The DARK TOWER Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anderton Prime
  • 21 comments
  • 1,090 views
Anderton Prime

Anderton Prime

Messages
2,760
Not sure which category to put this in, so I just thought I'd stick it here and wait to see if anyone finds it...

I'm a HUGE fan of the Dark Tower series of books by Stephen King, but no one I know seems to be willing to read them so I can discuss the books. I'm SOOOOO tired of trying to explain the awesome story to people who haven't read it, because they have no clue and it always comes out of my mouth sounding cheesy and dumb. So I was wondering if anyone here had read any of them, or all of them up to book 6 (book 7 comes out here in September, and it's the last one of the series!!)
 
So - What shall we discuss regariding TDT ;)

In the movie(s), we'll need a tall Harvey Keitel to play Roland of Gilead....

(Finishing off Wolfs of the Calla, but got distracted by HHGTTG for the nth time during my vacation)
 
My wife and I like them as well, very much. We've read nearly all of them to date, except maybe not the latest one. The last one I read was the one where Susan Delgado got killed; a long flashback to Roland's youth. There may be another one after that.

The problem is that they've been coming out at such a glacial pace that I've completely forgotten all that's gone on. I'll probably wait until they've all come out, buy a box set, and read the whole thing back to back.
 
I think Bruce Campbell is the perfect choice for Roland; have you seen him in Bubba Ho-Tep? Not the best movie, but he plays an aging action hero type character pretty well.

The book telling the story of Roland's youth is Book IV: Wizard and Glass. It is followed by Book V: Wolves of the Calla and Book VI: Song of Susannah. BookVII: The Dark Tower comes out this September.

Let's talk about the tie-ins from other Stephen King books which directly relate to the Dark Tower storyline and which, in my opinion, are essential reads to get the whole story. Of particular interest are:

Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
The Eyes of The Dragon
The Stand
Rose Madder
From a Buick 8
'Salem's Lot
The Talisman
Black House

I am somewhat of an expert, having read all of these books cover to cover. Anyone else read any of them or is anyone unaware of the connections?
 
I've been reading each one as they have been released. I was 13 when the first book came out and I am now 29.:scared: I have read the first 2 many many times, the third one 3 times I think and the 4th, 5th and 6th ones once a piece. Mr. King's masterwork to be sure. I was dissapointed in the lenth of vol.6 as I read it in one day, after waiting so long to get it:tdown: but it was still decent. I have also read several of the tie-in books you mentioned, but the only ones I really liked were The Stand and Insomnia. Tales From a Buick 8 was a real turd of a book.:yuck:

So who are your favorite characters so far? Mine are Andy the Messenger Robot (Many Other Functions), Cort, and Cuthbert.

Thankee-Sai.
 
I had the same problems, re-reading the first book and trying to start the second book, but something would always come up which would pull me away from it. Finally I decided to sit down and read the whole damn thing, and it was perfect timing because Wizard and Glass had just come out. I was also pissed that the second book was so short. It seems like there's still a lot to deal with before the story is over, and one last book might not be enough...?

I really like Jack Sawyer from The Talisman and Black House, which I know is not an official DT character, but I think we will see him soon, because he defeated Mr. Munshun, who seemed to be one of the higher-ranking Low Men.

I also want to know how Insomnia will tie in; the little boy that was saved, Patrick I think was his name, is supposed to do something of the utmost importance later in life. He'd better show up in the last DT book!

The car in From a Buick 8 supposedly belonged to one of the Low Men. Their cars are also moving portals to Roland's world, and the hideous beasts that come out of the trunk either come from the Territories (nuclear wastelands from The Talisman) or the Wastelands (across which Roland't ka-tet travel in Book III).

I have also noticed that the books have become increasingly LESS about Roland at all. I hear Book VII will be mostly about him, and that he will have to complete the last leg of his quest alone once again...
 
In the last one he was getting older and had arthritis but without Roland finaly getting to the answer...why have I been reading all this ? BTW ...how many have wondered what King was smoking when he dreamed this story up ? What a mind. What a sick pup..I love it. Have you honered your father ?
 
Well the last book is out in bookstores now, has anyone picked it up? I have only read 2/3 of it so far, but already I have met Ted Brautigan (from Hearts in Atlantis), Sheemie (from Wizard and Glass), Dinky Edwards (from the title story in Everything's Eventual), Randall Flagg (from take your pick) and Patrick Danville (from Insomnia) once again. This book is supposed to be King's last ever, so it's doing a pretty good job of tying up the "loose ends" from his books...
 
What the Hell!! I didn't know that those stories I read had a tie between each other!! Heck I should start reading TDT or something!! Well I need to finish Bag of Bones and The Stand before that since I own them... My fav book of his is the Shining and Salems Lot...
 
animateria
What the Hell!! I didn't know that those stories I read had a tie between each other!! Heck I should start reading TDT or something!! Well I need to finish Bag of Bones and The Stand before that since I own them... My fav book of his is the Shining and Salems Lot...
Click to expand...
My friend, you don't know Stephen King until you've read the DT series, from the first page of The Gunslinger to the last page of The Dark Tower. It is both the story of the Tower which binds all existence and the series which binds all of Stephen King's worlds.

Necessary accompanying reading is Insomnia, the first story in Hearts in Atlantis (Low Men in Yellow Coats), The Stand, two short stories from Everything's Eventual (Everything's Eventual and The Little Sisters of Eluria), The Talisman and Black House (which should be read together as they are a "part 1 & 2" deal), and The Eyes of The Dragon. You should read "Salem's Lot if you haven't already BEFORE you read DT Book V, Wolves of the Calla.

To a lesser degree, you should also read Rose Madder and From a Buick 8.

That should keep you reading for a while, but I assure you that ONCE YOU READ THE DARK TOWER SERIES, IT WILL BECOME YOUR FAVOURITE INSTANTLY!
 
Bryce, I would not start with Black House, as it is itself a sequel to The Talisman. You could start with The Talisman, then read Black House before moving to the actual Dark Tower series. But I'd read the books in the following order:

The Eyes Of The Dragon
"The Little Sisters of Eluria," from Everything's Eventual
The Gunslinger
The Drawing of The Three
The Wastelands
Wizard And Glass
'Salem's Lot
Wolves Of The Calla
The Talisman
Black House
Song Of Susannah
Insomnia
"Low Men In Yellow Coats," from Hearts In Atlantis
"Everything's Eventual," from Everything's Eventual
The Dark Tower

This way you'll get the story in more or less the best order of events. That ought to keep you busy for a year or so of great reading!

I'd be glad to answer any more of your questions, as I know virtually everything about the series!!
 
Anderton Prime
Bryce, I would not start with Black House, as it is itself a sequel to The Talisman. You could start with The Talisman, then read Black House before moving to the actual Dark Tower series. But I'd read the books in the following order:

The Eyes Of The Dragon
"The Little Sisters of Eluria," from Everything's Eventual
The Gunslinger
The Drawing of The Three
The Wastelands
Wizard And Glass
'Salem's Lot
Wolves Of The Calla
The Talisman
Black House
Song Of Susannah
Insomnia
"Low Men In Yellow Coats," from Hearts In Atlantis
"Everything's Eventual," from Everything's Eventual
The Dark Tower

This way you'll get the story in more or less the best order of events. That ought to keep you busy for a year or so of great reading!

I'd be glad to answer any more of your questions, as I know virtually everything about the series!!
Click to expand...


Thanks alot man, thanks for the list and I hope to be talking to you soon again.

P.S. Have you got "The Cycle(spelling)Of A werewolf" It was very intresting
 
I'm still deciding between Dark Tower and Wheel of Time for the next set of novels I go through once I finish the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy of 5 parts....
The problem with Dark Tower is that it's 13 books before the actual dark tower books begin...
 
I'm almost finished it. what do you guys think about King bending his reality into the book ?
 
I've read Rose Madder and The Stand. I've also read a few of his others - Misery, The Dark Half, Four Past Midnight, The Bachman Books, Needful Things and The Tommyknockers.

I think I'm done with him though. So many of his books end with supernatural apocalypse, and I find it takes away from the credibility of the story that has gone before.
 
emad
I'm still deciding between Dark Tower and Wheel of Time for the next set of novels I go through once I finish the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy of 5 parts....
The problem with Dark Tower is that it's 13 books before the actual dark tower books begin...
Click to expand...
How so? Which 13 books are you thinking of? I posted the list of all the necessary books if you want to read the complete Dark Tower story, and there is only one full book and one short story before you actually tackle The Gunslinger...
 
ooooh, now i get it. I thought u meant all of those were necessary before reading the series. I didn't realize that most of those books were part of it. Anyways, i'll take the Dark Tower series into consideration. I may not get to it this year though because the book store here doesn't seem to carry many of the Dark Tower books as
 
I finished it today. a very good book in a very good series. king draws you into a world ( s) he creates and keeps you there better than most writers. The characters are easy to root for and against and you find yourself drawn to turn the pages to see what else you can discover. When its done you want more. What more can you ask from a book ?
 
i personally didnt realy like the ending too much but i wont go into detail since im sure no one wants it spoiled.
 
I thought the ending was perfect and highly fitting. And it was not the usual B.S. supernatural apocalypse ending like Giles mentioned, which was nice for once. 👍 The nice thing about this series is that you can just be a passive reader and just read the 7 main books, you can get really in-depth and read all the other tie-in stories, or any amount in between.
 
hmmm well i wasnt expecting/hoping for a supernatural apocalypse ending it just seemed to me like it kinda just left ya hanging.
 
well ok then here we go replying to a year old thread... damn i'm slow. i had to finish up reading the 5th and 6th books before i could get to the 7th. i must say its a very good book. the end made me sad though and left we with a bit of an empty feeling. that ending just didnt fit the series at all. i was feeling happy thinking he was going up the tower and everything would be fine. not a happy ever after but good none the less. its chessy the first line of the series and the last are the same.

oddly enough i still like it though. its true the whole story was more about the journey then the distination. just the twilight zone ending...
 
Back