Update, 6/1/17: 
 The more I read/listen to this, the more it grows on me, but I think I'll keep the rating at three stars. I do love to hate Gasher and the Tick-Tock man, though. In fact, the Tick-Tock man reminded me of a boss I used to have many years ago, only he didn't murder people (at least not that I know of). However, his mood could change so fast it'd make your head spin, and his fits of temper were something to behold. So, the association is not complimentary. As for Gasher, he got off way too easy. And I really like Blaine as a villain as well. Great stuff, but not enough to boost it up another star. 
 Oh, I was wrong about the concept of 19 being introduced in this book (see below). I think they start that stuff in Wolves of the Calla, but I got confused because of Charlie the Choo-Choo which is introduced in this book but revisited in WOTC. I guess I'll find out for sure when I get to that one. 
 Original Review, August 2010: 
 This might be my least favorite in the series, but it's still a good read. Plus, in this one Jake comes back, and his reentry involves a haunted house (win), and some freaky-weird plot twists with other main characters that become the crux of what The Dark Tower is all about. Add to that the introduction of Oy, the Billy-Bumbler, and you have a great first half. We spend the majority of the second half in a post apocalyptic NYC, we assume. I'm not sure, but that part just never stuck out for me. The read is enjoyable, and poor Jake gets beat on pretty badly which keeps the plot interesting, but there was just something lacking in it that I can't seem to put my finger on. 
 Overall they spend the entire book trying to figure out a train thing, and getting to a train that's supposed to be (and actually is) a major boogie man, and when they finally hop on board this evil transporter, the book ends. Cliffhanger. Blech. 
 The concept of 19 which pervades the entire series is introduced in this book, and most importantly this book has Shardik! He's a giant bear (actually, is it a she? I can't remember. BAD DT FAN, Pierce, Bad, bad fan)! At any rate, Shardik is the name of the bear on a coin I flip from time to time to make important decisions such as "which movie should I watch tonight?" "should I have mac-n-cheese or tater-tots?" and "should I quit my job and drive as far to Tombstone, AZ as I can get with the money I have, or just stay here and keep writing letters to these customers?" So, hurray for the book that gave me a name for my bear coin.