The Best 'Dark Tower' Series Reading Order

Yes, I do have the audacity to tell you to start a series by reading a 1,400-page book that is in fact NOT part of the series.
Disclaimer: I love The Talisman / Black House, but did not include them in this video. I view that as a fun duology to read after Dark Tower: a fun revisitation to some Dark Tower-esque elements, you might say, and not entirely necessary.
(After all, none of these books are *actually* necessary. Just read the dark Tower series straight through if you want. That’s also why I left out Little Sisters of Eluria from Everything’s Eventual.)
Let me know what you think in the comments, and see the written-out order below:
(ALL 13 BOOKS)
optional pre-read (13.): The Eyes of the Dragon
1.The Stand
2.The Gunslinger
3.The Drawing of the Three
4.The Wastelands
-(optionally insert Wind Through the Keyhole here)
5.’Salem’s Lot
6.Wizard and Glass
7.Wolves of the Calla
8.Insomnia
9.Hearts in Atlantis
10.Song of Susannah
11.The Dark Tower
12.Wind Through the Keyhole
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[@colerichardson20]

Am i the only one that really enjoyed the gunslinger? I thought it was a perfectly good entry to the world and roland as a character

[@nick_hansolo]

That was a great book. So cinematic. So western. They should have just done that as the movie

[@Wilboe66]

Absolutely loved that book and it should have been the first movie, (geez, what a waste that was!) I do love book two and three a bit more. Eddie,Detta/Odetta and our boy Jake. And OfC, Oy!

[@rathofturkey]

Nah I liked it as well.

[@chadbailey7769]

So I really didn’t care for The Gunslinger! I almost didn’t pick up the next just due to how much I disliked The Gunslinger, glad I did though!!!

[@Alex_...34565]

I was actually sad when i started the second one that the story became less "westerny"

[@tenken103]

I would include The Talisman and Black House as well.

[@Rustyrc83]

Came to say the same! I read in his order, but added The Talisman in my pause with Insomnia. It wasn't till a year later that I read Black House and then I started my journey all over again. I would put those two books just after Wolves.

[@bobdylan2219]

nope. wrong @@Rustyrc83

[@matthewberube4081]

How important r they? I’ve heard they r shit and so fucking long

[@maynardsdick]

Honestly the Talisman has a more satisfying dark tower finale than the one in the actual series

[@tommillard3105]

Wolf! Yes!

[@shenronkefka]

It seems that everyone talking about the dark tower series forgets about "the little sisters of Eluria" which is set before the gunslinger.

[@christinepeters3212]

I agree. This needs to be read right after book The Gunslinger book 1, I think anyway

[@vernonhardapple6983]

Everything's Eventual

[@ah-ec4qj]

Thank you for a logical reading order that isn’t laden with spoilers!

[@ML-my8qq]

The Stand is a must read

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

100%

[@jobydunmire9323]

For understanding DT? Not really.

[@ML-my8qq]

@@jobydunmire9323 not at all…. I just mean in general it is a must read.

[@ryanwalker2016]

I'm halfway through the stand, nick and the gang just met mother abagail and i cant wait to see what happens next. I know that flagg is in integral character to many king books, but i dont know how they connect yet. The reading order of dark tower I'm doing spans 22 books including a few short stories

[@Timodifiying]

Talisman, Black House and the short story Little Sisters of Eluria

[@MiklosKov]

Where would you put Talisman and Black House in the reading order?

[@jackson633]

​@@MiklosKov the Talisman, Black House, and It are more Easter eggy than hard Tower related. You could read them after you've read the whole series if you want the Easter eggs.

[@Coloradical_]

This is a really good video. I made it to Wolves of Calla years ago and this makes me want to start again and reread the stand as well. Keep up the great work!

[@JoshDisher]

Wizard and Glass is amazing... You'll probably hate it at first, but it explains how Roland became Roland, so it's required reading.

[@seamusb9012]

I feel like the more King you've read the better experience you'll have with DT. You should definitely have read It. Also, I hated Gunslinger on the first read, my wife said I threw it across the room but KEEP GOING! It's so worth it.

[@himanshugirigoswami4573]

So, do you not remember throwing the book? What happened?

[@bobdylan2219]

no because he made it up. he's lying for attention @@himanshugirigoswami4573

[@harrisonplatis3902]

@@himanshugirigoswami4573he went todash

[@JoshDisher]

I remember physically screaming and chucking the book across the room when the "Lobstrosities" do their evil on Roland... 😂

[@harrisonplatis3902]

@@JoshDisher I remember thinking “he’s gonna wake up and it would all be a dream” boy was I wrong

[@Cabbie407]

So... if I simply read all SK books in publication order I'll be fine I guess.

[@alexandersanchez8742]

yes

[@BillyBong]

Exactly, lol not even kidding

[@danielbacon99]

Bonus quest: watch "Storm of the Century". The antagonist, André Linoge, seems eerily similar to the Man in Black. And since he goes by many names (Walter O'Dim, Randall Flagg, etc.) I could see Linoge being another one of his aliases.

[@tat2dchris74]

I liked that you found the hints in other books like The Eyes of the Dragon. I would put Wind earlier. It's a nice way to finish, but it also worked well into the natural progression as well.

[@agustinacegarra7804]

Great video! Subscribed

[@ryanwalker2016]

I always find it interesting to see different opinions of how to read through dark tower. The reading order i was recommended in another video was 1. The Gunslinger 2. Drawing of the Three 3. The Stand 4. Eyes of the Dragon 5. The Talisman 6. The Wastelands 7. Wizard and Glass 8. Salem's Lot 9. The Mist 10. It 11. Insomnia 12. Rose Madder 13. Desperation 14. The Regulators 15. Everything's Eventual 16. Little Sisters of Eluria 17. Low Men in Yellow Coats 18. Black House 19. The Wind Through the Keyhole 20. Wolves of the Calla 21. Song of Susannah 22. The Dark Tower

[@brendanliegey9258]

U forgot a few lol. This is my time to shine - the talisman + black houss but mainly black house after book 6. It tells of the territories in mid world + the destruction of the big combination. Black house also explains why crimson king was so weak in book 7. - IT: uh Hello?? Maturin? Guardian of the Beam??? Pennywise possibly a twinner of Dandelo??? I would read this book anytime after book 3 and before book 7. - if youre gonna include low men in yellow coats u gotta include Everythings eventual starring Dinky earnshaw. I would even consider reading UR bc its another low men story - (SPOILERRRRR) another one would be Gwendys button box trilogy which takes place after the epilogue of book 7. Or at least the 3rd one does. The first 2 are loosely connected but the third Gwendy book i consider highly essential because it further explains what Tet Corporation does and apparently the “crimson king is dead”????? Its wild and cool. Thank you. To anyone who felt they got spoiled i did put a warning - regulators/desperation: entirely optional lol. Maybe even a lower tier than optional but these books introduce the language of the dead, regulators, and alternate worlds! I think the regulators that work for Tak are like rogue low men who went “off the beam”. Or at least thats my theory

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

I would genuinely like to know what you would suggest to a newcomer to the series! I wanna read all of the dark tower books and the books that are related to the series. Where would you recommend starting? And have a book order I should follow?:)

[@craigkennedy432]

Would definitely add "It" to the list;

[@rathofturkey]

Actually I would read Eyes of the Dragon as a mandatory during the Dark Tower Saga, specifically reading it between the Gunslinger and the Drawing of The Three. It is in fact a short read, you get a good idea of the history and ruthlessness of the Man in Black, and a couple of other characters are briefly noted in the Drawing of the 3. It’s not important who those mentioned characters are, unless you’re a stickler for satisfying both major AND minor curiosities, but it is an amusing little easter egg that King put in there. And Oh good. I read The (unabridged version, geez) Stand years ago and barely picked up the Dark Tower a couple months ago so I’m already right on track.

[@himanshugirigoswami4573]

The disclaimer having the list is great.

[@tannibal]

Great list! I agree with it!

[@matthewcape3183]

I also would have thrown in "Black House"

[@robinbauer1975]

Agreed and It should be up there aswell But Insomnia and Hearts in Atlantis are imo more important than Salems Lot

[@jimpatrick5918]

For continuity I would go with Wind Through The Key Hole after Wizard and Glass

[@dexterdwayne3773]

I have read all these books and his order is perfect. I think I am going to re read in this order.

[@YoGeeBear317]

The only recommendation I would add is Everything's Eventual. First off, The Little Sisters of Eluria is a good read. Its a good little story that has Roland in it. Second, the titular story (Everything's Eventual) also incorporates Dinky Earnshaw. 😊

[@zone7rizzo]

I just watched the dark tower . I’m guessing a lot of the book readers hated it based on reviews . Haven’t read any books in a long time and have been wanting to jump into a new universe and binge ! Thanks for the video

[@yojimboeastwood5602]

Always do keyhole and little sisters of eluria after I finish. Helps with the come down

[@12Lanye]

Honestly I would love if Stephen King expanded more the idea of the twinners now that I’m watching the list for the dark tower reading. Why are they so essential and what role do they play besides being similar either in personality, characteristics and deaths. 😂

[@Ant-bc6il]

I enjoy this about his writing. In the institute I linked a character to doctor sleep. For me that was fun

[@CartoClips]

In wizards and glass, the fourth book they are in a future version of the world described in the stand they see newspaper clippings, talking about captain trips, the disease from the stand, but Eddie in the book would’ve lived the same time as that but he didn’t know anything about the Epidemic. That was pretty cool as an Easter egg but it’s confusing as far as if there’s a multi universe or this is our world there in just far in the future..

[@zaftra]

I thought it was the same time, there was a choice to go to mother abigail but Roland said no.

[@CartoClips]

@@zaftra Oh maybe so. I havent read it in a long time but that would be a good choice. After Roland she is my favorite character in SK books

[@zaftra]

@@CartoClips I just read it, comes after the flash back.

[@anthonyriccio8487]

I love the dark tower I love Stephen king I read the Stand when I was in 7th grade my absolute favorite book Flagg is my absolute favorite character there is a vibe to him that I love he has a presence that makes me feel so many emotions reading him most of all uncomfortable but I then read his Mr Mercedes series and then jumped into the dark tower absolutely loved every moment of it (esp book 4)

[@anthonyriccio8487]

PS always wish Stephen king wrote a prequel book almost about the Battle of Jericho hill

[@browniesauce]

You missed at least 1 book.. the gwendy trilogy. I say one book as the combined Audiobooks only have about 12-13hrs between the 3.

[@lindamaclaren1866]

Love the books!

[@jdm89s13]

So far I’ve read in order 1. Salem’s Lot 2. The Stand 3. Gunslinger 4. Drawing of the Three 5. Eyes of the Dragon 6. The Talisman (current) 7. Black House (next) Order recommended by a friend and so far I’m really enjoying it. Really loving the Talisman right now.

[@TNBushcrafter]

I remember having no choice but to take a hiatus after the wastelands. I believe i had to wait 3 years. After working 12 hrs daily i still made it to the bookstore the day Wizard released. I would definitely say, eyes of the dragon. Not as an optional. That book kind of explained how, Walter, the dark man, Merlin, is a being that transcends all time.

[@plainbrownwrapper]

I caught some on the comics about 15 years ago.. top notch

[@mtwice4586]

The Little Sisters of Eluria and Everything's Eventual.

[@oneiros458]

I feel like IT is important as well because of reasons I won’t say to avoid spoilers but if you know you know.

[@charliekowittmusic]

Finally a DT reading list that isn’t over the top! I first journeyed to the tower having read Salem’s Lot and a few other connected books, but that was it. I read the series straight through. Afterward I read The Stand, IT, Eyes of The Dragon, etc. basically every related book you can imagine. Then I started my journey a second time, and plugged a couple books into that second reading. (Salem’s Lot before book 5. Insomnia before book 7, etc.) To me that was the most fulfilling way. Finishing the series and THEN hunting for connections is the fun part! And DT veterans forget that, I think.

[@MistaKnifeguy]

The Stand is a must-read, regardless of the Dark Tower.

[@ruhafla8326]

Excellent video! I would also suggest King's novel, From a Buick 8, which has loose ties to The Dark Tower universe.

[@dannyjorde2677]

Wait, no Eyes of the Dragon? I thought that one was essential

[@Dupertron-lo9pz]

Other KZbinrs have added desperation and regulators but all put them in different orders. If you had to include where would you put them?

[@connormatthew]

If I had to, I’d read them both after every book mentioned here. They don’t usefully bridge any gaps between any books I mentioned in this video and are only tangentially related to the core principles in the dark tower universe, much in the same way someone could argue that every King book is.

[@Dupertron-lo9pz]

@@connormatthew cheers and agree. Some content creators have up to 20 books in their list. Unnecessarily so I think. I can see the link of Insomnia and Salems lot clearly but other books people have mentioned not so. Think your list more relevant to the DT series

[@sirarcher7946]

I kinda heard the best way was to read Stephen King books to get into the dark tower series was to read in release order.

[@darrenbillups1322]

This is release order. However there have been some books added to help you understand the series.

[@SynthLikeKnives]

I was going to ask, where exactly does The Talisman and Black House fit in, if at all?

[@connormatthew]

The Talisman takes place, in large part, within “The Territories”, which is a primary location in one of the Dark Tower books.

[@davidturner9783]

Not to read through, but to have ready: the dark tower concordance

[@himanshugirigoswami4573]

Damn it, I'll have to read these books before I die to escape eternal damnation now. Shouldn't have clicked on random videos. I'll subscribe just in case I missed something.

[@connormatthew]

Based on feedback, those who have followed the list just narrowly escaped 🤷‍♂️. Haven’t heard much from those who have strayed from the path…

[@007kingifrit]

eh what parts of salem's lot are in the dark tower i don't remember

[@RickUrban-jb7pe]

Father Callahan

[@007kingifrit]

@@RickUrban-jb7pe thanks that fell out of my head after i posted this . i was overthinking it with fan theories about the Barlow's assitant guy being randal flagg

[@MSG685]

UR and the Little Sisters of eluria should be added too.

[@tommillard3105]

Black House!!!

[@adamowen3818]

Little Sister of Eluria

[@allenharragarra2025]

You forgot the talisman and the black house,

[@connormatthew]

Read the video description 👍

[@alexhessel9607]

I’m new to the king universes and read 3 books and seen dick hallorann in 2 of them how many books is he in

[@seano4977]

No mention of The Talisman?

[@genghisgalahad8465]

It's all over the place, man. Plus not including the Talisman and Black House but hafta read The Stand AS part of the Dark Tower Series. And not including Wind in the Keyhole. It's unnecessary hurdle. It's not even a trade. All those books deserve their place. It's like saying we HAVE to watch Jack Reacher and Collateral to complete MI Series or we're not doing it right. You MUST watch them because they're good films. But you're not shorting yourself if you watch only the MI movies first. Apples 🍎 and Oranges 🍊.

[@connormatthew]

I included Wind Through the Keyhole. And I’m not sure if you read the description or not - no worries, regardless - but I did make a Talisman/Blackhouse disclaimer there. Thanks for watching!

[@nathancawley8759]

Honestly I wish I had access to the Dark Tower series to read again. I started reading "The Gunslinger" when I was a kid, and spent the last half of my teens and the first half of my 20s checking with every bookstore I found to see if the next book had been released. Unfortunately, over the course of a dozen moves, as many years, and thousands of miles I lost my books. I would happily buy the set again, except that Im a useless cripple and cant work and therefore have no money. oh well.

[@jerkshirtsanon]

Try your local library!

[@garybusey9941]

The Stand is non essential? Hope you have a family photo you can stare at for a while because you have clearly forgotten the face of your father.

[@dancegregorydance6933]

Not 19?

[@zerosomebuddy495]

Good story about the dangers of obsession, addiction and the role that both our influences and hearts choices play in determining our fates. Unfortunately too vulgar and blasphemous for my taste. When Our Lady of Fatima revealed the reality of Hell to the the Shepard children of Portugal in 1917 she also revealed that most of those souls damned to hell didn't believe in it before they got there and most were there sins of the flesh, and many simply because nobody prays for them. I think it's hard for the people of this age to take seriously their danger and duty when so many bright lights are so confused and confusing. A great number of very talented modern writers, it seems to me, are obsessed with the ideas of making light of both sins of the flesh and of giving offense to God by having their characters constantly take the Lord's name in vain; even when they go to great pains to avoid any other speech which could be deemed offensive. It also seems to me to be a tragically missed opportunity to strive for true greatness and bring about true good in our world when characters are presented in this way, that is, without clear warning about or demonstration of the disastrous consequences that always and everywhere result from such wanton acts of disregard for self and others, that is sin. Those consequences ultimately being the destruction of both, (Not that King makes no attempt in this regard, nor that his attempts are wholly unfruitful, nor that I am ungrateful for his work, which I am) but it is rather, that for my taste, I would like to see a clearer line of distinction drawn and a more direct display of the relationship between the action and its consequence made .That line being drawn to avoid any confusion in interpretation of the work or intention of its author. I say this because I fear for writers and their audiences alike when they fail to to understand the direct relationship between selfish/evil/sinful choices and the consequences of those choices for ourselves and those they love.

[@ascendotuum9586]

WRONG! The best story is Under the Dome, period! Then, The Mist. And lastly, Children of the Corn.

[@nick_hansolo]

Ah man - wizard and glass. The flashback is a longggg struggle. I still haven’t finished that book

[@pxn748]

I am reading DT for the first time and am on "Wolves of the Calla"--which I am really liking. I thought "Wizard and Glass" was pretty much a waste of 700 pages!

[@frozenninja4030]

I always hear how Wizard and Glass is everyone's favorite and I found it really tedious, mostly. It's a big one to begin with but there is just so much dawdling around. Granted, there is some good context in it for a lot of what Roland talks about, but it was a struggle to get through for me. Glad I'm not the only one.

[@ManAdam712]

You both have forgotten the faces of your fathers.

[@keithcampbell7820]

The best reading order? Stop after reading 3.

[@jobydunmire9323]

I wouldn't recommend reading "The Stand" first. That's goofy. We don't really get confirmation that RF is a main villain until the fourth DT book. I recommend these books DT 1 through 4, DT 4.5, the DT 5 through 7. That's it. Everything else is window dressing.

[@lowkeyfiasco]

What a dumb comment.

[@BillyBong]

I actually read the stand first on recommendations before the last 3 dt books were written. I think it was a good stater because it puts you in the mindset of a huge mission with other wordly implications with a powerful villan that isn't human. Plus as soon as I read dark tower I always assumed Walter or at the very least, Martin Broadcloak were flagg. Seemed obvious.

[@TheMrNukeman]

Dark Tower was boring, jumbled, and just a plain awful mess of a fantasy series for me. I'm shocked people are still reading it today and consider it good, but need to remember different people have different views. I'm glad for Stephen King that there are people who like it, but it was a giant flop for me... I really wish I would have called it a DNF on this series and saved myself that time for other books.

[@connormatthew]

Respect your opinion and wholeheartedly understand how some couldn’t connect with this series!

[@RedSpade37]

There's a really good conversation we could have about this very topic. I've read the whole series, but I'm unsure how much I actually like it. I will defend the original Gunslinger, however, as I really enjoyed it the first time I read it, and the last 2 chapters or so really got my imagination running when I was younger; it seemed to me that the original plan King had for the series was like "What if we merged together Arthurian Legends and Westerns?" I don't think his original plan was to make the Dark Tower be a "tie all the other books together" meta-type thing, and I would have liked to see what the series may have been in another timeline. At any rate, yeah, I didn't like the ending of the whole series.

[@TheMrNukeman]

​​@@RedSpade37 I will 100% admit that Gunslinger was a pretty good book especially that last bit like you mentioned. Then the series just went in all sorts of directions that I was not enjoying. If Dark Tower was Gunslinger-esque throughout then I could see myself having enjoyed the series a lot more. And yes Stephen King usually struggles with endings, but this was exceptionally awful. Almost to the point it felt he was insulting you for wasting your time reading the series.

[@connormatthew]

@@RedSpade37 No doubt about it. He talks about his Tolkien-esque aspirations in one of the book's forewords, but if you know anything about King's approach to the craft, he is far from a structured plotter when it comes to planning his writing. I often compare King to a great solo guitarist: constantly improvising, hits the highest of highs in the process, but may sometimes result in tangential meandering that makes little to no sense.

[@MommaLousKitchen]

Whaaaaat