Book Errors

Errors in The Dark Tower II

In The Gunslinger, Chapter 1, we learn that the stocks on Roland's guns are made of sandalwood, but in The Drawing of the Three, Prologue: The Sailor, they are mentioned as being made of ironwood, but later in Reshuffle, Chapter 13 they are again made of sandalwood.

In The Gunslinger (The Slow Mutants) Roland tries to look in a newspaper which he found in the lap of a mummified trainman. But in The Drawing of the three Roland sees, whilst looking through Eddie's eyes, men who are reading papers covered with letters and pictures. It is strange that he doesn't recognise these things as newspapers, when he himself tried to look at one in The Gunslinger.

In The Gunslinger (The Gunslinger, Chapter V) Roland sees, when he goes through Tull, three women wearing slacks. But in The Drawing of the Three (Prisoner Chapter 1, subchapter 6) he is shocked when he, through Eddie's eyes, sees a stewardess wearing trousers.

On the very last page of The Gunslinger chapter it says that Roland didn't know where Cort was. But in The Drawing of the Three (Shuffle) it says that Roland remembered how Cort died nine weeks after the Presentation Ceremonies. So Roland did know where Cort was. (This error was discovered by Kate LeChasseur via B_Hansen)

In the first subchapter of The Way Station Roland doesn't know what a tie is. But in The Drawing of the Three (The Prisoner, chapter 1, subchapter 6) Roland sees some men wearing ties. And when he sees those ties he does not seem to have any kind of trouble identifying them. (This error was discovered by Shannon Gries)

In The Drawing of the Three, in the beginning of the Detta and Odetta chapter, Stephen King quotes the Austrian psychoanalyst Alfred Adler (1870-1937). Adler is quoted for saying that schizophrenia and split personality is the same thing. But nowadays we all know better, except Stephen King, and that's a bit sad, come to think of it.

In the beginning of The Drawing of the Three, The Prisoner Chapter 1, subchapter 9, Eddie calls his boss Emilio Balazar, but later in The Prisoner Chapter 4, subchapter 7, and throughout the rest of the book he calls him Enrico Balazar.

There seems to be some confusion as to the direction of North in The Drawing of the Three. Roland does say that things in this world are not as they seem, but Travelling North, on numerous occasions west is shown to be on their RIGHT side, not left as it should have been.

In The Drawing of the Three (The Prisoner, Chapter 1, subchapter 2) it says that Roland checked if he still had Walter's jawbone in his hip pocket, with his right hand. In The Gunslinger (The Gunslinger and the Dark Man) says that he put the jawbone in his left hip pocket?

In The Gunslinger (The Way Station, chapter 1), Roland remembers that Cuthbert always laughed and that he even died smiling, but in The Drawing of the Three (Shuffle) Roland remembers that Cuthbert always asked questions and that he even died with one on his lips. I suppose he could have smiled when he asked the question.

When Eddie and Roland arrives at The Leaning Tower, in The Drawing of the Three, The Prisoner, Chapter 4, subchapter 13, Roland tries to read the neon sign. When he does that he does not seem to know the letter H, but if the letter H was unknown in his own world, how could the following names then occur: Khef; Hax; Cuthbert?

When Eddie uses Roland's revolver at Balazar's in The Prisoner, Chapter 5, subchapter 22, it says that he vaporised the things he hit with the revolver. Likewise we learn how the bullets that Roland used had the ability to blow people apart. Now if these bullets could so easily vaporise/blow apart people, how was Roland then able to bring back two whole rabbits for him and Jake to eat in The Oracle and The Mountains?

In The Drawing of the Three, Shuffle, Eddie tells Roland that he will get some water, but when he returns a few lines later, it says that he was carrying some wood.

The Drawing of the Three, Shuffle we hear of Henry Dean being drafted to fight in Vietnam. Eddie Dean is 21 the year is 1987, and Henry is 8 years older than Eddie, therefore Henry was born in 1958. The problem is that Henry is described as having been drafted into the US Army at 18 and sent to fight in Vietnam, where he had been wounded in action. But Henry is too young to have fought in Vietnam. When the very last American left Saigon on that famous helicopter in 1975, Henry was only 17! In fact, the draft was ended in 1973, when Henry was only 15. (Error found by Steve Lopez, sorry for the delay in crediting you Steve!)

In the beginning of chapter 2, in The Lady of Shadows, it says that two paramedics rode on the ambulance that picked up Odetta after she had been run over by the train in 1959. Here we encounter a minor problem, because the paramedics who are mentioned in this chapter and in other chapters later on in the book, didn't exist at that point in time. Or rather, the function which they represented, didn't exist at that point as the first time paramedics were used, in the US, was in 1966 in Manhattan.

In The Drawing of the Three, chapter 3, subchapter 6, when Eddie told Odetta that he came from 1987 he also mentions that he is 23 years old. But, as mentioned above, Eddie is 21 years old.

In the first subchapter of chapter 2, in The Lady of Shadows, it says that when George Shaver arrived at the crash site at Idlewild, he saw an eyeball resting on top of a Samsonite suitcase. Furthermore he saw a teddybear lying beside a child's sneaker, which still contained the child's foot. But later that night, when he has a nightmare, it is the teddybear which is resting on top of the Samsonite suitcase, not the eyeball. (This error was discovered by Roger Seal)

Norris Weaver is caller Weaver in The Pusher, Chapter 10, bit he is called Norris Wheaton in The Pusher, Chapter 11. Each of these names in mentioned more than once.

In the section "The Lady of Shadows", chapter 1, subchapter 1, the Hiati dictator is incorrectly referred to as Poppa Doc Duvalier. His correct nickname is Papa Doc, and this is also confirmed in Dark Tower 6 and 7 when he is referred to as Papa Doc.

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