The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three

I'm working my way through the series again in preparation for the upcoming film continuation of the story.

While I generally like The Drawing of the Three, the primary thing that knocks a star off it for me is its dependence on the rest of the series – in particular, the future stories – for its significance. Yes, the things that happen to the characters in this book are important, but to me the story seems more concerned with manipulating Eddie and Susan (and to some extent Roland) like chess pieces to get them into position for future elements of the overarching Dark Tower saga than anything else. In this sense, the story has a much more noticeable self-awareness (or self-importance, even) than [b: The Gunsliner] had.

Which is to say that I still feel essentially as I did in my 2008 review of this book. It is possible to read and enjoy The Gunslinger as a fairly standalone story, in which we enter Roland's pursuit of The Man in Black mid-chase and then exit with Roland essentially walking off into the sunset. When it's over, you can set The Gunslinger down and reflect on it, wonder about it, be satisfied by it. Drawing, on the other hand, almost compels you to immediately begin [b: The Waste Lands|34084|The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389762449s/34084.jpg|1810634] right away, because it's essentially a setup rather than a story of its own. Despite being the second book in the series, it's essentially the opening chapter of a story in which the main character(s) gather up their belongings to set out on a trip, but haven't actually begun the trip yet.

I also forgot how quickly Eddie and Susannah fall in love. Not a huge deal, but given how much King likes to elaborate on everything else, it's a little jarring.

Anyway, I do like the story, even if it's not as tightly focused as the first book. I like Eddie, I like Odetta/Detta/Susannah, and I even like the red herring of Jack Mort, when Susannah is the actual third person drawn. We get some good depth to Roland, as well, especially in the patience department, which is not something that comes through in The Gunslinger (in fact, quite the opposite at times). Obviously, it's a necessary book to get through for anyone planning to read the rest of the series, and it does its job admirably, even if it can't really stand on its own.

Now, on to the next book…

Although not nearly as good as [book: The Gunslinger], Drawing is still really good and sets the tone for the rest of the Dark Tower books.

King's worst fault is his apparent need to explore every little idea that pops into his mind while he's writing a book. Because he is good at what he does, in the vast majority of cases, this tendency makes for fairly enjoyable reading. At the same time, however, it tends to dilute the underlying plot and focus of the story--which is about a man who is destined to find a tall, black tower.

Drawing introduces us to a number of characters, both major and minor, who either journey with Roland toward his destined, um, destination, or meet up with him somewhere along the way. As the second installment in a much longer work, it does its job well: It keeps the story moving. But be prepared to move on to the third book quickly, because unlike The Gunslinger, this book is not something that can be read as a standalone story.