The Gunslinger is a novel by Stephen King and brings the genre of Western fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and horror together.
It is the first volume in the Dark Tower series published in 1982, connecting five short stories published between 1978 and 1981.
The plot centers on Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, chasing his adversary, "the man in black," for many years, following Roland through a desert and beyond. He meets several people along his way, including a boy named Jake Chambers, and together they make their way out of the desert, where they see the man in black.
Roland and Jake make their way into the twisting tunnels within the mountain, traveling on an old railway handcar. They are attacked by monstrous subterranean creatures called "Slow Mutants." At the tunnel's exit, as the track on which they are traveling begins to break, Roland lets Jake fall into an abyss and continues his quest.
When he finds the man in black, he sends Roland a vision of the universe, the galaxies, and beyond, attempting to frighten him. Roland resolves to continue west and is captured and put to sleep. When he wakes up, it is ten years later, and there is a skeleton next to him.