A How To Guide To Reading The Expanded Dark Tower Series 

Some on the list are short stories but those are in books of short stories. It helps if you understand how king thinks and writes, I'd even add the Dark Half to understand the King character in the Series. Firestarter and Carrie are Breakers. So is the psycic in Dead Zone. With Randal Flagg being an Advisor to the crazy President. Add those to Everything's Eventual Short story and hte Marvel comic about himmie the Breaker who could Teleport but was mentally retarded, he appears in Wizard in glass so the comic falls right after Wizard. He was ordered by God? the Tower? a voice to follow and help Roland. He was born with the ability to teleport but can't control it. While following Roland, young Roland he is captured by End World Tech and upgraded, like a cyborg, his teleport ability being greatly improved to include World jumping and be controlled, he has a chip in his head but is sitll, retarded. He is next seen as a Breaker. I think he only appears in wizard and dark tower but he might be in song. been a few years.

Do. Not. Watch. The. Movie.

Agreeing with trucker dad. Do. Not. Watch. The. Movie. It’s an absolute insult to the series

I don’t even acknowledge it exists. You’ll notice I didn’t even mention it at all. It’s a complete disgrace.

@@truckerdad2396 I was just thinking the other day how the dark tower movie is the single most disappointing piece of cinema in the history of the world

How was it?

Lol….I apologize for not giving you a shout out. This was your idea. Thanks Ami!!!

I've been trying to complete the list since 1975 but king keeps adding to it. Lot's of his books not on these lists tie into the tower. The Breakers are those with mind powers, so all the Greats are also Breakers. Firestarter, Dead zone, Carrie, Everything's Eventual and the Shining. Which he wrote a Sequel so it too. Even the book IT ties in as the Crimson King is a cousin of IT.

Haha, same here. This video just popped up in my recommendations and just today I was going thru some boxes and found my first season of the Dark Tower comics that I started to read earlier today. Just weird that this video appeared out of nowhere.

The expanded version is actually somewhat of a rewrite. King wanted to clean up some potential inconsistencies and make gunslinger the book it should have been. He just didn't have the skills to do it until 2003.

Thank you! Always nice to have another constant reader on board. 🍻

Thank you for this comment! I’m glad I could help you out and that you enjoyed the journey!

Can’t thank you enough for this expanded read. Just finished with the revised Gunslinger again. I couldn’t imaging reading this in any other way. So excited to started the rest of King’s work. I think Pet Sematary is next! Keep of the great reviews.

Jim Mango, could you maybe update this list with the Gwendy trilogy in it?

Glad I could help! Let me know how you like Needful Things once you read it.

I just finished my journey a couple weeks ago. Thanks so much for this extended guide. It made it waaay longer, but much more satisfying. And the end of book 7... Whoa. It stunned me. Going back and rereading The Gunslinger again is huge. It makes so much more sense and it is amazing how much of it is woven throughout the series. Thanks!

I would absolutely recommend reading Insomnia after book 7. I had my brother read Insomnia before reading books 6 and 7 and he didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did.

I suggest reading The Stand FIRST, not in the middle. Its a LONG book, but it sets up Randal Flagg and Kings' sense of good and evil.

@@Astrochronic oh no, i already finished the gunslinger, i guess ill wait and buy the stand before i start with the second dark tower book

@@amgoosehjonk8734 its fine. But i would read the Stand before going further. You might just want to reread gunslinger anyway later in the order i suggested.

@@Astrochronic ok, i guess ill do that

While you're reading, pay a little attention to product names and trademarks in the series, King gives you clues as to whether the story elements are taking place in our universe or in a parallel subtly different one (cigarette, soda brand names, sports team names, names of gas station chains etc.)

Glad I could help! 🍻

Check em out. You won't regret it.

Yeah I have read the graphic novels. I would suggest reading through those after you are done to just add context to some previous events that are only talked about in the series. Like the battle at Jericho Hill for example.

Wolves of the Calla, Wind through the keyhole and Wizard and Glass are my favorites. So many people hate on wolves and wind and I don’t understand it. They’re amazing. I started the series with Drawing of the Three. Sucked me right in. Excellent series.

@@BriMonies my first book was The Wastelands, I read The Talisman right afterwards and I remember thinking 'Waaaiiiittt...this is Midworld!' Love it 😀

Thanks for the comment Liv! I’m really glad you enjoyed insomnia as much as I did!

I’d have to give it a re-read but I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the suggestion!

@@jimmymango Legend !

Thanks man! 🍻

Yeah so there is a revised edition. I do prefer the original release. But the differences are minimal.

If you have committed to reading them all in release order then I would just continue with that. Doing that will have big time rewards in terms of the SK multiverse as a whole.

Yeah you could definitely do that if you want to.

I don’t believe wind through the keyhole spoils the series. At least it didn’t for me. The stand is the most important book to introduce you to Flagg. That and eyes if the dragon. But I would say for me insomnia is a very important peripheral novel.

@@jimmymango that’s one that’s been on my bookshelf for a long time but haven’t gotten to it. My dad read it and didn’t care for it much, but now that you mentioned it, I gotta get to it. Be well.

It’s so tough to say. But I would start with one of his earlier ones. Maybe Pet Sematary or Salem’s lot.

@@jimmymango Pet Sematary will be. Thanks!!

I’ve never read the expanded DT like this but I have read through the series twice. If it helps it took me approximately 2 years to read all of kings novels without reading anything else in between.

There is no exact way to do it so yeah I’d say you can. Give it a try!

Thanks man! Love your vids

I’m glad you enjoyed it!

It’s definitely possible. There is no wrong way.