The Dark Tower Books

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The Dark Tower represents a series of books written by a best-selling American author Stephen King. The series subsumes the theme from multifarious genres which include; science fantasy, western, dark fantasy, and horror. It provides a vivid description of a gunslinger and his adventure towards a tower. The nature of this quest is both physical and metaphorical. The Dark Tower series is seen by King as his all-encompassing work, with other novels of his tying into the Dark Tower story, as well as a series of comics and games.

The series features a protagonist Roland Deschain, who is the last of the gunslingers. He also apparently happens to be the last in the line of Arthur Eld which shares both social and technological characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. The sole purpose of Roland is finding the dark tower which is believed to be the core of all universes.

In 1982, the first book in The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger was released. Being the first book in the series, it serves as an introduction to the main character, Roland Deschain, who is the last surviving member of an order of people known as Gunslingers, which has a lineage and mythology loosely based around Arthurian legend. It is set in a world similar to the Old West of America, but it also has magical elements to it which is vanishing over time. While the overarching story of The Dark Tower series involves Roland heading off in search of the titular Dark Tower, the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, sees Roland heading off to find The Man In Black’, who serves as the first point on Roland’s quest. The Gunslinger is the shortest book in The Dark Tower series by a considerable way, coming in at 224 pages.

The series continued in the second book of the series, The Drawing of the Three, which was released in 1987. It follows directly on from The Gunslinger, where Roland finds himself under attack from a sea creature on a beach. After the attack, Roland continues along the beach on his quest to the Dark Tower, where he finds three doors, each leading to New York City during a different decade of the 20th century. Through these doors, Roland meets people who will be vital to helping him on his quest.

Roland and his companions’ journey towards the Dark Tower continues through the series, where they encounter various villains and must overcome seemingly impossible odds. Many of King’s books have tie-ins to The Dark Tower series, through connections with characters such as The Stand and Salem’s Lot, or through the use of similar languages as in Desperation, or in plot devices such as time travel and portals as in 11/22/63 and Rose Madder.

In 2004, King had claimed he had concluded the Dark Tower story, however he then released The Wind Through the Keyhole, which slots in between books four and five in tTe Dark Tower series, Wizard and Glass, and Wolves of the Calla. And it would not surprise any fans of the series if King did continue The Dark Tower series at some point in the future.

DARK TOWER AWARDS:

The fourth book of the series Dark Tower Wizard and Glass won Italia Awards in 1998. The same book was nominated for Locus awards the same year in the category of the best art book and fantasy novel.

In 2004 Wolves of the Calla a book by the same series won Locus Award in the category of Fantasy novel. In 2005, Song of Susannah the sixth book of the same series was nominated for the Locus Award in the category of Fantasy novel.

THE DARK TOWER BOOKS INTO MOVIES:

Luckily, Dark Tower has been incorporated into the big screen and is set to premiere on 17th February 2017. The efforts to adapt the series to the big screen have been ongoing since 2007. The film shall feature Idris Elba as Roland Deschain and Matthew McCaughey as Walter Padick.

BEST DARK TOWER BOOKS:

The first installation book of the series dark tower Gunslinger is considered the ultimate core of the entire series by King.

It all starts with Roland of Gilead or Roland Deshaun traveling in the desert by foot chasing “the man in black”, Walter. They are in a place that has moved on, and the Great War against Gilead has resulted in the destruction of the modern planet thus leaving behind desert wastelands and a handful of survivors.

At one instance, Roland encounters one survivor, an old man with his talking raven. He dines with the old man for a short while before resuming the chase. During this meeting, it is revealed that Roland is a gunslinger from Gilead. He gets to learn from what happened when Walter had stopped to rest there earlier. He later resumes his chase. He enters a town with very strange people. He is brave enough and suspects that the very town might be a trap laid upon by the Man in Black.

When he leaves the town, he once again encounters a young boy presumably of 9 years or so. Once more the boy describes his encounter with Walter. The boy later accompanies Roland, and he is faced with a dilemma whether to help the kid or continue with the chase.

The Wizard and Glass: Roland and his four friends (Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy) must find a way of defeating Blaine. Blaine the killing machine is seemingly driving the train at alarming speed that puts the life of the passengers at risk.

Roland and his four friends also capture a pink colored wizard’s glass. This glass shows Roland visions of his future and also the death of Susannah. These visions send him to almost unconscious state but later recovers. The glass also torments him with other visions that appear to have shape both his fate and that of Susan.

The following morning, Roland and his friends encounter the Wizard of OZ in Emerald City. The wizard flees when Roland tries to kill him. The wizard leaves behind a Maerlyn Grapefruit which then shows the day when Roland accidentally killed his mother. However, the group refuses to abandon the quest for finding the dark tower.

OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE:

Many Dark Tower fans are also fans of the “Talisman” – a fantasy series of a detective trying to investigate and solve a series of murders by Stephen King. “Hyperion” is another great match for the lovers of the Dark Tower. The science fiction novel was written by Dan Simmons.

Dark Tower FAQs

Q: Who writes The Dark Tower series?

A: American author Stephen King writes The Dark Tower series of novels.

Q: What order should I read The Dark Tower series in?

A: The Dark Tower series should be read in the following order: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Sussanah, and finally The Dark Tower.

What Is The Next Book in The Dark Tower Series?

There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Dark Tower Series. The newest book is The Wind Through the Keyhole and was released on February, 21st 2012.

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