The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (2003)

I fell in love with Frank Muller's voice and extraordinary reading skills 20 years ago, quite by accident, in my local library's audio books collection. After hearing the first - "All the Pretty Horses" - I checked out every book he read, regardless of author or title, knowing Frank would carry me to wherever the author intended, because of his incredibly consistent, clean and honest interpretation.

When I started reading the Dark Tower series of books by Stephen King, I was not prepared to be so completely fascinated with the writing and the story of stories he interwove in the seven volumes. Then the kicker! I found out Frank Muller was King's favorite reader, and among other titles of his, Muller had read the first four of the series - which included my own three favorites: "The Drawing of the Three," "The Wastelands" and "The Wizard and Glass".

The collaboration of Stephen King and Frank Muller is, to me, as uniquely exciting in the world of books as that of Tim Burton and Johnnie Depp in the world of cinema. Of course other readers do King proper service, and other actors work wonderfully with Burton....but there's only spontaneous combustion and ensuing fireworks when it's that exactly RIGHT combination in each instance.

In Frank Muller's voice, Roland comes alive - both chilling as his "bombadier eyes" gunslinger self, and warm and true as the honest friend and father, dign of his ka-tet. With equal grace, Muller brings forth Odetta/Detta/Susannah, Eddie and Jake. His voice is eloquent, his heart's complicity with an author's characters and words and cadence is amazing. Frank Muller will always be one of life's great "finds" for me, and I'll always be thankful I bumped into him as a young woman wanting to still be read to...

The book was in good shape and I had no problems when I listened to it. I bought it because I enjoyed the whole Stephen King Dark Tower Series

I started the audio cd series, because I drive almost 2 hours one way to work and sirius radio even gets boring afer a while.
The first book the Gunslinger was O.K. But this second book was awsome! This is coming from someone that gets board quick. I really enjoyed the action and characters involved. I am hooked and ordering, 3,4,5,6,+7, to continue the series.
I also didn't like Lisey's Story. And in the will review each of The Dark Towers, as I finish them.

If you read the gunslinger and were left wondering if this was a series that you were willing to invest a lot of time and money in getting into, give this volume about 50 pages and there will be no doubt left in your mind. This massive tale spans seven volumes, but only really gets cooking until the second book, The Drawing of the Three.
Roland's obsession with the Dark Tower began when he was little more than a boy (as you will discover in later volumes), but the actual journey there begins on the shore of the Western Sea, which is where we find him at the outset of Drawing. From there we meet the remainder of his Ka-tet, and one very disturbed individual behind three magic "doors" or portals to another time and dimension.
Not exactly the twilight zone though. In fact, the portals open onto a version (or versions) of our own Earth, inside the consciousnesses(es?) of three individuals, whom Roland must first enter, and then use, in his quest to gain the Tower.
The first, Edward Cantor Dean, or as the door proclaims, "The Prisoner", is a herion addict and a drug mule for a mobster named Balazar.He also just happens to be on board an international flight making it's way back to NYC, with quite a bit of heroin taped under his arms. You'll love finding out how Roland and Eddie first become acquainted, "deliver" the drugs, and then make their way to the next magic door.
The next door, labelled "The Lady of Shadows", opens upon Odetta, a young, black woman who is a social activist and very wealthy from the fortune her father made in his profession as a dentist and patent holder, which he then left to her at his death. She is also wheelchair-bound since her legs were unceremoniously amputated above the knees after being pushed in front of a subway train by a mysterious stranger. But Odetta Holmes has another side. One that Roland and Eddie witness firsthand as the portal into her consciousness opens.
As The gunslinger and his new charges make their way to the door marked "The Pusher", the must contend with 'Detta, Odetta's other personality, who is...let's just say unpleasant.
Finally, Roland must enter "The Pusher". A man named Jack Mort. A serial killer, whose victims almost never see it coming. Mort's actions as the pusher are inextricably linked with the Gunslinger's quest, and those he must draw to him.
As the story reaches it's climax, the implications of Mort's actions as well as Roland's way of resolving matters, leave the reader anticipating, but not quite sure what will happen in the next installment.
Overall, an excellent and exciting read. And like I said at the outset, if the first volume didn't hook you, this one will. If you have lots of imagination (or respect for authors who do) and you're willing to invest a fair amount of time in a really great, epic story, get reading The Dark Tower Cycle.

What can you say about Steven King? He rules this stuff! The Dark Tower series on audio is killer!!!