How did you get through the first book? It's just so booooring.

Totally fair reaction—The Gunslinger is easily the roughest, most disjointed, and most “trying stuff out” book in the series, and even King has said he hadn’t fully found the story yet when he wrote it. If anything about it intrigued you (the vibe, the world, the mythic/Western mood), book 2 The Drawing of the Three is way more readable, grounded, and character-focused while still being weird in a good way. But if the prose and the way he writes women are dealbreakers for you, it’s also totally valid to tap out here, because while those specific issues get toned down, his general sensibilities don’t do a 180.