The Gunslinger (Dark Tower Volume I) - Steven King

I am generally I fan of Steven King. I have thoroughly enjoyed many of his books from The Shining to The Eyes of the Dragon. I bought only the first book of the Dark Tower series because I was unsure whether it would be appealing to me. The first 10th of the book is made up of Steven King explaining his inspiration for the book and the reasons behind the new version. I did not mind this - I had a similar experience reading the uncut version of The Stand (Which, by the way, is probably one of the best King books I have read). The Gunslinger reads a little like a spaghetti western, which from the introduction was his inspiration. It is not an easy book to get into, you feel like you've started half-way through. Within the first couple of chapters there is some very descriptive writing, but I did not feel in any way attached to the characters - or even curious about what the "Dark Tower" is. As the book wore on I hoped that some of King's usual charm would shine through, that I would begin to at least like the gunslinger. I think that perhaps I was not supposed to like the gunslinger, but I do not dislike him either. The tale read a little like a travelogue. When the boy, Jake's, injuries in another place are described it made me cringe at the detail, it painted a horriffic picture in my mind. I did not feel any attachment to the boy either. The book-cover itself proclaims that the gunslinger is "one of King's most enigmatic heros". I'm sure that he is supposed to be a lot like the "man with no name" played by Clint Eastwood in a Fistfull of Dollars.
The book ends several pages before the actual end of the book. The remainder is a taster of the next book. I may read some of the taster to decide whether I will be reading the rest of the series. If The Stand had been serialised it may be that the first book there would not have been as good as the later ones. And there is more of the series yet to be published. I may be better spending my money on the more horror-based Steven King books - or perhaps even on some other authors. I will wait and see what the intro to the next book is like - TheDrawing of the Three

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

This book has definitely been one of the best books I have read for a long time! It was gripping from the very beginning and kept me enthralled until the last page. The plot was intelligent and kept me thinking right through the book, with twists and surprises throughout. I found both the background to the story and the characters believable. The myseteries of the code intertwined with the mystery of exactly who has targeted the murdered men. The intricacies of the plot, from the security in the Louvre to the use of historical data added to the atmosphere of the book. The main characters are likeable, and their relationship helps to make them seem real. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will definitely be getting some more Dan Brown books for my collection.