The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) by Stephen King

10 years after his meeting with the man in black, Roland continues his journey to the tower. In this book, Roland encounters three doors in the middle of a stark, lobster-infested beach. Each door leads to a different person living in our world's New York. However, each individual is living within a different time period. Roland is quick to learn that each individual holds a vital piece of the puzzle in his quest to reach the tower. However, putting them together proves difficult for our gunslinger. An interesting chapter in The Dark Tower series indeed. I gobbled up the beginning and end, but felt King focused on the second "door" character a bit too much. Hopefully she will have a large role to play later on, and the details I have learned about her will come in handy. I must say I simply can't help myself. There is something about that rugged gunslinger Roland...he could make a girl weak in the knees. Despite the lengthy middle, I rather enjoyed this volume in the series and am looking forward to traveling on with Roland and his crew to the ever ominous dark tower.

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King

Last year, I read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King and absolutely loved it. When I posted my review, it was recommended that I try his Dark Tower series. Therefore I took my first step into King's sci-fi western series with The Gunslinger. Set in a universe parallel to our own, Roland, the gunslinger, seeks answers and meaning from the man in black. Roland endlessly purses said man through desert, mountains, thirst, and hunger; his quest for the man in black serving as his primary source of fuel. Roland continues his journey throughout the entire book, meeting a variety of characters along the way. The thing is that you, as well as Roland, can never be to certain as to weather the character is real, or a trap planted by the man in black. A little light is shed on Roland's background through stories and flashbacks. A fine start to the series indeed.

You can definitely tell that King was a bit younger when he wrote this story. It's a bit rougher around the edges and he leaves several things unexplained, though I anticipate that I will understand more as I read through the series. I guess I would say that it felt like skimming the surface of a large body of water or touching the tip of an iceberg. Despite the lack of details, I hungrily read through this book in little time at all. I look forward to reading more of the series and seeking out answers of my own, just like Roland in his journey.

The Eyes of The Dragon by Stephen King

Last night I finished The Eyes of the Dragon, beautifully told by the master storyteller himself, Stephen King. King has shown his versatility yet again in this fairytale of old. It is the classic tale of good vs. evil. A must read for anyone who enjoys fantasy or who is looking to get lost in a world of kings, magicians, and dragons. When King Roland is poisoned, next-in-line Prince Peter is convicted of said crime and sentenced to spend the rest of his life atop the "needle" tower. Roland's second born son, Tommy, takes the throne at the age of eleven. The kingdom is thrown into chaos, but at the hand of an evil mastermind.

I LOVE LOVED this book. I read it like it was candy. It reminds me of a cross between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but on a much less complex level, so to speak. Easy to read and wonderful to get lost in, I highly recommend The Eyes of the Dragon to anyone who is looking to get lost in a good story. Up next is Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby.