Should you read the original Gunslinger or the Revised and Expanded Edition?

Those who begin their journey with Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series often have a question: should they read the original version of The Gunslinger Or the revised and expanded edition? The Dark Tower series is a seminal work by one of history’s most successful and influential writers, A series spanning seven main books, one stand-alone book, one short story, and countless references and tie-ins to his other novels. The Dark Tower Universe is Stephen King’s greatest work, and if he were to never write another book again, he would be a legendary writer for the series alone.

The series all started with The Gunslinger, which introduced the reader to the archetypal loner and heroic figure Roland of Gilead, The Dark Towers gunslinger and the last of his world. His life’s quest is to be achieved The Dark TowerThe nexus of not only his world, but all worlds, and protect it from the forces of chaos that would tear it down. Along the way, he meets companions who help him on his quest, but the first, Jake Chambers, becomes an integral part of the first book. of course, The Gunslinger Also introduces Stephen King’s greatest villain: The Man in Black, also Randall Flagg. This is the beginning of an epic story, but there are two different versions of the novel, leading to questions about which one is better.

Why you should read the revised and expanded edition of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger

It’s more cohesive and fixes some continuity issues

For the completionists who want to be thorough, the revised and expanded edition of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger is the best way to go. Stephen King released the revised and expanded edition in 2003Decades after the original version was released. The original version of The Gunslinger was published in 1982, and King was never completely satisfied with it, because it was a fix – that is, a novel that stitches together several short stories into one whole. The original stories were published between 1978 and 1981, and King realized that he had enough to put together in an entire novel; It was then the beginning of the expansive series that eventually became The Dark Tower.

That said, because the original The Gunslinger was a fix-up novel and never something that King envisioned would raise a whole interconnected Dark Tower universe, it created constant errors with the later books, and didn’t feel as cohesive in general. The expanded and revised edition fixes many of the continuity errors And makes the first book feel more like a fundamental part of the rest of the series. It’s the equivalent of a director’s cut, the version that King believes is the best version of his story and the one he always wanted to tell.

It should be noted that some die-hard Stephen King fans who cut their teeth on the original edition of The Gunslinger Have disliked some of the minor changes to wording, and It is fair to argue that some lines do not seem as difficult as in the original. Still, it cannot be denied that the revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger Fits much better with the whole series. That is why those who want a smooth entry into this complicated world should read the revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger.

Why you should read the original version of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger

It is an interesting read for comparison’s sake

That said, It is still worth reading the original, shorter version of The Gunslinger. Although it is an imperfect version of the story and has a few plot holes that cause conflict later on The Dark Tower series, it’s a great read nonetheless. It certainly doesn’t detract from the overall story to read the original as his first book, and it doesn’t really cause story problems later on, except for those who are incredibly nitpicky readers. However, the most interesting way to read it is after the whole series, to see the parts Stephen King changed and expanded and why.

The Dark Tower Series is Stephen King’s magnum opusThe story, the universe that consumed him and took up more of his brain space than any other. Watching the way he modified the story is a glimpse into the mind of not only one of the world’s most prolific authors, but also into the creative process itself. Some of the parts he changed were to improve the character of Roland of Gilead. Others were to retroactively correct passages that caused later continuity errors. And still other parts simply revised things that he was not happy with.

finally, It doesn’t really matter if you read the revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger Or the original – If you can still find it, that is. The Dark Tower universe is vast and immersive, and whichever version of the first book you read, it still does a good job of introducing you to the world of Roland of Gilead and the characters. No matter what is in the pages of each version, the only thing that matters is that both begin with the iconic first line: “The man in black ran across the desert, and the gunman followed.”