I finished The Gunslinger last night, it came to an end all of a sudden and took me by surprise. It's left me slightly frustrated... I feel like I've glanced over a work with real genius permeating it and I haven't had a chance to explore...
I read it quite bittily (it's been a bitty month) so when I finished I found myself mentally re-treading Rolland's footsteps to clarify his journey so far...
WARNING - PLOT SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN>>>
His journey through Tull, the man with the corn in the desert, Jake, the Oracle, the tunnel under the mountain, Jake's death, the conversation with Walter/Martin/the black man and his decision to keep moving towards the Dark Tower.
I have a lot of questions...
*Why did Jake have to die?
*Was it to prove Rolland's determination to stay the course?
*Who is Martin/Walter/the Black Man? I don't believe he's dead...
*What's his connection to Rolland?
*What drives Rolland to find the Black Tower?
I'm seriously considering re-reading it in one sitting to see if I can glean more from the glimpses King gave us. Or, do I just move on to The Drawing of the Three (the second book of the series I purchased it last week, I had a feeling I'd be restless, wanting to continue when I reached this end).
Hmmm... I let you know how I get on. Thanks Phil for putting me onto The Dark Tower; it's definitely the most original story(fertilised by many other great stories) I've come accross in years. xc