While The Gunslinger seems intended to establish the world of The Dark Tower, The Drawing of the Three focuses on its characters. By using a clever device to introduce the backstories of new members of Roland's team, King builds a sense of growing momentum to the Tower. While I'm not sure the team is complete, the development of the Ka-tet creates an engaging second entry in this series.

Each of the characters King writes is fascinating. From Odetta/Detta's complexities to Eddie's stuggles with drug abuse, I loved the feeling of King's characters.

By making Roland sick through much of the novel, King does a good job of centering the new characters as the book's focus.

If I had one major complaint for the novel, it is that outside of the building of the Ka-tet, this story feels absent of much of a plot.

As I spend more time in mid world, I have been struck by the zaniness of King's creation. From references to real world movies including his own the Shining to crazy action sequences with Roland reminiscent of Everything Everywhere all at Once to Roland's mention of Randall Flagg, I'm excited to see how The Dark Tower continues to grow.