, I couldn't help but think of how entertaining this book really is. I remember it being good, but I was enjoying it much more thoroughly the second time around. Maybe it was because I happened to notice details that I may have overlooked on my first read-through. It could also be that when you are trying to envision the story as a movie, you create an even more vivid array of pictures in your imagination. Either way, I am truly convinced that The Drawing of the Three will make an excellent film if done right. I'll save that conversation, however, for The Dark Tower Movie discussion part of this blog. For the time being, I'm going to stick mainly to my summary and analysis of The Drawing of the Three book. In my summary I'll do the best I can to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but for those that want to keep the story fresh and new, I recommend coming back to discuss The Drawing of the Three after you've read it for yourself.When we left Roland of Gilead at the end of The Gunslinger
, he was on the beach contemplating the long road ahead on his journey towards the Dark Tower as he faded into a dream. He had just completed a long and intense palaver with the man in black, the end of which had Roland age ten years overnight. As we join the Gunslinger in The Drawing of the Three, he is woken abruptly as a wave rushes over his body while laying where the sand meets the sea. Roland is in a daze, but instincts take over as he realizes that his guns, and more importantly, his ammunition are in danger of being ruined by the salt water. He can't help the inevitable wetting of his weapons, but does what he can to avoid further damage by stumbling his way past the shoreline. On the way, however, he is mortally wounded by a monstrous lobster-like creature (lobstrosity) that came out of a wave looking for its next meal. The horror is distinguished not only by its resemblance to a spider-like lobster, but also by its weird question-like garbles "Dod-a-chock, dum-a-chum, did-a-chic". Roland is able to destroy the first offender but more of the creatures follow as he manages pull himself out of the surf and out of their reach. While on the beach, the Gunslinger takes the time to analyze his situation, and things look grim. Many of his bullets have been destroyed, the encounter with the lobstrosities has left him poisoned and maimed for life, and he has little food left. Even though he may be at his end, Roland feels the need to push on. The trek north along the beach resembles the long march he had southeast across the desert. Just when you think Roland is finished, he sees an object on the beach a few miles away and is inspired to carry on. Upon reaching the object, he realizes that it is some strange door standing in the middle of nowhere that, although it casts a shadow, cannot be seen from behind. On the door are the words, "The Prisoner", which was represented by a tarot card featuring a distressed man screaming in horror as a baboon with abnormally long fingers rode on his back. The Prisoner, being possessed by a demon called "Heroin", is also the first of three to be drawn into Roland's world to aid him on his quest for the Tower.
At this point, the poisonous infection that was inflicted upon Roland is racing up his arm and towards his heart signaling a pending doom. He is under the stress of a heavy fever and is delirious, but also knows that if he doesn't get medicine soon, he's a goner. So Roland exercises his only option and opens the door; the door to another world, our world.
Roland is amazed at what he sees as he opens the door. He explains it as a carriage that is flying high above the world. Of course, to us, it is known as an airplane. The Gunslinger watches as the picture in the door shifts around and soon realizes that he is looking through the eyes of the prisoner, whose name is Eddie Dean. We are given a brief background about how Eddie is a junkie at the tail end of a drug run. He has a brother named Henry that he cares for more than anything else in the world. Eddie knows, however, that Henry is even more of a junkie than he is and that Henry doesn't have much longer to live. Eddie believes that it is his obligation to take care of Henry anyway and that is what persuades him to go on this run. Upon Roland entering the door, Eddie is aware that someone has entered his mind, another voice.
There is a clash of cultures here and it us up to Roland to decipher the meaning of certain phrases and the actions of those around him. It has become apparent to Roland that Eddie is about to undergo an important ritual which the Gunslinger humorously calls "The Clearing of the Customs". Roland is also aware that a flight attendant has become suspicious of Eddie and is about to do something to jeopardize their passing this ceremony. While this is going on, Roland also finds out that he has the ability to bring items from this world back to his own as me manages this task with a tuna fish sandwich (or as he says "tooter fish popkin"). The Gunslinger then devises a plan and contacts Eddie Dean in his mind.
At first, Eddie believes that he is just hallucinating the presence of Roland due to some heroin he took before the flight. He then starts to panic because he knows how sharp he'll have to be to get through Customs. The Gunslinger is finally able to convince Eddie that he is real and that they must work together in order to get the drugs past the Feds (priests conducting the ritual). Before getting off of the plane, Eddie goes into that bathroom where he enters Roland's world through the prisoner door. It is in Roland's world where they safely stash the cocaine just before security is able to open the bathroom door and take him away to Customs.
Roland and Eddie, after a lengthy ordeal, are able to fool the Customs Agents as the drugs are safely stored in the Gunslinger's world. Roland's body, which lay limp in his own world as his mind is with that of Eddie's, is extraordinarily hungry and the fever is worse than ever. Eddie stops at a snack bar and buys Roland some hot dogs, a Pepsi, and some aspirin, and watches as those items disappear from his hands when Roland brings them through the prisoner door. Roland is utterly amazed with the taste of the Pepsi and is refreshed by the hot dogs and aspirin (or as he says "astin"), but also knows that he needs a different medicine to cure his infection. Eddie realizes this as well as he believed Roland to look like the walking dead while he too was in Roland's world stashing the cocaine. Eddie figures that they might be able to find the medicine that Roland needs when they deliver the cocaine to the drug king-pin Enrico Balazar.
Before paying a visit to Balazar, however, Eddie Dean wants to go to his apartment and check on his brother, Henry. As Eddie/Roland arrive at the apartment they find that they were being followed by two of Balazar's goons and are soon confronted. One of the thugs, Jack Andolini, looks like a Neanderthal but is particularly smart and dangerous. He informs Eddie/Roland that Balazar is aware they were stopped by the Feds at Customs and that Balazar has taken Henry as ransom in exchange for the cocaine. Eddie/Roland then ride along with the two thugs to Balazar's hideout and Roland is amazed by the size of the buildings and other amazing sites he sees along the way. When they arrive, we see that Henry is doped up and Balazar's plan is do away with both of the Dean brothers. Balazar has trouble executing his plan because he is intrigued with Eddie's claim that the drugs are safe and is troubled with Eddie's new found courage (thanks to Roland). Eddie makes a deal with Balazar that he will go in the bathroom and produce the cocaine if Henry is taken back to his apartment. Balazar agrees to Eddie's terms and has his thug Jack thoroughly checks the bathroom to make sure there's no funny business. When Jack finishes, Balazar changes the agreement and has Jack go into the bathroom with Eddie/Roland. In the meantime, Henry Dean passes away of an overdose in the room he was being held in. When Jack and Eddie/Roland enter the bathroom and the door closes, all hell breaks loose.
Eddie/Roland first takes care of Jack Andolini in Roland's world and as they re-enter Balazar's hideout, Eddie finds Keflex (antibiotics) in the bathroom and puts it in his drawers. Roland, now in his own body, enters Eddie's world, and both men storm into Balazar's room with guns blazing. There is a huge shootout that leaves Balazar and his gang in ruins but also ends with Eddie holding his brother's severed head in his hands. Eddie, realizing that there is nothing left for him in his world, is easily persuaded to enter Roland's world and join the quest for the Dark Tower.
When they get back to the Gunslinger's world, Roland passes out from exhaustion. Over the next days Roland fades in and out of consciousness as Eddie cares for him by administering the Keflex and feeding him dead lobstrosity meat. Eddie also constructs a makeshift travois and drags Roland north along the beach. Roland is impressed by Eddie's new found strength and recognizes that Eddie, too, will become a Gunslinger. There is also an intense conflict as Eddie must come to grips with his new life in Roland's world, not to mention his suffering through heroin withdrawals. They eventually come to the second door, the door that is marked "The Lady of the Shadows". Eddie, burdened by his urge to get a fix and get back to New York, insists on entering the door with Roland. Roland denies Eddie's request, and Eddie threatens to kill Roland if he enters the door alone. Roland is ready to sacrifice all by calling Eddie's bluff and opens the door.
The Lady of Shadows is actually two people in one body. In other words, she is a schizophrenic. The first personality, the one that was actually born into this body is an upper class, African-American woman by the name of Odetta Holmes. Odetta is attractive, mild mannered, and kind, but is also insecure about her role as a soldier in the civil rights movement. She has been the target of racial attacks but questions her own courage because of her money and social status. She comes from a wealthy family thanks to her father and his invention of a new dental procedure. Her most distinguishing feature, however, is that she is bound to a wheelchair because her legs were severed from the knees down when she was pushed off of a subway platform.
Odetta's alter ego is one that strikes fear in all who cross her path and is known as Detta Walker. Detta is full of fear, anger, and hatred, but she is also very intelligent and dangerously cunning. Her main objective is to get back at all the "honkeys" that have tormented her in the past. We learn that Detta was born when Odetta was a little girl walking down the street with her family after they had been denied a cab ride by a bigoted taxi driver. As they were passing under a building, someone had dropped a brick that hit Odetta on the head and put her into a coma. From that point on, Detta had become a large, but unknown, part of Odetta's life. This crazy person known as Detta Walker is who Roland enters into as he passes through the "Lady of the Shadows" door.
Detta is in the midst of shoplifting some costume jewelry as Roland enters her mind. She is enraged by this new trespasser and fights him with every ounce of energy she has but to no avail. The Gunslinger is able to gain control of Detta's body, evade a security guard by hiding in a dressing room, and draw Detta's body into his world. As they fall onto the beach, wheelchair and all, Detta Walker enters Roland's world as Odetta Holmes.
When Odetta first arrives in the new world, she is confused but also calm and inquisitive. Eddie immediately empathizes with her and lashes out at Roland for bringing them into this strange land. Roland feels guilt although he realizes the importance of Eddie and this Lady of Shadows on his journey. The Gunslinger also knows the danger of the other being (Detta) inside Odetta's body and warns Eddie to be on his guard. Roland figures Odetta Holmes and Detta Walker are going to confront each other at some point and for the sake of the ka-tet, Odetta better win. If that reality wasn't bad enough, Roland also finds that his infection is coming back due to the insufficient amount of Keflex brought back from the other world. With these new dangers hanging over them, the group continues north along the beach towards the final door.
During the first few days past the second door, the trio makes pretty good progress despite Eddie having to push Odetta's wheelchair along the beach. All the while, Eddie becomes more and more attached to Odetta, viewing her need to assimilate as his new purpose for being. Odetta, on the other hand, believes that the whole ordeal is a dream; that she was hit again on the head and is in a coma. She is, however, becoming fond of Eddie as well. Roland keeps his distance for the most part but recognizes the bond between Eddie and Odetta growing. Knowing that this will weaken Eddie's sense of awareness, he unloads both of his guns in preparation for the other's (Detta) arrival.
It happened as they lay sleeping, the angry eyes of Detta open and she is intent on making these two white guys pay for bringing her into this crazy world. She slithers upon Eddie as she happens to find one of the guns. Roland, aware of what's going on, allows this to continue so Eddie can learn a lesson for not being on his guard. As Detta pulls the trigger repeatedly in vain, the Gunslinger pounces on her. It takes the full strength of both Eddie and Roland to tie Detta to her wheelchair as she is flailing, cussing, and biting. They continue north along the beach, but this time they move at a crawl because Detta is doing everything in her power to sabotage their progress.
Things start to look dire again. Roland's sickness is getting worse and Eddie Dean is getting tired of wheeling an uncooperative passenger in the rough sand. Detta recognizes what is going on and taunts both Eddie and Roland as she bides her time to get even. When it seems as though the two men can no longer take it, Detta passes out and awakes as Odetta. This welcomed relief inspires the group and they feel as though they are flying across the sand due to the fact that Odetta is doing all she can to help Eddie as he wheels her in the chair. They do hit a brick wall, however, when the Gunslinger's sickness consumes him and he can no longer physically continue. Roland holds palaver with Eddie and instructs him to push Odetta to the next door while the Gunslinger stays behind. Upon reaching the door, Eddie is to return with the wheelchair and push Roland the remaining distance. The most important instruction that Roland gives to Eddie is to not leave a gun with Odetta as she waits. Eddie is torn on this last, important guideline because as they've progressed towards the final door, the rolling hills have gotten closer and closer to the sea. Within those hills they've heard the loud scream of some creature, perhaps a big cat, that has given them alarm. Eddie, nevertheless, heeds Roland's instructions and rolls Odetta Holmes to the next door.
When they reach the next door, after a day's time, Eddie is exhausted yet anxious to get back to Roland. Before he leaves Odetta, they hear the cat's scream. Only this time, it is much closer and much louder than it's ever been before. Eddie makes a game time decision to leave the gun with Odetta, despite her objections, and goes back for Roland. Eddie makes haste as though the devil himself was behing him. He reaches Roland and wants to get back to Odetta right away. Roland, however, forces Eddie to rest because he is looking worse for the wear. Eddie sleeps as though he is on the verge of death but is woken by another of the cat's loud screams. Eddie continues on, Roland in wheelchair, and they reach the final door; but there's no Odetta.
Eddie fears the worst, that the cat has gotten hold of Odetta and has dragged her into the hills. Roland knows better though. The Gunslinger is aware of Detta's cunningness (a cunningness he hopes to harness) and believes that she is watching them from the hills as she plots her revenge. Unfortunately, Roland has no time to worry about this as he needs to enter the final door which is labeled "The Pusher". Roland also needs Eddie to accompany him so he can use Eddie's knowledge of New York to help find medicine, ammunition, and draw their next companion. Eddie refuses to go because of his concern for his new love. Roland, knowing that arguing with a man in love is useless, enters the door by himself. All the while, Detta, with gun in hand, is watching.
When Roland enters the door, he is alarmed to find that the man he has joined with is getting ready to push Jake Chambers into the street sending boy to the way station. Roland immediately jumps forward and prevents this man, Jack Mort, from doing it. Roland then has the presence of mind to look around in the crowd for the man in black, and perhaps kill him. The Gunslinger then realizes, as his instincts tell him, that this isn't the right "when" for the killing of Jake Chambers and gives up his search. Roland is then horrified as he begins to see into the mind of Jack Mort and how this man has not only shaped the destiny of Jake Chambers but also the destiny of Odetta Holmes. The Gunslinger witnesses how Jack Mort, the pusher, drops a brick on the head of Odetta and then years later is the one who pushes her from the subway platform. Jack Mort is a psychopath that loves to push his innocent victims into tragedy believing that he is somehow shaping the universe as he does it. Oddly enough, Jack Mort leads a double life and is also a mild mannered, ordinary looking CPA.
Roland is confused on how this man could be of use to him on his journey to the Dark Tower. He then reflects back to his palaver with the man in black, and how the third door meant "Death, but not for you". The gunslinger realizes the he, Roland, has become death and that it is he, Roland, that is the third to be drawn. The purpose of Jack Mort is to help Roland force a confrontation between Odetta Holmes and Detta Walker. Roland then devises a plan to make that happen, but must use Jack Mort's body to get ammunition and medicine first.
While Roland is in Jack Mort, Eddie continues his search for Odetta in the nearby hills. Detta Walker is actually hiding in a dark, abandoned predator's den, waiting for the inevitable. Eddie gives up his search and returns to the door to guard Roland's defenseless body. Eddie, however, is still physically exhausted from pushing Roland in the wheelchair and falls helplessly victim to sleep. Detta, from her place in hiding, has devised a plan and makes her move. She is cleverly aware that killing Roland and Eddie right away is counterproductive because she needs them to get back to her world. What Detta does instead is pounce on Eddie. She then ties him up in a way that, if he struggles, will cause him to choke. Detta then drags Eddie down to the shoreline knowing that when darkness comes, so do the lobstrosities. She does this in hope that Roland, from the other side of the door, will see what is going on and return to save Eddie. That is when Detta will kill them both and return to her world.
Roland is one up on Detta and can see what is going on. The Gunslinger, however, is intent on sticking to his plan and letting ka take care of itself. He, as Jack Mort, then proceeds to a gun shop where, after a confrontaion with other gunslingers (policemen), he is able to secure a hefty amount of .45 ammo for his guns. Roland then goes around the block to the drugstore and is able to obtain enough Keflex to cure his body's illness, once again getting into another confrontation. He then proceeds to carry out the final part of the plan at the subway platform where Odetta/Detta was pushed years earlier. While at the train station, Roland (Jack), is able to convince Detta/Odetta to look into the pusher door where she is able to see her alter ego. This triggers a final battle between Odetta Holmes and Detta Walker as Roland is able to leap back into his world in the nick of time. The ensuing battle ends with Odetta/Detta becoming a third person, Susannah Dean, who has both the kindness and control of Odetta, but also the cunningness and tenacity of Detta. This new person is able to help Roland save Eddie just seconds before he is devoured by the lobstrosities. Shortly after Susannah introduces herself to Roland and gives him a kiss as a thank you for saving her, Roland passes out.
We then are treated to the resolution which starts off with Roland hunting a deer by a pool, at a clearing in the woods. There is a brief flashback that explains how Eddie and Susannah killed many a lobstrosity for food and as Roland gains strength, they start their trek from the beach into the foothills. In the foothills and on the way to the woods they find grass that they ravenously consume as their bodies have been craving greens for a long time. Roland continues to take the Keflex and begins to get better as they make their way into the woods. It is there that they hunt, eat, sleep, and heal as Roland has a bad dream about the Dark Tower and wakes suddenly. He and Eddie talk as Eddie has doubts about the road ahead. Roland knows that he will have to sacrifice Eddie and Susannah the way he did Jake and for this he feels damned. The story ends with Roland awake over his sleeping companions, thinking about the Tower and how when he arrives there, he will sing all their names.
The Drawing of the Three is a successful story on many different levels. From the beginning encounter with the dangerous lobstrosities to the final showdown with Detta Walker, this story is a fast paced, edge of your seat adventure. In The Gunslinger, Stephen King used flashbacks and foreshadowing in a very successful manner. In The Drawing of the Three, the literary elements that shine most are King's use of settings and characterization. It is entertaining to see Roland transport from his barren world into the bustle of a major metropolis, and how he must react to survive. The clash of cultures is humorous as Roland tries to make sense of what he sees and passes judgment on those that he encounters. Stephen King manages to be clever, yet remains consistent as he depicts Roland's reactions to every encounter. I never felt like I was being slighted as I read the story. It always seemed as though great time and thought had been put into every situation. Stephen King is the master of describing a scene, so much so, that often times I'll reread a sentence because of its shock value.
I was never a big fan of Star Wars Episodes I-III, but always loved Star Wars Episodes IV-VI and the main reason for that was Han Solo. To me, Eddie Dean is the Han Solo of The Dark Tower series. Think about the comparisons; both are smugglers, both are smart asses, both are street smart, and both come across as selfish jerks until they save the day in the end. Eddie Dean is Roland's polar opposite and that's what makes their relationship work so beautifully. You know they love each other as brothers, but there is always tension. Eddie doesn't get Roland's seriousness and Roland doesn't get Eddie's sense of humor. To top it off, they are both junkies, Eddie for heroin, and Roland for the Tower. It doesn't get much better than that.
My final point on what makes The Drawing of the Three
a compelling story is how Roland shares traits with those that he must draw into his world. I've already alluded to his being a junkie the way Eddie was a junkie. Roland is also similar to Odetta in that they are both proper and in control although they sometimes doubt themselves. Detta and Roland share the traits of being clever and vicious in battle. The Gunslinger even shares a trait with Jack Mort the pusher. They both sacrifice other's lives in order to attain their goals. Maybe Roland is the Dark Tower and all these other supporting characters are the beam. Maybe I'm speculating too much and they really have nothing to do with each other. All I know is that I'm done with my summary and review of The Drawing of the Three. I eagerly wait for those who are fans of The Dark Tower to share their thoughts on this great book. Anyone and everyone are welcome to leave a comment so please have at it. In the meantime it's time to hit my favorite chair once again and embark upon the adventure that is The Waste Lands
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