As a kid, I remember my father on Friday and Saturday evenings sitting on the patio with his smokes and beer reading King. I'd always ask what the books were about, and he'd say I wouldn't understand. He got me The eyes of the dragon when I was 13 and I treasured it. A few years later I started the Dark Tower and I liked it, but it didn't grab me like some other stories. I stopped at Wolves of the Calla. My father would always ask if I decided to try it again and I finally did a few years later. I appreciated it so much more on the re-read. Wizard and Glass has turned into my favorite book I've ever read. When my father got sick, he asked if I could bring him the series so he could pass the days in the hospital. He didn't have time to finish it, but he managed to get to Wizard and Glass. I know he appreciated losing himself in the story for a last time! Great video ❤

I've read a lot of King but none of The Dark Tower. The funny thing is, when you talk about the series flaws and its finer points, it's crazy ideas and its bizarre fumbles, you could be talking about any and all King works. Dude writes a lot and doesn't stop to think. It's why we love him, probably.

You’ve genuinely became my favourite book reviewer.

I recommend reading The Stand before starting the Dark Tower. I did that by happenstance but it made me love the series more with all the connections and easter eggs I found. Another is Insomnia. I read that after the series, then realized how strongly connected it was to Dark Tower. If I were to read the series again I’ll read insomnia after book 5 or 6.

I remember telling my mother that the third book ended on an annoying cliffhanger where the protagonists enter a depressed train and have to win a riddle battle for it not to crush them on its suicide attempt, she was so weirded out.

I just finished the Dark Tower series and searched reviews and found you. Immediately subscribed after that intro. Incredible!

Roland says something along the lines, that battle is mostly waiting, followed by voilence that is quickly over. That's the way it's written so seems real to me.

Excellent overview of the Dark Tower series! Not only did King push the boundaries in every direction, but he brought the series to fruition! As divisive as that ending is, there’s something to be said about the fact he finished this bizzare, genre-defying, multiple-world story. Wizard and Glass is my personal favorite, and I will never watch those movies you mentioned. 😂

Oi! Book Guy! What about the greatest member of the Ka-Tet…Oy! Disgraceful omission, I can see that you’re a cat-man. I love the Dark Tower and I loved the ending. Very uneven series but has some of the greatest fantasy fiction moments I’ve ever read. Love your content, keep it up 😁👍

I think it's King's out of left field creativity that makes it worth reading. That and his ability to tell a compelling story. Having finished the series a couple of months ago, it definitely left with me with some complaints, but the journey itself made me understand why King continues to be so endearing to the public.

Just finished the series in audiobook form. I love how it warns you before telling the ending.

To be fair the Oriza plates are weighted metal plates with a razor sharp edge, that can be thrown discus like.

This video did much better job at convincing me to read this series than any other of the thousands of 'why you should read _Dark Tower'_ videos I have seen. I'll put that series on the list. (Btw, same thing happened with Malazan. I guess I must watch the _First Law_ video too, because I quit that series a couple of years ago after the first book.)

The plates did not decapitate the wolves, they destroyed the antennas on their heads under the hoods. The same antennas that they shot off of the robots at the portal of the bear. The “thinking caps”.

lol, you may want to read book 5 again. King lays out a whole mythology regarding the plates, how and why they are a thing, how they are made, the fact that they are sharpened to a knife edge. It is an odd element, but King makes sure to justify the whole thing to a greater degree than many of the other strange elements.

Found your channel yesterday and I'm enjoying all your videos! Just had to chime in and say that the ending of this series, for me, was one of THE best I've ever read, hands down. I remember being blown away at the time and just thinking wow, *chef's kiss* perfect.

I read the first 2 books back in the '80s. It was wonderfully weird at the time. Then a few months ago, I saw there were so many more. Thanks for making some sense of the series. It's on my TBR.

Loved your review of the Dark Tower books. I started reading the entire series plus other King books with close connections to the Dark Tower universe. Most of these extra books I’m reading for the second time. It’s been fascinating so far. There are thousands of pages to go yet I’m very excited and enthusiastic. Again, great review. Thx!

I literally just finished the series yesterday for the first time and I loved it.

Awesome! Thanks a lot. You're actually the first person telling me enough to inspire me to read it. Most people keep to saying things like, Kings biggest work, kinda weird, not for everyone but really worth it. That is just a bit too little to get motivated. This was just perfect!

Sold! I'm going to read it! It's in my tbr now! I really love the style of your content!

Great video! This is still my favorite series. But you needed to mention the wonderful animal companion! Best boy

I am so glad you reviewed it! I have been thinking about reading it, but then I saw the size and the fact that no one talked about it and decided to read the first law series instead… for now

I just start the expanded Dark Tower reading list. It includes my of his other novels and short stories that are connected to Midworld. It’s a project and it’s going to take awhile to finish. I loved this video and you did a great job of keeping me interested in doing it. Thanks again.

New subscriber here and I must say you are quickly becoming one of my favorite BookTubers!!!!

I love the Dark Tower Series so much. It's by far my favorite. It's so unique and full of great characteres etc. And I just love how it kinda takes stuff out of all my favorite gengres Dark Fantasy, Wild West, Horror and even a little sprinkle of Sci-Fi. I love rereading those books evry now and then. ^^

because I am such a huge fan of the Dark Tower, my best friends though it would be hilarious to make me sit through a showing of the movie. They told me after; that watching me fuming at the film was the most fun they had had in a long while. Such good friends...

Can't wait to see Mike Flanagan's upcoming adaption!!

This is the only series I recall reading… unless you count children’s novels. 😂 I love King’s writing, and love this story. It does get slow at times, but I always found the climax worth the build up. Let the man cook! And this was a wonderful but fair introduction. I hope you’ve encouraged some new readers. It makes me was to the-read as I finished the series slightly after the 7th book was released. I say that… I had a hard time with the 8th book and never saw it through. The tie-ins to other King novels are a potentially big part of this IF you want. It’s not necessary to read other books, but will add a lot of payoff. I only read a couple of related works, but MAN am I glad I read Insomnia before the final book. Not only Insomnia one of my favorite books, but it paid off massively in Book 7. Great video for an incredible series - thank you!

Just found your channel. I love your intro and I love this series!

King has written at least one other series. The Bill Hodges Trilogy consisting of Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keeepers, and End of watch. But that being said, it's a much more grounded series focusing on a crime and eventually supernatural story in our world and isn't nearly as expansive as the Dark Tower. But the point still stands in over 40 years of writing he's only done two series with 3 books or more. He very much prefers to write stand-alone stories.

It's on my TBR... 😂 Which is never-ending and ever-expanding.

Weren't the decapitating plates they used in the battle razor edged metal discs?

I had started this series twice before but finally finished it! Thanks for reminding me!

I would´ve wished for another ending, too, but I think King subconsciously already had something like this in mind when he wrote The Gunslinger because there´s a mountain of foreshadowing in the conversation between Roland and Walter at the end, so I guess it makes a llot of sense.

You sold me on both The Dark Tower and The Expanse, man. I just watched the two videos back to back. Other booktubers are like this one is great, and trying to avoid ANY spoilers. But I like that you are willing to give certain amounts of spoilers because that is really what I need - what is it really about, to lure me in the reading.

Great video about a great series!

Read all of King. The Dark Tower is FAR AND AWAY my favorite series ever. (Wheel of Time, Red Rising, The Expanse, Ringwood, etc.). It's worth mentioning that TDT ties into almost every other King classic: The Shining, Cujo, Jerusalem's Lot, Needful Things, It, Hearts in Atlantis, and more. He has said that this series is his opus.

I think there should be a bigger disclaimer on the Detta character and racial slurs lol. That also goes into a discussion about his black characters, in general. There is a video essay called Stephen King's Magical Negros on the Streetlight Guild's channel that does a really good deep dive by a longtime black King reader. Great video by the way.

Not that bad in singing! 🤟 just a side note: the new adaptation is coming after strike of Dark Tower. Fantastic introduction to the series. Covers everything that can be without spoilers. Well done! 👏👏

🎶When you Reach the End do it over again...Do the Velcro Fly...

Thrilled to see the enjoyment vs quality discussion, sometimes I feel like I'm going mad putting 2-star books among my favourites.

I'd love to hear your take on what you believe would be the best reading order of the Dark Tower Series with the additional stand-alone Stephen King novels(and characters) that are tied in. Seems like the expanded series reading order is a whole debate in and of itself among many readers and KZfaqrs! I'm three books in so far and I'm really loving how the series is set up but I decided to read the other stand alone books that most readers agree should be included (The Stand, Salem's Lot, and Insomnia)

I finished the first 4 books and you're telling me that at 5 it gets super weird? 😂 oh dear this series may end up as one of my favourites.

The algorithm sent me. AND I LOVE IT

This series stole my heart when I read it a few years back! So happy to see you do a video on this!!

I’m with you the ending is great and this is 1 of my favs warts and all.

You forgot Oy. Oy is a key member of the Ka-Tet.

I avoided the Dark Tower for years despite being a huge King fan. Because, well, honestly it sounds silly doesn't it? A fantasy series about a cowboy? With a train as a villain? Really? I should have known better. When you say it it sounds stupid, when King writes it it just comes out...stupidly good.

need to re read it

Just a note but some.would say Pale Rider is the 4th man with no name movie

"Life for your Crop"

The Dark Tower is definitely on my list, have you ever tried reading "The Passage," by Justin Cronin?

I really need to go back and read this series. I read the gunslinger multiple times as a teenager and have read the first couple of books but somehow never read the rest of the books.

I'm a long time fan of King's books, I got Carrie from my local library on the first day it was shelved and I loved it. I love The Dark Tower series and I think the ending is brilliant.That's all folks.

the thing that annoys me is the hammer handed foreshadowing, little does he know he will never visit this store again, this will be the last time he uses those fingers etc etc.. it gets really annoying and takes me out of it instantly.

Twice you mentioned how much you enjoy the series, warts and all. Was this a reference to WoW: Classic? That immediately sprang to mind each time you said it.

the small things are like having a piece of something in ones teeth

I applaud your review on the great SK's writing style. It's dead on. He is very controversial in upper echelons of writers and academics. That's why archeologists are going to find his works in the strata😂

This was a good series even with all the random tangents and side quests. I dunno if I’d consider it genre defining, but that’s one opinion of vast ocean that says otherwise 🤷🏼‍♂️

I really enjoy your videos. However, the sound quality of this one is a bit lacking for some reason. It's like an almost constant hiss. I hope you can correct it before Sci Fi September.

Is mr mercedes not a trilogy?

I too love King. But I've kinda never thought about reading this series. I don't know, but I don't like Wild West and I don't like fantasy with guns. So I'll probably just stick with King's other books. Right now, I'm thinking about Dreamcatcher.

Well done. I was a bit sceptical at the start but watched your entire presentation. BUT For me the final volume was an appalling travesty that would have been better left unwritten. It made me regret the time I wasted slogging through the series. I could not in good conscience recommend reading the series.

😊😊😊

After reading them all for the third time, I can safely say that a lot of it has been 'BORROWED' from other people's books

Off topic, but are we gonna get your take on Goodkind's "The Sword of Truth" series?

Yes, yes, yes Red Rising. You might be kinda Meh on #1 but after that, buckle your seat belt. Absolutely fantastic.

Speaking of The Room, did you know Tommy Wiseau made a "sitcom"? The Neighbors. It's painfully boring and incredibly unfunny.

Great books. I read them twice. But the god awful movie that is so disrespectful to the book series should be banished from time. Roland has to be white, Detta walker has to be a black woman. their whole dynamic is what makes them great characters.

the movie was hot trash, had such potential but yea absolute failure

The Dark Tower series is great, go get the first book and read it.