The Gunslinger

About “The Gunslinger”

The Gunslinger is a dark-fantasy novel by American author Stephen King, serving as the first volume in the Dark Tower series. It was first published in 1982 as a fix-up novel, combining five short stories originally published between 1978 and 1981. King revised the novel in 2003, and this version, titled Resumption, has remained in print. The story follows Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, who has spent years chasing his enemy, "the man in black." The novel blends Western, fantasy, science fiction, and horror elements, tracing Roland's journey through a vast desert and beyond. Along the way, he meets a boy named Jake Chambers, who travels with him for part of the journey.