Yes, I've finished the second book in the Dark Tower series already. You'd think I had nothing better to do and yet I only read when I'm not working or taking care of my kiddo.
King just reads like a train.
The second book is better than the first, in my opinion.
The first has its strengths, but it can't compete with the tension and pace The Drawing of the Three renders.
We, again, follow Roland. We find him on the beach where we left him at the end of The Gunslinger. As he wakes up, he finds out he's not alone. Strange creatures have come up from the sea and Roland's life changes quickly.
As he travels across the beach, having lost more than he could imagine fighting the monsters from the sea, he comes upon a door.
Cryptically the Man in Black had told him he would learn how to draw. Roland didn't know what that meant, but the Man in Black was sure he would find out.
Above the door a word is written, the same word found on the cards that were laid before him. As he opens the door, a whole new world comes into vision and he learns just what the Man in Black expected.
His quest to the dark tower that has taken him to that beach will introduce him to magnificent characters, each unique in its own way and accompanying him whether they like to or not.
Addicted to his quest and ruthless as he has proven to be, Roland still is able to have people cling to him, even knowing they are doomed.
My heart goes out to Eddie and Susannah. May they have long days and pleasant nights. And twice so much.
What makes the Drawing of the Three so addictive, is King's way of making a character alive. As if they are really made from flesh, blood and bones. He doesn't just tell the story, he gives you just enough background and little tidbits, that makes it intimate, that makes it believable. Even a supernatural story can feel like it happened when King works his magic.
His knack in writing about broken people, people who have looked life in its eyes and paid the price, is priceless. I had no idea people that spent, could still stand up and spit back. And I admire them for it, even if they only exist between the covers of a book.
I'm going to start in the next one and expect to be back soon.
