When did you meet Roland? How many years ago? How old were you?

[Wuducynn]

For me it was the idea of a giant, mysterious quest, that involves deep connections to our own world and interconnected universes. How about everyone else?

[Rjeso]

I've always liked tales filled with adventure too. The idea of A Quest! has always hooked me, hence my love of Lord of the Rings and the Otherland series, as well as Arthurian mythology. Also, I love stories dealing with all-encompassing, epic friendships/relationships like we see with Roland's ka-tet. (That's also why I love It and Dreamcatcher so much, too.)

[Wuducynn]

I've always liked tales filled with adventure too. The idea of A Quest! has always hooked me, hence my love of Lord of the Rings and the Otherland series, as well as Arthurian mythology. Also, I love stories dealing with all-encompassing, epic friendships/relationships like we see with Roland's ka-tet. (That's also why I love It and Dreamcatcher so much, too.)

Definitely, and for me when I started it, it was with the second book and there was this feeling of some kind of massive journey/quest going on that I was on the tip of the iceburg involving multiple parallel universes, it just blew my mind.

[Matt]

I totally agree. This totally hooked me from the beginning because it was the quest of all quests.

I remember thinking that my favorite part of the first book (I read them in order) was that thing at the end with him and well...you know. ;)

[Wuducynn]

Oops I just realized what that looked like. I meant that I started it at the time that Drawing came out. Not starting the series with that book.

[The_Nameless]

Gunslingers. Mulitiple Worlds stacked upon mulitiple universes. Demons. A main character that was unlike other main characters I was reading at the time.

What isn't there to love?

[OchrisO]

When I was a child, the cover art drew me in, though I was too young to full grasp the intricacies of the books, and grew bored. I came back to them later in life because of the western-ish aspects of the books. This time I loved The Gunslinger, but was then put off by the lobstrosities and put the books down again. A few months later, Erin convinced me to give the books another try, and after getting past the intitial lobstrosity scenes, I loved the rest.

[Ruki]

i started reading the gunslinger just because a friend harassed me about it. she didn't explain the book very well so i didnt know what i was getting into. if i knew where she was now i'd send her roses and chocolates and a bottle of wine.

[Bethany]

I found The Gunslinger for a quarter about 3 years after it came out when I was stockpiling books to read while I was at home after the birth of my first child. I would love to say that I was instantly hooked and lured in by all of the magical things mentioned in the posts above me but it would be a lie. To be perfectly honest, I'm the type of person that will plod through any book and/or series just because it is there. It took me several years to catch on "to the big picture" and fall in love with Roland and his world.

[sarah]

I can't pass up a good quest. I've always been a fan of Stephen King and when he announced that he was going to write the last three books, I picked up the Gunslinger and haven't looked back. It is still my favorite series of all time.

[Candice Dionysus]

My brother pretty much forced The Gunslinger down my throat while I was trying to finish reading Blood Canticle. ^^;; I kept saying "I'm not going to read two books at once!" and he kept pushing. I finally slapped him and told him I'd read it after I finished the one I was reading.
I'm glad I did, though, because it was pretty amazing. XD

[MonteGss]

I have this thing for long tales, stories, etc. After I read The Gunslinger and saw that it said The Dark Tower Book One on the cover, I was pretty excited. The second book was the kicker for me.

[Letti]

I didn't find a new Dean R. Kootz book for long and I had to read something.. so I bought the DT because I liked the title and the cover. :D
What a nice story... ;)

[Letti]

How old were you when you met Roland? I mean when did you start to read the series?

I was about 12.. and sometimes it was very hard to wait.
Anyway it means I have known Roland and I have been following him everywhere for almost 12 years. I met him in the middle of my life.

But I know there are people out there who have been reading it for even longer.
So?
What about you?

[Rjeso]

Last October :P

That would have made me 24 at the time.

[Matt]

Me and Roland met in the mid 80's. I was glad he came along, I needed him at the time.

[pol]

I was thirteen years old...the year was 1987...it seems like its been a long time.

[Wuducynn]

I met Roland when I was 14 in 1987 and have been a Tower Junkie ever since...

[ErinPatricia]

Jr high I think....
I started reading The Wastelands in 7th grade, then realized it was book 3 in a series so I hounded my mom to take me to the library and get the first two lol.

[Letti]

Last October :P

And how long did it take you to read all the books?

[Rjeso]

Last October :P

And how long did it take you to read all the books?

I was done by the end of November. I would have been done sooner, but I had to ship in copies of SoS and TDT.

[Wuducynn]

I didn't find a new Dean R. Kootz book for long and I had to read something.. so I bought the DT because I liked the title and the cover. :D
What a nice story... ;)

Wow, this is a first, someone finding a King book because they couldn't find a Koontz book! :o

[Letti]

I didn't find a new Dean R. Kootz book for long and I had to read something.. so I bought the DT because I liked the title and the cover. :D
What a nice story... ;)

Wow, this is a first, someone finding a King book because they couldn't find a Koontz book! :o

I know I know. :D
Great story, isn't it?

[MonteGss]

I was 14 like CK. I discovered The Dark Tower in between DT2 and DT3.
Roland kicks ass.

[ManOfWesternesse]

It would have been around '84 I think - which would put me at about 21 or so.

[VolsToTheWall]

I first discovered Roland back in '87 when I was 13.

[B Rag]

Well, after I read Cujo and decided I wanted to read more Stephen King stuff, my brother mentioned that his favorite was the Gunslinger (although he didn't mention the DT). Later, after reading Everything's Eventual, I was fascinated by the idea of a story being linked to another story, so I went to King's website and found out about the DT series. Then I saw that Gunslinger was part of it, so that was pretty much the deciding factor that I would read it.

[Letti]

And did your brother read the whole series, Rag?

[B Rag]

I don't think so. I believe he's read to book 4, but moved on to other things while waiting for book 5 to come out, and hasn't gotten around to reading the last 3 yet.

[Letti]

I don't think so. I believe he's read to book 4, but moved on to other things while waiting for book 5 to come out, and hasn't gotten around to reading the last 3 yet.

:scared:

[Dedereadssk1]

I was in my local BOOKRACK (western North Carolina) and there was a book i hadnt seen before-so, of course, i had to purchase it. And i was hooked. And honestly, i think the ending was GREAT!!!!! It goes along with the way he ends most of his books--let your imagination run wild-there could be another book-----or series. Have you read any of the comics yet?

[Letti]

I was in my local BOOKRACK (western North Carolina) and there was a book i hadnt seen before-so, of course, i had to purchase it. And i was hooked. And honestly, i think the ending was GREAT!!!!! It goes along with the way he ends most of his books--let your imagination run wild-there could be another book-----or series. Have you read any of the comics yet?

I think most of us have. :D

[B Rag]

I don't think so. I believe he's read to book 4, but moved on to other things while waiting for book 5 to come out, and hasn't gotten around to reading the last 3 yet.

:scared:

Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets around to it one of these days. :thumbsup:

[BlakeMP]

Long-form adventure tales have always appealed to me. :)

I also love the "shared universe" school of storytelling, and as DT seemed to be the "hub" around which all of King's works revolved, I simply had to read it.

[Rjeso]

I also love the "shared universe" school of storytelling, and as DT seemed to be the "hub" around which all of King's works revolved, I simply had to read it.

Oh, yeah, ditto that.

[Wuducynn]

I also love the "shared universe" school of storytelling, and as DT seemed to be the "hub" around which all of King's works revolved, I simply had to read it.

Oh, yeah, ditto that.


Double ditto that. :cool:

[Letti]

I don't think so. I believe he's read to book 4, but moved on to other things while waiting for book 5 to come out, and hasn't gotten around to reading the last 3 yet.

:scared:

Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets around to it one of these days. :thumbsup:

I feel much better.

[Matt]

It was actually my first exposure to the idea and I really love it.

It made me want more stories from all the universes...like LotR

[Erin]

I discovered Roland in 2003 when I was 19 (19! eep! :P)

[Hannah]

Summer of 2004. I had just turned 22.

[Bethany]

The year was 1991 and I was 19. If you've paid attention to similiar threads, you know know I was 19 when my first baby was born. Bonus points if you picked up on that.

[She-Oy]

I knew about Roland long before I personally met him. Both of my parents were reading the series. I remember my dad kept trying to give me The Gunslinger, telling me I would enjoy it. At age 16 I thought it was a western, and had to yearning to so much as crack the book open.

Then I found out Will was reading them. After listening to countless conversations between him and my parents about the books, I decided to give them a try. Guess I've been hooked ever since.

[The_Nameless]

I feel so young. I was just born in 1987.

I was, oh I'd say, seventeen when I met Roland. That was about three years ago when I read The Gunslinger.

I'm really glad I did pick the book up. I was in a very strange time in my life, and needed something to help me keep my mind and thoughts straight.
I was already into the idea of multiple universes, so it tied right into my interests. I also recently got into westerns at the time, so Roland was like a god-send.

I remember TDT was the first group of books that caught my interest and held me in rapture like that at the time. Most of the other books I was reading at the time - crime novels my mother had lying around the house - just weren't holding my interest. They were more like ways to pass the time when I was bored. Then I picked up The Gunslinger, and I read it in two nights, which would've been one if I hadn't needed to do some things at the time. Then I went right from one book to the next, staying up all hours reading and reading and reading. I would fight off sleep to read these books.

I ended up completing the series in about two, maybe three months.

[AJ]

i was 12... yeah, that sounds about right. i didn't pick up 2 untill about 2 years later.

[Fishonabike]

Hmmmm... I think it was 96 or 97. I had seen the DT books at stores but couldn't imagine an SK western. Plus, I hadn't been a big King reader yet. My friend and band mate had a shelf full of King and asked if I had read any of the DT series since he was super excited about the upcoming release of DT IV. After confessing I had not, he sent me home with the first three. It was a little tedious getting through The Gunslinger, but once I started in on DotT I was hooked. My biggest regret right now is not buying the hardcover Grant edition of WaG when it came out. Anyway, that puts me at about 25 or 26 when I first met Roland.

[Jean]

oh good Lord

I read Fish's post immediately after AJ's, which starts


i was 12

so I automatically read it as "I think I was 96 or 97"... and thought, "at last someone is older that I am"

[Brice]

:rofl:

[Ruki]

i started the series somewhere between wastelands and wizard & glass, i'm not sure of the year but i think it wasn't very long after the wastelands came out since a friend who was a big fan had just bought that one.

[Matt]

I remember almost forgetting about them until I saw a friend with the book. I had to stare at it for a bit to remember.

But that was nothing compared to the wait between 3 and 4. Six years!!

[Letti]

oh good Lord

I read Fish's post immediately after AJ's, which starts


i was 12

so I automatically read it as "I think I was 96 or 97"... and thought, "at last someone is older that I am"

:lol:


:huglove:

[Darkthoughts]

His small mention at the end of Black House was my first encounter - I was curious to know more about this Gunslinger and the friend that lent me Black House then well and truly put me on the path of the beam...must've been around 2002 when my daughter was born...I would've been 29.

[funky dredd]

I was 19 and I was over in the gulf for Desert Storm serving in the NAVY at the time. That was 16 years ago and I'll never forget where I was reading it, I was stationed at that time on the USS America working in the waterbreak tank on catapult one.

[Matt]

Wow.

I was in the gulf around that time as well. :couple:

24ID-3rd Brigade--11th Eng Bat.

[funky dredd]

USS America CV-66. ABE (Aviation Boatswains Mate) Bowcats, Catapault 1. :D

[Matt]

Ah, the early 90's. Things were so much simpler then. :lol:

[funky dredd]

Yes they were. :)

[Chassit]

New here, but this looks like the perfect thread to intro myself. I picked up the limited edition in 82 (I was 11 and I do still have the book). I was at that time enthralled by the story and have remained that way since!

:rose:

[Matt]

Wow again!!

We have some seriously long term fans here. That is great.

[Chassit]

I was really bummed out at how long it took for the Drawing of the Three to come out. I thought for a few years that SK woiuld never continue the story heheh.

[Matt]

I know it, that was a harsh wait. The first four books were something you had to be totally dedicated to.

I almost forgot about them between DoTT and WaG :(

[sarajean]

i was 9. (didn't i already answer this in the introduce yourself thread? i think i did.)

anyway, that was nearly 19 years ago.

[Bethany]

Wow again!!

We have some seriously long term fans here. That is great.

And some seriously young ones, too.

[Chassit]

I know it, that was a harsh wait. The first four books were something you had to be totally dedicated to.

I almost forgot about them between DoTT and WaG :(

You speak true.

[Letti]

I know it, that was a harsh wait. The first four books were something you had to be totally dedicated to.

I almost forgot about them between DoTT and WaG :(

You speak true.

Yesyes.
When I could read WoC at last I read it very quickly and after that I reread the whole series again from the first book to WoC.

[Fly]

Its popularity. And I was also intrigued by the fact that it was connected to some of Stephen King's other books that I had read.

I don't usually read fantasy these days, as most of what is on the shelves looks to be wannabe rip-offs of Lord of the Rings. I have always loved Tolkien, though, and another series I made an exception for was Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials". That did not disappoint me, and neither did Roland's story.

[Fly]

I only began reading it in November last year. I was ... a few months younger than I am now .... 8)

[VolsToTheWall]

Actually, it was just luck (or maybe Ka ;)), that brought me to the series, since I just found The Gunslinger in my local library and just decided to give it a shot. By the time I had finished book 2 I was totally hooked though, and I do like books that come in a series. The wait after W&G was a bitch though. ;)

[Wuducynn]

I don't usually read fantasy these days, as most of what is on the shelves looks to be wannabe rip-offs of Lord of the Rings.

I just had to give this a big AMEN :thumbsup:

[Wuducynn]

The wait after W&G was a bitch though. ;)

Definitely, especially with the accident.

[Matt]

Great to have you here then :D

Have you actually finished the series yet Fly?

[Fly]

Yes, I finished it last week.

I didn't want to look at any discussion boards until I had. It was very tempting sometimes to look for somewhere to ask questions, but it's best to wait. Tough with such a long read, though!

This looks to be a new place? I like the way you have two separate places to discuss the books, one for those who are still reading the series. That would have done me fine!

[Matt]

Its brand new as of the 19th of this month :nana:

Thanks for the kind words, there is still a whole bunch of development going on so we can make this THE spot for Dark Tower stuff on the net.

[Wuducynn]

I like the way you have two separate places to discuss the books, one for those who are still reading the series. That would have done me fine!

Same here, that was a great idea Matt. Back on the topic of the thread, I envy those who found the series after it all came out!

[Letti]

I like the way you have two separate places to discuss the books, one for those who are still reading the series. That would have done me fine!

Same here, that was a great idea Matt. Back on the topic of the thread, I envy those who found the series after it all came out!

I don't.
It was good to wait... painful... but sooo good. (Yeah I am a pervert.)

[Brice]

I know it, that was a harsh wait. The first four books were something you had to be totally dedicated to.

I almost forgot about them between DoTT and WaG :(

You speak true.

Yesyes.
When I could read WoC at last I read it very quickly and after that I reread the whole series again from the first book to WoC.

I did that at least once between each books publication.

[Cuthbert Allbad]

Came upon The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger upon it's 1st publication. Hated it and never picked up the other books. Gave 1st edition HC to library years ago. Oh how i wish i still had it.

My son showed an interest in the books and i'd be damned if i let my son out read me.

Read the entire series and loved, loved, loved it. I cannot remember any other time that i have finished a series and have been haunted by numerous thoughts about it. I even find my self going back and re-reading certain paragraphs and lines that packed an emotional punch for me.

[Letti]

I know it, that was a harsh wait. The first four books were something you had to be totally dedicated to.

I almost forgot about them between DoTT and WaG :(

You speak true.

Yesyes.
When I could read WoC at last I read it very quickly and after that I reread the whole series again from the first book to WoC.

I did that at least once between each books publication.

:huglove:

[Wuducynn]

I don't.
It was good to wait... painful... but sooo good. (Yeah I am a pervert.)

Wait a second Letti, how old are you? Aren't you 19 or 20? You couldn't have waited between the books long could you? :orely: ;) Oh and we know you're a pervert, it's one of the reasons we love you!

[Brice]

Came upon The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger upon it's 1st publication. Hated it and never picked up the other books. Gave 1st edition HC to library years ago. Oh how i wish i still had it.

My son showed an interest in the books and i'd be damned if i let my son out read me.

Read the entire series and loved, loved, loved it. I cannot remember any other time that i have finished a series and have been haunted by numerous thoughts about it. I even find my self going back and re-reading certain paragraphs and lines that packed an emotional punch for me.

:o Something tells me that is one library book that has been stolen sometime in those years.

[Letti]

I don't.
It was good to wait... painful... but sooo good. (Yeah I am a pervert.)

Wait a second Letti, how old are you? Aren't you 19 or 20? You couldn't have waited between the books long could you? :orely: ;) Oh and we know you're a pervert, it's one of the reasons we love you!

Depends on what you mean by long and never forget I am from Hungary and we got the books many years later you had got them. Just to tell you one example the last book hasn't been published yet here in Hungary so who can't speak English has so chance to know the end. (Anyway they are working on it..)
When I finished WaG I was about 12... or maybe less and I was about 19 when I could hold WoC in my hands.

[Wuducynn]

Wow, 12 hunh? Impressive, MOST impressive :cool:

[Letti]

Wow, 12 hunh? Impressive, MOST impressive :cool:

Huh?

[Wuducynn]

Letti most 12 year olds don't read books like the Dark Tower series. It's impressive.

[Wuducynn]

Hell I found the Dark Tower series when I was 14 and I was confused by it at the time, excited and mind-blown, but definitely some of the concepts in it was hard for me to grasp at the time.

[Letti]

Letti most 12 year olds don't read books like the Dark Tower series. It's impressive.

I was an odd kid. Not clever or something but odd. ;)

[Mattrick]

The first time I'd ever read The Dark Tower was at my aunts place, in the woods in Northern Ontario. They have a bunk house above the boathouse. I went in there to get some and was struck with a certain reminiscense of the experience. Recalling my young mind showing pictures of (can't remember the weed eaters name for the life of me) dead, choking on his own vomit. It was one of the first adult books I'd read.

[sarah]

mattrick, you've been merged.

:D

[Mike Beck]

i was 12 years old the first time i picked up the gunslinger. i started reading it on a flight to italy with my buddy to visit his dad in firenze.

i was into the book immediately, realizing it was different than anything else King had written. It was the beginning of an epic with no end in sight. i loved roland, even though some of his actions were cold and dickish. but he was a unique character, and i became drawn to him and his mysterious quest. Once i got to the last chapter at the Golgotha, I had to have more.

As soon as i returned from Italy I went to the library and picked up 2 and 3, and the DT needle was in my vein. :D

i was trapped on Blaine with most of you for years until the miracle announcement of a fourth installment made its way into the world.

sorry this went on so long. ;)

[Harrald]

I think it was around 87. I was in my early 20's. At the time I was riding the subway (in NYC) to work every day 6 days a week. That came out to almost 1.5 hours a day to read. I was going through books almost 2 a week. As soon as I finished the first book I went looking for number 2. It wasn't out and I remember waiting. Only one other fellow I knew was reading the series and we were both bummed when number 3 was no where in site.

Over the years I moved and began driving to work so my reading time dropped to an hour a week at best. I read up to Wolves and stopped in the middle. I think it was "Andy" that annoyed me enough to stop.

A couple of years ago the most unlikely person I work with told me he goes to the library and rents books on CD for his trips to Florida. I mentioned this to my wife and she bought me an inexpensive book on CD ( a Sherlock Holmes story) I have been addicted ever since.

As I've rented books I've always thought about the DT series. Wolves still sits on my night table as a reminder. I ordered "The Gunslinger" and started all over again.

So in answer to the questions. (boy am I long winded)

Around 1987
about 20ish years ago
I was about 21-22 years old

[Storyslinger]

I was near the age of 14. It's like king said.
Even though Jake ages only two years in the time we know him, it took nearly 20 years to tell the tale

[Letti]

I think it was around 87. I was in my early 20's. At the time I was riding the subway (in NYC) to work every day 6 days a week. That came out to almost 1.5 hours a day to read. I was going through books almost 2 a week. As soon as I finished the first book I went looking for number 2. It wasn't out and I remember waiting. Only one other fellow I knew was reading the series and we were both bummed when number 3 was no where in site.

Over the years I moved and began driving to work so my reading time dropped to an hour a week at best. I read up to Wolves and stopped in the middle. I think it was "Andy" that annoyed me enough to stop.

A couple of years ago the most unlikely person I work with told me he goes to the library and rents books on CD for his trips to Florida. I mentioned this to my wife and she bought me an inexpensive book on CD ( a Sherlock Holmes story) I have been addicted ever since.

As I've rented books I've always thought about the DT series. Wolves still sits on my night table as a reminder. I ordered "The Gunslinger" and started all over again.

So in answer to the questions. (boy am I long winded)

Around 1987
about 20ish years ago
I was about 21-22 years old

Wow.
Does it mean that you haven't finished the series yet because of Andy?
I couldn't stand him anyway.

[Storyslinger]

Wow indeed, glad I put that in spoilers

[Harrald]

I've finished the books. I just took a two year break because of Andy.





Wow.
Does it mean that you haven't finished the series yet because of Andy?
I couldn't stand him anyway.

[Wuducynn]

Andy is my favorite robot.

[Storyslinger]

Oh, I see, then I didn't need the spoiler

[Wuducynn]

Oh, I see, then I didn't need the spoiler

It helps to quote someone if your replying directly to let others know that you're replying to someone.

[Letti]

I've finished the books. I just took a two year break because of Andy.





Wow.
Does it mean that you haven't finished the series yet because of Andy?
I couldn't stand him anyway.

Oh I see. Sorry for the sutpid question.
And was it easy to restart or was it hard to get the end of the Andy parts?


Andy is my favorite robot.

Do you know many?

[Harrald]

I'm pretty confused. Did I post something I shouldn't have?

[Wuducynn]

Do you know many?

Every other person I know is a robot.. :rofl:

[Storyslinger]

Do you know many?

Every other person I know is a robot.. :rofl:

You have my pitty

[Letti]

I'm pretty confused. Did I post something I shouldn't have?

Oh, no. Not at all.
Or I didn't notice it...
So, was it hard to restart it? Was Andy still so annoying?





Do you know many?

Every other person I know is a robot.. :rofl:

And who is not?

[Harrald]

It was easy to restart and getting through the Andy parts was no problem.

From the start of the book I knew he wasn't to be trusted. That's why I didn't like him. He gave me a "hinky" feeling.

I think I got this spoiler thing workin'.




Oh, no. Not at all.
Or I didn't notice it...
So, was it hard to restart it? Was Andy still so annoying?

[Letti]

It was easy to restart and getting through the Andy parts was no problem.

From the start of the book I knew he wasn't to be trusted. That's why I didn't like him. He gave me a "hinky" feeling.

I think I got this spoiler thing workin'.




Oh, no. Not at all.
Or I didn't notice it...
So, was it hard to restart it? Was Andy still so annoying?


I felt the same way. Sometimes I felt I could hit him with a big heavy broom for hours.

[Storyslinger]

It was easy to restart and getting through the Andy parts was no problem.

From the start of the book I knew he wasn't to be trusted. That's why I didn't like him. He gave me a "hinky" feeling.

I think I got this spoiler thing workin'.




Oh, no. Not at all.
Or I didn't notice it...
So, was it hard to restart it? Was Andy still so annoying?


I felt the same way. Sometimes I felt I could hit him with a big heavy broom for hours.

Sometimes my book felt like it might be in danger:evil:

[Valkyrie]

This year...I am 32. It came at the perfect time in my life for it.

[Mike Beck]

that's excellent Valkyrie. I think this series does find you when you need it. :)

[Letti]

I think this series does find you when you need it. :)

How true.

[Jon]

I was a young shit when I read The Stand in the very early 80s The Gunslinger soon followed. I was hooked. I waited sooooooo long on this damned series!

[DTrose19]

I was in the 8th grade (13 yrs old) when I got introduced to Roland by a teacher who after thinking about it thought she gave me an idea that would be to much for me to handle. Who knew it would become an adiction that changed my life.Roland and his Ka-tet were my only friends for a while durring a hard time in both school and home, I lived to get to the next book and made it through about one a week at the time even with band practice all the time. I'm about to graduate high school now and I keep a copy of the gunslinger in my car at all times.

[MonteGss]

I keep a copy of the gunslinger in my car at all times.

This is awesome! :)
I have the DT series on my iPod so it is with me at all times. :)

[Letti]

You guys are awesome.

[Wuducynn]

I have the DT series on my iPod so it is with me at all times. :)

Speaking of "awesome". :harrier:

[MonteGss]

:thumbsup: Yeah, I'm hardcore. :)

[Storyslinger]

That is sweet

[MonteGss]

CK is a really sweet man. He is so tender.

[Ikilledthecrimsonking]

2 years ago in Iraq my girl friend sent me a box of S.King books including all Dark tower books

[Storyslinger]

CK is a really sweet man. He is so tender.

That he is :D

[DTrose19]

I have the DT series on my iPod so it is with me at all times.

what I'd give to have an ipod just for that reason man. I'd do my schoolwork to the Dark TOwer all the time, lol. That is so cool.

[MonteGss]

I have the DT series on my iPod so it is with me at all times.

what I'd give to have an ipod just for that reason man. I'd do my schoolwork to the Dark TOwer all the time, lol. That is so cool.

Thanks, yes, it is. I listen to DT everyday...for at least 45 minutes everyday. I think that's pretty awesome! :)

[Letti]

I have the DT series on my iPod so it is with me at all times.

what I'd give to have an ipod just for that reason man. I'd do my schoolwork to the Dark TOwer all the time, lol. That is so cool.

Thanks, yes, it is. I listen to DT everyday...for at least 45 minutes everyday. I think that's pretty awesome! :)

That's why you are so good at DT games. :)

[MonteGss]

Aye lady, you say true. :)
CK finds a way to stump me in trivia quite a bit though. :)

[Daghain]

As I said in another thread, I listened to DT7 all the way to Michigan from Colorado and back (lasted almost the whole trip).

iPods rule! I can hook mine up so it plays through my radio. It made a two day drive a lot of fun. :D

[Girlystevedave]

I started reading the DT last November and finished the series in January. I wish I could have started reading the story when I was younger, but I guess every story has it's "time". PLus, considering the time gaps between each book, I feel bad for the ones who had to wait between each volume. That would have driven me crazy.

[Letti]

I started reading the DT last November and finished the series in January. I wish I could have started reading the story when I was younger, but I guess every story has it's "time". PLus, considering the time gaps between each book, I feel bad for the ones who had to wait between each volume. That would have driven me crazy.

Yeah... that's why I am a little bit crazy as well. ;)

[Daghain]

PLus, considering the time gaps between each book, I feel bad for the ones who had to wait between each volume. That would have driven me crazy.

It almost did. Especially between The Wastelands and Wizard and Glass. :lol:

[Wuducynn]

For me the really bad wait was between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla, mainly because of the accident.

[Daghain]

Accident?

Oh DUH, THAT accident. :lol: Yeah, that was bad too.

[nodarb17]

i just met him last year :D so it wouda been 06 obviously lol but yeah im really glad i did and am happy im a teenager who LOVES to read:dance:

[Matt]

hey nodarb--

Its great meeting people who are new to the series. Welcome to the site.

[MonteGss]

im really glad i did and am happy im a teenager who LOVES to read:dance:

I felt the same way. I felt I was "cooler" than others because I read a lot, smarter too. :) Great to have you here! :rock:

[Letti]

im really glad i did and am happy im a teenager who LOVES to read:dance:

I felt the same way. I felt I was "cooler" than others because I read a lot, smarter too. :) Great to have you here! :rock:

You guys are lucky. I felt lonely because I couldn't share it with anyone.

[Brice]

Me too! Most of my friends were books. I was a bit of a social leper when I was young.

[Storyslinger]

I still am

[ZoNeSeeK]

I used to be, but not so much anymore :)

[Storyslinger]

Yeah Zone:rock:

[myishi]

i start reading the books two months ago, i finished a week ago (im 15)
i read em slowly, because there aint any slovene translation of em..
its hard for me to read in english so much

[Letti]

i start reading the books two months ago, i finished a week ago (im 15)
i read em slowly, because there aint any slovene translation of em..
its hard for me to read in english so much

Wooow! Be proud of yourself. :clap:

[myishi]

:blush: i couldnt put the books down :blush:

[Matt]

That is an amazing pace myishi--I'm totally impressed.

Especially not reading them in your native language

[myishi]

Ow come on, it's not that amazing. I've been studying english for more than half of my life, i use internet ALOT, all the movies are in english, all the anime with english subs.. so i got used to it

[Ruthful]

Hmmmm... I think it was 96 or 97. I had seen the DT books at stores but couldn't imagine an SK western. Plus, I hadn't been a big King reader yet. My friend and band mate had a shelf full of King and asked if I had read any of the DT series since he was super excited about the upcoming release of DT IV. After confessing I had not, he sent me home with the first three. It was a little tedious getting through The Gunslinger, but once I started in on DotT I was hooked. My biggest regret right now is not buying the hardcover Grant edition of WaG when it came out. Anyway, that puts me at about 25 or 26 when I first met Roland.

My experience is very similar, the only major differences being my age-I was in high school at the time, either as a sophomore or junior-and where I got a hold of the book, i.e. a library-I'm not sure if it was a regular branch of the BPL or my school library.

Read the original version of The Gunslinger-which I also had major issues with-then got reeled in by TDOTT.

[Matt]

Ow come on, it's not that amazing. I've been studying english for more than half of my life, i use internet ALOT, all the movies are in english, all the anime with english subs.. so i got used to it

Well, its amazing to me. But I always feel that way because it took me years to finish them as they were published.

Perhaps a fast read will always seem amazing to me. :lol:

[SON-OF-WAYNE]

I first read the gunslinger five years ago, I was twenty years young. To tell you the truth "The Gunslinger" was the first King book I ever read, Say true. Now im hooked. I finished The entire series aboout a year and a half ago with a long pause between the 6th and 7th book, I guess I just didnt want it to be over, thank ka for this site.

[Letti]

Ow come on, it's not that amazing. I've been studying english for more than half of my life, i use internet ALOT, all the movies are in english, all the anime with english subs.. so i got used to it
Oh, come on! It is aamzing. :)
I am an English teacher and my students would give their legs to have such knowledge as yours. And as Matt has said already... to read so much so quickly in another language... it's amazing.
You rock.


I first read the gunslinger five years ago, I was twenty years young. To tell you the truth "The Gunslinger" was the first King book I ever read, Say true. Now im hooked. I finished The entire series aboout a year and a half ago with a long pause between the 6th and 7th book, I guess I just didnt want it to be over, thank ka for this site.
Thank ka for such great members. :rose:

[myishi]

i got overrated lol
you have to know atleast two other languages in slovenia to even get a job
i bet you're awesome =D my goal is to become an english teacher ^^
i had the best teachers possible

[Jean]

I wish you would also learn Russian and French. Rissuan can't be too difficult after Slovene and Croatian, and French - after English and German.

[myishi]

Im planing to take Russian or Japanese in college

[LadyHitchhiker]

I was 13. So that was 15 years ago for me... I feel like I have grown up with them.

[JasKo]

I was in a bookstore around july 2007. Was going on vacation and wanted to find a book to read during the summer holidays. I love crime, so I was haning around in the "Crime" corner. The book "The Dark Tower" Gunslinger and The Drawing of the three, were misplaced, I read at the back of the books and found it really interesting. So I bought these 2 books and The Swarm.

I forgot to bring the books with me to my summer holiday in Bosnia, so I didnt start reading them before September now. I've just finished reading the three first books in Norwegian. Books 1-5 in English are in the mail towards my mailbox :-D I'll continue the story in English hoping I will catch the drift, hehe.

So to sum it up, I met Roland in summer 2007, when I was 21, got to know him in September 2007 in Norwegian and I will say goodbye to him hopefully around January 2008 in English! :-D

[Ruthful]

Aren't Slovenians the crazy folks who are always trying to set crazy records like most pushups done in midair while skyjumping over Victoria Falls, or most laps of the Danube done while sucker-punching a hippopotamus?

Why can't you guys just chill out and watch TV like the rest of us normal people?

:P

Seriously though, mastering several languages is a pretty impressive feat, especially when you neeed to learn an entirely different alphabet to do so. I'm not even going to recount my pathetic effort at learning Latin.

[Jean]

Ruth, it's much harder to learn Latin than English, because it's boooooring... You can't read anything for fun in Latin. There's no Latin Dark Tower, nor even the least Cujo.

[myishi]

umm, no thats not us
actually we're the most boring people you could imagine. lazy as hell too. watching tv is all we do.
i dont think we have any world record

[Ruthful]

Ruth, it's much harder to learn Latin than English, because it's boooooring... You can't read anything for fun in Latin. There's no Latin Dark Tower, nor even the least Cujo.

Yes, but what about Virgil, Plutarch, Cicero?

My Latin teacher, Mr. Anese, actually managed to enliven the subject. We had a great foreign language department at my high school. I think it was divided into five or six major disciplines. The three main romance languages, i.e. Spanish, French and Italian, plus Hebrew, Mandarin, and-if memory serves-German. They might have phased out the Hebrew courses by the time I graduated, although I'm not sure about that.

[Jean]

Virgil, Plutarch, and Cicero are precisely the ones who make studying Latin unbearable, even with a great teacher

[JasKo]

People are going off-topic, eh? :-)

I actually master:

1. Bosnian(and thereby Serbian & Croatian)
2. Norwegian(and thereby Swedish & Danish pretty good)
3. English.
4. A little bit of French.
*Me feels proud!*

[Ruthful]

Latin can be boring, I suppose, but it's very useful in terms of acquiring skills that are applicable to other languages. Even if you never become fluent in a foreign language though it does help improve your English vocabulary significantly. You learn so much more about derivatives, word stems, and ancillary (ancilla-"slave-woman") aspects of basic grammar and syntax. It would be great if they taught Latin as an elective in most junior high schools, especially now that basic grammar seems to have fallen by the wayside in most public schools.

[Jean]

Ruthful: I disagree completely, but JasKo is right, we're off-topic. If there was a thread on learning languages here, I would be happy to go on with this conversation there.

[Letti]

I was in a bookstore around july 2007. Was going on vacation and wanted to find a book to read during the summer holidays. I love crime, so I was haning around in the "Crime" corner. The book "The Dark Tower" Gunslinger and The Drawing of the three, were misplaced, I read at the back of the books and found it really interesting. So I bought these 2 books and The Swarm.

I forgot to bring the books with me to my summer holiday in Bosnia, so I didnt start reading them before September now. I've just finished reading the three first books in Norwegian. Books 1-5 in English are in the mail towards my mailbox :-D I'll continue the story in English hoping I will catch the drift, hehe.

So to sum it up, I met Roland in summer 2007, when I was 21, got to know him in September 2007 in Norwegian and I will say goodbye to him hopefully around January 2008 in English! :-D
Believe me my friend, you can never say goodbye to Roland.

[Wuducynn]

Goodbye Roland.

[Storyslinger]

Bastard :lol:

Good point though, Letti

[_Sphynx_]

Either late eightteen or early nineteen, which was almost two years ago. I wouldn't have even started it except that there was a regular at my old job who was giving a bunch of his books to charity and let me dive through the back end of his truck to pick out the ones I wanted. I liked the look of Zoltan and Roland on the front of it, so I nabbed it, and the rest is history.

[JasKo]

Believe me my friend, you can never say goodbye to Roland.

Hope that's true! :)

[DTrose19]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Letti
Believe me my friend, you can never say goodbye to Roland.

Hope that's true!

that is verry true and I think the people on this site and the site itself shows that. Roland and the dark tower always stay in the heart of their readers. they're like a virus you don't want to get ride of.

[Letti]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Letti
Believe me my friend, you can never say goodbye to Roland.

Hope that's true!

that is verry true and I think the people on this site and the site itself shows that. Roland and the dark tower always stay in the heart of their readers. they're like a virus you don't want to get ride of.
I couldn't agree more.

[Storyslinger]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Letti
Believe me my friend, you can never say goodbye to Roland.

Hope that's true!

that is verry true and I think the people on this site and the site itself shows that. Roland and the dark tower always stay in the heart of their readers. they're like a virus you don't want to get ride of.

This is very well put

[walterodim]

I thought this would be an appropiate thread to start with on this great site.

So,
I was 13 back in 1998. The cover with the tower on it had some appeal. But the story was so strange, I had no idea what was going on. I also remember my little brother (3 years old back then) wrote circles on the opening pages. I returned it A.S.A.P to the library and hoped no one would notice.
It felt kinda boring anyway so..

A couple of months later I took the same book(for some reason) and gave it another shot. Glad I did.
I call it KA. As King mentions frequently, that first one is so though. Especially for a kid as I was back then
And now it is my favorite book of the series.(the original one off course)

[blackrose22]

Met Roland for the first time in 93 when I was about 25 at the time and haven't looked back since.

[Míchéal]

2002, 15 years old

[jayson]

i was 17 in 1987. this was when Drawing of the Three came out. I wanted to read it, but realized there was another book in the series before it so I got The Gunslinger as well. i've been obsessed with Roland ever since.

[Bumbler_Biscuit]

If I got my math correct I was fifteen back in early 2004. I felt kinda lucky that by the time I met Roland, his tale was nearly finished being written, but not completely, so I could enjoy what was done, and anticipate what was still to come, but not have to wait years for the next part to be avaliable. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like having just finished one of the early novels in the series, only to realise the next one might not come out for quite awhile as some others on here have already talked about. Of course, I'm not the most patient person in the world.

[Samanthita]

Fall/winter 2005. I was 19 (which I always found to be funny). I picked up the first book out of boredom from insomnia/lack of money and I didn't stop reading for a day until I got to the last page. Very happy I decided to read them.

[Letti]

Great to see new posts here, guys. Thank you for sharing.

Bumbler, I'm not the most patient person in the world, either but I had no choice. I waited.

[Bumbler_Biscuit]

Great to see new posts here, guys. Thank you for sharing.

Bumbler, I'm not the most patient person in the world, either but I had no choice. I waited.


Yeah, not much else you could do. Couldn't very well force King to write them, though I'm sure some tried. Be interesting to see some of those letters. :P

[ManOfWesternesse]

Great to see new posts here, guys. Thank you for sharing.

Bumbler, I'm not the most patient person in the world, either but I had no choice. I waited.

Yeah, not much else you could do. Couldn't very well force King to write them, though I'm sure some tried. Be interesting to see some of those letters. :P

Well...there was that time Letti kidnapped King and kept him drugged and locked in a bedroom of this house out in the snowy-mountains, until he would agree to write the next Book in the series. And she broke his 2 legs with a sledge-hammer when he tried to get away.....

...Oh, no...that was'nt Letti. It was some character in some Book or other, by some Author or other..... :lol:

[LadyHitchhiker]

13 or 14...

[John_and_Yoko]

I was 24 because it was this year--I got The Dark Tower series for my 24th birthday.

So far I've read three volumes, but I'm looking forward to starting Wizard and Glass.

[walterodim]

I was 24 because it was this year--I got The Dark Tower series for my 24th birthday.

So far I've read three volumes, but I'm looking forward to starting Wizard and Glass.


Ahh.. you're so lucky. That's one of the best in the series.
I wish I could erase my memories and read them again(for the first time)

[John_and_Yoko]

I was 24 because it was this year--I got The Dark Tower series for my 24th birthday.

So far I've read three volumes, but I'm looking forward to starting Wizard and Glass.


Ahh.. you're so lucky. That's one of the best in the series.
I wish I could erase my memories and read them again(for the first time)

Heh, thanks. Kind of wish I'd started earlier, but what are you going to do?

Anyway, I hope to find that I agree--so far each volume has been better than the last. :D

[Letti]

Great to see new posts here, guys. Thank you for sharing.

Bumbler, I'm not the most patient person in the world, either but I had no choice. I waited.

Yeah, not much else you could do. Couldn't very well force King to write them, though I'm sure some tried. Be interesting to see some of those letters. :P

Well...there was that time Letti kidnapped King and kept him drugged and locked in a bedroom of this house out in the snowy-mountains, until he would agree to write the next Book in the series. And she broke his 2 legs with a sledge-hammer when he tried to get away.....

...Oh, no...that was'nt Letti. It was some character in some Book or other, by some Author or other..... :lol:

Hey... wait a little bit... where did you get this information from??? *gets worries*
I was so sure someone was hiding in the wardrobe.. damn.

I was 24 because it was this year--I got The Dark Tower series for my 24th birthday.

So far I've read three volumes, but I'm looking forward to starting Wizard and Glass.

Who did you get them from? I would like to shake their hand.

[John_and_Yoko]

I was 24 because it was this year--I got The Dark Tower series for my 24th birthday.

So far I've read three volumes, but I'm looking forward to starting Wizard and Glass.

Who did you get them from? I would like to shake their hand.

My parents.

Anyway, I haven't read the last four volumes yet, but I am pleased with the condition they're in, and the way they match--at least, Volumes I-IV match and Volumes V-VII match.

And certainly I'm enjoying the series so far! :D

[Lance]

I was 13 when I read The Gunslinger. And honestly I didn't like it much at first. It was just so different from any other novel King had done. Then I read The Drawing Of The Three and was blown away. I was hooked. Eddie Dean was instantly one of my favorite King characters.

[Jean]

I was 13 when I read The Gunslinger. And honestly I didn't like it much at first. It was just so different from any other novel King had done. Then I read The Drawing Of The Three and was blown away.
At least threee more people (me including) had the same experience: not exactly liking The Gunslinger, and getting hooked on The Drawing

[MonteGss]

That is me too!
Now however, I have come to love The Gunslinger. :)

[Wuducynn]

I got hooked on The Gunslinger, instantly.

[Brice]

as did I. :thumbsup:

[Wuducynn]

In fact, when I bought The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three together the year Drawing came out. I got to the end of Drawing and was horrified in my realization that, that was it! And immediately started re-reading them. :lol:

[jayson]

me too, i got them together and read those two several times before the Waste Lands was finally published, then read those three over and over...etc...

[Wuducynn]

When Wastelands FINALLY came out, I bought all three on tape and listened to them at night until all the tapes wore out. I had my Wastelands tapes until a year ago, and I bought the audio version when it came out in 92.

[jayson]

you got a lot of use out of them i am sure.

[Ka-tet]

I met roland when i was 14 if i remember correctly, im 16 now. Ive known him for 2 years.

Luckily i never had to wait, by the time i was halfway through the gunslinger i owned all of the dark tower books.

[Storyslinger]

I met roland when i was 14 if i remember correctly, im 16 now. Ive known him for 2 years.

Luckily i never had to wait, by the time i was halfway through the gunslinger i owned all of the dark tower books.

Must be nice. ><>< :lol:

[Brice]

I think I both loved and hated the wait myself. I mean it drove me crazy, but I also think it embedded the whole tale more firmly in my heart and mind then just reading it straight through (which I've also done many times).

[Wuducynn]

I think I both loved and hated the wait myself. I mean it drove me crazy, but I also think it embedded the whole tale more firmly in my heart and mind then just reading it straight through (which I've also done many times).

Quoted for truth.

[Ramsey Forrest]

I first heard of Roland around 93,from a friend who told me the story while drunk, and didnt read the books until 97, and I passed on the story to my cousin while drunk, and ive been reading everything connected to the towers since. ps I took my time reading the last 2 books knowing it was ending happy to see it end but also sad.

[MonteGss]

But you didn't read the series drunk, right? :lol:
Glad to hear you've passed the torch though. :thumbsup:

[Letti]

But you didn't read the series drunk, right? :lol:

To tell you the truth this question came to my mind as well.

[MonteGss]

I started the series pretty early on in King's writing so I had not discovered the joys of alcohol yet. :)

[Letti]

Is it good to read when you are drunk? I have never tried it.

[MonteGss]

Neither have I. I don't want to.

[Brice]

Truly drunk to where the room spins...no. A little drunk, yes.

[Ramsey Forrest]

nope did'nt read while drunk LOL, jus telling tall tales while your drunk, my friend eventually got mad at me and told me to read the damn books cause i was asking what happens next, what happens next, what happens next.

[Matt]

That's the rabbit hole right there. I sucked a convert in the exact same way.

[Wuducynn]

Threatening to torture folk to death who refuse to read the series hasn't worked as well as I thought it would... :(

[Storyslinger]

Threatening to torture folk to death who refuse to read the series hasn't worked as well as I thought it would... :(

Why, to many die?

[turtlex]

I will start this one out, because I think it's interesting to hear how people first "came" to the Dark Tower.

My Story :

More than 10 years ago, I was travelling across the country with my cousin and a friend of ours. We were driving from Massachusetts to the Grand Canyon for a two week road trip.

As we were travelling, we decided that we should grab a book on tape to make some of the long hours of driving pass a little easier.

We are very different people, and I am an avid reader, so deciding on an audio book for all of us, at a truck stop in the middle of the night, in the middle of the country, was no easy task. The guys I was with didn't want the book to be something I had already read, since I was doing the most driving, they thought my enjoyment was the most important ( yes, they're good guys ).

I picked up the Gunslinger and read the back of the box description of the story and knew immediately that it was something we could ALL enjoy. We got the unabridged version and set back off.

Needless to say, it wasn't long before we were ALL totally engrossed in the story and driving long hours just to keep the story going. Before long we were searching book stores for the next book in the series, the unabridged versions. We scored the first three books on that trip and had a great time listening and discussing the story.

I was about 27 and my cousin was 17 and our friend 21. The story crossed all our differences and brought us together. We had wonderful and deep conversations and shared an amazing journey.

Needless to say, when we got home - I immediately went to the bookstore, and bought the books and became an avid DT fan.

Years later, my girl and I were planning a road trip from Pennsylvania to Montana. Without hesitating, I knew she would LOVE the series on audio and promptly purchased the first books on CD ( my originals were on cassette ).

Eventually, we've purchased every book on CD and unabridged. Each year we've taken a long, two week, road trip and each year Roland has accompanied us. This passed September (2007), we "finished" the series on a trip from Pennsylvania to Maine to New Foundland and back to Pennsylvania. We promptly turned back to the front of the CD storage case and started the series again.

The Dark Tower, Roland and everyone in the books have become part of our lives, our road lore and a very real presence in our planning. We look forward to the time we spend listening, stopping the CD in place to discuss and confer and then listening more.

We also have found that the DT is everywhere. Last year as we were travelling back to Pennsylvania, we passed through Gilead, Maine and hit the brakes so hard and fast at the sight of the sign that all our luggage nearly ended up in the front seat with us. We also noticed Midland trucking, and other "signs" of the Tower that have travelled with us.

We have both now read and listened to all the DT books, we read and collect the comics as well, and have two prints from Michael Whelan.

That's my story, what's yours?

Best Regards,
turtlex

[Storyslinger]

What a great story. :clap:

[Letti]

What a great story. :clap:

I couldn't agree more.

[Seymour_Glass]

I met Roland last year. I had just turned 14. I got the gunslinger at the library because I wanted to read a Stephen King book. It caught my eye because it seemed out of place amongst Carrie and Christine. I checked it out, brought it home and began to read for about five minutes before I had to go to a dress rehearsal of Our Town. I brought it with me because I spent the majority of the show backstage and we couldn't talk because we were literally sitting right behind the stage. One of my friends who I met during the play, Corey, picked it up and asked who was reading it. He told me that The Dark Tower was his favorite series ever.

[turtlex]

Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you found your way to the Dark Tower series.

[Wuducynn]

One of my friends who I met during the play, Corey, picked it up and asked who was reading it. He told me that The Dark Tower was his favorite series ever.

You should get him to join this message board community, the more the merrier... :)

[Seymour_Glass]

Sure can do.

[Mark]

I met Roland last year. I had just turned 14.

Same here. My friend, Dean (Ka-tet on the site) had mentioned it to me, and i was in waterstones ( a british bookshop) with my mum and told her to buy it for me, i was instantly hooked.

[Letti]

I met Roland last year. I had just turned 14.

Same here. My friend, Dean (Ka-tet on the site) had mentioned it to me, and i was in waterstones ( a british bookshop) with my mum and told her to buy it for me, i was instantly hooked.

Big thanks to Ka-tet.

[Greasemark]

I had just turned 40 (seven years ago). It was the title of The Gunslinger that attracted me to it. Stephen King and Western reference just intrigued me. It read like a dream or nightmare, I was hooked. Roland to me, in the beginning, was a kind of anti-hero, soon laid to rest in the drawing of the three.

[Wuducynn]

I had just turned 40 (seven years ago). It was the title of The Gunslinger that attracted me to it. Stephen King and Western reference just intrigued me. It read like a dream or nightmare, I was hooked. Roland to me, in the beginning, was a kind of anti-hero, soon laid to rest in the drawing of the three.

Yeah, the dreamlike quality of The Gunslinger hooked me, especially the feeling of a major mysterious quest, that I had barely touched the tip of the proverbial ice-berg of, really hooked me and made me a Tower Junkie.

[Crimson King]

I started right around 1990 - 1991, I would have been about 13 years old. I got a beat-up trade paperback of The Gunslinger in a library sale - I still have it, and it's one of my favorite books that I own, especially because it's beat to crap from being read so many times over the last 17 years.

I bought Drawing of the Three after that at the local drug store, and when Waste Lands came out in Trade paperback (I must have been a freshman or sophomore by then), I traded a guy at school a Jose Canseco rookie baseball card for the book and $25 - I definitely got the better end of that.

After that, I bought them as they came out, and now I read and re-read. I picked up the audiobook versions as well, which are very cool, and since I commute an hour one-way to work, I have plenty of time to listen. I recently started the series, and I'm currently just at the beginning of Wizard and Glass.

[Letti]

I was about 13 when I strated it, too. And as I have seen your favourite is WaG so I am sure you will love the audio version.

[Unfound One]

Aren't re-reads excellent? I just finished my first, and it absolutely won't be the last :)

[MonteGss]

I started right around 1990 - 1991, I would have been about 13 years old. I got a beat-up trade paperback of The Gunslinger in a library sale - I still have it, and it's one of my favorite books that I own, especially because it's beat to crap from being read so many times over the last 17 years.

I bought Drawing of the Three after that at the local drug store, and when Waste Lands came out in Trade paperback (I must have been a freshman or sophomore by then), I traded a guy at school a Jose Canseco rookie baseball card for the book and $25 - I definitely got the better end of that.

After that, I bought them as they came out, and now I read and re-read. I picked up the audiobook versions as well, which are very cool, and since I commute an hour one-way to work, I have plenty of time to listen. I recently started the series, and I'm currently just at the beginning of Wizard and Glass.

I am a big fan of the audios. :)
Please tell us what you think of them in the King Audiobook thread. :)

[Truth]

i came across the gunslinger story in october and was extremely interested in it by the way the first book described his world and left so many unanswered questions about the history of his world and himself

[sarah]

It seems like we have some newish people posting often in Gilead. I'm bumping this thread to hear your stories.

:D

[ZGDK]

When I started I was very turned off. I had no idea what was going on or what I was going to be reading about. It took a trip to Wikipedia to get the basic gist of the plot and when I realized what it was about I began to get into it. I love all of them but it was Waste Lands that really got me into the tower.

[Lee]

It was a few years ago right before SoS came out. My sister has all the SK books and while I like SK, I didnt read many of his books. Til DT. I borrowed the 1st book from my sis and it took a few pages to get into it and understand it but I was hooked. Luckily I had just finished all the books my sis had when SoS came out and it was perfect & uncanny timing. It all had uncanny timing. I think I was reading WotC and while I was reading it the TV version of Salems Lot came on so I more understood the part of Callahan and Ive had many many other coincidences while reading the books which even made me more of a believer and love it even more. While I was reading those books they consumed my life. They are all I thought about and couldnt get enough of....

[Ricky]

I first met Roland while he was chasing the man in black....and I followed.

I swear, true story! :lol:

[Tvmorbid]

I first met Roland via Wizards and Glass, but only very brielfy, when I was 14. I found the book in the school library and attempted to take it out but the librarian thought it was too mature for me and wouldnt let me take it. I never saw the book again after that, and I spent a lot of time in the library when I was at school lol

Fast forward 6 years and I'm mooching around a carboot sale and I find this black box with 4 books in it, on the side of the box in gold letters is The Dark Tower. The price was £15 but I only had £10, I asked the dude selling it if he would accept that but he declined, however he did say that if it was still there at the end of the day when he was packing up then I could have it lol
7 hours later I went back to find the box-set was still there! It must have been fate :D

[Letti]

You were 14? That librarian must have been crazy.. They should have been happy to see that a young man wished to read.

[Tvmorbid]

I was actually an assistant librarian lol I used to sometimes read 3 books at a time, 1 at my mums, 1 at my nans and 1 at school lol

[Ricky]

You know what, I hate that. Adults always encourage young kids to read and when they find a book that interests them, it's always, "Oh no! That's too mature for you!"

I feel like saying, you know what lady, at least I'm reading. It's not like your out on the street corner smoking pot.

[Tvmorbid]

Well I was doing that too. But at least I had a book in hand whilst doing it :D

[Ricky]

I suppose. :lol:

[Tvmorbid]

I jest of course :) I do see where she was coming from though, the whole of Wizard and Glass is one big adult theme really lol. Also I'm quite grateful really, would have been a bitch trying to figure out what the hell was happening with the story 4 books in lol

[ledwelo]

i started reading the gunslinger at age 14 and ended the series at 15.lol since my moms not a member i just wana say she was there ever since he started reading the books which was like 20 or 30 years ago lol

[stone, rose, unfound door]

I read it when I was 13, that was 7 years ago. I had started reading King's some time before that and I was looking for a nice read for the next 3 days in a supermarket while waiting for my sister to finish her ice-skating lesson. It had a weird cover that was completely different from all the other King books that were close to it and I thought I'd read the summary. The guy who did it was a genius: he first wrote the very first sentence and as I read it, I thought "this is going to be my favourite book ever" (no kidding, I just knew it would.) Then I discovered it was the first part of a series and I couldn't wait to get the next 3 (waited for some time for the last 3, like everyone else!) and I read the second and third in 3 days each. Since the fourth was the last available at the time, I tried my best to take as much time as I could, which meant a week and a half in the end.

[turtlex]

I was, and am, a voracious reader.

As a kid, I was always reading things other felt were "too old" for me. Catcher In The Rye, On The Road, Huxley, Rimbaud, etc.

( I was a huge Jim Morrison fan when I was in the 8th grade, and began reading EVERYTHING he ever read - that was some trippy stuff ).

I never had a Librarian suggest something, but I also never got questioned by them either. I was a constant at the local public library and I took out tons of books - usually hitting the max allowed out at a single time - had to return one to get the next one.

I say, if the kid wants to read - it's not age limited. Especially given the greater themes on all the DT books.

[Letti]

Stone, it's really nice that you felt it would be your favourite book.

[ManOfWesternesse]

I would first have read The Gunslinger back in the early 80's, but I dunno which year.
So i'd have been somewhere in the 18-20 age bracket - maybe 19! :lol:

Anyway, my son Mark is just turned 11. He's already read Lord of the Rings and is almost finished the 11 books of Robert Jordans 'Wheel of Time' (which he's enjoying immensely).
Question: Is 11 too young for DT? I'm in two minds myself. I'd like him to tackle the Harry Potter books next - he's got a slight mindset against them but I can maybe talk him round I'd say. (I think he just read the first couple of chapters about 2 years ago & left it there, and his memory of those few chapters = 'a bit boring').

[Letti]

That depends.. but I don't think so.
What type of kid is he? I am sure he is smart like hell but can you tell about him a bit more?

[ManOfWesternesse]

That depends.. but I don't think so.
What type of kid is he? I am sure he is smart like hell but can you tell about him a bit more?

Well he's intelligent enough Letti, and a pretty good reader now. He read and loved LotR when he was 10. Asnd as soon as he'd finished it he was all "what can I read next", so I gave him the first book of 'Wheel of Time' (an epic Fantasy Adventure series). He's now reading Book 10 of that, with one more book to go (+ the 'final' Book 12 when it gets printed - probably next year).

That's the extent of his reading for the past year. Prior to LotR he had read Eragon + Eldest (and is awaiting Paolini's third book also!)

He loves the whole fantasy thing, preferably with good battles and lots of adventure.

[Letti]

Hm, I don't think he is too young (my two cents). Let me know if he starts it. I am absolutely interested in his feelings and opinion.

[ManOfWesternesse]

Cheers Letti - I'll see how it goes.

[turtlex]

I would first have read The Gunslinger back in the early 80's, but I dunno which year.
So i'd have been somewhere in the 18-20 age bracket - maybe 19! :lol:

Anyway, my son Mark is just turned 11. He's already read Lord of the Rings and is almost finished the 11 books of Robert Jordans 'Wheel of Time' (which he's enjoying immensely).
Question: Is 11 too young for DT? I'm in two minds myself. I'd like him to tackle the Harry Potter books next - he's got a slight mindset against them but I can maybe talk him round I'd say. (I think he just read the first couple of chapters about 2 years ago & left it there, and his memory of those few chapters = 'a bit boring').

I say the DT books would be fine. He's obviously a reader, and you're an involved parent.

The Harry Potter books, though they don't have the drugs and curse words - they have all death and mayhem.

[ManOfWesternesse]

I say the DT books would be fine. He's obviously a reader, and you're an involved parent.

The Harry Potter books, though they don't have the drugs and curse words - they have all death and mayhem.

HP doesn't have the little dalliances with Allie , or Mrs Tassenbaum, or the odd psychotic-nymphomaniac-circle-dwelling-ball-crushing-demoness either!
Violence he's allright with - he loves violence! :lol:

[turtlex]

Excellent point - Not a heck of a lot of sex in the HP series ( though I have my theory about Ron and Hermie....LOL ).

I think, in context of the DT books - with a thoughtful parent at hand, 11 isn't too young.

But, very good point !

[Brice]

My opinion= As far as content goes...well first, I wouldn't forbid or even discourage ANY book to a child of any age.

As for the specific question about TDT...I'd wholeheartedly ENCOURAGE it.

[ManOfWesternesse]

Well, he'll probably be getting to it sooner rather than later anyway, so I'll see how he feels about a HP read first, if not that then probably it'll be DT. There are other possibilities too - such as Donaldson's 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant', but that will have similar issues.

[Wuducynn]

My opinion= As far as content goes...well first, I wouldn't forbid or even discourage ANY book to a child of any age.
.

How about 'The Joy of Sex' for a 5 year old?

[Brice]

:lol:


no i wouldn't have a problem with it.

[wizardsrainbow]

My opinion= As far as content goes...well first, I wouldn't forbid or even discourage ANY book to a child of any age.
.

How about 'The Joy of Sex' for a 5 year old?

Well, I thought I'd come hang out in Letti's back yard for a moment....

You put forth the Joy of Sex I think as a bit of a joke (maybe I am wrong), but seriously, it is never too young to talk to your children about sex and sexuality. I think responsible sex education should be taught starting in elementary school (I know it would have certain parents up in arms), but I think it is imperative that children have knowledge of, respect and be comfortable with their own bodies. So maybe Joy of Sex is not appropriate for a 5 year old, but another book certainly would be along the same subject matter.

[wizardsrainbow]

Back on topic....

I met Roland in the late 1980s having first read The Stand, Salem's Lot and Pet Sematary. Discovered it in paperback (I am guessing the 1988 Plume 1st edition) and have been hooked ever since.

[Tiffany]

I think I was 17. I'd been reluctant to read the books because fantasy wasn't really my thing and that's how they seemed to me. Anyway, it was a boring summer and my friend's mom kept pushing me to read The Gunslinger. So I did. I'd read all of her other SK books. Why not?

I absolutely fell in love. I still love them. I have all the books, some in paperback, some hardcover and some both, and I still feel compelled to buy them when I see them in a store.