The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower I) by Stephen King

The first step on an epic journey across the wastelands... what to pack?

Imagine Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah got together and smoked a lot of hash, then proceeded to discuss the Lord of the Rings. Then, one of them said, how would I do this differently? You'd find the tale of The Gunslinger.

Roland of Gilead is wandering across the desert, chasing a nameless (or many-named) man in black. Searching for... something. Traveling... somewhere. The story begins as a traditional quest tale, with Roland making allies, finding materials, searching for clues. But soon, the story wanders off of the trail of tradition, and begins striding across worlds and genres. Roland's world is but one reality that lies above and in-between countless others. It starts to become clear that this story will not necessarily be the first step on a journey, merely the hint of a map for the journey to come.

Much of the detail comes in the form of flashbacks, so we can see Roland's past, learn about his upbringing and training as a gunslinger, and discover that he is, of course, the heir to the lost throne. This is not to say that this story is standard in any way. That's about as close to archetypal fantasy as King comes. Roland finds the Man in Black at great personal cost, only to learn that, of course, something much larger is going on (in a delightful monologue delivered in full pothead mode by the man in black).

King spent six more Dark Tower novels (and, in some tangential way, dozens of other novels) completing what may be the most massive comprehensive work ever written. The journey continues...