This second Dark Tower book picks up where The Gunslinger left off. King's writing has noticeably improved since his work in the first book as he tells of Roland making his way down the beach and encountering three doors. Each door takes him into the mind of a different person in our world, people he is to "draw" to him and join him on his quest for the Tower. The first is Eddie, a heroin addict who Roland brings into his world in an amazing gunfight with the mob. The second is Susannah Walker/Odetta Holmes, a rich, handicapped black woman whose split personalities prove to be a deadly problem to Roland and Eddie. However, the third door leads to something completely unexpected, leaving the book with a killer ending. The best part of this story is seeing how Roland reacts to different things in our world. After reading this second installment, you should be as anxious to reach the Dark Tower as The Gunslinger himself.