The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

Published: 1987

The Drawing of the Three (1987), the second installment in King's Dark Tower series, continues Roland Deschain's quest for the Tower as he moves along a desolate beach where three magical doors stand. Each door opens to our world at different points in time, allowing Roland to 'draw' three companions: Eddie Dean, a heroin addict from 1987; Odetta Holmes/Detta Walker, a woman with multiple personalities from 1964; and Jack Mort, a sociopathic killer. Together, they form the beginning of Roland's new ka-tet (a group bound by fate). Initially published as a limited edition by Donald M. Grant, the novel later received wider release, significantly expanding the series' readership. After the sparse, poetic style of The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three marked a shift toward King's more direct narrative approach, with greater focus on character development and more clearly defined worldbuilding. Critics and readers responded positively to this accessibility, with many considering it the point where the series truly found its voice. King has described this book as crucial to his development of the larger Dark Tower mythology, noting that the concept of connecting his fictional universe through doorways between worlds influenced many of his subsequent works. For readers, The Drawing of the Three represents a significant expansion of the Dark Tower series from enigmatic western fantasy into a multi-world epic connecting to King's broader fictional universe. The book is particularly notable for introducing Eddie and Odetta/Detta, characters who would become central to the series and among King's most developed creations. First editions from Donald M. Grant remain highly collectible, though later trade editions made the story accessible to a much wider audience. The novel's blend of western, horror, and portal fantasy elements established the series' genre-defying approach that would continue through subsequent volumes.

Themes

• Fate
• Found family
• Multiverse
• Redemption
• Madness

Adaptations

Collector Notes

Limited edition small press release. Highly collectible among Tower fans. Later reissued by major publishers for wider distribution.