This is a great book. It's one of my favorite series, because it is epic fantasy told by a master of supernatural horror whose strongest talent as a writer is his ability to depict realism, particularly realistic people and human interaction -- that's a good combination. Stephen King's books feel real, which is why his monsters and things are so very creepy, because they seem like they're actually happening -- and his other great talent is in picking monsters and evil events that, if they were to actually happen, it would be the worst thing imaginable: we'd have to confront some really nasty things about ourselves and our world. Take Storm of the Century, for instance. The worst thing about that isn't Legion (Though he's extremely cool in his badness -- another King talent is how well he understands cool), the worst thing about that is that, if it happened, that is exactly what people would do. The audience would make the same choice that the characters do. And we know it. Most of us would be paralyzed with fear by It, most of us would either join Flagg or fail to live up to the requirements of being a hero in The Stand. Most of us would be completely sucked in by Needful Things -- hell, if you take it as an analogy for Wal*Mart, most of us have been completely sucked in by Needful Things.

Anyway, this book might just be my favorite in the series, though I need to do my second reading of the last three books, all of which I've only read once. I know I think Eddie's a good character, and I really love Roland in this one; I absolutely can't stand Detta, which is as it should be. I realized this reading that I really don't care for Odetta, either; she's way too prissy and privileged, way too soft. People should have that softness, but it shouldn't be all they have; they should have the strength, too. Like the fact that she had to stay in jail after their civil rights protest until she peed herself; she should have either peed on the floor, just to irritate the guards, or she should have recognized it as something totally beyond her control and been angered, not shamed. Detta would have peed on the guard, of course.

The lobstrosities are an incredible monster, and Jack Mort is a great bad guy; the chapter where Roland travels into Mort's mind is one of my all-time favorites. This is a great action book with some wonderful characterization, and I loved it. Again.

I read this directly after The Gunslinger. This book was very imaginative and actually not what I was expecting but I did really enjoy it. I kept wanting more because I couldn't predict what was going to happen next, which was really refreshing since that hasn't happened to me in a while. A lot of this book is set up for character development and sort of drawn out in places. The new characters are very interesting and should be fun to watch progress through the series. I was caught off guard, but also liked the way Roland actually draws the other players into the quest. Very different which is what I thought made it enjoyable.Good action with some cool creatures. The gunfights are very fun to read and King really sets a great tone for the next coming books.

The Drawing of the Three is the second novel in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It picks up right where The Gunslinger ended, and chronicles Roland's efforts to "draw" three people from Earth, from various times in the twentieth century: a drug addict, a legless schizophrenic, and a serial killer. The reader is not told nor do any of the characters know why exactly any of this is taking place.

King is back to his usual style here: well-developed characters, a focus on minute details of personality, and his distinctive foul-mouthed dialogue, all of which make for engaging reading. The Drawing of the Three has plenty of action, including a couple of very well-done gun fights.

The Drawing of the Three is primarily setup for following volumes. There are some new characters, and we spend most of the book getting to know them, and we don't get the background on Roland that The Gunslinger had (this is an observation, not a criticism). And in the end, Roland isn't too far from where he started. Ultimately, this is an entertaining, necessary part of the series.

Dad-a-Cham? Did-a-Chick?

There goes King's imagination again, thinking up the most bizarre events known to the literary world. What an awesome, amazing thought process this guy has, totally outer limits!

Roland wakes up on the beach he found in the first book, The Gunslinger. Some very wierd lobster-like creatures come tumbling out of the surf, clacking to each other in some bizarre language known only to them. Roland is sick, exhausted and doesn't really pay them enough respect. He pays the price for it, and then has to walk the length of the beach to continue his pursuit of his goal. What he finds there can only come from a mind like King's.

I was blown away by the description of Roland drawing his three companions to him. They would become integral components in his search for the Dark Tower, especially Eddie Dean. Dean would save their bacon in the next book, but back to the tale at hand.

When I write, or when I talk to students about writing, the first thing I always talk about is writing freely, with abandon. King is a master of this talent, and it shows in this book. Nothing is held back as Roland and his band of reluctant compatriots venture forward in search of the tower. It's a great read, and it leaves you hungry for more books.

It certainly did with me, and I waited impatiently for more novels. Alas, they came at greater intervals, and I eventually lost interest in the series. I recommend it highly, though.

Kevin Gerard
Conor and the Crossworlds: Breaking the Barrier
Conor and the Crossworlds, Book Two: Peril in the Corridors

Ok, I am not going to do a rendition, I see this has been done quite nicely. This book is the 2nd in the Dark Tower series and continues Rolands journey to the dark tower. I actually read this book first, then had to go back and read the Gunslinger. I do not recommend you read these books out of order, they are too closely innertwined...you will miss important details from previous books that will tell you why Roland may be acting or reacting in certain circumstances. This book was great, it shows King's creative tallent in a new light. I believe the story is compelling and the characters unique. Unlike most of King's thrilling novels, this series takes you to a whole new plane. I highly recommend this book and the series.

It was inevitable that King wouldn't be able to keep up the dreamlike storytelling style that made "Gunslinger", the first in the Dark Tower series, so great. But of course he never intended to, he wanted to thoroughly open up the world that he had only just begun to describe in the first book.

The "Drawing of the Three" brings together the group of travellers that accompany Roland, the gunslinger, on his quest for the Dark Tower. From Roland's world we peer into others, including our own, and from them come to know a group of expertly realised characters in the form of Eddie, Odetta and Jake, all of which become so very real throughout the series that the books are not simply compulsive, but self-driven to the extent that you're worried they'll carry on without you if you ever put them down.

The opening is brilliant. When the story branches and we come to know the new characters, the "three", it gets even better. And, as King is so well at doing, the different threads come together in a manner that makes this second book so difficult to put down.

If you read the first book and wonder if you want to pick up the second, perhaps unsure of the route King is taking in this genre, or intimidated by the size of the sequels, don't hesitate. Pick up the second. If by the end you don't immediately want to pick up the third book, I'll eat my hat. If I owned one.

I was a Stephen King fan for YEARS before I even touched the Dark Tower series; the idea of a Western wasn't all that appealing to me. Finally, when I'd exhausted all of King's other work, I turned to the first Dark Tower book, The Gunslinger. I found this volume to be just okay; the long stretches with the gunslinger wandering alone through the desert were fairly boring to me. However, I decided to continue with the series, and I'm so glad I did--the second book, The Drawing of the Three, completely captivated me and got me hooked on the road to the Dark Tower.

Unlike The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three practically hypnotized me from its very first pages, when the gunslinger, Roland, meets up with an unfortunate incident on a deserted beach. This twist was so unexpected that I literally sat there with my mouth hanging open when I first read it. From that point forward, the story barrels on at lightning-fast speed (again in contrast to the first book, which is more meandering). Roland acquires a companion, Eddie, and like the gunslinger himself, Eddie is complex, both admirable and pitiful at the same time. Roland's adventures behind each of the three doors he finds on the beach are riveting, completely enthralling and ensnaring the reader forever into his/her own Dark Tower quest.

Do these books stand the test of time? Well, I am re-reading The Drawing of the Three now--over 15 years after my first encounter with this book--and once again, I am totally engrossed. Even though I now know just how the story ends, I still can't get enough of these characters, and the events of the plot move me to tears at times. In his 7-book Dark Tower series, King has created a true masterpiece, something that goes beyond labels such as western, fantasy, or thriller. I will never tire of visiting Roland's world, and if you haven't already, I highly recommend taking a trip there yourself.

I love all of Stephen King's works. And this series is just amazing. An asset to any book lovers library.

Wow! Even better than book one! As I was reading this one, I constantly had to pause to shake my head because King is at his best here. He actually was able to create characters on a level so deep that I would recognize his talent anywhere. His legless, dual personality, half good and half evil woman was the best yet. Her character was like an onion, each page was taking away another layer of the onion, until you finally reach the most inner and potent part of her. King was born to write this series!

Unsure if one should take the time to read this seven volume DARK TOWER series? Well, Volume Two: "The Drawing Of The Three" will surely set you onto the Path Of The Beam.

Yes, the first volume was weak...very weak. But start the second volume and "WOW"! King creates a rapid fire tale that will leave you shaking your head and smiling after every chapter. The scenarios King creates in this novel are so delightfully absurd you just wish that every book was this much fun.

This is the book that captured my imagination for Roland and the pursuit of the Dark Tower. Some of the imagery is just mind blowing and King's ability to weave the characters histories adds so much depth. I read the Gunslinger on a whim, I enjoyed it enough to read book II, The Drawing of the Three; now I'm totally hooked and have just started book V, Wolves of the Calla but I'm pretty sure that Three will always be my favourite King book.

I believe this is the best book in the Dark Tower series. This book is important because it introduces characters that will be with the series to the end.

If you are reading the entire Dark Tower series through, like I am, The Drawing of the Three is of ultimate importance in introducing two new main characters into the series. Personally, I liked book 1 (The Gunslinger) better. Still, my problem with this book will likely be a source of enjoyment for other readers. I have never been a fan of crime dramas and the first "drawing" is a crime/drug/mob story. Not my cup of tea, but important and necessary for the story to progress. The second "drawing" I found more entertaining. The third was fantastic and I couldn't stop reading it. The scenes in the Gunslinger's world are always my favorites and, I suppose, my only criticism (and it's a mild one) is that a lot of this book takes place outside of there.

The ending of book 1 (The Gunslinger) made be rush out and immediately buy this book. I seriously COULD NOT wait. I'm now starting on book 3 and looking forward to seeing this exciting new world unfold. Stephen King has created an amazing universe and the Dark Tower series seems to be the center of it.

King's Dark Tower series is his magnum opus and this is just the second book on that long journey. This book is usually a favorite of most people that have read the series. I tend to think of this one as a good primer for the wastelands. Drawing of the Three kept a good pace going and was overall a good book. In fact it is way better than the last 3 books that finished out the series, but at the time i read it i wasn't that thrilled with it. Now after all these years i have reread it again and i enjoyed it quite a bit. It really shows off the potential of the Dark Tower series and really infuriates the constant reader that has finished it that it turned out so rushed at the end. King is a great writer and Drawing is a great book, but the Dark Tower overall is only a good series.

"The Drawing of the Three" is the confident, engaging piece of writing "The Gunslinger" should have been, and is quite a promise of things to come from Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series. The writing is focused, the storytelling tighter, and the characters more relatable (even though Eddie Dean, Odetta Holmes, and Roland possess traits that bewilder and frustrate at times); "Three" also benefits from more sequences set during the 20th century, wherein King's prose steers away from stilted, pretentious fantasy-language and into the reality-based realm where his strengths lie. The watercolor portraits in the Plume edition (by Phil Hale) are brilliantly surreal, and the book itself, once started, is hard to put down. I'm really looking forward to the remaining installments.

King is an awesome storyteller. Screw them honky, graymeat muhfuz who done give the story les dan a fffive; they be sucking on each othas little white canels and be pokin each other. King weaves the tale into a beautiful tapestry.

The second books continues a couple of hours after the end of the first book, after Roland has caught the man in black and continues his quest to find the Dark Tower.

The first book was an introduction to Roland and his quest. In the second book, before his epic journey really begins, Roland takes on a team (referred to as a Ka-Tet. Ka being destiny, Ka-Tet being ones who share a destiny together). Roland is given the opportunity to open three doors in search of others to help him on his travels. The doors are marked "The Prisoner", "The Lady of Shadows", and "The Pusher" and allow Roland to travel to New York City at different times in our past.

As great as the first book was, this is the book that really grabbed me and got me hooked on the series. In this book you get to know Roland better but the additions of Eddie Dean and Oddetta Holmes add a lot of life to the story.

What is it with these LOOONg reviews? I want to get feedback from regular people and not literary clarity. Did you like the book? And why did you like it? And how did it compare to something else you liked?

Book 2 is great, I really liked the way Frank Muller reads this book, he is great. In Book 2 of the Dark Tower series, Roland Deschain of Gilead travels to three different times in "our" world to meet three different people, but not the way "we" meet people, Stephen King's way. Kept me hooked from beginning to end. Again, As I write this review I am starting book 5 of the Audio Books (unabridged); Book 1 and Book 5 are read by George Guidall, books 2-3-4 are read by Frank Muller.

Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on," and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams -- mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.

This series was mostly inspired by the epic poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning, the full text of which was included in an appendix to the final volume. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, the Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character as one of the major inspirations for Roland. King's style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own, are also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's work.

The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements. King has described the series as his magnum opus; beside the seven novels that comprise the series proper, many of his other books are related to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses.

The Drawing of the Three is another excellent book in the series. I appreciate that King adds more characters to the story instead of just sticking with the gunslinger. Each character is very well done.

You'll never look at a plate of crab legs the same way again ...

THE DRAWING OF THE THREE triumphantly continues a tale that began a bit slow one book ago, following Roland just ... a ... little ... closer to his destiny at The Dark Tower. In this second, and brilliant, chapter, Roland finds that the three cards (ergo the title) drawn in the last installment represent people: a junkie, a killer, and a cripple with multiple personality disorder. Which begs the question--if this is the army with which he's supposed to storm the battlements, isn't it kind of hard to yell "charge"? Complicating matters, Roland's gun hand is mangled and infected by vicious lobster critters early in the book, effectively incapacitating our anti-hero.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When King is on form, he's well-deserving of every accolade and dollar he's earned over the years, whatever the academics and intellectuals might say. In DRAWING, King works his magic in the details--the horrible, excruciating details--such as the aftermath of the lobster battle. He's also quite good in small delights, such as Roland's first taste of good ole American soda pop.

This is better than its predecessor precisely because it all came from an author in his creative prime. Somewhere between the earnest, flawed writing of "Gunslinger" and "Drawing", Stephen King became a master of his craft.

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire novel "Teeth: A Horror Fantasy.")

I have been intrigued by King's Dark Tower series since I was a kid, when I got a copy of the trade paperback edition of The Gunslinger (book 1) with Michael Whelan's Roland staring off into the distance on the cover. The story inside may have been a bit far-out and disjointed, but it was still thrilling to me. I read all the way up to Wizard and Glass after that, and then fell, like the rest of his readers, into the great time gap between book 4 and book 5 (Wolves of the Calla), and I gave up on watching intently for the arrival of the next volume.

But when King finally got the series rolling again and finished it, I decided it was time revisit the series. I read the rewritten version of The Gunslinger and thought it was a great thing that King did, making the book so much better and having it jive with the later books. I feel that King should have done the same for The Drawing of the Three.

King said in the revised Gunslinger that book 1, in its original form, was far removed from the rest of the books in style, and he seems to have the opinion that his series found its true voice by the second book. But I tend to disagree. Drawing of the Three could stand a bit of revamping as well. For one thing, Roland just seems too shocked by modern contrivances in the book (I will concede that maybe a plane would be alien to him, and cars as well. But he seemed to have some knowledge of his own world's technological past in The Gunslinger, and shouldn't have been as put out by the sights of New York).

On another note, Roland's native tongue and all it's quirky expressions should have gotten some more attention in this book. He says "Thankee sai" (no comma between the words) to someone in the book ONCE, and it sounds like it means something besides addressing someone with an honorific (Thankee, sai... that comma between the two words makes all the difference). It's a lot of little details like that (and not to mention no "Yar" or "Say thank ya" in the book either as far as I can recall) that take you out of the reading experience in such a jarring way.

There are also some editing mistakes (I think he refers to Roland's guns as having ironwood grips instead of sandalwood, etc.) and just an overall strangeness of the tone that seem to create a disconnect between books 1 and 3 now that The Gunslinger has been rewritten. King inserted so much that will be found in the later books (thinnys, taheens, more on the Manni, etc.) into his revised Gunslinger that the absence of these little flourishes in Drawing of the Three are greatly missed.

Stephen, I think your series really truly found its voice in book 3...consider a revised Drawing of the Three.

As for the story itself, I tend to think it is a great, headlong rush of gripping events, which would be made much better if it were rewritten with all the little touches that would tie it into the rest of the series. As it stands now, the missing pieces as I see them bring this book down to the level of "read it just to get the details and head on to the greener pastures of the later books, which are much more consistent with each other...not to mention the revised Gunslinger."

Stephen King's second book in the Dark Tower Series grabs you so fast you will not be able to put it down. Right off the bat, our hero gets seriously hurt by freaky lobsters who continue to wreak havoc throughout the story. Roland somehow pulls himself together long enough to go through a door which is like a time warp and find Eddie Dean. Eddie is the prisoner that was on one of the tarot cards that the man in black foretold of. King was brilliant with the whole Eddie Dean story and the way he worked Roland into Eddies's time and place. Roland will go through two more doors for the drawing of the three and you will find that this gunslinger does have a heart. This is King at his best.

After a rocky start, King pulls you in with my second favorite of the whole series. This book is able to combine the character development and non-stop action needed to become a great thriller. It also left me afraid of Lobstrosities and split personality women. I am afraid that you have to read The Gunslinger to get to this one but you will be thoroughly rewarded.

I read it in like two days! This fantastic novel moves at a great pace, making yuo want to turn to the next page to see what happens next. Stephen King did excellently on this second volume of The Dark Tower. I plan to read part three next and review it when I get the chance. Highly recomended.

If the first book in the Dark Tower series served to introduce us to Roland of Gilead, the gun slinging main character of the tale, then the second book introduces us to his unusual gang of cohorts. At the end of The Gunslinger, the Man in Black tells Roland that he will need to "draw together" three other players in the game: The Prisoner, The Lady of the Shadows, and The Pusher.

Roland wakes on the beach after his encounter with the Man in Black, and is attacked by strange lobster-like monsters, who rip off two of his fingers and a toe and infect him with a strange fever. While the series is technically a sci-fi/fantasy epic, King's penchant for horror writing definitely shines through in scenes like those where fingers get sliced off and horrible mutated monsters strike.

Losing the use of his main shooting hand does not prevent Roland from continuing on his quest for the Tower. He travels north along the beach until coming upon a door in the middle of nowhere. The door takes him into the mind of The Prisoner, Eddie Dean, who lives in our version of New York City during 1987. Likewise, Roland discovers two other doors, introducing him and us to The Lady of the Shadows (living in 1964 NYC) and The Pusher (1977 NYC).

Mini-adventures, if you will, take place through each of the doors--most of which do not have a drastic impact on the overall story, but do serve to provide plenty of background on our new characters. This odd faction now make up what Roland calls a "ka-tet," a term roughly meaning "a group sharing the same destiny," which will be referenced many times in upcoming books.

Overall, Drawing is not the highlight of the series, but is generally fast-paced and an easy introduction to the main players we will be seeing a lot of in the following books.

Stephen King has once again shown us his ability to delve into a new dimension of thought and adventure through his novel The Drawing of the Three. Through its connections to real life and amazing portrayal of characters, it is by far the greatest composition of the Dark Tower series. After reading book 1, this book served as the climactic beginning to the seven-book trek the gunslinger, Roland, undertakes.

From beginning to end, King's style keeps the reader hooked and thirsting for more. Through his unusual ability of explaining and narrating the story of Roland's adventure to the different whens and wheres, King has successfully created the beginning of his greatest series. The action throughout the novel is graphic and intense, but is necessary for King's intended impact and tone. For example, the gunslinger gets into a confrontation with another man, just one of the many conflicts Roland encounters. (Skip next sentence if you don't want me to ruin it) ** Roland uses the butt of his shotgun, jabs it across the man's face, and breaks his neck with it in one motion.** The action is intense and is what helps the novel's ability to keep the story interesting. The plot is unusual but expected because after all, this is a King novel. The first book of the series is important in understanding the different dementia of the gunslinger, yet this book takes his adventure to an unexpected path. How strange is it for him to find three dimensional doors on a beach? All lead to different whens of New York and Roland must find a person from each dimension to add to his tet and to aid him in his conquest.

The introduction of these characters comes as no surprise. By King beginning the novel with Roland's struggle on the beach, he characterizes Roland immediately, though throughout the novel the idea of who Roland is changes. If the reader has not read the first novel, the introduction of The Drawing of the Three will not make any sense. Book 2 initiates at the point where Book 1 leaves off, and it is important to know why Roland is practically dead in the first 20 pages of the book. However, we see that throughout this book, Roland becomes aware of his goals and what he must do. There are characters here that Roland becomes acquainted with that he knows he does not need to make him successful in the future. By not getting into details, I will simply put it: he lets them die. Roland, through his perilous endeavors, encounters many obstacles and acquires his three personas he needs for his tet, and through it all acquires a new definition of character.

This book I believe, other than perhaps his greatest achievement "It", is one of his greatest compositions that entail the adventures and conflicts any person can undertake. His genius in inscribing facts with imagination is unheard of and his ability to detract the mind from reality is truly amazing. This book, The Drawing of the Three, is one of the best books I have ever read, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Lauren.

The Drawing of the Three is the second, and possibly the best, of the Dark Tower novels. On a desolate beach in the middle of nowhere, Roland of Gilead must start to gather his ka-tet, his group of close companions; however, he is hampered by injuries caused by the horrible denizens of that beach. Stephen King juggles the complexities of inter-dimensional travel between Mid-World and 20th century New York with exuberant ease and verve, making this a terrific, edgy rollercoaster ride of a novel, sometimes exhilarating, mostly gruelling, that tests the last gunslinger's resources to their very limits. Highly recommended.

I like to think that this is really the start of the series...

This book is great because it shows King's imagination at work. It contains events that can be hard to explain to others, but are explained well in the book.

When I re-read this one I was surprised to found out how much of this plot I had forgotten over the years. I was pleasantly surprised reading it again. I felt like there was a whole new story to discover.

Great book

This is the best of the 7 book Dark Tower series. Stephen King takes you on an amazing journey with this book. Roland, the gunslinger, is on a quest for a dark tower. Along this journey he finds three doors along a beach. From these three doors Roland draws his three friends that are vital for his quest. You will be amazed as you read how Roland pulls these three people from the same world, but in different years and places.
Theses friends will become your friends, and you will fall in love the characters.
This is Stephen King at his best!

From this volume onwards, the story gets better and better.

Things now start to take shape, and a thickening of the DT series starts here.

The Gunslinger was for Roland
The Drawing of Three is for his comrades.

If you are intending to read the rest - do so - then by book three you'll be up, up and away.

A real treat for sticking with the somewhat confusing 1st book (The Gunslinger) Takes the story to another level with such vivid detail and fast paced story telling. Great addition to the series.

I have been reading Stephen King's works for a long time. I began the Dark Tower series when it first came out in paperback. I waited impatiently for the next book in the series to be published through the seventh and final book.
Now I have decided to go back and reread all of the books again and purchase the hardcover editions to do it. I am amazed that the books are even more interesting now after the second reading. I can get into the story much deeper have the knowledge of where the characters will end up. And I see things I had either forgotten or didn't catch the first time.
Stephen King is an amazing storyteller and I make sure I get everything he writes.

My book arrived in like-new condition, and the shipping was prompt. I would do business with this seller any time... thanks!