Stephen King

Biased here since The Gunslinger is what got my into Stephen King, but stick with it. The books get better as they go on and you start to get into the Stephen King book universe later down the line.

Wrote a longer response but Memmy ate it.

In short, yes. Read the next two books at least. The Gunslinger has a different style that many find off putting (even fans). The remaining books all more closely resemble King’s traditional writing style.

100% yes. I tried reading the Gunslinger 3x and only got through it my 3rd try. After completing the series I can confidently say it is my favorite series I've ever read and doubt I'll find a new favorite anytime soon.

The Dark Tower is a weird series for King in that a) it's more post apocalyptic sci-fi than it is horror and b) the books were written so far apart. If I remember correctly, King had a draft of The Gunslinger ready among his first manuscripts, but only finished the series like 30.years after he started. If you were to put the first and last books side by side, you'd be able to pick out plenty of places where King improved as an author.

I'll also say that the characters as written in The Gunslinger do leave something to be desired. I have t read the series in some time, but my recollection is they get better in book 2 but really improve by book 3.

So, if you like King and are a fan of extended universe stuff, I'd say stick with it as it gets closer to his more modern stuff as the series progresses.

My opinion is that Odetta makes the next book hard to read, but the next book is really strong... So it maybe worth the trip. Imo King isnt the best author cover to cover... But his highlights are undeniable. So id urge you to keep going.