Roland Deschain

Roland Deschain is a gunslinger from Gilead and son of Gabrielle and Steven Deschain. He is on a quest to find the Dark Tower, the nexus of all worlds. During his quest, he has been joined by Susannah Dean, Eddie Dean, Jake Chambers, all of New York, and a billy-bumbler named Oy, forming a ka-tet. The three have traveled through the ruined city of Lud and begin the novel riding on Blaine the Mono, a suicidal train who wants to kill them all when he crashes at the end of the line in Topeka. They manage to outwit Blaine, mostly because of Eddie's riddling, and debark safely in a version of Topeka, Kansas, except everyone has been killed by a flu virus. Roland realizes a thinny is nearby, a portal between worlds, and the group will have to go through it.

Before they completely go through the...