The Drawing of the Three
Book two done. By book count, I’ve read one quarter of the way through Roland’s journey to the Dark Tower. The purpose of this story is to introduce to Roland his companions. They all hail from New York, thus strengthening the connection between Roland’s world (which has “moved on”) and ours. I absolutely loved this story! I think it makes up for books one’s slow start and then a lot more.
I really appreciate the unique structure of this book. There’s a prelude, in which Roland is weakened and brought nearly to death. Then each companion is “drawn,” by way of Roland’s stumbling upon doors/portals to New York, in turn. In between the drawings, there are “shuffles” written in a non-linear, unclear, dreamy way; suspense is built for the next drawing as you ask yourself “just how Roland could possibly make it out of this alive?”
Each of the three drawings is its own short story. I rank them, in decreasing order of “I can’t stop turning the pages,” as follows: three > one > two. This is probably an ideal ranking, no? A good hook and slow middle that builds up to an epic conclusion. And I mean epic: Roland’s ends up overcoming an impossible situation in the most badass way possible.
It’s really cool that the tarot cards drawn by the Man in Black each represent an aspect of Roland’s journey towards The Dark Tower. We meet the prisoner and the lady of shadows as Roland enters doors one and two this book; and the third door, labeled “The Pusher” is death (but death, as the Man in Black fortold, not for Roland).
The prisoner is given an unlikely opportunity to break out, to join Roland on his journey. The lady of shadows is simultaneously a victim with whom I sympathize and an utterly terrifying enemy. And, oh man, “The Pusher” is a truly evil guy.
I really must emphasize that the manner in which Roland conquers the bad guys in spite of his weakness and just in time to protect his companions is badass. It’s so cool that King was able to weave together these stories into a satisfying and thunderous conclusion as he did.
I have one prediction to make: I’d bet that Roland may not be the last gunslinger for long. Roland’s companions seem to both be quite good shots as they each (at some point) had the opportunity to sling one of Roland’s pistols.
There’s not much more to say. I found book one underwhelming (in fact, I started reading it twice before, both times unsuccessfully). If the series continues to entertain as “The Drawing of the Three” has, book one may turn out to be one of the best reading-investments I’ve made.
Let me know what you think, if I’ve convinced you to invest.
With love, -Ryan.