The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) [Paperback]

Stephen King (Author), Phil Hale (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dark Tower | Publication Date: March 24, 1989

Like The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three is a brilliant work of dark fantasy, inspired by Browning's romantic poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." The Man in Black is dead, and Roland is about to be hurled into 20th-century America, occupying the mind of a man running cocaine on the New York/Bermuda shuttle.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elaborating at great length on Robert Browning's cryptic narrative poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came," the second volume of King's post-Armageddon epic fantasy presents the equally enigmatic quest of Roland, the world's last gunslinger, who moves through an apocalyptic wasteland toward the Dark Tower, "the linchpin that holds all of existence together." Although these minor but revealing books (which King began while still in college) are full of such adolescent portentousness, this is livelier than the first. Roland enters three lives in the alternate world of New York City: junkie and drug runner Eddie Dean, schizophrenic heiress Odetta Holmes and serial murder Jack Mort. If King tells us too little about Roland, he gives us too much about these misfits who are variously healed or punished exactly as expected. Typically, King is much better at the minutiae and sensations of a specific physical world, and several such bravura sequences (from an attack by mutant lobsters to a gun store robbery) are standouts amid the characteristic headlong storytelling. BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'Join the quest before it's too late' -- Independent on Sunday on THE SONG OF SUSANNAH King's magnificent uberstory is finally complete... King's achievement is startling; his characters fresh... his plot sharply drawn... It is magic. -- Daily Express on The Dark Tower --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Plume (March 24, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452262143
• ISBN-13: 978-0452262140
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (263 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's getting better!, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) (Paperback)

Wow, fantastic. if you've read "The Gunslinger" and then gave up, then i encourage you to read this, the second volume. It is SO much better than the first! With "The Gunslinger" you could tell it was written while King was still in college because it was pretty rough around the edges and (forgive me for saying this about a SK story), a little boring. But "The Drawing Of The Three", in which Roland must pass through three doorways to 1980's America, is riveting, fast-paced,emotional, and yes, humorous. Some parts where Roland is trying to get used to our world are very funny (the "tooter-fish popkin" incident springs to mind). The 450 pages just fly past, but it gives some indication of the epic saga that King is creating, since even at the end of Volume II, we are still near the start of the journey. I only hope that once Roland reaches his Dark Tower (if he ever does?), the tale doesn't fizz out. All in all, this book offers much more bang for your buck than The Gunslinger, because it's twice as long, written twice as good, and there's twice as much action :)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful addition to the series, February 29, 2004

By 

Matt - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) (Paperback)

This book is a fitting sequel to the first of the spell-binding series- The Gunslinger. It's a definite page-turner and in the end will leave you begging for more. Although personally I thought The Gunslinger left more to be desired, The Drawing of the Three more than makes up for its minor flaws and leads you ever closer to the climax of Roland's epic quest.

One of the Dark Tower Series' greatest strengths is Stephen King's remarkable description. It makes you not only see but feel the sorroundings. King definetely showcased this talent in this book, and put you through one heck of a ride. From the moment you begin the book you are taken to a a different world, Roland's world, a desolate beach full of terrible "lobstrosities" that King takes great pains to describe. King also describes New York City in depth through Roland's eyes, a truly monumental challenge considering Roland is oblivious to the technological marvels of our world.

But the greatest feat the book has accomplished is, without question, the whimsical ensemble of characters King creates. The cast is full of interesting stories, an odd group of crusaders bound by the same "ka". Eddie Dean is perhaps the most memorable, a heroin addict fighting his addiction and the New York Underworld, reluctantly "drawn" by Roland to quest for the great tower. But Odetta Homes can't be overshadowed- as well as her secret evil double- Detta Walker. She's a skitzophrenic, fighting her dark half which threatens to rule her, the makes of a brilliant story. The third character who is drawn also fits suprisingly into the storyline and sets the stage for a thrilling climax.

And in the middle of it all, lies Roland, the lone gunslinger. Haunted by his past and obsessively bound by his duty to search for the Dark Tower, he is the central character, the pinnacle of the books. He is perhaps King's greatest creation, his struggle is inspiring, he is the nail that holds the fantastic story together. You can't help but wait for the final climax, the next installment- it'll leave you begging for more.

King has worked wonders with this book. It was an awesome read!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Prisoner, The Lady of Shadows, and Death, June 10, 2004

By 

"mulder_trustnoone" (Monson, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) (Hardcover)

The Drawing of the Three is the second book in the Dark Tower saga, which is of course, the greatest series of books ever written. This volume introduces Eddie Dean, Odetta Holmes/Detta Walker, and Jack Mort.
Eddie Dean is a heroin junkie from the 1980's.
Odetta Holmes is a civil rights activist from the 1960's, and Detta Walker is her dark half.
Jack Mort is a serial killer from the 1970's.
The second stanza continues the tale of Roland, the last of the Gunslingers who continues his trek towards the Dark Tower. He happens upon three doors standing freely along the beach. The doors open onto three different times in "our" world, out of which, Roland draws his three...(sort of)
The tale itself is very well written, and the dialogue is far superior to the original text from the Dark Tower I. This is where the course of Roland's story really begins to take its shape. From the first paragraph, picking up six hours after Roland's palaver with the Man in Black, the book moves forward at an almost un-relenting pace. Anyone who likes to read period, will enjoy this book.