OK, so now on to my thoughts on book 2. Just a word of warning before we go on; if you haven't read these books I might be delving into spoiler territory but I'll try to keep it to a minimum. By that I mean, I won't be going over the plot of the book from beginning to end but I will be mentioning some key points in the story, so be warned.
Book 2 basically consists of Roland gathering his "knights" so to speak. It starts up literally hours after the events of book 1 and it does so in a very ballsy way. Roland, the Last Gunslinger has succumbed to exhaustion and finds himself asleep on a seemingly endless stretch of beach just as the tide comes in, bringing with it a surprise attack from giant crustacean-like creatures he calls lobstrositys. The ocean water has soaked his guns and most of the bullets in his gunbelt, effectively making him defenseless to their attack and he ends up losing two fingers on his main shooting hand and one of his toes in the ensuing fight for life. I bring this up because as I read the first couple pages of this book I was impressed with not just how King started the action right off the bat, but also how he took the brazen move of basically taking our main hero, crippling him (I mean, what good is a gunslinger if he can't shoot his guns?) and seemingly dooming him by page 3. Defenseless, dying from infection due to his grave wounds and stuck between a beach with no visible end on one side and an equally expansive forest on the other, Roland does the only thing he can do - he walks, or should I say he stumbles until he comes upon the first of 3 doors that have been fated by the Man in Black's Tarot card reading to lead to the companions Roland will be taking with him on his journey to the Dark Tower (and hopefully they'll be able to get him the medical help he needs before he dies).
Just as the first book mostly took place almost entirely on an endless span of desert, most of this book takes place on an endless span of beach. Given King's tendency for representation in these books I think this was done on purpose. The aforementioned doors he comes upon just sort of float, attached to nothing but air. Only Roland can open these doors and when he steps through them he enters the mind and body of three individuals living in the Manhattan of our world at three distinctly different time periods. Eddie Dean, a heroin addicted drug runner resides in 1988. Odetta Holmes, a wheelchair bound civil rights activist with multiple personality disorder lives in 1964. And Jack Mort, a mercilessly evil psychopath who comes to Roland's attention in the early 1970's. It's ultimately a story of redemption and healing not just for Roland but also for two of the three individuals chosen by fate to aid Roland in his quest. For Roland that redemption comes in the form of righting a great wrong that he committed as he races against time not just to bring his new companions to his world but also to get the antibiotics he desperately needs to kill the massive infection coursing through his body due to his grave injuries.
When I first read in book back in 1990 I honestly didn't like it. In fact I almost didn't read the rest of the series because of it. I'm not sure why. I think I just felt that it was too simple. I felt that it kind of just meandered along until the ending, but after re-reading it all I have to say is boy was I wrong. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it was the mindset I was in at the time. Maybe I just needed to grow up a little and get some life experience. In any case, I fully appreciate this book now. One thing I really noticed was how much King put his own life into it. You see, as I stated in my previous blog, book 1 of this series was mostly written when King was in college. He published it in 1982 in a limited edition run and only continued the series after it was met with great enthusiasm by his fans. Book 2 was written for the most part in the late-80's. At the time King, who had just gone through a very long battle with alcoholism and drug addiction (he's been sober for the last 20 plus years and writes about it extensively in his excellent book ON WRITING) was essentially learning to write without his crutches so to speak.
He channels this experience through the character of Eddie Dean in a very genuine and realistic way. As Dean hits his metaphorical "rock bottom" and suffers through painful withdrawals you're right there with him and you feel it. It's great writing and it's one of the reasons why Dean is my favorite character in the series. Just as Jack Torrance from THE SHINING was basically King subconsciously writing about his addictions, Eddie Dean is basically King subconsciously writing about his recovery.
The character of Odetta Holmes (as well as her savage alter-ego Detta Walker) is also very interesting. She is the only child of a black dentist and inventor who has left her a vast fortune, which she uses to aid in the Civil Rights Movement. She has suffered two great injuries in her life. The first, a falling brick striking her on the head, results in her mind splitting into two distinct individuals who have no idea that the other exists. The other, being pushed in front of the path of a subway car, results in the loss of her legs below the knee. She is both a heroic and villainous character in this book, depending on which personality is in charge. She also plays a key role in Eddie Dean's recovery. Her own redemption comes in the form of reforming her broken mind and coming to terms with her fate. But in so doing comes at a great price.
Jack Mort is quite simply an evil psychopath who keeps his true face well hidden, and he is also an unknowing agent of the Man In Black. His presence runs through the many threads not just of this book, but the previous one as well, long before he is formally introduced. For Jack Mort there is no redemption, and yet Roland needs him just the same. In fact, given his condition throughout most of this book, Roland ends up needing Jack Mort the most, at least when it comes to his own survival in his current condition.
In many ways this book is mostly build-up, but it's very exciting build-up and it takes some crazy turns you just don't see coming. As in the previous book, the Dark Tower itself remains very ambiguous. You as the reader continue to not really know exactly what it is, or why it's so important for Roland to get there. But this time you have the other characters to also question his motives which makes it easier as the reader to accept the mysterious nature of the story's main focal point. This book is basically the end of Act I of the epic tale of the Dark Tower.
And so with that it's on to book 3 - THE WASTELANDS, which I'm really looking forward to re-reading because it's my favorite book in the series. So until next time, I wish you long days and pleasant nights...
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