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Stephen King wastes no time pulling us back into Roland’s story. Where “The Gunslinger” left off on a bleak beach, “The Drawing of the Three” throws us straight into chaos with spider-lobster creatures tearing into Roland and taking two of his fingers and a toe. It’s fast-paced, violent, and immediately makes you worry about his survival — especially once we discover the “lobstrosities” had poisoned him. I was also struck by how quickly King removes the man in black from the picture; he’s still around in Roland’s thoughts, but not the looming villain I expected. (After seeing what the man in black was capable of in “The Stand,” I had high expectations!) Instead, the book becomes about who Roland draws into his world and how their stories intertwine with his.

The idea of a door appearing where it shouldn’t — just sitting in the middle of nowhere — is one of the creepiest images for me. Roland finding one of these “doors to nowhere” sent shivers down my spine. Each door brings a new character into the fold, and I love the way King handles it. Eddie Dean, for example, is a character I fell for almost instantly. He’s young, reckless, and battling heroin addiction, but there’s such a sweetness to him, and his acceptance of Roland’s intrusion into his mind was both hilarious and heartbreaking. Watching him go from panicking to rolling with the absurdity of it felt so human. His love for Odetta grows fast, but it’s also endearing — he’s loyal, dependable, and stronger than he realizes. The scene of him learning his brother Henry had been murdered, only to be shown Henry’s severed head, absolutely destroyed me. I cried alongside him.

Odetta/Detta is a fascinating addition. The split personalities are handled in King’s signature, over-the-top way, though I’ll admit the inner monologues written for Detta veered into territory that felt uncomfortably cringey and dated. Still, the idea of battling herself and eventually becoming Susannah was a powerful transformation.

The cyclical nature of this series really intrigues me — Jack Mort’s actions created Odetta/Detta, just as it was alluded that he may have been “The Pusher,” the man who killed Jake in the first installment, “The Gunslinger.”By killing Mort while taking charge of his body, Roland might have unraveled Jake’s fate, and it leaves me wondering just how tangled these timelines really are. Multidimensional storylines always make my brain spin, but in a way that makes me eager to keep reading.

I also loved those little King touches where small details ripple outward in time. For example, a cop who once noticed something off about Roland doesn’t connect the dots until years later, while watching “The Terminator” in a theater. It’s a small detail, but it makes the world feel richer and more interconnected.

If I had one frustration, it would be that I still have no clear mental picture of Roland’s world beyond this endless beach filled with “lobstrosities.” I’m hoping that future books expand on the landscapes and settings beyond the harsh, surreal stretch of sand — first it was an unforgiving desert, then an endless beach. Still, Roland keeps me hooked: his instincts are always spot-on, his determination is absolute, and he remains one of the most compelling protagonists I’ve read.

The last forty or so pages flew by, I couldn’t even take notes. Between Roland’s escape from Mort, Odetta and Detta finally merging into Susannah, and Roland securing the first two members of his ka-tet, the ending was thrilling. King manages to twist events in ways that surprise me without ever feeling implausible.

Overall, I’d give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up, as usual!) It’s an incredible continuation of the series, with new characters I’ve already grown attached to, gut-wrenching moments of loss, and just enough strangeness to keep me on edge. I love Eddie, I’m invested in Odetta/Detta/Susannah, and Roland remains as mysterious and magnetic as ever.

Onward to the next door!