I had a Gunslinger in my life...

**BelAirSlim** · May 4th, 2010

So I waited until 2010 to start the Dark Tower series, and went through all the books in about 4 weeks. I fly a lot, all over the world, and this leaves me with a LOT of time to read. I had put off the Dark Tower series because knowing my reading skills, I recognize the need to pace. I have burned through most of my favorite storytellers, and I am waiting for a fresh young mind to enthrall me.

I digress. I actually had a Gunslinger in my life. Honest injun. It was my english grandfather. He served in WW2 because it was right to fight nazi's. After WW2 he went on walkabout for a few years in India, going through little villages, getting into adventures. All sorts of crazy stuff. He used to swear up and down that he had actually seen and done battle with actual demons. He had this way of making me believe him. Granted I was a little kid, but some things were just too crazy. Walking into indian restaurants (and the english love a hot curry), he would say a few words in Hindi, and the people would immediately change. Respect, fear, adoration, all rolled into one behavior. Deferential was the key. I recall a man walking out of the kitchen to ask my granddad if he was THE John Messer. When he nodded, the man bowed down and kissed his hand. It was weird. We weren't aristocrats or politicians or anything. He literally walked the breadth of india, which he said he did at first to clear his head from his experiences killing nazi's, but he said he discovered that evils needed to be fought in india too.

I know this all sounds crazy, and if people don't believe me I get it, but I will swear on my deathbed that my granddad was an honest to goodness gunslinger. Roland and my granddad would have been mates, as close as guys like that have mates. Maybe my grandad live a colorful life and was merely a gifted storyteller. But he wasn't. He actually wasn't too hot in conversations period.

When he died, I went back to the UK for his funeral. A Royal Ghurka attended. He said he had met my granddad in Waziristan, where he was known as the WHite SHiva.

So, anyways, I read the Dark Tower, and I say thankya. Great journey. I just reckoned I might be able to share my thoughts here. Reading the journey, I was frequently taken to my grandad. God knows what the path of the beam looked like that he walked, but I have no doubt he walked it. I thought maybe someone might believe me here, and not laugh at me. If you laugh thats ok too. I need the humility.

**GNTLGNT** · May 5th, 2010

No laughing here...my maternal Granddad was a Gunslinger in his own right-though he wielded a scalpel rather than a revolver, say true. Doc Denny always remembered the face of his Father and served his country in WW2 in a most meritorious fashion. I salute the memory of your grand-pater as I do my own!