This may make me a big time newbie and i may be one but i started my quest for the Tower only three yrs ago (at the age o 19). After reading a few stephen king books i was told to read swan song by robert mccammon. After finishing it (and loving it) i wanted somithing kind of apocalytic and i liked westens anyways. So i asked a librarian at the gresham, oregon library and walked me over to the stephen king section ,and i is thinking "my god lady i could kiss you right now", and then she handed me the gunslinger and told me it was what i was looking for. Thats how i got started on the path of the beam.