Stephen King is known for referencing his previous projects in other works, and there are many books and short stories of his that relate to The Dark Tower series. Stephen King Dark Tower The books consist of eight novels and one short story, beginning with 1982 The Gunslinger and ending with 2012 The wind through the keyhole. The Dark Tower the entries are considered some of Stephen King’s best books, and the King of Horror himself considered them his masterpiece.
The Dark Tower The series is complex and packed with a lot of detail, so it makes sense that King would tie in his other works. However, the links to his other novels are not exclusively horror titles. Stephen King’s best non-horror book, The positionIt has several parallels and connections. King is undoubtedly an intelligent writer, but The Dark Tower The series proves how clever he is through its many subtle connections to his other work.
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It (1986)
Pennywise and Maturin have a past
Even non-King readers are familiar with This and the Losers Club, especially the novel’s iconic and petrifying killer clown, Pennywise, who is also known as the titular “This” also. King This focuses on the group during childhood and adulthood, who are constantly haunted by memories of the demonic figure lurking in the sewers of Derry, Maine. Pennywise is one of the most notable villains in the King universe, and he is primarily the one linked to The Dark Tower series.
Maturin, or the Turtle, plays a significant role in The Dark Tower books, but in fact it is first introduced to readers in This. Maturin and Pennywise are totally different creatures, both from Stephen King’s Macroverse. Although Maturin is a wise and loyal figure, Pennywise considers him very fragile and stupid. and sees the Turtle as an enemy. Despite this, Maturin refers to Pennywise as a “brother.” Although Pennywise does not appear directly in The Dark Tower series, is frequently mentioned and serves as an unseen villainous force.
The Macroverse is a very similar concept to Todash Space, another large void between dimensions and alternate universes that is full of more unbalanced King monsters.
However, there are also some interesting parallels between This and The Dark Tower books. The Macroverse is a very similar concept to Todash Space, another large void between dimensions and alternate universes that is full of more unbalanced King monsters, which is mentioned throughout the series, but specifically in the titular entry.
Pennywise is an enigmatic supernatural creature that feeds on humans, and although it consumes flesh, it also thrives on the frightening energy of its victims. This process is quite similar to Dandelo The Dark Tower. Dandelo, creature of Todash, also feeds on emotions, but instead of fear, he is filled with the laughter of others. While this doesn’t seem particularly dangerous, part of Roland Deschain’s journey through Maine in The Dark Tower sees him rescue Patrick Danville, who Dandelo arrests to drain him at will.
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The Position (1978)
Randall Flag debut
The positionStephen King’s main antagonist, Randall Flagg, who is arguably Stephen King’s greatest villain, appears in many of King’s novels. However, The position This is when the hypnotic sorcerer is introduced to readers for the first time, a story about a post-apocalyptic world and the survivors of humanity being divided between sides of classic good or evil. Of course, Flagg is also the main evil in The Dark Tower series, and he appears in most installments, whether as a prominent threat, in an indirect reference, or through a flashback.
Naturally, readers of The Dark Tower books need to be familiar The position to understand why Flagg is such a crucial figure in the King universe. It’s impossible to avoid learning about Flagg, as the first few lines of The Gunslinger see immediately “the man in black”, another title the character is often labeled with. However, The position is connected to The Dark Tower titles because it provides more context and backstory for Flagg, which makes revisiting his debut story all the more interesting.
The titular novel reveals how Flagg ends up in cohort with the Crimson King and how his childhood experiences impact who he becomes. The abuse Flagg faced growing up partially explains why torture is a default response for him. Flagg’s initial form in The position is described as a “tall ageless man“who dresses like a cowboy, which is very similar to Roland Deschain’s gunslinger appearance. While it’s not confirmed whether Flagg’s style choice is an homage to Deschain, it’s still an intriguing parallel.
A place where the pair meet Wizard and Glasshowever, it is Topeka. Pandemic-ravaged and decaying Topeka is a nod to The positionand although there are few survivors after the escape, he is even more helpless when Deschain arrives in Wizard and Glass.
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‘Salem’s Lot (1975)
Father Callahan is a crucial character in the later Dark Tower installments
16 Stephen King Books Linked ‘Salem Lotand that It is also essential reading for anyone trying to better understand the author’s universe, much less The Dark Tower novels. The narrative of the 1975 book is expanded in the sixth and seventh titles of the series, Calla Wolves and Susannah’s Songwith the first reintroducing Father Donald Callahan from ‘Salem Lot. Callahan is an important character in Calla Wolvesbut without reading ‘Salem lot, readers don’t understand why the priest can no longer set foot inside a church.
After Kurt Barlow forces Callahan to drink his vampiric blood, he becomes “unclean”And it starts to burn when it approaches a church. Callahan then flees Jerusalem’s Lot and arrives in New York at the beginning of Calla Wolvesforced to live with the harrowing ability to sense vampires. Callahan’s experiences in ‘Salem Lot impact your actions in Calla Wolves and Susannah’s Song massively, but they also motivate him to destroy vampires once and for all.
Although Barlow does not appear in Calla Wolvesyour role ‘Salem Lot it ties into the story in other ways. ‘Salem Lot establishes some details about King’s vampiresbut Callahan learns about its different types in Calla Wolves. Upon discovering that Type Ones are immortal, Type Twos are created through a bite, and Type Threes can only spread disease, Callahan takes the information and his past ordeal and applies it to his battle plan.
Of all Stephen King’s references to his other stories in The Dark Towerthere is a reference to ‘Salem Lot this is more literal and direct compared to other titles. At the end of Calla WolvesCallahan finds a copy of ‘Salem Lot and is surprised to find himself as one of the main characters. Unsurprisingly, this makes him question his own sanity, but this narrative choice proves that King is telling readers that they need to engage with ‘Salem Lot to really understand the later entries of The Dark Tower.
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Insomnia (1994)
Ralph Roberts has visions of events in the Dark Tower
1994 Stephen King novel Insomnia includes references to many of the author’s works, but its most important connection with The Dark Tower it is through the Crimson King. Although the Crimson King is mentioned in other titles, he is not physically encountered until Insomnia. Ralph Roberts’ struggles to get a good night’s sleep turn out to be beneficial in a fight against the Crimson King, a terrifying shape-shifting figure who thrives on chaos and pain.
Throughout the book, the Crimson King has his eye on a boy. TThis is surprising, as it initially appears that pro-choice activist Susan Day is their main target. However, the child is Patrick Danville, who Roland Deschain saves from Dandelo in The Dark Tower. This is a brilliant example of King’s use of lore in his works, as the Crimson King only wants to kill Danville because he is fated to play a role in the downfall of one of Stephen King’s best villains.
Danville, as a child, had visions of the Crimson King, but most interestingly, he also sees Deschain. Although Roland Deschain does not appear in InsomniaIt’s fascinating that a young Danville man becomes aware of the gunslinger years before they actually meet.
The book also sets out more general details about The Dark Tower universe too. For example, the bald doctors who recruit Ralph tell him how access to other levels of reality can help in their plot to defeat Atropos, what causes Insomniaprotagonist to get a glimpse of the real Dark Tower. Insomnia also presents the “Purpose and Random”, a concept that explains why certain things happen in the interconnected worlds of the Dark Tower.
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Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
A collection of King’s short stories that establishes more about short men
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of terrifying short stories by Stephen King, all interconnected in various ways. However, there are several connections The Dark Tower universe too. “Low Men in Yellow Coats”, one of Stephen King’s best stories about mental powers, is where readers meet Ted Brautigan, a talented medium or “Circuit breaker” which the Crimson King wants to use to help destroy the Dark Tower.
Near the end of the story, Brautigan sends Bobby Garfield a petal-filled letter, which is a tribute to the Dark Tower set in a field of blooming red roses. It’s not until The Dark Tower It’s clear how essential Brautigan is to the Crimson King’s operation, but it’s incredible to learn more about who he was before the fictional villain got to him properly.
Hearts in Atlantis refers to “short men”In some ways. Although they are a central part of King’s works in general, they are especially important in The Dark Tower series. For example, Sullivan sees a yellow coat while hallucinating in “Why Are We in Vietnam”, an item that “short men”often sport. Although it’s not confirmed, there is reason to believe that Randall Flagg plays a role in “Blind Willie.”
Veteran Willie Shearman’s scrapbook about Carol and her involvement in activism mentions her work alongside strict leader Raymond Fiegler. It’s quite common for Flagg to take on a new personality and name, but he often reuses his initials.”RF.” Although King never officially identified Fiegler as Flagg, it is widely believed that the two are one and the same. Walter O’Dim, pseudonym of Flagg in Stephen King The Gunslingeris referenced in the text, and Fiegler also possesses O’Dim’s ability to be “darken.”
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The Talisman (1984) and Black House (2001)
King’s collaboration with Peter Straub delves into territories and twinning
The Talisman and its sequel, Black Houseare titles of collaborations between Stephen King and author Peter Straub. Although there are not many direct references to the books in The Dark Tower series, there are associations in terms of themes and connections to King’s multiverse. This occurs mainly through the concept of “Twins”, two people who are extremely similar in appearance and serve as counterparts to each other in a parallel world called “the Territories.”
While The Gunslinger implies that there are such things as Territories, The Talisman confirms its existence. In several of his works, Stephen King returns to the Territories and expands on the idea. Various characters in The Dark Tower apparently have alternate versions of themselves, but The Talisman and Black HouseJack Sawyer’s protagonist is one of the few characters confirmed to have a Twinner. However, Sawyer’s Twinner is dead, but this allows him to travel freely between worlds.
It has been speculated, though never confirmed, that Jack Sawyer is actually Tim Ross’s twin. Ross is a character in the fictional tale of the same name in The wind through the keyholeand their stories are surprisingly similar. Both Ross and Sawyer share a similarity, embarking on missions to help their mothers and losing their fathers to murder. However, The Black House suggests that Sawyer’s twin may actually be Roland Deschain, as Sawyer eventually becomes a police officer, and Deschain frequently mistakes police officers for gunmen.
The devastated lands in The Talisman it is described as filled with fireballs and hellish creatures.
There are some details about the physical appearance of certain locations that suggest that The Dark Tower is connected to The Talisman and Black Housealso. The devastated lands in The Talisman is described as filled with fireballs and hellish creatures, which is an eerily similar look to the Wastelands in The Dark Tower series.
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Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
Randall Flagg appears as the villain in King’s fantasy novel
There are not many references to The Dragon’s Eyes to The Dark Towerbut there are some small set pieces and recurring characters from the book series that pop up. The Dragon’s Eyes by Stephen King sees Randall Flagg as the main villain once again in a surprising fantasy book set in Delain, a kingdom of The Dark Towerprequel tale of The Little Sisters of Eluria. Flagg serves as an advisor to King Roland the Good and although it appears that the King and Deschain are the same people or even twins, this has never been confirmed.
One of the cities in the Barony that is also visited is Gilead, where Roland Deschain is from and spent his childhood. There are also several references to Garlan, where Flagg claims to be from. Another connection with Flagg is through the character Rhea dos Cöos, a witch who is first introduced in Wizard and Glass. His appearance in The Dragon’s Eyes it is brief but chaotic, causing disaster at every turn, but she later becomes a notable enemy of Deschain.
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Small connections with other works by Stephen King
Not every tie is as obvious as others
Cell (2006)
Cell follows comic book artist Clayton Riddell, one of the few who didn’t turn into a zombie after “The Pulse” event because he does not have a cell phone. Before the catastrophe occurs, however, Clay tries to sell a project of his titled “The Dark Wanderer.” Its main character is an apocalyptic cowboy seemingly identical to Roland Deschain.
The Shining (1977)
There are several other Stephen King novels that make thorough references that are relevant to The Dark Towerbut they are not necessarily a direct parallel. For example, The Shining how a novel is mentioned in The Dark Tower series of books and there’s a tribute to Danny Torrence too. However, that’s all.
Everything is eventual (1997)
1997 Stephen King novel Everything is eventualwhich was later added to a collection of the same name, follows Dinky Earnshaw. Earnshaw is a Breaker and has the ability to manipulate other people through his artwork, and the Trans Corporation recruits him to kill influential public figures. He manages to escape the evil company at the end of the story, but both he and the Trans Corporation reappear in The Dark Tower.
Readers discover that the Trans Corporation is a subsidiary of Sombra, another corporation that serves the Crimson King and is responsible for several events throughout the King universe, including the capture of Father Callahan at the beginning of Calla Wolves. Earnshaw is also a minor character in The Dark Towerand he appears next Hearts in Atlantis Ted Brautigan helping Roland Deschain free his fellow Breakers.
11/22/63 (2011)
One of Stephen King’s best non-horror books, 11/22/63, does not connect directly The Dark Tower series, but there are some details that can be considered that way. For example, a specific model of the Takuro Spirit car is mentioned in a throwaway comment, and this vehicle is also seen in post-apocalyptic Topeka in Wizard and Glass. There is also a line of dialogue where Jake Epping is asked if he knows about “the turtle”, which could be referring to Maturin.
Buick 8 (2002)
Stephen King Buick 8 is another work that many readers consider to be linked to The Dark Tower. The cars that appear The Dark Tower and Susannah’s Song share a resemblance to the titular vehicle, and the strange figures that emerge from it bear similarities to the Todash monsters.
Roland Deschain uses the alias Will Dearborn at one point, sharing a false surname with Buick 8It’s Sandy. Curt Wilcox begins reading a book by an author named Dr. John H. Maturin, a reference to King’s iconic turtle.
The Mist (1980)
Although Stephen King never confirmed this, It is implied that Project Arrowhead in The fog is able to create a fine, a cloud of fog that allows creatures from Todash Space to escape, which is also seen in The Talismanalso. Tim Ross also sees large, imposing tentacles in The wind through the keyholethat resemble the titular figure in The fog.