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The Dark Tower

by Stephen King

8 books Started 1982 Latest 2012
Publication Reading Order

The The Dark Tower is a Horror / Thriller series by Stephen King, made up of 8 books published between 1982 and 2012. It begins with The Gunslinger (1982), and is best read in publication order. The most recent entry is The Dark Tower (2004), spanning 30 years of storytelling.

8books
30years active
4decades
~4.3yrs between books
2012latest release

The Dark Tower series: frequently asked questions

What order should I read the The Dark Tower series?

Start with The Gunslinger (1982), the first book in the The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Follow the books in publication order for the best reading experience.

How many books are in the The Dark Tower series?

There are 8 books in the The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, published between 1982 and 2012.

What is the first book in the The Dark Tower series?

The first book in the The Dark Tower series is The Gunslinger, published in 1982 by Stephen King.

What is the latest book in the The Dark Tower series?

The most recent book in the The Dark Tower series is The Dark Tower (2004) by Stephen King.

Stephen King is one of the most prolific and influential authors of our time, known for masterfully blending horror, suspense, and human drama. Born in 1947 in Maine, King has written over 60 novels and 200 short stories throughout his career. His works are interconnected through shared universes—most notably Mid-World (The Dark Tower), Castle Rock, and Derry, Maine. King is famous for his ability to create deeply human characters facing extraordinary circumstances, from supernatural threats to psychological terror. His bestselling novels have been adapted into some of the most iconic films and television series in entertainment history.

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About the Dark Tower series

Stephen King's Dark Tower is the strange, sprawling magnum opus that ties much of his fiction together. Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, pursues the elusive Man in Black across a decaying, time-slipped world in quest of the Dark Tower — the nexus that holds all realities together.

Genre-blending is the point: it fuses spaghetti-western, dark fantasy, horror and science fiction, and gradually pulls in characters and connections from across King's wider universe. It is King at his most ambitious and most personal.

Start with "The Gunslinger" — though be warned it is the most divisive, austere entry; the series opens up considerably from book two, "The Drawing of the Three." Read in order, and watch for the threads linking back to King's other novels.