This was a disappointment. I like Stephen King's stories, I like fantasy novels, and I like westerns, so I expected the enjoy their combination in the Gunslinger.

This book contains the worst of each element: King's bad habit of gross-out horror, fantasy's leaden pace, and bland western formula. King also weakened it further by including real-world elements (a pet peeve of mine).

I admit there are some nifty ideas in it for which I'm glad I made the slog. The conversation between the Gunslinger and the Man in Black was revelatory in the way of the best fantastic fiction, but there was just too much empty desert to cross to get to it.