The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

I've been on a Stephen King binge this year, and The Dark Tower series is what everyone has been urging me to read. Unlike his horror selections, I've stayed away from The Dark Tower because it's so unlike what he's written. Of course, this sentiment is silly -- I read lots of fantasy, and I know the series is dear to many hearts. 

So I borrowed a copy of The Gunslinger from my mother-in-law, and even though it was a small book, it took me a really long time to get through. It reminded me a bit of The Canterbury Tales with horror elements, which was something I read several times in college English classes and never really enjoyed. My overall impression of The Gunslinger was "meh."

Months and months went by before I finally picked up The Drawing of the Three. It's the end of the year, and I'm catching up with my POPSUGAR reading challenge, so I told myself that if I wasn't completely engaged after the first few chapters, I would DNF with no regrets. 

But then I was hooked! I still have a hard time relating to Roland, our Gunslinger, but I was immediately drawn to Eddie and Odetta/Detta, the people Roland plucks from our world to help him on his quest. I liked the elements of time travel, and the themes of addiction and forgiveness. I grew to care for these people, and I want to see what happens to them as they travel through Roland's surreal world. Also, there was reference to my favorite King's novel, The Stand! 

So will I continue on to the next book? Yes, yes I will. 

Just a warning: this is one of King's very early books, and there were A LOT of homophobic and racist slurs everywhere, which made my reading experience jarring. 

Have you read The Drawing of the Three? What did you think?