Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower, #2)

by Stephen King

Stephen King (Afterword)

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. A brilliant work of dark fantasy inspired by Browning's romantic poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came."

• ISBN10: 0785701370
• ISBN13: 9780785701378
• Publish Date: 1 January 1990 (first published 1 January 1987)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Turtleback School & Library ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Language: English

Reviews

[scarr]

As much as I enjoyed the first book in this series, there really is a vast improvement in King’s writing in this book. Something I have always appreciated about King is his ability to write characters so freaking well. I know that’s like the job of an author but seriously - the people he writes feel so real.

Anyway, now my husband can bother me about when I’ll finish the 3rd book in the series

[Quirky Cat]

The Drawing of the Three is the second book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It’s an epic series with a huge following, and yes I do feel bad that it’s taken me this long to read the series. I wish I had read it sooner.
The second novel is very different from the first, and in many ways. Roland is still the main character, but he’s dealing with a completely different set of situations from the last time. You have to give him credit for his adaptability though!


Warnings: The Drawing of the Three touches on a lot of heavy points. From drug abuse and overdosing, to institutionalized racism, and back around the block again. There are also what I considered to be some very graphic injuries, but I think it had more to do with what was implied about the injuries, than the injuries themselves.
The Drawing of the Three wasn’t anything like I expected, based off the first novel. But I still really enjoyed it. Actually, if anything, I enjoyed it more since it broke the pattern I was expecting. I found that I couldn’t predict a single moment in this novel, and I couldn’t have loved that fact more.
I’ll confess that I actually did put the book down for a brief period of time. For some reason Roland’s injuries just really got to me. I think it’s because I became painfully aware of what that meant for his health, as well as his ability to do his job. That explanation doesn’t seem to do the feeling I experienced justice, but it’s the best I can do.
The other characters that got pulled into this story were interesting. They both (all?) had compelling stories, and seeing the different ways they needed to be handled was oddly fun. And honestly, it was refreshing to see so many different problems and perspectives all in one novel. The differences between their stories could only be made by a difference in time, location, and gender, but I also think that it was necessary.
Roland is a rock, but this novel made me realize that even rocks can be damaged. I think in many ways we needed to see that side of Roland now, especially after the events of the Dark Tower. I’m looking forward to seeing how much of that lesson he internalized along the way as well.
Once again though, I find myself at a loss for predicting what will come next. I honestly and truly don’t know what is going to happen in the next novel. I can’t even begin to make any guesses. And once again, I love that fact. Regardless, I’m looking forward to reading The Waste Lands, though I may give myself some time to fully absorb this novel before I move on.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Mercy]

4.5/5

[celinenyx]

In the second book of Roland's epic journey to the Dark Tower sees him collect the three; three people drawn from the deck which he now has to bring together.

What I like about The Drawing of the Three is that it makes very little sense, but still reads like a coherent story. If you just go with it, King's storytelling will carry you through. The characters are a bunch of broken misfits, but throughout The Drawing of the Three I felt myself become sympathetic to them, wanting them to succeed.