Wave 2B: The Shining vs. The Drawing of the Three

[mae]

vs.

This is the third and final round of our 2018 Constant Reader Awards. Please vote for the book you deem better. The winner receives 0.1 points added to its score previously acquired in the first two rounds.

If you haven't yet read either book or both of them, please vote Never read one or both titles. Feel free to discuss your votes in this thread.

[fernandito]

Oh, damn...

Gonna have to think about this one.

[Girlystevedave]

I also need to do some thinking.

[St. Troy]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

[Girlystevedave]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

But it's only THE best book from the series, man!
And one of THE best books from existence ever.

[Father Cody]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

Haha! You didn’t like it or what?

[Heather19]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

[St. Troy]

Haha! You didn’t like it or what?

Bits of it I did quite enjoy, but for me it was mostly a combination of dull and things that seem to happen "just because."

[Father Cody]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

Personally, I think it’s great as a stand alone. The story is Roland finding out what’s behind each of the doors he learned about at the mind blowing ending of The Gunslinger. Each door leads to a another three great stories. And we meet Eddie Dean. I just really enjoyed it and it’s possibly my favorite book I’ve ever read. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking your opinion by any means. Just explaining why I loved it.

[Girlystevedave]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

I wondered the same thing when I voted for it; "Am I just voting for Dark Tower as a whole, or Drawing of the Three itself?" Then I realized that, had it been The Shining against Song of Susannah or Wizard and Glass, my vote would have been different.

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

Personally, I think it’s great as a stand alone. The story is Roland finding out what’s behind each of the doors he learned about at the mind blowing ending of The Gunslinger. Each door leads to a another three great stories. And we meet Eddie Dean. I just really enjoyed it and it’s possibly my favorite book I’ve ever read. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking your opinion by any means. Just explaining why I loved it.

Agreed.
My first reading of Drawing of the Three fucking blew me away. It's a fantastic story from beginning to end.

[jsmcmullen92]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

I 100% agree.
I remember going through TDT series and thinking "none of these make sense as stand alone novels". They all need to be put back to back to make sense.

Spoiler:

1 is some dude traveling through a desert witha random kid. HUH?!?
2. Some dud named Roland wakes up on a beach with weird lobsters, loses fingers, and trips the fuck out on blood loss and sees doors. Pull people in and it's over... OKAY AND???
3. Kid goes crazy and old guy goes crazy for their love for each other. Crazy woman gets raped. Dude gets a necklace. weird old town... WHAT IS GOING ON? Crazy ass train WHERE IS THE ENDING!?!
4. *Finally one to me that could be a stand alone story* some how there is some people in a weird Kansas. Wait is that the MF wizard of OZ? and cool back story that makes this okay. OOH I LIKED THAT DO WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO OZ?
5. *Also works as stand alone* end up in town. Introduce old character you should know. Actual plot and story. Wolves blah blah blah. save the town. THAT WAS DECENT. NOT THE BEST STORY BUT OKAY.
6. *I dont even want to mention this book* 2 days somehow makes it into that many pages... also enter Cameo King. this is weird now. IDK how I feel about it.
7. *EEEEEEEK IT"S FINALLY OVER* crazy spider eats the biggest baddie that lives in the universe. LAME. CK is been built up, long journey, blah blah blah. TWO WORDS... ERASER AND EEEEEK. THAT WAS NOT WORTH THE TIME IT TOOK TO READ.

so basically only 2 books in the series could really stand alone. all the others require continuous reading to make them work. It's really one long drawn out book.

[St. Troy]

The interesting thing about DT5/WOTC is that the very thing that makes it work as a standalone is the thing that makes it kind of suck as a DT book - it tells a story that really isn't necessary to the overall series story; it is the kind of thing I'd expect if someone adapted DT to a TV series as was recently done with The Mist, and tried to just slap their own "story of the week" on top of what was already there.

...but hey, maybe that's just me.

[St. Troy]

I should add that I never wanted or expected the individual DT books to work alone and never minded the mystery of how it all would add up; I just found much of TDOTT to be disappointing reading material.

[Father Cody]

I should add that I never wanted or expected the individual DT books to work alone and never minded the mystery of how it all would add up; I just found much of TDOTT to be disappointing reading material.

Can’t knock that. If you don’t like, you don’t like it. I’m with you about not necessarily wanting or expecting the DT books to work alone. To me, it doesn’t really matter if they work alone or not. Doesn’t change the fact that TDOTT is, in my opinion, a great book.

[Heather19]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

I 100% agree.
I remember going through TDT series and thinking "none of these make sense as stand alone novels". They all need to be put back to back to make sense.

Spoiler:

1 is some dude traveling through a desert witha random kid. HUH?!?
2. Some dud named Roland wakes up on a beach with weird lobsters, loses fingers, and trips the fuck out on blood loss and sees doors. Pull people in and it's over... OKAY AND???
3. Kid goes crazy and old guy goes crazy for their love for each other. Crazy woman gets raped. Dude gets a necklace. weird old town... WHAT IS GOING ON? Crazy ass train WHERE IS THE ENDING!?!
4. *Finally one to me that could be a stand alone story* some how there is some people in a weird Kansas. Wait is that the MF wizard of OZ? and cool back story that makes this okay. OOH I LIKED THAT DO WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO OZ?
5. *Also works as stand alone* end up in town. Introduce old character you should know. Actual plot and story. Wolves blah blah blah. save the town. THAT WAS DECENT. NOT THE BEST STORY BUT OKAY.
6. *I dont even want to mention this book* 2 days somehow makes it into that many pages... also enter Cameo King. this is weird now. IDK how I feel about it.
7. *EEEEEEEK IT"S FINALLY OVER* crazy spider eats the biggest baddie that lives in the universe. LAME. CK is been built up, long journey, blah blah blah. TWO WORDS... ERASER AND EEEEEK. THAT WAS NOT WORTH THE TIME IT TOOK TO READ.

so basically only 2 books in the series could really stand alone. all the others require continuous reading to make them work. It's really one long drawn out book.

That's what I was trying to get at. Most don't really work as stand alone books without knowledge of what happens before or after. And having that knowledge will make the book fuller than if you just picked up one in the middle and read it without reading the others.

But I'm also not a fan of DoTT. It had some really annoying characters, and nothing happened. I know I'm in the minority with my feelings on this book though.

[Father Cody]

I'm amazed at the consistent and strong support for TDOTT...I'm not sure I trust you people.

I agree. My guess is that it's a subconscious vote for The Dark Tower as a whole but maybe I'm mistaken. As a stand alone book separate from the rest of the series, it has character development but that's about it. There isn't really a story there. There's no beginning, no end. If there was no Dark Tower series and it was it's own entity, I don't think it would be as highly regarded. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's my own personal bias, but I just don't understand it either.

I 100% agree.
I remember going through TDT series and thinking "none of these make sense as stand alone novels". They all need to be put back to back to make sense.

Spoiler:

1 is some dude traveling through a desert witha random kid. HUH?!?
2. Some dud named Roland wakes up on a beach with weird lobsters, loses fingers, and trips the fuck out on blood loss and sees doors. Pull people in and it's over... OKAY AND???
3. Kid goes crazy and old guy goes crazy for their love for each other. Crazy woman gets raped. Dude gets a necklace. weird old town... WHAT IS GOING ON? Crazy ass train WHERE IS THE ENDING!?!
4. *Finally one to me that could be a stand alone story* some how there is some people in a weird Kansas. Wait is that the MF wizard of OZ? and cool back story that makes this okay. OOH I LIKED THAT DO WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO OZ?
5. *Also works as stand alone* end up in town. Introduce old character you should know. Actual plot and story. Wolves blah blah blah. save the town. THAT WAS DECENT. NOT THE BEST STORY BUT OKAY.
6. *I dont even want to mention this book* 2 days somehow makes it into that many pages... also enter Cameo King. this is weird now. IDK how I feel about it.
7. *EEEEEEEK IT"S FINALLY OVER* crazy spider eats the biggest baddie that lives in the universe. LAME. CK is been built up, long journey, blah blah blah. TWO WORDS... ERASER AND EEEEEK. THAT WAS NOT WORTH THE TIME IT TOOK TO READ.

so basically only 2 books in the series could really stand alone. all the others require continuous reading to make them work. It's really one long drawn out book.

That's what I was trying to get at. Most don't really work as stand alone books without knowledge of what happens before or after. And having that knowledge will make the book fuller than if you just picked up one in the middle and read it without reading the others.

But I'm also not a fan of DoTT. It had some really annoying characters, and nothing happened. I know I'm in the minority with my feelings on this book though.

Which characters annoyed you?

[Heather19]

Detta, could not stand her. And guys don't hate me, but I wasn't a fan of Roland. He's very weak in this one. Everyone else has to do everything for him.

[Father Cody]

I agree about Detta. A little over the top I thought. But I guess it was a success in terms of how King likely wanted readers to think of her.

[mae]

The poll has closed. The winner with 66.67% of the vote was The Drawing of the Three. It receives 0.1 points in addition to its current FAS (Final Average Score), making it 7.324430642 or 82.30%.

[Father Cody]

Boom!