The main story takes place in a world that is somewhat similar to the Old West but exists in an alternate timeframe or parallel universe to ours. It tells the story of the gunslinger, Roland of Gilead, and his quest to catch the man in black, the first of many steps towards his ultimate destination - the Dark Tower.

' The Gunslinger and the Dark Man' (Nov 1981)Ī revised and expanded edition was released in 2003 as a prelude to the rapid release of the final three volumes of the series.' The Oracle and the Mountains' (Feb 1981).The book was originally published as a quintet of novellas in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction over three years: Roland later meets a boy, Jake Chambers, who joins the gunslinger on his journey across the Mohaine Desert and into the Cyclopean Mountains.

Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings, the western flavor of Sergio Leone's ' Dollars Trilogy,' the character of ' The Man With No Name,' and the theme of Robert Browning's ' Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,' The Gunslinger conveys the tale of Roland Deschain of Gilead, New Canaan in All-world, the last gunslinger in a parallel universe that has 'moved on.' The book concerns Roland's pursuit of the man in black during which Roland recalls his training under Cort and a stopover in Tull. The book was illustrated by Michael Whelan. The book was released by Grant on 10 June 1982 and was the first volume of the Dark Tower series. The Gunslinger is the 14th book published by Stephen King it was his twelfth novel and the eighth novel under his own name.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King