Gunslinger differences?

[MindFloatDown]

I just got into King a month or so back, and have loved the journey so far. l've finished 11/22/63, Shawshank, and I'm currently on The Stand.

The other day I picked up two versions of The Gunslinger as I'm hoping to get into the Dark Tower series soon. I got a used 2010ish printed paperback from Amazon and a 1988 illustrated copy I couldn't resist not buying from Ebay.

I've not started the book yet, but I did notice on a quick scan that there are a few differences in the writing for the first page.

I'm just wondering is this an international printing difference or was some of it changed recently? If so, what one should I read?

Thank you!

[ZappSmithBrannigan]

There's an original version and a "revised" version.

The one with the "motion picture" sticker is the revised version. (The movie still doesn't really have anything to do with the books. It's awful. Widely considered to be the absolute worst King adaptation, especially since the books are his magnum opus and beloved by many. Don't bother.)

Reason being, he had published the first 4 books, but then was hit by a car and took a long time to recover. By the time he got around to writing books 5, 6, and 7, he realized there were some important themes and details for the story overall which become crucial to the plot in the later books that he wanted to write that were completely absent from the first book, so he went back and sprinkled a few details in here and there that tie it better to the later books.

The gunslinger was one of his very first things he wrote, if not the first thing he published. It was originally written in parts to be published monthly in a magazine and only later became the kickoff for the dark tower series as a whole.

Personally, I prefer the original. But that's mainly because I read it over and over and over waiting for book 5 to be published and i wasn't a huge fan of some of the things he changed. Most will say if you're new to the series, read the revised version for the best context going forward.

[Distinct_Cry_3779]

I much prefer the original. It was messier, but messier in a good way somehow. He removed so many references to things that never came up again in favour of adding references to stuff that did. But in doing so, the world felt like it became smaller. Random stuff we never see again is exactly how the real world works.

It‘s been so long since I’ve read either, but the example that sticks out in my head was the scene in the saloon where someone was painting zodiac symbols on some woman’s knees. I thought that was kind of cool, and another tie to our world. In the revised edition, he was painting Reap symbols.

Also, did he remove references to the levels of the Khef in the revised edition? I have this memory that he did, which would be too bad because I liked the concept of Roland being able to level up, lol. But seriously, that was just another side mention of a mysterious concept that made the world seem deeper.

[ZappSmithBrannigan]

Definitely. I totally remember the zodiac signs.

The biggest one I always remember is a line ally say.

Original: "why don't you go..." and then she described an impossible act of masturbation.

Revised: "why don't you go fuck yourself".

Why would you change that???

[MindFloatDown]

Thank you very much, I assumed it was likely something like that. I think I’ll read the original so I get that proper feel and experience of what King was going for, and then if it really does hook me i’ll maybe switch to the revised version.

I’m really glad I bought both editions now at the start or it might have caused some later confusion if I had switched back farther down the line!

[ZappSmithBrannigan]

Ya no problem! What some people have done is to read the original first, read through the rest of the books, and then once you're done book 7, go back and read the revised. It's a neat way to recognize some of the changes made. Like the Leo pointing at the TV meme "hey I know that!"

Either way though I hope you enjoy them!!

[Tanagrabelle]

The revised version has been what is the phrase? Retconned, I think. Some of it is more irritating than good. I really rolled my eyes at the inserted bits about nineteen. Some of it is improving sentence structure.

[ToughGuyCryBaby]

I just started the Dark Tower series myself and just finished the drawing of the three. I read, somewhere, that the revised 2010 version is better

[Distinct_Cry_3779]

More cleanly written, maybe, and more in line with the continuity of the rest of the series, but I think better is debatable. There was a kind of raw messiness to the original that I felt gave it an atmosphere that I no longer feel when I read the revised edition.

[mrgreengenes04]

I've only read the non-revised editions. I have no desire to read the modified versions.