Roland Deschain of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series

Roland is impatient and unsympathetic to weaknesses in people. He is even known to become angry at signs of self-pity or spinelessness. He is thoughtful and deliberate in his actions and has a quiet nature which facilitates his future endeavors.

Roland was tricked into a test of manhood at fourteen years of age and became the youngest in his line to become a gunslinger. He becomes an extremely experienced and qualified marksman, very skilled at victory, and able to survive any situation.

He becomes driven by his desire to find the Dark Tower and seems to put this desire ahead of himself and those around him. Roland's childhood friends and family end up dying and he carries around that burden throughout his quest.

As he forms relationships with others who help him on his quest for the Dark Tower, Roland learns to respect and care for them deeply. His original quest becomes a growth experience as he eventually learns to put his friends ahead of the Dark Tower.

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hether you're a Stephen King fan or not, these stories take unexpected twists, that keep you riveted in wonder on the journey the novels take you. This series has part fantasy, horror (which King is famous for) and western elements. A poem written by Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, and the westerns of Stephen King's time, were the inspirations behind this epic series, taking a span of 22 years to complete 7 books. His desire was to create an epic similar to the Lord of the Rings. Many of King's other books also relate to this series.

This Stephen King gunslinger, Roland Deschain, stars in the first of the series as:

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1)
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followed by,

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2)
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower Book 3)
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)
Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)
The Dark Tower VII (The Dark Tower, Book 7)

A series of 'prequel' comics followed The Dark Tower novels and also has quite a fan base, if you're interested in the comic book genre. The comics expand on Roland Deschain, the series' main character. This is the first time Stephen King has produced original content for the comics.

Take an unforgettable trip into Stephen King's boundless imagination. You can find out more about The Dark Tower series, other Stephen King novels, or Stephen King audiobooks by clicking here.

The Dark Tower thing is tricky. It's such an important piece of writing. The truth is that Damon and I are not looking at that right now.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a huger fan of The Dark Tower than me, but that's probably the reason that I shouldn't be the one to adapt it. After working six years on Lost, the last thing I want to do is spend the next seven years adapting one of my favorite books of all time. I'm such a massive Stephen King fan that I'm terrified of screwing it up. I'd do anything to see those movies written by someone else. My guess is they will get made because they're so incredible. But not by me.

After six seasons of Lost, Lindelof may not want to commit to such an ambitious undertaking. Maybe, after taking a breather after Lost concludes in 2010, Abrams and Lindelof will re-consider.

Who do you think would be a good candidate for adapting the film if Abrams and Lindelof stand steadfast in their decision to back out of The Dark Tower series? Do you think it can even be adapted to the screen? Comment below.

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."


The Tower; "Somewhere ahead, it waited for him - the nexus of Time, the nexus of Size. "

"Have you come with your chosen weapon?"

"I have."

"What is your weapon?" This was the teacher's advantage, his chance to adjust his plan of battle to the sling or spear or bah or bow.

"My weapon is David."

The start of king's magnum opus, the dark tower, the gunslinger. Very quickly the reader is sucked into rolands universe. A gunslinger in a dieing world where at first we don't know very much except that he's chasing the man in black across the desert. The book then starts to feed us bits and pieces of the gunslingers back story and introduces us to a few characters from his past we have not yet met but are starting to learn about. I thought this was a fantastic novel, and enjoyed it from the first page all the way to the back cover. Very well written and imaginative, the gunslinger is a triumph! Read it now.

A great improvement over the first one...,
May 2, 2005
By Evil Mage Ra (Ann Arbor, MI)

This review is from: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) (Paperback)

"The Drawing of the Three" focuses on Roland gathering his "ka-tet" (his party or fellowship if you will). He meets Eddie Dean, a junkie from the 80s, and Odetta Holmes, a civil rights activist from the 60s. Eddie Dean is a cool character, I loved him right away (when Allie and Jake died in the first one, I thought "Good, now Roland can get on with his quest", but when Eddie almost died in this one, I thought "Noooooo! Not Eddie Dean!"). Odetta Holmes isn't as cool, but she is interesting (she's a double-amputee with a split personality, one of whom is extremely dangerous--what's not to like about that?). Roland is as cool as ever; he's so Stoic and tough-as-nails. I couldn't help but crack a smile as he gave some Very Bad People what they deserved. This volume puts aside the ridiculous prose of the first book, and it seems a lot shorter than it is. Quite frankly, it's hard to put down. Highly recommended. I bought the third volume today, and I can't wait to see what happens.

The best of the series so far,
December 7, 1999
By Jo Berry

This review is from: The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3) (Paperback)

Not as deeply off the subject as Wizard and Glass, more involved than The Gunslinger, less "ordinary" than the Drawing of the Three, the Waste Lands brings hints of science fiction at the beginning while deeping the fascinating theme of coincidence which is really an amazingly complex series of convergences. We learn more about the three who have been drawn, fear for Roland's mind as he teeters on the edge of madness, understand more about how Mid-World relates to ours, fear for our lives at the hands of Blaine the Mono and are truly drawn into the story as each of the companions begins to feel the pull of the Dark Tower . . . A fascinating and engrossing read. I don't know anybody who's read the Dark Tower series who isn't pining for the next installment.

Stephen King: Master Storyteller,
October 27, 1998
A Customer

This review is from:Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4) (Paperback)

Wizard and Glass is mainline heroin for Dark Tower junkies. Be warned: do not undertake this novel during finals week or if you have housecleaning to do. By the time I was finished, my apartment resembled that of Tommy from "Trainspotting". If you happen to be a serious reader, the length of this novel is a boon. King writes with such fluidity, his characters' dialogue is so real, that the length is a necessity. If you're hungry, you eat a big plate of lasagne; you don't pick a French restaurant where they serve you a thin slice of pate garnished with a little radish rosette. King may not agree with the critics, but he's damn satisfying, and the Dark Tower series is his piece de resistance. Roland lives how we'd all like to live-- doing the right thing, no matter how difficult. He's a hero, but he's accessible. He's so good, he doesn't have to swagger. What's so real about him is that he doesn't have a grand plan; he lives each day as it comes and doesn't worry about ka.
Wizard and Glass is not just a great book-- it stands as a fortress against the cynicism and apathy that pervades so much of modern literature. King has the gall to say that some things really matter, and for that his critics will crucify him.

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