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The Dark Tower Reading Order.

Quick Answer

Start with The Gunslinger (1982); the 2003 revised edition fits the later books better.

Stephen King's epic saga following Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger, on his quest to reach the Dark Tower, the nexus of all universes.

Where to start

Start with The Gunslinger (1982); the 2003 revised edition fits the later books better.

  • •The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012) is set between books 4 and 5.
  • •Many other Stephen King books connect to the Dark Tower, but none are required.

Community Consensus

Medium Debate

"The overwhelming consensus is to start with the main ten-book series, 'Malazan Book of the Fallen,' beginning with 'Gardens of the Moon.' This order (release/publication order) is generally considered superior to chronological order, as the chronological starting point, 'Forge of Darkness,' is deemed less accessible to new readers and contains significant spoilers/fan-service moments that only resonate after reading the main series. The secondary books (Ian Esslemont's novels and the Kharkanas Prequels) should be read either concurrently by release date or, for maximum safety and simplicity, read entirely after the completion of the main ten-book series."

Key Reddit Advice

Start with 'Gardens of the Moon' (Book 1 of Malazan Book of the Fallen), continue through the 10 books, and save 'Forge of Darkness' and the other Esslemont companion novels until afterward.

Complete Series Reading Order

Publication Reading Order8 Titles

Why Publication Order?We recommend reading in Publication Order (default). This follows the author's release schedule, ensuring you experience plot twists, character growth, and world-building exactly as intended without spoilers.
Best Start Here
1

The Gunslinger

Pub: 1982

No description available.

2

The Drawing of the Three

Pub: 1987

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Gunslinger".

[The Dark Tower][1] II Part II of an epic saga. Roland, the last gunslinger, encounters three mysterious doorways on the beach. Each one enters into a different person living in New York. Through these doorways, Roland draws the companions who will assist him on his quest to save the Dark Tower. ([source][2]) [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL81600W/The_Dark_Tower_1-7 [2]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_tower_the_drawing_of_the_three_the.html

3

The Waste Lands

Pub: 1991

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Drawing of the Three".

4

Wizard and Glass

Pub: 1997

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Waste Lands".

[The Dark Tower][1] IV Part IV of an epic quest. Roland the Gunslinger and his followers have to contend with a sentient monorail intent on killing itself and taking them with it. While seeking to return to the Path of the Beam that will lead them to the Dark Tower, Roland tells his friends a story about the tragic loss of his first love, Susan Delgado. ([source][2]) [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL81600W/The_Dark_Tower_1-7 [2]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_tower_wizard_and_glass_the.html

5

The Wind Through the Keyhole

Pub: 2012Optional

Plot details hidden until you finish "Wizard and Glass".

Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape shifter, a "skin man," Roland Deschain takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter. Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime, "The Wind through the Keyhole." (The novel can be placed between Dark Tower IV and Dark Tower V.)

6

Wolves of the Calla

Pub: 2003

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Wind Through the Keyhole".

[The Dark Tower][1] V After escaping the perilous wreckage of Blaine the insane Mono and eluding the evil clutches of the vindictive sorcerer Randall Flagg, Roland and his ka-tet find themselves back on the southeasterly path of the Beam. Here, in the borderlands that lie between Mid-World and End-World, Roland and his friends are approached by a frightened band of representatives from the nearby town of Calla Bryn Sturgis. In less than a month, the Calla will be attacked by the Wolves--those masked riders that gallop out of Thunderclap once a generation to steal the town's children. The Calla folken need the kind of help that only gunslingers can give, and if the tet agrees to help, the town's priest--Father Callahan, once of 'Salem's Lot, Maine--promises to give them Black Thirteen, the most potent and treacherous of Maerlyn's magic balls. He used it to enter Mid-World, and now it sleeps fitfully beneath the floorboards of his church. Meanwhile, in the New York of 1977, the Sombra Corporation plots to destroy the lot at Second Avenue and Forty-Sixth Street. How can Roland and his friends both save the rose and fight the Wolves? Only by using the magic of Black Thirteen, but how can anyone trust this sinister and treacherous object which is, in actuality, the eye of the Crimson King himself? Time is running out on all levels of the Tower, but unless our ka-tet can defeat the minions of Thunderclap both in our world and in Mid-World, they will never reach that great lynchpin of the time/space continuum which, even now, begins to totter . . . ([source][2]) [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL81600W/The_Dark_Tower_1-7 [2]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_tower_wolves_of_the_calla_the.html

7

Song of Susannah

Pub: 2004

Plot details hidden until you finish "Wolves of the Calla".

[The Dark Tower][1] VI Susannah, now pregnant, has yet another taking control of her. The demon-mother, Mia, uses Susannah and Black Thirteen to transport to New York City of 1999. Jake, Oy, and Pere Callahan must rescue Susannah while Eddie and Roland transport to the Maine of 1977. A vacant lot in New York is the prize that must be saved and ties these together. ([source][2]) [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL81600W/The_Dark_Tower_1-7 [2]: https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_tower_song_of_susannah_the.html

8

The Dark Tower

Pub: 2004

Plot details hidden until you finish "Song of Susannah".

Contains: - [The Gunslinger][1] - [The Drawing of the Three][2] - [The Waste Lands][3] - [Wizard and Glass][4]

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Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read The Dark Tower in?

Start with The Gunslinger (1982); the 2003 revised edition fits the later books better.

How many books are in The Dark Tower?

7 main books, published 1982–2004, plus 1 side story.

Can I read The Dark Tower out of order?

It's best not to. The books build on each other, so reading out of order spoils earlier twists.

Which books in The Dark Tower are prequels, novellas or side stories?

"The Wind Through the Keyhole". Each is placed in the reading order below.

Has The Dark Tower been adapted for TV or film?

The 2017 film combines elements from several books.