michael_benavidez's reviews
360 reviews

The honest truth is, this book just wasn't for me. I won't say it isn't a good book because it is magnificently written. It just isn't my cup of tea, add the fact that this was a book forced upon me by teachers, it crippled the experience for me. Maybe one day i'll go back to read it and hopefully enjoy it because i really wanted to. The three stars isn't too personal, just based on the amount of forced tries it took to finish the book. Give it a read before deciding it isn't for you.

I cannot pick a favorite King book. I can't, nor can I pick a top ten and such. Just can't. Nope. Never. Ever. Ev-
This book is one of my favorite King books Ever. I don't know why, well I do. I think? Maybe.

Desperation, to me, is King at his most raw and top notch writing. He's the usual crude bastard, managing a huge cast of characters, each with their own special backstory, with some Dark Tower to boot. YES! HOLY FUCKING YES! I discovered this after book 7 of the dark tower. TAK! yes TAK! I was so fucking happy when I saw these things in there.
I don't really have much else to say other than the above. Characters are fantastic fully realized assholes you can root for. The villain(s) are there and they never let up, always in the shadows, in the spaces between the words. King knows his shit. That is all.

The Gunslinger, oh what do I say of you? Clunky, mix matched, mumbo jumbo of great awesomeness!

Being the first in the series of 7 (now 8) books, it shows it's very early style of King. A style that really isn't all too great and trimmed into what makes the later books the known King style. With that bit, there's also a bunch of hints of a world that isn't expanded on. A little bit of this mystery here and a little bit of that mystery there, with only another mystery being fully solved.
That's as a first time read.

As a reread, the picture clears so much better. And it does what a first in a series is suppose to do. Get you interested enough to get you to read book 2. that's all that I really have to say to this one. deeply flawed but still a must read.

One other thing, Roland is character that deserves so much hatred! and still at the end of the book, you're interested in his journey. you want to know to what other lengths he is willing to go. You've seen him make one heart breaking sacrifice, what comes next?

If memory serves me right, this is my second favorite of the 8 (7 for those that don't count the Wind Through The Keyhole) in the Dark Tower saga. As of right now though, it's my favorite.
The last two books were all separated in their own parts, but this is the only one that really felt like each part was an episode. Not that I gave any mind to it, I like it actually. Each part was it's own self contained plot point that was resolved with a few threads to carry on to the next part.

The Wastelands is where things no longer become just Roland's journey. It's a group effort, only these episodic parts focus more on Jake and Eddie than Susannah's and Roland's POV. Susannah's points tend to come in for the future, but for the most part she's just following through behind Eddie. Roland is quieter in his train of though, giving way for Jake to not only come back (WOOO and also a damn you, because, well you all know, maybe?) but to grow further than just the boy that Roland dropped.
That's all i'm willing to say, or I may just go into spoiler rants.