The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three – Stephen King (1987)
Stephen King’s second installment in the Dark Tower saga catapults Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, into a surreal and visceral journey that redefines his quest for the mythical Dark Tower. Following the cryptic climax of The Gunslinger, Roland awakens on a desolate beach, his body ravaged by attacks from the grotesque lobstrosities (“dad-a-chum?“) that scuttle through the crashing waves. His survival hinges on three enigmatic doors that materialize along the shore—each a portal into the mind and moment of a pivotal figure destined to join his ka-tet (a fellowship bound by fate).
The novel unfolds through these doorways, masterfully weaving Roland’s medieval stoicism with the gritty reality of 1980s America:
King’s narrative crackles with genre-alchemy—Western grit collides with body horror (Roland’s maimed hand), time-bending paradoxes, and Eddie’s darkly comic Brooklyn bravado. The novel’s heart lies in its characters: Roland’s icy determination thawed by Eddie’s loyalty, Susannah’s ferocious resilience, and the creeping dread of the Crimson King’s influence.
A masterpiece of momentum and moral ambiguity, The Drawing of the Three expands the Dark Tower universe into a sprawling epic of destiny and free will, sealed with King’s signature line: “Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
