I think in these last two books the series goes from mediocre to downright crappy. The characters utterly lose their edge. Eddie Dean goes from a compellingly tortured junkie who could "talk the devil into setting himself on fire" to a grinning idiot who tells lame jokes. Susannah was infinitely more interesting when she was Detta/Odetta, and even Roland goes from a stone cold killer to some weary dude on a quest or something. As for introducing himself? I don't see that as new or radical...it's just a limp-wristed cop-out. Deus Ex Machina = lame.