Stephen Kings The Gunslinger

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
There's so many problems with this:

#1. Books 5-7 are complete and utter shit. Not a single redeeming feature about them. Remember early on, when Roland was kind of a knight, but also kind of soulless bad ass killing machine? It's like King forgot who he was writing about. And it's really clear it wasn't a purposeful change, King just changed his mind and decided he didn't like the bad-ass robot Roland. Check out his re-write of the first book if you need proof.

#2. You'd need 1 movie per book, at minimum. You'd need to actually not cut out all the gore and violence and sex. It'd have to be weirdly paced and challenging to watch.

#3. People aren't going to accept a movie with so many unanswered questions. There's no less than 6 really interesting parts of the Gunslinger mythology that King didn't bother to answer. Once he got hurt (and more importantly, got sober) he lost his connection to that world and never got it back. He still wrote the books, to collect a check, but anyone who read Book 7 and didn't realize the poor guy had no idea what he was doing anymore, they weren't really paying attention.

If Roland were the same person at the end of Book 7 (prior to Coda) as he was at the beginning of Book 1, that would have been an epic fail on SK's part.

For complaints about the "slow" pacing of some parts of the story... it's an epic, not a thriller. Much depends on what kind of reader you are, and SK even mentions this in the afterward.

Loki8481 has provided an apt warning.

Overall, not a perfect series, but genuinely excellent. If you have a short attention span, or need thrill-a-minute action, DT is not for you. It does feel "rushed" as the conclusion approaches, and there is a chapter of epic silliness (and I don't mean this kindly) and there is also - if you've given yourself over to the DT series - heartache.

 

[Agentbolt]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
There's so many problems with this:

#1. Books 5-7 are complete and utter shit. Not a single redeeming feature about them. Remember early on, when Roland was kind of a knight, but also kind of soulless bad ass killing machine? It's like King forgot who he was writing about. And it's really clear it wasn't a purposeful change, King just changed his mind and decided he didn't like the bad-ass robot Roland. Check out his re-write of the first book if you need proof.

#2. You'd need 1 movie per book, at minimum. You'd need to actually not cut out all the gore and violence and sex. It'd have to be weirdly paced and challenging to watch.

#3. People aren't going to accept a movie with so many unanswered questions. There's no less than 6 really interesting parts of the Gunslinger mythology that King didn't bother to answer. Once he got hurt (and more importantly, got sober) he lost his connection to that world and never got it back. He still wrote the books, to collect a check, but anyone who read Book 7 and didn't realize the poor guy had no idea what he was doing anymore, they weren't really paying attention.

If Roland were the same person at the end of Book 7 (prior to Coda) as he was at the beginning of Book 1, that would have been an epic fail on SK's part.

For complaints about the "slow" pacing of some parts of the story... it's an epic, not a thriller. Much depends on what kind of reader you are, and SK even mentions this in the afterward.

Loki8481 has provided an apt warning.

Overall, not a perfect series, but genuinely excellent. If you have a short attention span, or need thrill-a-minute action, DT is not for you. It does feel "rushed" as the conclusion approaches, and there is a chapter of epic silliness (and I don't mean this kindly) and there is also - if you've given yourself over to the DT series - heartache.

I'm not saying he has to be the same person, you're being obtuse. His character was completely, unrecognizably different. Roland was a soulless killing machine and turned into some introspective, almost emo guy by the end of the series.

 

[Squisher]

I read every thing that Steven King ever wrote until he came out with the Dark Towers series. I started the first book and all I can remember was " he was walking.....and he was walking....and he was walking." I haven't read anything by SK since.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt

I'm not saying he has to be the same person, you're being obtuse. His character was completely, unrecognizably different. Roland was a soulless killing machine and turned into some introspective, almost emo guy by the end of the series.

Umm..

Roland was always a rather complex character. I mean the bastard accidently gut-shot his cheating mom at the age of 14 or so, shortly after realizing his first true love was burned at the stake because of him, shortly after nearly killing his teacher and being the youngest 'slinger ever to pass his manhood test.

So yeah, he has a few scars, but he was always a big-hearted guy. He mourned Susan's death forever, he loved Jake like a son, he remembers his fallen friends fondly. Sure, when a battle and duty called, that icy veil fell over him and he didn't let up until the bodies were stacked high, but he always a romantic.

 

[BudAshes]

Stand by me was great

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
There's so many problems with this:

#1. Books 5-7 are complete and utter shit. Not a single redeeming feature about them. Remember early on, when Roland was kind of a knight, but also kind of soulless bad ass killing machine? It's like King forgot who he was writing about. And it's really clear it wasn't a purposeful change, King just changed his mind and decided he didn't like the bad-ass robot Roland. Check out his re-write of the first book if you need proof.

#2. You'd need 1 movie per book, at minimum. You'd need to actually not cut out all the gore and violence and sex. It'd have to be weirdly paced and challenging to watch.

#3. People aren't going to accept a movie with so many unanswered questions. There's no less than 6 really interesting parts of the Gunslinger mythology that King didn't bother to answer. Once he got hurt (and more importantly, got sober) he lost his connection to that world and never got it back. He still wrote the books, to collect a check, but anyone who read Book 7 and didn't realize the poor guy had no idea what he was doing anymore, they weren't really paying attention.

If Roland were the same person at the end of Book 7 (prior to Coda) as he was at the beginning of Book 1, that would have been an epic fail on SK's part.

For complaints about the "slow" pacing of some parts of the story... it's an epic, not a thriller. Much depends on what kind of reader you are, and SK even mentions this in the afterward.

Loki8481 has provided an apt warning.

Overall, not a perfect series, but genuinely excellent. If you have a short attention span, or need thrill-a-minute action, DT is not for you. It does feel "rushed" as the conclusion approaches, and there is a chapter of epic silliness (and I don't mean this kindly) and there is also - if you've given yourself over to the DT series - heartache.

I'm not saying he has to be the same person, you're being obtuse. His character was completely, unrecognizably different. Roland was a soulless killing machine and turned into some introspective, almost emo guy by the end of the series.

I don't believe I'm being "obtuse" at all; I'm merely not a subscriber to your intransigence with regard to character evolution.

SK spent a good amount of time practically bashing the reader over the head with the idea that Roland needed to become less "soulless" and more "human", or else he would not attain the Tower.

Roland, as "almost emo"? Hardly. As he made ready to enter the Tower, he cast off the crippled boy who made his entry to the Tower possible. Roland basically said, "good luck, kid, you're on your own, follow the road..." Yep, real emo there!

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Wolves was such a disappointmnet. King basically said, "Hey, remember that cool story of a few young 'slingers taking out the bad guys that I *just* wrote about in Book 4? Well, let's tell the same basic story again, but with the current cast of characters! Weeee! $$$"

As you said, "Ka is a wheel". Besides, it was both stunning and fun to meet Fr. Callahan again.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: QueBert
I've always wanted to see a movie from The Talisman made. Still one of my favorite books of all time.

There was speculation about this years ago, but obviously nothing ever came of it.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: loki8481
the ending of the series (last 2-3 books) were so godawful bad they retroactively ruined the entire series for me.

this.

it started off amazing..then trailed off.

though i think king has kinda lost it. his books are not as good as they used to be.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: lxskllr
Stephen King books should never be made into movies. I haven't seen one yet that wasn't a butchered, watered down experience.

His short stores tend to make better films, especially with big actors. Shawshank and Stand By Me, for example.

Some of the most insane departures come from them though too. E.G. Lawnmower Man and Running Man.

Originally posted by: QueBert
I've always wanted to see a movie from The Talisman made. Still one of my favorite books of all time.

Great book, but I give Straub most the credit for that.

Originally posted by: Farang
I really enjoyed the Skyscraper bit in The Cat's Meow

It was Cat's Eye, and I liked the whole movie.

While it wasn't as good as the book (what movie ever is?) I thought Firestarter was good for the year it was made.

I read The Stand (Unabridged & Illustrated) and it was a damned good story. But I think Robert R. McCammon took the idea and made it much better though, with Swan Song. That book was crack, I just could not put it down.

Swan Song would make a great movie.

I think Startide Rising and The Uplift War by David Brin are outstanding movie material. The rest I don't know if they could make work well.

 

[Agentbolt]

Old school Roland shot Allie in the face simply because she was there. King specifically added the ridiculous "Nineteen" stuff when he re-wrote the first book to make Roland more sympathetic. You're going to tell me he did that, but DIDN'T make a huge effort to make Roland more human and wussy?

He did make the point that Roland needed to attenuate a bit to gain entry into the tower. He ALSO made a big point of the fact that only someone who wasn't really functional as a normal human being would've made it to the beach to meet the rest of his ka-tet in the first place.

It's incredibly obvious that King saw Roland different as the books went on. I'm simply saying I liked the old Roland better. He wasn't a bad guy or a good guy, he wasn't anything really. As the series went on he just became the stereotypical tortured anti-hero.

 

[xboxist]

The Waste Lands was amazing. So many epic visions in that book. The Bear, Lud, Blaine, etc.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
Old school Roland shot Allie in the face simply because she was there. King specifically added the ridiculous "Nineteen" stuff when he re-wrote the first book to make Roland more sympathetic. You're going to tell me he did that, but DIDN'T make a huge effort to make Roland more human and wussy?

He did make the point that Roland needed to attenuate a bit to gain entry into the tower. He ALSO made a big point of the fact that only someone who wasn't really functional as a normal human being would've made it to the beach to meet the rest of his ka-tet in the first place.

It's incredibly obvious that King saw Roland different as the books went on. I'm simply saying I liked the old Roland better. He wasn't a bad guy or a good guy, he wasn't anything really. As the series went on he just became the stereotypical tortured anti-hero.

I agree, Roland basically shot Allie because she was "there" - and his hands are faster than his brain.

I never read the re-write of the 1st book. I didn't think it was particularly well-written, but I kind of enjoyed the terseness of it. And, frankly, at the very end of the last book, after the top of the Tower, I didn't like SK's greater expansiveness after the wheel turned 'round once again.

I think it would have taken much courage on SK's part if he had maintained Roland's emotional detachment. I don't know if that would have made things better or worse.