remains a “road story, and indeed the gunslinger does not actually arrive at his final destination. It is as if the book is an introduction to the series. However, in the spoken word, there is a poetic style to the narrative that I did not pick up in the written word, which is helped greatly by the narration of George Guidall. I would recommend anyone who has read this book to listen to the audio version. And if you are already into audio books then this is one you should hook up to.

What others thought at the time of writing Amazon.co.uk; 1,980 reviews, of which 92% were 3* or more, giving an average of 4.4* Amazon.com; 8,279 reviews, of which 90% were 3* or more, giving an average of 4.3* Goodreads.com; 410,116 ratings (15,057 reviews), with 92% of 3* or more, giving an average of 3.97*

Other novels by the same author (click on the image to go to Amazon for more information)

Other novels by the same narrator (click on the image to go to Amazon for more information)