The Gunslinger

I finished reading today the first book of the Dark Tower series. I read many books by Stephen King and he kept promoting this series, with references to it in a way or another... In the books I read, this was in Insomnia, Hearts in Atlantis, and in a (good) novel in Everything's Eventual. And if I remember well, it was in Desperation too. So, I imagine I just fell into the trap.

The author says in the introduction that he wanted to create his own fantasy universe right after finishing Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, although he had to put it on hold because at that time he was 19 and still too much arrogant. He also says that he was influenced by Sergio Leone's The Bad, the Good and the Ugly and especially by the characters played by Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. King says in the foreword that going through that first book while working on the final volumes made him realize how badly it was written and made him review some parts of it. I just can't tell if this is supposed to be modesty, false modesty or simply the truth.

I acknowledge that some small parts of the book are kind-of difficult to read and sometimes boring. However, the book is globally interesting and gripping. I indeed recognized some of the atmosphere present in Sergio Leone's westerns, an atmosphere that I really appreciate. I think I'll read the following books, at least to know the details, although I don't know when.

Yeah, I already said that I fell into the trap...