Stephen King's The Dark Tower- The Complete Concordance

Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance #1-2

by Robin Furth, Stephen King (Introduction)

The Dark Tower series is the backbone of Stephen King's legendary career. Eight books and more than three thousand pages make up this bestselling fantasy epic. This revised and updated concordance, incorporating the 2012 Dark Tower novel The Wind Through the Keyhole, is the definitive encyclopedic reference book that provides readers with everything they need to navigate their way through the series. With hundreds of characters, Mid-World geography, High Speech lexicon, and extensive cross-references, this comprehensive handbook is essential for any Dark Tower fan.

Includes:

Characters and Genealogies

Magical Objects and Forces

Mid-World and Our World Places

Portals and Magical Places

Mid-, End-, and Our World Maps

Timeline for the Dark Tower Series

Mid-World Dialects

Mid-World Rhymes, Songs, and Prayers

Political and Cultural References

References to Stephen King’s Own Work

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Reference, Fiction, Science Fiction, Books About Books, Ebooks

733 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2003

About the author

Robin Furth is the personal research assistant to Stephen King and the author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Complete Concordance, which was published by Scribner on December 5, 2006. It is a compilation of her two previous encyclopedic books dealing with King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower: A Concordance, volume I - which explores the first four books in King's series - and A Concordance II, which gives the reader definitions and explanations of pivotal terms used over the course of the final three books of The Dark Tower. She is now currently working on the graphic novel adaptation of the Dark Tower for Marvel Comics.

Reviews

[Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't what I was expecting it to be.

It's mostly just a long list of names, places & plot situations.

I bought it thinking it would give me new knowledge & insight into the worlds of The Dark Tower but I'm left disappointed.

It's just a cross-reference tool and if you read the series closely you do not need this.

Only for the OCD completionist.

[Christina Brummett · Rating 5 out of 5]

One small quibble so far...on page 390, while defining "Territories", RF States that "Every human being in our world has a 'twinner ' in the territories." However, it's actually a plot point that the territories are smaller and not everyone has a twinner. --
The Talisman, pg. 52 paperback: "'There's people in this world have got Twinners in the Territories,' Speedy said. 'Not many, because there's a lot less people over there -- maybe only one for every hundred thousand over here. But Twinners can go back and forth the easiest.'"

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen King's Dark Tower series is my favorite epic work ever. Over the course of eight books he creates worlds, characters and scenarios that that truly display just what an awesome imagination the man has. The Dark Tower is massive and sprawling and a good guide is invaluable when making the trip to the Tower with Roland and Co.

This concordance, updated to include the newest "interquel" "The Wind Through The Keyhole" is a must-have for anyone who has fallen in love with King's magnum opus.

[Fernandina Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely haven't read this cover to cover but I figure I'll take it out of my currently reading. I'll be skimming this for a long time I'm sure

[Suvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

14.03.2020
Updated the list with the short stories Night Surf, Jerusalem's Lot, and One for the Road. They're technically not part of the universe on their own, but they're related to The Stand and Salem's Lot (apparently prologues/epilogues of sorts), so it makes sense to read them together.

09.10.2018
Okay, I've been leafing through this and I honestly find it hard to believe that there will be a better reference book for the Dark Tower series. This is a hefty tome that includes all the important terms and characters you need to remember when travelling in Roland's world, but also has the smallest of trivia that isn't probably very crucial information but which nevertheless makes the experience more whole and vivid. Furth has done an incredible job of keeping everything in good order, and as pointed out by King in his foreword, Concordance was never meant to be published but can still be useful to ordinary readers as well, not just the author (can you imagine being asked to be Stephen King's research assistant?).

And it is. The indexes are easy to use, there are several maps to make the journey more fun when you can actually follow the route (I have a good imagination and can usually picture the events in my mind pretty well, but I always appreciate maps, too), the definitions for dialect expressions are definitely going to be useful, introductions for the different volumes are great if you don't want to reread anything and just want to refresh your memory etc. Just make sure to get the newest fully revised and updated version and you're good to go.

I'm already reviewing this, because this isn't the sort of book you can just read normally all the way through, but I'll be updating my review if I stumble into any issues during my reading project or have some thoughts I want to share about the functionality of the book.

03.09.2018
Finally. I'm determined to finish the entire Dark Tower series (well, actually, I decided to just go ahead and start from the beginning, because I don't remember much anymore). Not just that, but I'm also going to read the most important novels that are connected to the universe and should ideally be read together with the series. In preparation, I'm first going to browse The Concordance a little to get an idea how it's constructed and then keep it handy while going through the project.

I'm... scared. But also excited, so it's all good.

There are multiple versions of the correct reading order and many good arguments for and against the positions of certain books, but since I wasn't fully satisfied with any of them, I did some tweaking and made my own list. I'm going to add it beneath every review connected with the universe, so that you have a better idea about my progress and you can easily access the related reviews. Feel free to use this if it's helpful to you as well.

"Night Surf" from Night Shift (1978)
The Stand: Complete and Uncut Edition (1990)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (2003 Revised Edition)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
"Little Sisters of Eluria" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
"Jerusalem's Lot" from Night Shift (1978)
Salem's Lot (1975)
"One for the Road" from Night Shift (1978)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
Insomnia (1994)
Black House (2001) (sequel to The Talisman)
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" from Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
"Everything's Eventual" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)

[Mafalda Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Murat Gonul · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazingly brilliant work!

Solid and thorough reference book for the magnificent Dark Tower Series. It has all the characters and the relations between them. It has all the maps of the places, and lyrics for the songs, references to our world and litetature references. All in all great companion for the long and beautiful journey that is The Dark Tower Series. A must-have to all the fans!

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indispensable to review and sew together strands of information.

[Cassidi Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected. I wanted something that would be more of a guide as I read the dark tower books, but this is mostly full of character and location lists. Due to this, I will not read it completely, but refer to it as I need to if I find myself confused on characters. I also expected more info on SK novel connections. There is a small page with a list of books that the dark tower series has a connection to, but nothing in depth at all. I found more on the internet.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the ultimate companion piece to Stephen's King 'The Dark Tower' series, listing every person, place and thing of note within the series, describing each item and providing both information from throughout the series on each item (helping straighten up some clues and references) as well as further information, including potential references to other Stephen King books. A must have for any Tower fan.

[Michael Benavidez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really isn't anything to read from cover to cover, or anything. It's more like a dictionary for all things King (up to when this was published of course). This is a really great book to read especially for those King fans that are into his much larger universe he's been creating. Of course the pinnacle of everything is the Dark Tower series, and this gives many of the linking clues from characters to key terms.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a while to get through since I had no deadline and it's not exactly a page-turner. As a reference book for fans of The Dark Tower series (of which I'm one), this concordance includes everything you want to know--or remember-- about the seven-book series. Everything from the characters--major and minor-- to the songs they sing are there. Nearly every entry took me back to scenes in the books. I recalled how much I hated the bad guys and how much I empathized with so many of the good guys.

Stephen King endorses the book in his introduction(s). Even a guy like him is impressed with the research and writing. Hey, that's a recommendation I can accept. Since I plan to re-read The Dark Tower books, I'll be keeping this one on the nightstand. Good job, Robin Furth.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot so much of the Dark Tower series, but this book was easy to look things up and remember some of the major events of the Stephen King Universe. Not super helpful unless you have completed the DT series or have read a lot of SK, but if you have, it is a wealth of knowledge! 4.6

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the heads.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would be lying to say that I have "read" this nearly 700 page book - it is a reference book, you don't read it cover to cover!

However, I have read the intro and referenced secgtions to clean up my own maps - The earlier maps I have seen (and the current ones) for " The Gunslinger" and "The Drawing of Three" are not quite right.

However I got a huge buzz out of this (making it 4 stars instead of 3), when Furth exoplicitly maade the connect for me that around 300 years had passed while Roland was talking with the Walter, and that the world had moved on, shifting the path of the beam and distances drifted...

So what does this mean to the mapping pedant? The end of "The drawing of Three" and the beginning of "The Waste Lands" are back tracking over where "The Gunslinger" began!

I have also enjoyed being able to flick to the "Our World Places" references rather than having to google everything.

All up a must have book for any swerious fan of "The Dark Tower" series.

[Carl Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not what I thought it was going to be. I would only recommend this to the most die hard Dark Tower Fan. This is a reference manual than categorizes previous information from the series and comics. Does not give any new info from what I can tell.

[Zach Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Gan this book is indispensable. Robin Furth actually makes the Dark Tower series a hundred times richer and more fascinating, and lays the track for complete rereads or quick dip-in/dip-out Tower sessions. Constantly flipping through this one as a Constant Reader.

[April (The Steadfast Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful tool in reading the Dark Tower series. Especially if you stop in the middle to read something else. Great resource.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reference book, and a thorough one at that. I referred to it frequently during my recent re-read of the Dark Tower series. Occasionally I would sit with it a while longer, paging through and reading entries the piqued my interest. I'm sure I will continue to do so, both in future re-reads, but also just when I think of a random Dark Tower question at 3am (my fellow Tower junkies know the feeling).

The main body of the text is an extensive (and I do mean extensive) concordance of almost every person, place, thing, term, etc. that comes up in the Dark Tower series and related works. There's always going to be controversy and mystery when it comes to the Dark Tower (for instance, I'm less sure than Furth that we live in Keystone Earth), but Furth has done a huge service for Dark Tower fans. Honestly, it's impressive.

There are also some supplemental materials, including introductions, maps, and (my favorite) some great discussion questions for book clubs and/or inquiring readers.

[Fede · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero utile per richiamare alla memoria luoghi, persone, situazioni.
Un dizionario, breviario in ordine alfabetico di tutto ciò che è contennuto, citato, menzionato all'interno dei libri della Torre nera, un "must have" per ogni appassionato.
Per ogni voce è spiegato di cosa si tratta e in quali pagine di quali libri sono presenti i punti in cui se ne parla.
L'autrice di questa guida ha fatto un lavoro certosino che, almeno all'inizio, doveva servire a King stesso epr rimanere focalizzato su questo mondo, ma che poi si è deciso di condividere anche con i fedeli lettori...e io non posso che esserbe felice.
L'unica pecca è che fa riferimento ovviamente ai libri in inglese e non a quelli in italiano (è anche scritto in inglese e none siste la versione in italiano) così ritrovarsi con i numeri delle pagine è un po' difficile anche se, comunque, anche il solo riportare alla mente un personaggio o un luogo in modo molto diretto e veloce è davvero comodo.

[Adrian Gazaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

If used as a reference encyclopedia and nothing more, I imagine this is much better. However, reading it back to front as I did is not that exciting, and despite implications on the back cover it doesn't tell you anything you don't already know if you've read the series. The errors here and there don't help either, nor does the author's tendency to usually ignore and not cite information from outside the Dark Tower series proper, despite that information being canon. Examples: Black House, Insomnia, etc.
Damned if it doesn't look AWESOME on the shelf next to your other Dark Tower books, though.

[Brennan Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 overall for what it is. Excellent resource for anyone embarking on the Dark Tower series. There is a tremendous wealth of characters, relations between those characters, locations, times and alternate times of those locations, years and events, and so much more in the series. This can be an invaluable tool to help keep up with it all, especially if one is spacing the books out over an extended period of time. Also contains a few excellent essays on the books, and a great introduction from King himself. Must own for Dark Tower readers.

[Levy Mclaurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m marking this book as red because as more of a companion piece that I will undoubtedly refer back to numerous times on my journey to the dark tower. I do not think I’ll read every word in this book for probably a year or so however I have read 161 pages of it and look forward to picking it up daily as a refresher to the tower until my second read through of it. I picked it up after finishing the dark tower series a few days ago and look as it as my “horn of eld” who knows maybe I’ll make less mistakes through this journey of the tower because I now have it with me!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful reference book for the Dark Tower Junkie! Robin Furth has brilliantly woven together an in-depth, encyclopedia of every character - both big and small, every town, battle, and alternate dimension/world. It's quite amazing the amount of research she put into this book. And while it's surely a reference guide, it's also a fun read. After completing the Dark Tower Series, it was nice to revisit the adventure and refresh those many hours of DT memories.

[Sebastian Calderon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic reference for a fantastic series. Some minor quibbles with details but honestly it doesn't detract from the work that Robin Furth has done with compiling this incredible world (really, a universe!) into such detail.

[Adam]

I don't know if it's fair to say I read it, since I didn't go straight through, but I spent several days with this in lieu of actually rereading the series. Man, this series is kind of goofy. So is the guide to it.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

THis is a gReat reference, has everything you want to know and remember from the series, makes me want to re read or listen to them all soon!!!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived this with them.

[Pegiju · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is actually fantastic