''The Gunslinger'' is a
dark-fantasy novel by American author
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
. It is the first volume in the ''
Dark Tower'' series.
''The Gunslinger'' was first published in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
as a
fix-up
A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame s ...
novel, joining five short stories that had been published between 1978 and 1981. King substantially revised the novel in 2003; this version has remained in print ever since, with the subtitle RESUMPTION.
The story centers
Roland Deschain
Roland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character and the protagonist of Stephen King's '' The Dark Tower'' series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of ...
, the last
gunslinger
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...
, who has been chasing his adversary, "the
man in black," for many years. The novel fuses
Western fiction
Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...
with
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
,
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
, and
horror, following Roland's trek through a vast desert and beyond in search of the man in black. Roland meets several people along his journey, including a boy named Jake
, who travels with him part of the way.
Background and publication
The novel was inspired by
Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...
's poem "
Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came
"Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a narrative poem by English author Robert Browning, written on January 2, 1852, and first published in 1855 in the collection titled '' Men and Women''. The poem is often noted for its dark and atm ...
" (1855), which King read as a sophomore at the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...
. King explains that he "played with the idea of trying a long romantic novel embodying the feel, if not the exact sense, of the Browning poem." King started writing this novel in 1970 on a ream of bright green paper that he found at the library.
The five stories that constitute the novel were originally published in ''
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
'':
# "
The Gunslinger
''The Gunslinger'' is a dark-fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It is the first volume in the '' Dark Tower'' series.
''The Gunslinger'' was first published in 1982 as a fix-up novel, joining five short stories that had been publ ...
" (October 1978)
# "
The Way Station
''The Way Station'' is a novella by American writer Stephen King, originally published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' in April 1980 in literature, 1980. In 1982 in literature, 1982, "The Way Station" was collected with sever ...
" (April 1980)
# "
The Oracle and the Mountains
"The Oracle and the Mountains" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' in February 1981. In 1982, "The Oracle and the Mountains" was collected with several other ...
" (February 1981)
# "
The Slow Mutants
''The Slow Mutants'' is a fantasy novella by American writer Stephen King, originally published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' in July 1981. In 1982, "The Slow Mutants" was collected with four other stories King published i ...
" (July 1981)
# "
The Gunslinger and the Dark Man
"The Gunslinger and the Dark Man" is a fantasy short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' in November 1981. In 1982, "The Gunslinger and the Dark Man" was collected with ...
" (November 1981)
It took King twelve-and-a-half years to finish the novel. The finished product was first published by
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc.
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. is a fantasy and science fiction small press publisher in New Hampshire that was founded in 1964. It is notable for publishing fantasy and horror novels with lavish illustrations, most notably Stephen King's Th ...
as a limited edition in 1982. The following year, because the ''
Pet Sematary
''Pet Sematary'' is a 1983 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. The novel was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984, and adapted into two films: one in 1989 and another in 2019. In November 2013, PS Publishing rel ...
'' cover noted ''The Gunslinger'' among King's previous works, many fans called the offices of King, Grant, and
Doubleday wanting more information on the already-out-of-print book. This led to another run of ten-thousand copies. In 1988,
Plume released it in
trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to:
* Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book
* Trade paperback (comics)
In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...
form. Since then, the book has been re-issued in various formats and included in boxed sets with other volumes of the series.
In 2003, the novel was reissued in a revised and expanded version with modified language and added and changed scenes intended to resolve inconsistencies with the later books in the series. It is dedicated to
Edward L. Ferman, long-time editor of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction''.
Setting
The book tells the story of The Gunslinger,
Roland of Gilead
Roland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character and the protagonist of Stephen King's '' The Dark Tower'' series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of ...
, and his quest to catch
the man in black, the first of many steps toward Roland's ultimate destination, The Dark Tower.
The main story takes place in a world somewhat similar to the
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
but in an alternate timeframe or
parallel universe. Roland exists in a world that has "moved on." This world has a few things in common with our own, however, including memories of the old song "
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release o ...
" and the child's rhyme that begins "
Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit
"Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit" (alternately "Beans, Beans, good for your heart") is a playground saying and children's song about the capacity for beans to contribute to flatulence.
The basis of the song (and Flatulence humor, bean/fart humor i ...
", as well as the existence of
hamburgers
A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or ...
and
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
. Vestiges of forgotten or skewed versions of real-world technology also appear, such as a reference to a gas pump that is worshipped as a god named "
Amoco
Amoco () is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refinery in Whiting, Indiana, a ...
" and an abandoned way station with a water pump powered by an "atomic slug."
Plot
As Roland travels across the desert in search of the man in black, whom he knows as Walter, he encounters a farmer named Brown and Zoltan, Brown's raven. Roland spends the night there and recalls his time spent in Tull, a small town Roland passed through not long before the start of the novel. The man in black had also stayed in the town; he brought a dead man stricken by addiction to the opiate-like "devil grass" back to life and left a trap for Roland. Roland meets the leader of the local church, who reveals to him that the man in black has impregnated her with a
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
. She turns the entire town against Roland, and Roland is forced to kill every resident of the town. When he awakens the next day, his mule is dead, forcing him to proceed on foot.
Roland arrives at an abandoned way station and first encounters
Jake Chambers
''The Dark Tower'' is a series of eight novels written by American author Stephen King, which incorporate multiple genres including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. Below are ''The Dark Tower'' characters that come into play as the ...
, a young boy. Roland collapses from dehydration, and Jake brings him water. Jake knows neither how long he has been at the way station nor exactly how he got there, and he hid when the man in black passed through. Roland
hypnotizes Jake to determine the details of his death and discovers he died in a different universe that appears much closer in nature to our own. He was pushed in front of a car while walking to school in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. Before they leave, Roland and Jake search for food in a cellar and encounter a demon. Roland masters the demon and takes a jawbone from the hole from which it spoke to him.
Roland and Jake eventually make their way out of the desert. Roland rescues Jake from an encounter with a
succubus
A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious tradition, a succubus needs male semen to survive; repeated sexual activity ...
and tells him to hold on to the jawbone as a protective charm. Roland couples with the succubus, who is also an oracle, to learn more about his fate and the path to the Dark Tower. In a flashback, it is revealed that Roland is the son of Steven Deschain, a Gunslinger and lord of Gilead. The flashback also recalls the brutal training Roland received at the hand of his teacher, Cort. Roland reveals how he was tricked into a premature test of manhood by dueling with Cort at age 14, earlier than any other apprentice. He was provoked by
Marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on t ...
, who served as Steven's wizard and seduced Roland's mother, Gabrielle Deschain. It is established that this was a time of instability and revolution. Roland defeated Cort in battle through weapon selection, sacrificing his hawk, David, to distract Cort.
Jake and Roland see the man in black at the mountain, and he tells them he will meet just one of them on the other side, which aggravates Jake's fears that Roland will either kill or abandon him. Roland and Jake make their way into the twisting tunnels within the mountain, traveling on an old railway
handcar
A handcar (also known as a pump trolley, pump car, rail push trolley, push-trolley, jigger, Kalamazoo, velocipede, or draisine) is a railroad car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a railway ...
. They are attacked by monstrous subterranean creatures called "Slow Mutants." At the tunnel's exit, as the track on which they are traveling begins to break, Roland lets Jake fall into an abyss and continues his quest.
After sacrificing Jake in the mountain, Roland makes his way down to speak with the man in black, otherwise known as Walter. Walter reads Roland's fate from a pack of cards, which includes such omens as "the sailor," "the prisoner," "the lady of shadows," "death," and the Tower itself. Walter states that he is a pawn of
Roland's true enemy, who now controls the Dark Tower itself. The man in black also reveals that he was Marten. He then sends Roland a vision of the universe, zooming out past a
red planet covered in canals, a
ring of rocks, a
large stormy planet, a
ringed planet, and then to galaxies and beyond, attempting to frighten Roland by showing him how truly insignificant he is. Walter then asks Roland to renounce his quest. Roland refuses, and the man in black tells him to go west before putting him to sleep. When Roland awakens, ten years have passed, and there is a skeleton next to him that he assumes to be Walter's. Roland takes the jawbone from the skeleton before traveling to the shore of the Western Sea.
Revised and expanded edition
King revised ''The Gunslinger'' in 2003. In his introduction to the new edition, King stated that he felt the original version was "dry" and difficult for new readers to access. He also made the storytelling more linear and the book's plot more consistent with the series ending. Other changes were made to resolve continuity errors introduced by later volumes. The added material was over 9000 words (35 pages) in length.
Some changes include:
*Removal of a reference to Roland reading a magazine in Tull. Later information presented in ''
The Drawing of the Three
''The Drawing of the Three'' is a dark fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It is the second book in '' The Dark Tower'' series, published by Grant in 1987. The series was inspired by '' Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came'' by Robe ...
'' suggests paper is a scarcity in Roland's world.
*Reference to 12 years having passed since the fall of Gilead, which happened when Roland was a teenager, is changed to "untold years." Otherwise, it would be deduced that Roland is in his 30s, whereas later books imply Roland is ancient.
*Likewise, the man in black originally says he is "nearly immortal," whereas in the revision he says this of both himself and Roland.
*"
olanddidn't know where Cort was" becomes "Cort was dead" because the Fall of Gilead was not fleshed out until later books.
*Roland's cold-hearted killing of Allie is changed to make him appear more humane. Originally, when the town of Tull turns on Roland, Allie is seized by a townsperson and used as a human shield. She begs Roland not to fire before he guns down both her and her captor. In the revised version, she has been driven mad by Walter by the time she is seized, and she begs Roland to put her out of her misery.
*The town of Farson is changed to Taunton because
John Farson
''The Dark Tower'' is a series of eight novels written by American author Stephen King, which incorporate multiple genres including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. Below are ''The Dark Tower'' characters that come into play as the ...
is a character in the later books.
*References to the Beast were changed to refer to the
Crimson King
The Crimson King, known to some as Los' or Ram Abbalah, is a fictional character created by Stephen King and the main antagonist of King's eight-volume ''Dark Tower'' series, as well as the novels ''Insomnia'' (1994) and '' Black House'' (200 ...
, who otherwise is not mentioned in the series until ''
The Waste Lands
''The Waste Lands'' (subtitled "Redemption") is a dark fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It is the third book of '' The Dark Tower'' series. The original limited edition hardcover featuring full-color illustrations by Ned Dameron was ...
''.
*"Blue Heaven" and "Algul Siento," terms revealed in the final books, are mentioned.
*A single Taheen appears early in the revised version. The Taheen are a race of creatures that wouldn't originally appear until the final three books.
*A major textual change is the fate and identity of the man in black. In the original text, Walter's death at the end of the story is of no uncertainty to Roland. In the revised edition, Roland speculates whether his discovery of Walter's bones is some trick or whether Walter has truly died. The original text also kept Walter and Marten Broadcloak completely disambiguated. Even after the death of Walter, Broadcloak was still to be found and killed. Later, in ''Wizard and Glass,'' Walter and Marten, along with
Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King, who has appeared in at least nine of his novels. Described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark", he has supernatural abilities involv ...
, are all revealed to be the same person. Although no reference to the name "Flagg" is made in the revised edition of ''The Gunslinger'', all references to Walter and Marten are altered so that it is plausible they are the same man.
*
Jake Chambers
''The Dark Tower'' is a series of eight novels written by American author Stephen King, which incorporate multiple genres including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. Below are ''The Dark Tower'' characters that come into play as the ...
, originally nine years old, was made 10–11 years old in the revised edition.
*In general, the world the gunslinger walked through in the original text was a run-down version of our own. The text mentions England, the star Polaris, Mars, Jesus and other biblical figures, Easter, All-Saint's Eve (Halloween), and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
. In the revision, most of these references were removed to make Roland's world only vaguely like ours.
*In the expanded edition of the novel, on the last page before the text, the word
RESUMPTION appears. In the "Argument" foreword for ''
Wolves of the Calla
''Wolves of the Calla'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It is the fifth book in his '' The Dark Tower'' series. The book continues the story of Roland Deschain, Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, Jake Chambers, and Oy as they make ...
'', King explains that this is the subtitle of the novel.
Film
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
and
Nikolaj Arcel
Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film ''A Royal Affair'' which won two prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at ...
have confirmed that the 2017 film ''The Dark Tower'' is a sequel to the events of the ''Dark Tower'' book series, following Roland Deschain on his "last time round" the cycle to the titular Dark Tower, equipped with the Horn of Eld.
The film was released August 4, 2017 by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
.
The film has been stated to be a combination of the events of ''The Gunslinger'' and of the third novel ''
The Waste Lands
''The Waste Lands'' (subtitled "Redemption") is a dark fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It is the third book of '' The Dark Tower'' series. The original limited edition hardcover featuring full-color illustrations by Ned Dameron was ...
'', while also incorporating significant story points from ''
The Dark Tower''.
References
Further reading
Comparison of the original 1982 text and the 2003 revised edition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunslinger, The
1982 American novels
1982 fantasy novels
Dark fantasy novels
1
Novels first published in serial form
Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Books with cover art by Michael Whelan
Donald M. Grant, Publisher books