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Темная Башня. Путеводитель
"Темная Башня"... Больше тридцати лет прошло с тех пор, как Стивен Кинг начал писать свой прославленный цикл - сагу из семи книг о Роланде, последнем стрелке. О его приключениях в странном мире, центр которого - Темная Башня...
"Путеводитель" создавался Бевом Винсентом в тесном сотрудничестве со Стивеном Кингом. Это - первая попытка рассмотреть все семь томов саги как единое целое. В приложениях даются две хронологии: фактических событий, связанных с публикациями, и вымышленных, происходящих в мире Роланда и параллельных мирах, глоссарий терминов Срединного мира, перечень интернет-ресурсов и полный текст мистической поэмы Роберта Браунинга "Чайльд-Роланд дошел до Темной Башни".
"Путеводитель" создавался Бевом Винсентом в тесном сотрудничестве со Стивеном Кингом. Это - первая попытка рассмотреть все семь томов саги как единое целое. В приложениях даются две хронологии: фактических событий, связанных с публикациями, и вымышленных, происходящих в мире Роланда и параллельных мирах, глоссарий терминов Срединного мира, перечень интернет-ресурсов и полный текст мистической поэмы Роберта Браунинга "Чайльд-Роланд дошел до Темной Башни".
448 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2004
110 people are currently reading
19974 people want to read
About the author
Bev Vincent
129 books97 followersBev Vincent is the author of The Dark Tower Companion, The Road to the Dark Tower, the Bram Stoker Award nominated companion to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, which was nominated for a 2010 Edgar® Award and a 2009 Bram Stoker Award. In 2018, he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King.
His short fiction has appeared in places like Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Borderlands 5, Ice Cold, and The Blue Religion. Four stories were collected in When the Night Comes Down and another four in a CD Select eBook. His story “The Bank Job” won the Al Blanchard Award. “The Honey Trap” from Ice Cold was nominated for an ITW Thriller Award in 2015 and “Zombies On A Plane” was nominated for an Ignotus Award in 2020.
His work has been translated into: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Serbian, Spanish and Ukrainian.
He has been a contributing editor with Cemetery Dance magazine since 2001 and writes book reviews for Onyx Reviews. He has served as a judge for the Al Blanchard, Shirley Jackson and Edgar Awards.
His short fiction has appeared in places like Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Borderlands 5, Ice Cold, and The Blue Religion. Four stories were collected in When the Night Comes Down and another four in a CD Select eBook. His story “The Bank Job” won the Al Blanchard Award. “The Honey Trap” from Ice Cold was nominated for an ITW Thriller Award in 2015 and “Zombies On A Plane” was nominated for an Ignotus Award in 2020.
His work has been translated into: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Serbian, Spanish and Ukrainian.
He has been a contributing editor with Cemetery Dance magazine since 2001 and writes book reviews for Onyx Reviews. He has served as a judge for the Al Blanchard, Shirley Jackson and Edgar Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
February 2, 2022
A unnecessary book if you've read The Dark Tower closely.
There's nothing in here that's new.
I found it pretty boring also because the illustrations are tiny and black and white, I guess it would have gotten three stars if it had some cool coloured artwork.
I've given it two stars because it could be used to remind you of things that happen in the series.
There's nothing in here that's new.
I found it pretty boring also because the illustrations are tiny and black and white, I guess it would have gotten three stars if it had some cool coloured artwork.
I've given it two stars because it could be used to remind you of things that happen in the series.
May 15, 2022
The magnum opus of Stephen King's career first began with the Browning poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, and then with what would become his own quite famous first line of The Gunslinger, a line written in 1970 shortly after finishing college.
A Long Journey (Intro & Chapter 1)
When King started The Dark Tower, he'd always believed (or thought) that the whole story, if ever finished, would be epic in scale. Early in, he wondered if it could even be finished. Being a fantasy, a genre outside his norm, his publisher sold the parts of the story, as they came, to The Magazine of Science & Fantasy. Five separate installments, issued between the years of '78 to '81. These made up the whole of The Gunslinger, and King had no plans to issue as a whole. If it hadn't been for a casual dinner conversation with Donald M. Grant, the story may never have been made in book form at all. And when it did, it came in a small press run consisting a total of 10,000 copies. It's then only due to the author ad-card (“Also by”) page in the book, Pet Sematary, that the majority of fans even came to know about it. Listed there between Cujo (1981) and Christine (1982), were the words The Gunslinger (1982). WTF!? - fans wrote to the publishers and King himself in an uproar of letters. And so began the story behind our gunslinger's beginnings.
The book didn't make it into the mainstream until a paperback was okay-ed and issued by Plume in 1988, one year after the second dark tower book, The Drawing of the Three, had been published (again only offered in limited edition hardcover format by Grant in 1987). Each of the first four novels would come out this way (limited hardcover first – then paperback a year or so later). I still wish I'd known about those limited editions then. Even so, it's the story that was most important to me, and I read each as they were released to the masses. Like every other Dark Tower fan, I would then patiently/impatiently wait for the next book. Know that before there were those who harped at George R.R. Martin about The Song of Ice & Fire, there were those who griped to King.
Four years would pass before DT #3 The Waste Lands was completed. Readers ate it up. And then nothing for 6 long years. Letters from fans poured in again, “When will we see the next book?!!”. Note: the cliff-hanger ending of “The Waste Lands” had not helped with readers need for answers, nor the fact that King produced another six (mostly unrelated) novels between 1991 and 1996. Always on his mind, thoughts about the Dark Tower had begun to bleed into some of these other non-series books – very much so in Insomnia; and a little bit in Rose Madder, until he committed himself to finishing DT #4 Wizard and Glass, releasing in 1997.
King's accident in 1999 almost spelled the end of the Dark Tower. Many fans, King included, thought he would never write again. But we know he did. When Straub suggested incorporating the Dark Tower mythos into their second collaboration, Black House in 2001, King said he was glad, ”I don't know if I can keep it out. At this point, everything I write is connected to it. The six-year gap between DT #4 and #5 was eased by the fact that King had committed to completing the remainder of Roland's story in one go. Wolves of the Calla in 2003; Song of Susannah in 2004, followed closely by The Dark Tower later that fall. The long road had come to its end.
From The Gunslinger to The Dark Tower (Chapters 2 – 8 Clues & Notes)
I've now read The Gunslinger (DT1) twice, and yet still I've missed some of the many subtle, but important clues that tell of Roland's journey ahead. What I probably couldn't have seen the first time is the cyclical nature of Roland's quest (if you've read the entirety of the series, then you'll know what I'm speaking of). Look for clues in the beginning, like the reverse-time nature of Roland's story telling.
Bev Vincent follows by individually analyzing each Dark Tower book from beginning to end. I found his notes on DT1 – The Gunslinger to be most helpful in terms of understanding. That's probably because it is easily the most misunderstood, and puzzling of the 8 DT books. From there, Vincent's notes on each are mostly a timeline rehash. It is good for understanding terminology and connecting the series as a whole, but kind of tedious.
The Related Works (Chapter 9)
Did you know that Stephen King's other works are interconnected with the worlds of the Dark Tower? Of course you did. Some of his books loosely connect to the DT series with little more than character name, a place, or a car. Others are much closer. They actually break the plane of the fourth wall and enter into those other worlds. Many a fan are dedicated to finding and discussing these cross-references. Myself, I've never been the best at remembering connections and terms while reading so tend to have missed many. But, some connections are completely obvious, like The Man in Black (Randall Flagg/R.F./Walter O' Dim) who walks the books of The Stand , and The Eyes of the Dragon , among others. King came much closer to the world of Roland Deschain when writing Insomnia , at one point nearly calling it a Dark Tower novel before completion. Patrick Danville does walk with Roland in DT7, and Ralph Roberts sees The Crimson King via the effects of sleep deprivation. If you decide to read the books closely related to The Dark Tower, don't forget Salem's Lot , Hearts in Atlantis , and Black House and others too.
Etcetera (Chapters 10 thru Appendices)
The remainder of the book takes a look at individual main characters; the influences to King's writing of the series, timelines, a short glossary, and whether this truly is the magnum opus defining his career.
A note about reading this book: If your just starting your trip to the Dark Tower, or even somewhere in the middle of that venture, I'd advise waiting until completion before reading this book to avoid the spoilers. For Dark Tower junkies, add it to your collection.
A Long Journey (Intro & Chapter 1)
When King started The Dark Tower, he'd always believed (or thought) that the whole story, if ever finished, would be epic in scale. Early in, he wondered if it could even be finished. Being a fantasy, a genre outside his norm, his publisher sold the parts of the story, as they came, to The Magazine of Science & Fantasy. Five separate installments, issued between the years of '78 to '81. These made up the whole of The Gunslinger, and King had no plans to issue as a whole. If it hadn't been for a casual dinner conversation with Donald M. Grant, the story may never have been made in book form at all. And when it did, it came in a small press run consisting a total of 10,000 copies. It's then only due to the author ad-card (“Also by”) page in the book, Pet Sematary, that the majority of fans even came to know about it. Listed there between Cujo (1981) and Christine (1982), were the words The Gunslinger (1982). WTF!? - fans wrote to the publishers and King himself in an uproar of letters. And so began the story behind our gunslinger's beginnings.
The book didn't make it into the mainstream until a paperback was okay-ed and issued by Plume in 1988, one year after the second dark tower book, The Drawing of the Three, had been published (again only offered in limited edition hardcover format by Grant in 1987). Each of the first four novels would come out this way (limited hardcover first – then paperback a year or so later). I still wish I'd known about those limited editions then. Even so, it's the story that was most important to me, and I read each as they were released to the masses. Like every other Dark Tower fan, I would then patiently/impatiently wait for the next book. Know that before there were those who harped at George R.R. Martin about The Song of Ice & Fire, there were those who griped to King.
Four years would pass before DT #3 The Waste Lands was completed. Readers ate it up. And then nothing for 6 long years. Letters from fans poured in again, “When will we see the next book?!!”. Note: the cliff-hanger ending of “The Waste Lands” had not helped with readers need for answers, nor the fact that King produced another six (mostly unrelated) novels between 1991 and 1996. Always on his mind, thoughts about the Dark Tower had begun to bleed into some of these other non-series books – very much so in Insomnia; and a little bit in Rose Madder, until he committed himself to finishing DT #4 Wizard and Glass, releasing in 1997.
King's accident in 1999 almost spelled the end of the Dark Tower. Many fans, King included, thought he would never write again. But we know he did. When Straub suggested incorporating the Dark Tower mythos into their second collaboration, Black House in 2001, King said he was glad, ”I don't know if I can keep it out. At this point, everything I write is connected to it. The six-year gap between DT #4 and #5 was eased by the fact that King had committed to completing the remainder of Roland's story in one go. Wolves of the Calla in 2003; Song of Susannah in 2004, followed closely by The Dark Tower later that fall. The long road had come to its end.
(Can you tell I found the section above to be the most interesting? It covers only the first 27 pages.)
From The Gunslinger to The Dark Tower (Chapters 2 – 8 Clues & Notes)
I've now read The Gunslinger (DT1) twice, and yet still I've missed some of the many subtle, but important clues that tell of Roland's journey ahead. What I probably couldn't have seen the first time is the cyclical nature of Roland's quest (if you've read the entirety of the series, then you'll know what I'm speaking of). Look for clues in the beginning, like the reverse-time nature of Roland's story telling.
Bev Vincent follows by individually analyzing each Dark Tower book from beginning to end. I found his notes on DT1 – The Gunslinger to be most helpful in terms of understanding. That's probably because it is easily the most misunderstood, and puzzling of the 8 DT books. From there, Vincent's notes on each are mostly a timeline rehash. It is good for understanding terminology and connecting the series as a whole, but kind of tedious.
The Related Works (Chapter 9)
Did you know that Stephen King's other works are interconnected with the worlds of the Dark Tower? Of course you did. Some of his books loosely connect to the DT series with little more than character name, a place, or a car. Others are much closer. They actually break the plane of the fourth wall and enter into those other worlds. Many a fan are dedicated to finding and discussing these cross-references. Myself, I've never been the best at remembering connections and terms while reading so tend to have missed many. But, some connections are completely obvious, like The Man in Black (Randall Flagg/R.F./Walter O' Dim) who walks the books of The Stand , and The Eyes of the Dragon , among others. King came much closer to the world of Roland Deschain when writing Insomnia , at one point nearly calling it a Dark Tower novel before completion. Patrick Danville does walk with Roland in DT7, and Ralph Roberts sees The Crimson King via the effects of sleep deprivation. If you decide to read the books closely related to The Dark Tower, don't forget Salem's Lot , Hearts in Atlantis , and Black House and others too.
Etcetera (Chapters 10 thru Appendices)
The remainder of the book takes a look at individual main characters; the influences to King's writing of the series, timelines, a short glossary, and whether this truly is the magnum opus defining his career.
A note about reading this book: If your just starting your trip to the Dark Tower, or even somewhere in the middle of that venture, I'd advise waiting until completion before reading this book to avoid the spoilers. For Dark Tower junkies, add it to your collection.
March 31, 2018
I have been a fan of Stephen King almost all my life, have read all of his novels (well, close to it, I haven't read the sequels to Mr. Mershitties, or his newest books... yet.), almost every short story, and both of his non-fiction books about writing. I have loved the Dark Tower series for many years, and have read it many (many, many) times, and even have multiple tattoos inspired by and based on the series. I consider myself to be pretty well-versed on King and this series and the multiverse within it... but it is clear to me now that I am but dipping my toe into the waters of this epic.
And I love it. I love that even after all this time, after so many reads and rereads and analyses and tie-ins and easter eggs and hints and winks and nods... after all that, there's still more to learn and explore and understand, deeper meaning and history and symbolism. For that alone, this book should get 5 stars.
This book is a fantastic reference and research aide to The Dark Tower series, and it not only provides a recap of each book, but analyzes the inspiration for the full series, the story and characters, and whose literary shoulders the series stands on, and how those actually add to and tie in to the story, rather than just being a stepping stone. This book delves into the author's mind and process, and the nature of storytelling and creation.
It should go without saying that you should not be reading this book, nor my review, if you haven't read the full Dark Tower series (Wind Through The Keyhole notwithstanding). So, you know... turn back now if that's the case.
So, at this point, the observant among you may have noticed that I did not actually give this book a 5 star rating. Though I did really enjoy it (don't be fooled by the month and a half it took me to finish this - it was not my primary read, and I read several books while working on this one), I felt that there were a few things that marred it.
First, this book was started in 2002 and written at the same time as the final three Dark Tower books, and was actually released almost simultaneously with the final book, The Dark Tower, in 2004. Now, in his acknowledgements, he does mention that his quotes are from pre-release material, and the level of detail about the plot and the story means that he absolutely read it and analyzed it and that's all well and good. But I can't help but feel like there were some missed opportunities for further analysis and thematic tie-ins from pushing the release so close to the finale of the source material's release.
For one, there's always a risk that the pre-release and the official published story will differ, though that's not likely to be anything major in this kind of story, written as it comes rather than trying to follow some pre-outlined script and finding it doesn't work at the very end. Though... endings have not always been King's strong point, so a last-minute tweak wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Obviously that didn't happen, or at least not in any meaningful way, but I'm just saying that it's a risk to base so much analysis on something that is not even "official" yet, just to beat others to the punch, if indeed that's the reason for this kind of timeline.
Secondly, pushing that kind of deadline means that everything is rushed. This book was laid out in blocks:
Chapter 1: The Long Journey To The Tower
Chapter 2-8: Recaps of each book in the series (obviously excluding The Wind Through The Keyhole)
Chapter 9: Related works
Chapter 10: Dramatis Personae
Chapter 11: Epics, Influences and Ka
Chapter 12: Art and the Act of Creation
After that we have an Argument regarding whether this series is King's Magnum Opus, and 6 appendices containing various items of interest and reference, including a timeline of King's writing of the series and major life events that may have influenced or been included (his 1999 accident is one), as well as a timeline of the chronology of Roland's quest, both in Mid-World and Keystone Earth.
The reason I just typed all of this is because it feels like it was written in these sections, and not as a whole cohesive book. From one section to the next, things are repeated over and over, as if they had not been covered yet at all. For example, it's mentioned several times (in the recap of The Drawing of the Three chapter, Susannah's character chapter, and also in the Art & Act of Creation chapter) that the "fabled A train" doesn't stop at Christopher Street station where Susannah loses her legs. Ditto with Co-Op City being in Brooklyn instead of The Bronx in multiple chapters. Of course, the context varies, but the content is recapped again and again, making the book feel as though another round of editing and clean up probably would have been worthwhile, just so that it doesn't feel quite so repetitive. And hence the issue that I have with it being released so quickly.
Finally, (and this is my last point on this release date complaint, I promise!) in 2004, there was a really cool mini-series which was a Stephen King adaptation of a Lars von Trier show. This is relevant because the main character, Peter Rickman, had the same ability that Patrick Danville had - his drawings became reality.
I know that this is only one tie-in, (Duma Key was much later... I don't expect the guy to wait THAT long...) but it feels like a missed opportunity to discuss the fuller concept of art becoming life, particularly given that there's a whole chapter essentially designed for this topic.
Anyway, I totally get that these criticisms may be nitpicky, especially considering how well researched and well-written this is. It is a very compelling analysis and you can tell that Bev Vincent is a huge fan of the series and of King's work in general. At least that's the impression I got. But they were the little things that bugged me, and so I gotta mention them. Maybe, when I get to his follow-up from 2013, The Dark Tower Companion: A Guide to Stephen King's Epic Fantasy, it will knock my socks off with perfection. This was a damn good start, I'll give it that!
And I love it. I love that even after all this time, after so many reads and rereads and analyses and tie-ins and easter eggs and hints and winks and nods... after all that, there's still more to learn and explore and understand, deeper meaning and history and symbolism. For that alone, this book should get 5 stars.
This book is a fantastic reference and research aide to The Dark Tower series, and it not only provides a recap of each book, but analyzes the inspiration for the full series, the story and characters, and whose literary shoulders the series stands on, and how those actually add to and tie in to the story, rather than just being a stepping stone. This book delves into the author's mind and process, and the nature of storytelling and creation.
It should go without saying that you should not be reading this book, nor my review, if you haven't read the full Dark Tower series (Wind Through The Keyhole notwithstanding). So, you know... turn back now if that's the case.
So, at this point, the observant among you may have noticed that I did not actually give this book a 5 star rating. Though I did really enjoy it (don't be fooled by the month and a half it took me to finish this - it was not my primary read, and I read several books while working on this one), I felt that there were a few things that marred it.
First, this book was started in 2002 and written at the same time as the final three Dark Tower books, and was actually released almost simultaneously with the final book, The Dark Tower, in 2004. Now, in his acknowledgements, he does mention that his quotes are from pre-release material, and the level of detail about the plot and the story means that he absolutely read it and analyzed it and that's all well and good. But I can't help but feel like there were some missed opportunities for further analysis and thematic tie-ins from pushing the release so close to the finale of the source material's release.
For one, there's always a risk that the pre-release and the official published story will differ, though that's not likely to be anything major in this kind of story, written as it comes rather than trying to follow some pre-outlined script and finding it doesn't work at the very end. Though... endings have not always been King's strong point, so a last-minute tweak wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Obviously that didn't happen, or at least not in any meaningful way, but I'm just saying that it's a risk to base so much analysis on something that is not even "official" yet, just to beat others to the punch, if indeed that's the reason for this kind of timeline.
Secondly, pushing that kind of deadline means that everything is rushed. This book was laid out in blocks:
Chapter 1: The Long Journey To The Tower
Chapter 2-8: Recaps of each book in the series (obviously excluding The Wind Through The Keyhole)
Chapter 9: Related works
Chapter 10: Dramatis Personae
Chapter 11: Epics, Influences and Ka
Chapter 12: Art and the Act of Creation
After that we have an Argument regarding whether this series is King's Magnum Opus, and 6 appendices containing various items of interest and reference, including a timeline of King's writing of the series and major life events that may have influenced or been included (his 1999 accident is one), as well as a timeline of the chronology of Roland's quest, both in Mid-World and Keystone Earth.
The reason I just typed all of this is because it feels like it was written in these sections, and not as a whole cohesive book. From one section to the next, things are repeated over and over, as if they had not been covered yet at all. For example, it's mentioned several times (in the recap of The Drawing of the Three chapter, Susannah's character chapter, and also in the Art & Act of Creation chapter) that the "fabled A train" doesn't stop at Christopher Street station where Susannah loses her legs. Ditto with Co-Op City being in Brooklyn instead of The Bronx in multiple chapters. Of course, the context varies, but the content is recapped again and again, making the book feel as though another round of editing and clean up probably would have been worthwhile, just so that it doesn't feel quite so repetitive. And hence the issue that I have with it being released so quickly.
Finally, (and this is my last point on this release date complaint, I promise!) in 2004, there was a really cool mini-series which was a Stephen King adaptation of a Lars von Trier show. This is relevant because the main character, Peter Rickman, had the same ability that Patrick Danville had - his drawings became reality.
I know that this is only one tie-in, (Duma Key was much later... I don't expect the guy to wait THAT long...) but it feels like a missed opportunity to discuss the fuller concept of art becoming life, particularly given that there's a whole chapter essentially designed for this topic.
Anyway, I totally get that these criticisms may be nitpicky, especially considering how well researched and well-written this is. It is a very compelling analysis and you can tell that Bev Vincent is a huge fan of the series and of King's work in general. At least that's the impression I got. But they were the little things that bugged me, and so I gotta mention them. Maybe, when I get to his follow-up from 2013, The Dark Tower Companion: A Guide to Stephen King's Epic Fantasy, it will knock my socks off with perfection. This was a damn good start, I'll give it that!
March 7, 2018
The dark tower and gunslinger books are quite deep but, very good.🐯👍
May 12, 2011
I read this in pretty much a sitting on the way back from the World Horror Convention in Texas, where I picked up a copy from the author. I'm a huge fan of King's epic seven part series, my main reason for picking the book up, but really didn't know what to expect from this. I was disappointed, in the end. Though well written, the book is more summary than exploration. I suppose if you hadn't understood the books in the first place, the chapter long synopses of each novel might be useful, but other than that I struggled to find much value in them. There's a chapter on the long gestation of series, including the often bitter impatience of the fans at the time waiting for the next volume, which is interesting reading. For those unfamiliar with connections to King's other works, a chapter summarising those novels and how they fit in might also be interesting. Having read everything King's written though I found this a little disappointing too, as I was hoping to have highlighted things I've missed rather than just the most overt entries. A beginner's guide to the series, this is unlikely to delight long term fans.
February 5, 2010
Indispensable for anyone who has just finished the series, this companion piece answers most questions and fills in any gaps you might have upon completion. Especially important for me are the connections of Dark Tower elements to other King works I was unfamiliar with. There are explanations of each of his other books having relations to DT, so I was able to get the whole picture of "Hearts in Atlantis" and "Insomnia," since I haven't read those but feature characters who appear in DT. I skipped other chapters like "The Talisman" and "Rose Madder" because I haven't read those either, but they didn't play as big a part, so there weren't spoiler aspects like the stories told by the characters from Hearts and Insomnia in the actual DT books they appeared in.
Each of the DT books is summarized and analyzed, including a lot of literary and philosophical references, some of which I had picked up on, others that were surprising and added to the richness of a series so deep in ideas, characters, and events. I read all the footnotes but skimmed most of the synopses except for "The Gunslinger" which I had to read all of because I read the original version and wanted to see the specific additions/amendments from the revised edition. Throughout these sections, there are little asides on random things like twins, vampires, King's accident in '99, etc.
There are also chapters examining each of the major characters/villains, most interesting to me were the ubiquitous Randall Flagg and Father Callahan from "Salem's Lot." Then Vincent presents essays entitled "Epics, Influences and Ka," "Art and the Act of Creation," and "Magnum Opus," followed by a timeline and glossary of Mid-World terms. Essential reading/skimming for anyone who's head is swimming after they finish the whole series.
Each of the DT books is summarized and analyzed, including a lot of literary and philosophical references, some of which I had picked up on, others that were surprising and added to the richness of a series so deep in ideas, characters, and events. I read all the footnotes but skimmed most of the synopses except for "The Gunslinger" which I had to read all of because I read the original version and wanted to see the specific additions/amendments from the revised edition. Throughout these sections, there are little asides on random things like twins, vampires, King's accident in '99, etc.
There are also chapters examining each of the major characters/villains, most interesting to me were the ubiquitous Randall Flagg and Father Callahan from "Salem's Lot." Then Vincent presents essays entitled "Epics, Influences and Ka," "Art and the Act of Creation," and "Magnum Opus," followed by a timeline and glossary of Mid-World terms. Essential reading/skimming for anyone who's head is swimming after they finish the whole series.
January 2, 2013
This is what you do, Steve King, turning readers into Tower junkies. Well, I was ready to dive back into the series the moment I turned the last page of The Wind Through the Keyhole, holding back was just too hard. I also knew that one could miss many details while reading such an epic story, so I picked this book, and guess what? There were a lot of pieces in the puzzle I have never noticed or haven't been able to put in place while reading. Bev Vincent's The Road to the Dark Tower helped me find if not all then most of those pieces.
The book takes you to a long journey from the moment King wrote one of the best openings in literature ever ("The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.") to the finish of the series (kind of, The Road to the Dark Tower was published in 2004 and maybe The Wind Through the Keyhole was not even in King's distant plans). Time span is almost 40 (!!!) years. I was really interested in the story of the first book, The Gunslinger, its revisions/changes.
The Road to the Dark Tower contains summaries of all The Dark Tower books, symbolism, ties to related works (both King's and other authors'), analysis of main characters, influences on the series, King's appearance and his role as deus ex machina, both reality and fiction timelines, Mid-World glossary.
It got a bit boring at some places when several stories were repeated in different points of views. And I was a bit disappointed in relatively poorer analysis of Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah. But the rest was really thorough and exciting and informative.
I'd recommend Tower junkies to read The Road to the Dark Tower right after they finish the series (reading the first time or revisiting).
The book takes you to a long journey from the moment King wrote one of the best openings in literature ever ("The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.") to the finish of the series (kind of, The Road to the Dark Tower was published in 2004 and maybe The Wind Through the Keyhole was not even in King's distant plans). Time span is almost 40 (!!!) years. I was really interested in the story of the first book, The Gunslinger, its revisions/changes.
The Road to the Dark Tower contains summaries of all The Dark Tower books, symbolism, ties to related works (both King's and other authors'), analysis of main characters, influences on the series, King's appearance and his role as deus ex machina, both reality and fiction timelines, Mid-World glossary.
It got a bit boring at some places when several stories were repeated in different points of views. And I was a bit disappointed in relatively poorer analysis of Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah. But the rest was really thorough and exciting and informative.
I'd recommend Tower junkies to read The Road to the Dark Tower right after they finish the series (reading the first time or revisiting).
March 14, 2014
Disappointed in this one. I was hoping for some new insights into the Dark Tower series, subtle things I might have missed, connections I might not have made, etc. What I got was 90% lifted word for word from the subject novels. I just finished reading The Dark Tower, I didn't start this book so that I could read it again.
Chapter 1 was a moderately interesting account of the publishing history of the series. Chapters 2-8 contain a synopsis of the entire series, and this section was painful to get through. Vincent basically just took quotes from the series I just read, and put them together to form a synopsis. There is almost no analysis of any kind. The chapter on major characters was just as bad.
The last few chapters are by far the best in the book. A few interesting theories are presented for some of the not fully explained mysteries of the series. If the entire book had been like these chapters, or even if it was simply a short essay containing ONLY the last few chapters, I would have been much more satisfied. As it was, I came away feeling like I had read the whole series twice, and that I had gained little additional insight the second time around.
If you do read this book, do yourself a favor and skip to the end. That is where the only "Exploring" of Stephen King's great series takes place. And it isn't enough to salvage this completely unnecessary book.
Chapter 1 was a moderately interesting account of the publishing history of the series. Chapters 2-8 contain a synopsis of the entire series, and this section was painful to get through. Vincent basically just took quotes from the series I just read, and put them together to form a synopsis. There is almost no analysis of any kind. The chapter on major characters was just as bad.
The last few chapters are by far the best in the book. A few interesting theories are presented for some of the not fully explained mysteries of the series. If the entire book had been like these chapters, or even if it was simply a short essay containing ONLY the last few chapters, I would have been much more satisfied. As it was, I came away feeling like I had read the whole series twice, and that I had gained little additional insight the second time around.
If you do read this book, do yourself a favor and skip to the end. That is where the only "Exploring" of Stephen King's great series takes place. And it isn't enough to salvage this completely unnecessary book.
July 13, 2024
I just love Stephen King. An opportunity to geek out about The Dark Tower series (and all of the other books Roland's reality has snuck into) was pure pleasure for me.
March 16, 2021
After six months, this marks the end of my first full reread since I was 17 of the Dark Tower series: graphic novels, books, side-quels, and commentaries. I was terrified it would not live up to the towering place it holds in my memory; it taught me to love stories and is one of the reasons I'm a teacher, if I'm honest. Well here we are, finished, and I can say that it is still the greatest thing I've ever read - BETTER in fact than I remembered - and I don't suspect anything will ever topple its place in my heart and mind. Can't wait for my next turn of the wheel. And we all say thank ya.
January 31, 2011
I enjoyed this book. Certainly easier to read than the Dark Tower concordances. Well written and well researched, the author does an excellent job of summarizing and highlighting the parts of the Dark Tower series (seven books) while illuminating key facts one might miss while reading this opus. Helps tie things together and even mentions some concepts not everyone will pick-up during a first read-through. I found some of the sections repetative but still interesting and useful as a whole.
November 23, 2015
Looking for a way to revisit Roland and his ka-tet without reading the entire 4000 pages of The Dark Tower series?
Read The Wind Through the Keyhole.
Then here is the place to go. It's a great overview to the characters and story of King's masterpiece.
Do not read this book unless you have finished all8 7 Dark Tower books. It will spoil it, otherwise.
Then here is the place to go. It's a great overview to the characters and story of King's masterpiece.
Do not read this book unless you have finished all
October 2, 2025
It has been a long time since I've burned though a book as quickly as I did this one!
The Road to the Dark Tower is impressive, immersive, and important (or at least it should be, to Constant Readers and Tower Junkies like myself).
The Road is a roller-coaster race to the finish, where the checkpoints are prioritized over the minutiae, and yet it remains a compelling read. And while much is lost in the retelling, Bev Vincent manages to highlight details that, dispite having read some of these books - and the related books - literally, a dozen times, I somehow missed.
Obviously, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read The Dark Tower to its conclusion, and at least a handful of the related stories. I am talking about books like Black House, Insomnia, Hearts in Atlantis, The Stand, etc. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend it to casual readers of these works. This book is for those of us that return to these stories, over and over again because, like Roland, we are obsessed; like Eddie, Jake, and Sunssane, we are DRAWN. The casual reader wouldn't understand what I mean, but those that do, REALLY DO.
Do ya kennit?
It is just unfortunate that there isn't sn updated version that included all the related material that has been released over the last twenty years.
On a personal note, after having read these books a dozen or so times, not counting the numerous readings of the graphic novels, I feel like I have been on the road to the Dark Tower all my life. So, when I reach the clearing, may my gravestone read:
"He died on the road to The Dark Tower.
"May he find his field of roses, that he might sing the names of his fathers."
The Road to the Dark Tower is impressive, immersive, and important (or at least it should be, to Constant Readers and Tower Junkies like myself).
The Road is a roller-coaster race to the finish, where the checkpoints are prioritized over the minutiae, and yet it remains a compelling read. And while much is lost in the retelling, Bev Vincent manages to highlight details that, dispite having read some of these books - and the related books - literally, a dozen times, I somehow missed.
Obviously, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read The Dark Tower to its conclusion, and at least a handful of the related stories. I am talking about books like Black House, Insomnia, Hearts in Atlantis, The Stand, etc. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend it to casual readers of these works. This book is for those of us that return to these stories, over and over again because, like Roland, we are obsessed; like Eddie, Jake, and Sunssane, we are DRAWN. The casual reader wouldn't understand what I mean, but those that do, REALLY DO.
Do ya kennit?
It is just unfortunate that there isn't sn updated version that included all the related material that has been released over the last twenty years.
On a personal note, after having read these books a dozen or so times, not counting the numerous readings of the graphic novels, I feel like I have been on the road to the Dark Tower all my life. So, when I reach the clearing, may my gravestone read:
"He died on the road to The Dark Tower.
"May he find his field of roses, that he might sing the names of his fathers."
May 20, 2022
First chapter was interesting for Tower junkies like myself. Vincent mostly covers the series's fraught journey to publication, the mystery surrounding it from the start, and the quirks of publishing.
The next chapters are a play-by-play of the series itself,then all King books with references to the Tower. This was insanely boring, and a waste of paper. I was hoping for a more in depth analysis of even Browning's poem, or fantasy post- lord of the rings ..but no. Just a summary of books I've already read.
The next chapters are a play-by-play of the series itself,then all King books with references to the Tower. This was insanely boring, and a waste of paper. I was hoping for a more in depth analysis of even Browning's poem, or fantasy post- lord of the rings ..but no. Just a summary of books I've already read.
May 21, 2024
An impressively detailed work - I only wish there was an update to include all the post-2004 DT works.
October 6, 2021
I loved this book. Bev Vincent is a brilliant author and his research is impeccable.
December 21, 2018
What it's about: This book provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and related works.
What I thought: I had hoped to read this and come away with some new insights or understandings about King's work. I have enjoyed reading the Dark Tower books over the years, and I am always interested in getting some additional "inside information" about things I enjoy. This review didn't really do that. This may be because it was written at the same time the final books of the series were being prepared for release, so there was not a chance for the author to marinate and ruminate.
Mostly, this is a book that summarizes. There are summaries of each book of the series. There are summaries of the main characters. There are timelines that summarize the real and fictional order of events surrounding these books. There are summaries of other books and stories that are connected to the central series. But the analysis feels very superficial.
Also, there is a lot of repetition of phrases and sentences throughout this work. It feels more like it's meant to be referenced like a dictionary. It feels like the author did not expect people to read from beginning to end, but rather to access certain portions on an as-needed basis. But I'm not sure what the need is.
Why I rated it like I did: In addition to not providing much insight into the titular series, the writing could have been polished a bit. There was a LOT of pronoun ambiguity that had me re-reading sentences and paragraphs to try to unravel who, exactly, was being discussed at the end of the bit, 'cause it was often not the same person mentioned at the beginning.
What I thought: I had hoped to read this and come away with some new insights or understandings about King's work. I have enjoyed reading the Dark Tower books over the years, and I am always interested in getting some additional "inside information" about things I enjoy. This review didn't really do that. This may be because it was written at the same time the final books of the series were being prepared for release, so there was not a chance for the author to marinate and ruminate.
Mostly, this is a book that summarizes. There are summaries of each book of the series. There are summaries of the main characters. There are timelines that summarize the real and fictional order of events surrounding these books. There are summaries of other books and stories that are connected to the central series. But the analysis feels very superficial.
Also, there is a lot of repetition of phrases and sentences throughout this work. It feels more like it's meant to be referenced like a dictionary. It feels like the author did not expect people to read from beginning to end, but rather to access certain portions on an as-needed basis. But I'm not sure what the need is.
Why I rated it like I did: In addition to not providing much insight into the titular series, the writing could have been polished a bit. There was a LOT of pronoun ambiguity that had me re-reading sentences and paragraphs to try to unravel who, exactly, was being discussed at the end of the bit, 'cause it was often not the same person mentioned at the beginning.
July 11, 2017
If you're looking for a thought-provoking exploration of the themes of The Dark Tower series, you won't find it here. Aside from the seven chapters which summarise the first seven books in the series (which I didn't mind, nice to have a recap. No mention at all of Wind Through The Keyhole though) there is no real attempt to dig deep in to Stephen King's magnum opus at all.
Once Vincent is done summarising chapters, he then sets about examining how it relates to King's other works. Except all he does here is summarise those other works. If you haven't read these other works, you're having the entire plot spoiled for you in a couple of pages, if you have, you gain nothing. For instance, I know I definitely want to read Insomnia. The entire plot is sketched out over a few pages. Nightmare.
Once this set of summaries is over, Vincent sets about summarising characters. Again, there is absolutely no information here that you wouldn't already know if you hadn't read the books. Absolutely tedious.
I was expecting something a bit more exciting at the end, summary after summary finally out of the way. There's some interesting info about how Browing's poem 'Child Roland...' influenced other works (a C.S. Lewis story for instance) but most of the 'analysis' provided in these final few chapters is taken from Stephen King's own introductions and appendices to in the Dark Tower series itself. Vincent doesn't really paraphrase it, he just quotes entire chunks from books you've already read.
If this were an A-level or university essay, it would get low mark - a D, maybe, an E on the basis that it relies too heavily on copy and pasting the author's own work and shows no original thought.
Once Vincent is done summarising chapters, he then sets about examining how it relates to King's other works. Except all he does here is summarise those other works. If you haven't read these other works, you're having the entire plot spoiled for you in a couple of pages, if you have, you gain nothing. For instance, I know I definitely want to read Insomnia. The entire plot is sketched out over a few pages. Nightmare.
Once this set of summaries is over, Vincent sets about summarising characters. Again, there is absolutely no information here that you wouldn't already know if you hadn't read the books. Absolutely tedious.
I was expecting something a bit more exciting at the end, summary after summary finally out of the way. There's some interesting info about how Browing's poem 'Child Roland...' influenced other works (a C.S. Lewis story for instance) but most of the 'analysis' provided in these final few chapters is taken from Stephen King's own introductions and appendices to in the Dark Tower series itself. Vincent doesn't really paraphrase it, he just quotes entire chunks from books you've already read.
If this were an A-level or university essay, it would get low mark - a D, maybe, an E on the basis that it relies too heavily on copy and pasting the author's own work and shows no original thought.
February 8, 2017
This was a pretty large book, dealing with all things about "The Dark Tower." The first half of the book dedicates a chapter to each story in the series. Usually I enjoy recaps, but with this book I found it a little dull to read 300 pages summarizing the seven Dark Tower books. The length is what got to me, and it was hard to keep interested in these recaps.
The second half of the book deals with everything else. How other books are connected to The Dark Tower series and world. Also, where King got his influences, and what the meaning of the books were. There is a section detailing the linguistics of the High Speech used in the books. And of course, Robert Browning poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is included. As this poems was the genesis of the idea for this series. This was the interesting and beefy stuff. This was where I learned a good deal about the books that I missed, while reading through these stories. As a result, this was the part that I liked. The only fault is the extrapolation. Bev Vincent tries to summarize what King was thinking, while writing a certain section of text, by inserting his own views on what King was trying to say. And, I just didn't buy into all of it. But, that's what this book is about. In essence, it's a critical review, and the reader can choose to share or not share in the beliefs of the author.
All-in-all, since I am a Dark Tower fan, I enjoyed this book, and the second half of this book is invaluable. I also liked going back to this world setting, without having to read all seven of the books again. But, I must be honest in saying that a lot of this book was very dry, especially the individual book summarizations.
The second half of the book deals with everything else. How other books are connected to The Dark Tower series and world. Also, where King got his influences, and what the meaning of the books were. There is a section detailing the linguistics of the High Speech used in the books. And of course, Robert Browning poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is included. As this poems was the genesis of the idea for this series. This was the interesting and beefy stuff. This was where I learned a good deal about the books that I missed, while reading through these stories. As a result, this was the part that I liked. The only fault is the extrapolation. Bev Vincent tries to summarize what King was thinking, while writing a certain section of text, by inserting his own views on what King was trying to say. And, I just didn't buy into all of it. But, that's what this book is about. In essence, it's a critical review, and the reader can choose to share or not share in the beliefs of the author.
All-in-all, since I am a Dark Tower fan, I enjoyed this book, and the second half of this book is invaluable. I also liked going back to this world setting, without having to read all seven of the books again. But, I must be honest in saying that a lot of this book was very dry, especially the individual book summarizations.
June 18, 2023
This book was a moderately interesting read. Having read through all of the Dark Tower books, I did enjoy revisiting them. That being said, I felt like this book was less of an exploration and more of an outline of each book. There was some exploration in the end, but I was hoping for more; a deeper dive into the characters, the settings, the plot, and the connections throughout the King universe of books, and I was expecting that to be present throughout the entirety of the book. There were a lot of quotes and comments pulled from other sources, but what would have greatly benefited this book would be a discussion between Stephen King and the author of this book, Bev Vincent. Basically, I enjoyed the read and it has made me want to reread the Dark Tower series (this time I'm opting for audio versions.) But, I don't feel like I would have missed anything by not reading it. If you aren't a reader of Stephen King's books, you might find more value in this than I did. If you struggled with understanding some of the themes and character arcs, then this might also help you comprehend a little more. I did find the little bit of history regarding the writing and publishing of the series to be interesting. (If the internet has shown us one thing, it's that fans of anything can be toxic AF. I'm looking at you, Star Wars fans.) I'll be passing this book onto my aunt who brought it to my attention to begin with and I won't miss it in my collection.
September 23, 2022
What is Stephen King's Magnum Opus?
I've long thought Stephen King is much like the hero of the Dark Tower saga, Roland Deschain. Roland is self-described as light on imagination. Then he proceeds to defy that description with his cunning and creativity. King is similarly self-effacing, and I buy it from him even less. Methinks Stephen King is the preeminent literary genius of our time, even if he is popular. Someday school kids will study him no less than Edgar Allen Poe. I agree with Bev Vincent. This is his magnum opus.
The Road to the Dark Tower serves more as a summary than an analysis. I wanted to delve deeper into the tower, but I'll take what I can get. The Dark Tower adventure is my adventure. I have a claim that feels unique, even while I'm forced to admit that many feel the same way about the gunslinger. If you haven’t read those books, you won't read this book. But dude. Go read The Dark Tower.
I've long thought Stephen King is much like the hero of the Dark Tower saga, Roland Deschain. Roland is self-described as light on imagination. Then he proceeds to defy that description with his cunning and creativity. King is similarly self-effacing, and I buy it from him even less. Methinks Stephen King is the preeminent literary genius of our time, even if he is popular. Someday school kids will study him no less than Edgar Allen Poe. I agree with Bev Vincent. This is his magnum opus.
The Road to the Dark Tower serves more as a summary than an analysis. I wanted to delve deeper into the tower, but I'll take what I can get. The Dark Tower adventure is my adventure. I have a claim that feels unique, even while I'm forced to admit that many feel the same way about the gunslinger. If you haven’t read those books, you won't read this book. But dude. Go read The Dark Tower.
May 8, 2021
'The Dark Tower': Stephen King's epic post apocalyptic fantasy which threads itself throughout the other novels from King's bibliography. A quest of such proportions that it spans almost five thousand pages and draws on mythology, fantasy, imagery from the American West and Romantic ideals. A massive undertaking to read, let alone write.
'The Road to the Dark Tower' is an invaluable companion piece, which summarises the plot deftly whilst pondering on the intertextuality and its place in modern popular literature. Bev Vincent writes clearly without being condescending and encourages the reader to engage not only in his own book, but the entire bibliography of Stephen King.
The book feels a lot longer than its page count - this is a compliment, as the text is intense without ever coming across as densely packed.
'The Road to the Dark Tower' is an invaluable companion piece, which summarises the plot deftly whilst pondering on the intertextuality and its place in modern popular literature. Bev Vincent writes clearly without being condescending and encourages the reader to engage not only in his own book, but the entire bibliography of Stephen King.
The book feels a lot longer than its page count - this is a compliment, as the text is intense without ever coming across as densely packed.
May 13, 2020
I don't re-read books very often, so when I like to revisit a world--I'd rather have a handy guide like this, than perhaps go through 4,000+ pages King's works to illuminate foibles that may or may not be there.
This is a pretty straightforward guide and often lifts the examples straight from the text, rather than giving some sort of abstract criticism. And that's fine! It's nice to have a relatively brisk summary of why this series is the "St. Elsewhere" of King's fiction.
While I'm not a HUGE fan of King, I respect him and his opinions greatly. He's a consummate craftsman/workhorse, and this is probably his magnum opus.
This is a pretty straightforward guide and often lifts the examples straight from the text, rather than giving some sort of abstract criticism. And that's fine! It's nice to have a relatively brisk summary of why this series is the "St. Elsewhere" of King's fiction.
While I'm not a HUGE fan of King, I respect him and his opinions greatly. He's a consummate craftsman/workhorse, and this is probably his magnum opus.
October 11, 2022
All I can say is, I picked this up thinking it'd give me a look into the (from what I'd heard, completely batshit) world of the Dark Tower series and see if there was something in there worth delving into the full series. I'm quite glad I did because hot damn, it was a bizarre, nonsensical slog of made-up jargon and incomprehensible fantasy logic that went right off the rails and off of a cliff. It took me quite a bit just to figure out what in the hell was going on between the talking trains and the spaghetti-western-by-way-of-the-multiverse worldbuilding...
Honestly, I'm glad I went here first. Smart move.
Honestly, I'm glad I went here first. Smart move.
March 30, 2025
Billed as an exploration of Stephen King’s most ambitious work, this falls far short of the mark.
I was hoping for a series of interesting essays and articles examining the themes, characters, and workings of the Dark Tower universe. What I got was a lot of regurgitated information. At least half of the book is taken up with chapter-long summaries of each book in the series. Then there are more chapter-length character bios for each main character, which basically repeats what I already LITERALLY JUST READ in the book summaries… and which, of course, I already knew because I READ THE BOOKS.
Boring and uninspired.
I was hoping for a series of interesting essays and articles examining the themes, characters, and workings of the Dark Tower universe. What I got was a lot of regurgitated information. At least half of the book is taken up with chapter-long summaries of each book in the series. Then there are more chapter-length character bios for each main character, which basically repeats what I already LITERALLY JUST READ in the book summaries… and which, of course, I already knew because I READ THE BOOKS.
Boring and uninspired.
July 6, 2025
There wasn't nearly as much in this book to provide insight as I would have liked. It seemed the majority of this book retraces the plot of the 7 main Dark Tower books. When there was critical insight, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I also liked the real-life behind the scenes insights, collected from interviews, both published and personal from the author.
This book covers many aspects of the tie-ins, as well ('Salem's Lot, Insomnia, Eyes of the Dragon, etc etc). I plan to read these at some point, but it was good to see some of the inter-connectedness while all things serving the Beam were fresh in my mind.
I also liked the real-life behind the scenes insights, collected from interviews, both published and personal from the author.
This book covers many aspects of the tie-ins, as well ('Salem's Lot, Insomnia, Eyes of the Dragon, etc etc). I plan to read these at some point, but it was good to see some of the inter-connectedness while all things serving the Beam were fresh in my mind.
August 6, 2017
I'd highly recommend The Road to The Dark Tower to all fans of The Dark Tower series, but I'll warn you that this book can be repetitive at times. There were sections that seemed to simply regurgitate information that had already been stated earlier in the book. That said, there were also a lot of new ideas that changed my perspective of the series as a whole. I especially enjoyed reading about how King's other novels tied into the Dark Tower universe. If you're looking to expand your Dark Tower knowledge, you should definitely check this book out.
January 9, 2018
Like many others, I am a great fan of the Dark Tower series and was expecting that this book would include some substantive discussion of themes, connections, and other tidbits throughout the books that I had missed. Instead, it's basically just a book report of each of the volumes with bland bios of the main characters. There are a few chapters of "analysis" at the end, but don't bother. I'd recommend this book to a middle schooler writing a report about the Dark Tower books.
January 12, 2023
To staunch upon this narration over chemistry of male dominated relationship over the inheritance of power with predominantly cohesive stigma existing within the society and different stratas of ecosphere with minimal exposure of matriachy unknowingly bequeathed for all the age group conflicted over the mannerism to function as a herd.
February 15, 2024
Detailed explanation of the seven book series
I finished the Dark Tower books 15 years ago (2009). I had many questions about the characters fate and how they were intermingled in the none DT novels such as Insomnia. This book explains all and let me enjoy the entire story at a new level.
I finished the Dark Tower books 15 years ago (2009). I had many questions about the characters fate and how they were intermingled in the none DT novels such as Insomnia. This book explains all and let me enjoy the entire story at a new level.
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