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Stephen Kingcast

Episode Sixteen-The Gunslinger Review, Part One

Stephen Kingcast

Constant Reader

Books, Arts:books, Arts, Tv & Film

4.7680 Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2014

⏱️ 65 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."  With those words, a 19 year-old Stephen King embarked upon a decades-spanning journey that included 7 books, numerous tie-ins and a near death experience.  That's right, Constant Reader.  This week, I launch into The Gunslinger.  Please note that this week is only part one of a two part episode.  This week, I review The Gunslinger, trying to remain as spoiler-free about anything that comes afterward.  Next week, I place The Gunslinger into the context of the greater series and examine how well it holds up against the later novels.  This is one that I couldn't wait to review, and as of right now, this is my favorite episode I've recorded so far! Join our ka-tet as we make our way across the desert, into the mountains in our quest to reach The Dark Tower.  Will we reach it? Let's find out together! Thanks to Bright Giant for use of their song, "Jake and the Gunslinger."

Transcript

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0:00.0

Oh, in a red rose field a dark tower stands.

0:08.0

Oh, there must be a sacrifice gun-slanging man.

0:15.0

Oh, in a red rose field, a dark tower stands.

0:23.9

Oh, there must be a sacrifice gun-sling man.

0:32.6

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Stephen Kingcast, one man's musings on the works of Stephen

0:38.8

King.

0:40.3

Each week I'll review one entry in the bibliography of Stephen King and the chronological

0:44.1

order of publication.

0:46.2

Today, well, today's a big one everybody.

0:51.4

Today is one that I both couldn't wait to jump into and one I was terrified of touching again.

0:58.1

Today, we review 1982s, genre bending, bloodstained, existential cowboy western sci-fi horror fantasy epic,

1:13.3

the first entry in a monumental series that span 22 years of publication included seven novels numerous tie-ins 4,540 pages, and for me

1:23.5

hours of entertainment, years of anticipation, and an engagement with a text that I have rarely

1:29.8

enjoyed before or since.

1:33.1

Today, on the Stephen Kingcast, constant reader, we'll discuss book one of the Dark

1:40.2

Tower, the gunslinger.

1:42.8

I'm going to be honest here.

1:46.8

I was incredibly intimidated to get back into this the dark tower has meant so much to me throughout the years and i've held many

1:52.5

conversations about it with a lot of different people i still own my beat-up paperback copy of the

1:57.5

gunslinger that i first read in the spring of my sixth grade year, and each book followed soon after.

2:02.6

When I first started reading King, the wastelands had just come out soon before,

2:07.6

and the much-teased wizard and glass seemed like a lifetime away.

...

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