The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2)

The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3)

Our ka-tet manages to outsmart Blaine the Pain Train and make their way back toward the beam which will lead them to The Dark Tower. They find themselves in Topeka, KS, but not quite the same Topeka (where and when) as Eddie, Susannah, or Jake. As they make their way through the city, taking note of the differences, Roland finally begins to tell us the story of his past before he set out on his quest.

And I give up. UNCLE!

Goddamn this may be King’s magnum opus but jesus I am 22% through BOOK FUCKING FOUR and I have ZERO knowledge of why any of this is happening. WHO. CARES??? I mean, I get who is doing this, I have a very vague sense of what they are doing and where they are going (going to The Dark Tower to…pick roses?), and the multiple whens are getting a little muddied but they are manageable. But the largest void in this series is the gaping lack of a WHY. I’m sorry. I need to be invested in a WHY to continue reading. I was patient. I got further in this series than I have ever gotten before. But I’ve been stuck at 22% for about a month and it’s time to face the reality that I’m not going to pick this book back up.

It’s hard to recommend this series. People either love it or they hate it, but I am prepared to create a third category of disinterested readers. It’s okay, the story has potential, but without a stronger antagonist or clearer why, I just don’t care enough to keep going. The achievement can remain locked.