JasonKoivu

Gloriously moody and atmospheric!

The Gunslinger is high plains, lonely traveler, John Wayne-in-a-post apocalyptic dystopia goodness.

With a survivalist main character and a dependent boy at his side, fighting mutants and what were human beings against all that wealth of stark nothingness for scenery, it felt very akin to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I'd read somewhat recently and loved. Mysticism and Biblical references abound and at points threaten to muddy the narrative waters, but never fully mire it into unhealthy miasma depths.

I loved the main story and regretted any departures, but King generated enough interest in his main character to hold this reader's attention through some lengthy flashbacked backstory.

King's writing still suffers here from his over usage of modifier short cuts. He occasionally will "-ly" himself out of a description of emotion or action, which would've taken a few minutes at most to rectify...although, who has time for such things when you're writing thousands upon thousands of pages at such an infamously breakneck speed that SNL fits it into a skit (http://www.hulu.com/watch/280366), and well, who am I to judge when your books are flying off store shelves at unheard of rates?

I almost enjoyed the complete heck out of this to the point of a 5-stardom rating, but the showdown left me a little flat, as sometimes happens with books that are to-be-continued...

...oh but it shall be continued, oh yes, the reading will recommence!