Stephen King works related to The Dark Tower series
Encyclopedia
Apart from the seven books in Stephen King
's The Dark Tower series
, many of his other works are connected to this series to varying degrees.
, a major character in the latter part of the series, first appears in 'Salem's Lot, originally published in 1975, seven years before the first book in the series, and twenty-eight years before his re-appearance in the fifth.
, first published in 1978, is visited in the fourth book of the series. Also, Randall Flagg
is one of the main characters.
feature prominently in the short story "Crouch End
".
), the cause of the Mist is alluded to be a tear between universes, similar to the Todash Darkness, a concept explored in the series, both of which supposedly renders its inhabitants "blind" and contains horrible creatures which prey on them. Additionally, several creatures described are physically similar to some of those shown in the series.
, it is stated that the enemy of It is a turtle. The Turtle is the guardian of the portal opposite the Bear (Shardik) in the third book of the series. It is also stated, "In this universe there might be roses which sing." It also mentions triangles with 4, or 5 to the 5th power of sides. 5 to the fifth is 15625, 1+5+6+2+5 = 19, a reccurent number by itself, or in digit addition in the Dark Tower series. There is also a robot in the last book named Stuttering Bill, a nickname shared by Bill Denbrough. Pennywise the clown in "It" is the same kind of creature(psychic vampire that feeds on emotions) as Dandelo who Roland, Susannah and Oy meet near the end of their quest to the Dark Tower.
, and in the second book of the series, Roland alludes to a time when he encountered Thomas and Dennis chasing after Flagg.
It is also mentioned briefly that one of Roland's ancestors tried to slay a dragon, but the dragon was already slain by another king, who was later murdered.
's main character, Ralph Roberts, is made to save the life of the infant Patrick Danville, a major character in the last book of the series. Additionally, various allusions are made to the Dark Tower including Roberts meeting the Crimson King in person and Patrick Danville mentioning Roland by name in a drawing. In the Dark Tower VII, Roland is given a copy of Insomnia by Nancy Deepneau during his meeting with the Tet Corporation in New York.
Also, deathbags and blue auras are present in the Dark Tower series.
, Rose travels to a different world, where she meets a woman who mentions the town of Lud. Ka is also mentioned a few times throughout the story.
, Richard Bachman's wife is called Claudia y Inez Bachman. In Wolves Of The Calla, when Eddie and Jake go todash to New York, they see this New york's version of Charlie the Choo Choo is written by one Claudia y Inez Bachman.
Also, in Wolves Of The Calla, Father Callahan calls the Low Men "Regulators."
, Mike Noonan seems to be going todash when he visits the Fryeburg Fair. The number 19 is used in the clues given to Mike. Sara Laughs is the twin to Cara Laughs, a location in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower.
centers around characters named Ted Brautigan and Bobby Garfield. In the seventh book of the series, Ted is an ally to Roland's Ka-Tet. Bobby Garfield is possibly Jake Chambers' "twinner." The Low Men are also the people who are after Ted Brautigan . They are mentioned later in the series. Father Callahan tells a story of his encounter with them.
, published in 2002, contains two novellas directly connected to the Dark Tower series. The first one, "Everything's Eventual", is the story of Dinky Earnshaw
, a secondary character who becomes prominent in the seventh book. The second, "The Little Sisters of Eluria
", is a sort of prequel to the entire series, describing a young Roland Deschain
. Also, in "1408", the evil voice on the phone uses phrases like 'This is ten! Ten! We have killed your friends', and Susannah hears a similar phrase 'this is NINETEEN all your friends are dead' in a dream in the seventh book.
is left behind at a petrol station by a person who fits the description of a Low Man. Also, the main narrator in "From a Buick 8", Sandy Dearborn, has the same last name as Roland Deschain's alias, Will Dearborn, in the fourth book of the series.
which can search the multiverse.
featured the first mention of Randall Flagg
, here as Donald DeFreeze
.
, the protagonists stumble across a half-assembled carnival, which includes a child's ride called "Charlie the Choo-Choo", a reference to the third and fourth books in the series. Also, the graphic novel
Clay sells at the beginning of the novel is entitled The Dark Wanderer, and the main antagonist, the Raggedy Man, wears a red hoodie from Harvard, a reference to the Crimson King.
As well, the character Alice, who perishes from a trauma to the head, bears a striking resemblance to the Alice who tends bar in Tull, and sleeps with Roland.
and found it "quite enjoyable".
Additionally, the name of the Colorado Lounge in the Overlook Hotel was once the Red Eye Lounge, the Red Eye being a major symbol of the Crimson King. One of the Crimson King's major objectives is the collection of powerful psychics to use as Breakers (those who attempt to destroy the Beams upholding the Dark Tower and all of reality itself) and one thing that the Overlook's "management" wants to do is to take control of Danny Torrence. The Crimson King, through the Sombra Corporation, has been known to ally itself with the mafia, and the mafia (through Horace Derwent) has long held controlling stakes in the Overlook Hotel. When Jack is conversing with the bartender Lloyd, at one point his form shifts and a description of the bartender explains that he has drops of blood coming from his forehead, a descriptive point also used to describe certain other servants of the Crimson King, who are described as having singular bloody eyes on their foreheads.
, is where Callahan says he is from in his world.
Louis Creed describes Church the cat's attitude before being spayed as "like a gunslinger". A Dearborn, Michigan, is
mentioned in relation to Rachael Creed's Father, Irwin Goldman. These are both references to Roland Deschain.
, the book, is directly referenced by character Bryan Smith who mentions the title to the Character, Stephen King, as they wait for an ambulance to arrive. Bryan describes the story as "Scary as hell! I'm glad that little boy lived!" To which King replies "In the book he died" suggesting a minor connection to the boy and Jake Chambers of The Dark Tower series.
, Dave Streeter says to Tom Goodhugh, "Long days and pleasant nights".
Stephen King also uses a literary device in this novel that is used often in the Dark Tower series, writing at one point "See this well."
The security code for the radio station is 1693. The sum of these numbers is 19.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's The Dark Tower series
The Dark Tower (series)
The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
, many of his other works are connected to this series to varying degrees.
'Salem's Lot
Father CallahanFather Callahan
Father Donald Frank Callahan is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He originally appeared in Salem's Lot and later the Dark Tower, appearing in The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah and finally The Dark Tower...
, a major character in the latter part of the series, first appears in 'Salem's Lot, originally published in 1975, seven years before the first book in the series, and twenty-eight years before his re-appearance in the fifth.
The Stand
The world of The StandThe Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
, first published in 1978, is visited in the fourth book of the series. Also, Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by Stephen King. Flagg has appeared in seven novels by King, sometimes as the main antagonist and others in a brief cameo. He often appears under different names; most are abbreviated by the initials R.F. There are exceptions to this rule; in The Dark...
is one of the main characters.
The Talisman
Twinners are present in The Talisman. The Talisman has a purpose similar to The Dark Tower, as it is a center of many different worlds and universes."Crouch End"
The concept of "thinness" between worlds, "thin places" and the creatures known as Can-ToiCan-toi
The Can-Toi are fictional creatures from Stephen King's Dark Tower series and related works. They are unofficially but more commonly known as low men, as in Low Men in Yellow Coats due to their often garish yellow clothing...
feature prominently in the short story "Crouch End
Crouch End (short story)
Crouch End is a horror story by Stephen King, originally published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos , and republished in a slightly different version in King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection . It contains distinct references to the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft...
".
"The Mist"
In the novella "The Mist" (included in the collection Skeleton CrewSkeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew is the second collection of short fiction by Stephen King. The first collection, Night Shift, was published seven years prior in 1978. Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas, was published between the two in 1982. Skeleton Crew was originally published in hardcover form by...
), the cause of the Mist is alluded to be a tear between universes, similar to the Todash Darkness, a concept explored in the series, both of which supposedly renders its inhabitants "blind" and contains horrible creatures which prey on them. Additionally, several creatures described are physically similar to some of those shown in the series.
It
In ItIt (novel)
It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous inter-dimensional predatory life-form that exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It"...
, it is stated that the enemy of It is a turtle. The Turtle is the guardian of the portal opposite the Bear (Shardik) in the third book of the series. It is also stated, "In this universe there might be roses which sing." It also mentions triangles with 4, or 5 to the 5th power of sides. 5 to the fifth is 15625, 1+5+6+2+5 = 19, a reccurent number by itself, or in digit addition in the Dark Tower series. There is also a robot in the last book named Stuttering Bill, a nickname shared by Bill Denbrough. Pennywise the clown in "It" is the same kind of creature(psychic vampire that feeds on emotions) as Dandelo who Roland, Susannah and Oy meet near the end of their quest to the Dark Tower.
The Eyes of the Dragon
Flagg is a villain in The Eyes of the DragonThe Eyes of the Dragon
The Eyes of the Dragon is a novel by Stephen King published in 1987. Previously, it was published as a limited edition hardcover by Philtrum Press in 1984. The mass-market version had been slightly revised for publication. At the time it was a surprising deviation from the norm for King, who is...
, and in the second book of the series, Roland alludes to a time when he encountered Thomas and Dennis chasing after Flagg.
It is also mentioned briefly that one of Roland's ancestors tried to slay a dragon, but the dragon was already slain by another king, who was later murdered.
Insomnia
InsomniaInsomnia (novel)
Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The original hardcover edition was issued with dust jackets in two complementary designs...
's main character, Ralph Roberts, is made to save the life of the infant Patrick Danville, a major character in the last book of the series. Additionally, various allusions are made to the Dark Tower including Roberts meeting the Crimson King in person and Patrick Danville mentioning Roland by name in a drawing. In the Dark Tower VII, Roland is given a copy of Insomnia by Nancy Deepneau during his meeting with the Tet Corporation in New York.
Also, deathbags and blue auras are present in the Dark Tower series.
Rose Madder
In Rose MadderRose Madder (novel)
Rose Madder is a 1995 novel by Stephen King. It deals with the effects of domestic violence and, unusually for a King novel, relies for its fantastic element on Greek mythology...
, Rose travels to a different world, where she meets a woman who mentions the town of Lud. Ka is also mentioned a few times throughout the story.
Desperation
In Desperation, the villain Tak says many words that are very similar to the speech of the dead. It is also possible that Tak is a relative of the creature It.The Regulators
According to the flap for The RegulatorsThe Regulators
The Regulators is a novel by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was published in 1996 at the same time as its "mirror" novel, Desperation. The two novels represent parallel universes relative to one another, and most of the characters present in one novel's world also exist in the...
, Richard Bachman's wife is called Claudia y Inez Bachman. In Wolves Of The Calla, when Eddie and Jake go todash to New York, they see this New york's version of Charlie the Choo Choo is written by one Claudia y Inez Bachman.
Also, in Wolves Of The Calla, Father Callahan calls the Low Men "Regulators."
Bag of Bones
In Bag of BonesBag of Bones
Bag of Bones is a 1998 novel by Stephen King. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block and delusions at an isolated lake house four years after the death of his wife...
, Mike Noonan seems to be going todash when he visits the Fryeburg Fair. The number 19 is used in the clues given to Mike. Sara Laughs is the twin to Cara Laughs, a location in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower.
Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in AtlantisHearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King, all connected to one another by recurring characters and taking place in roughly chronological order....
centers around characters named Ted Brautigan and Bobby Garfield. In the seventh book of the series, Ted is an ally to Roland's Ka-Tet. Bobby Garfield is possibly Jake Chambers' "twinner." The Low Men are also the people who are after Ted Brautigan . They are mentioned later in the series. Father Callahan tells a story of his encounter with them.
Black House
The Crimson King is in Black House. Parkus makes reference to the Dark Tower, Roland's quest and his creation of new gunslingers. Tyler Marshall is said to be an extremely strong Breaker and the Crimson King's plans for him are discussed. Ted Brautigan is also mentioned in passing as a Breaker.Everything's Eventual
The collection Everything's EventualEverything's Eventual
"Everything's Eventual" is a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in the October/November 1997 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In 2000, it was included in the game Stephen King's F13...
, published in 2002, contains two novellas directly connected to the Dark Tower series. The first one, "Everything's Eventual", is the story of Dinky Earnshaw
Dinky Earnshaw
Richard Ellery "Dinky" Earnshaw is a fictional character appearing in Stephen King's Dark Tower series and short story "Everything's Eventual". Dinky is a powerful psychic, also known as a Breaker...
, a secondary character who becomes prominent in the seventh book. The second, "The Little Sisters of Eluria
The Little Sisters of Eluria
"The Little Sisters of Eluria" is a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in 1998 in the collection Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy...
", is a sort of prequel to the entire series, describing a young Roland Deschain
Roland Deschain
Roland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character, the protagonist and antihero of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of Roland's society...
. Also, in "1408", the evil voice on the phone uses phrases like 'This is ten! Ten! We have killed your friends', and Susannah hears a similar phrase 'this is NINETEEN all your friends are dead' in a dream in the seventh book.
From a Buick 8
The Buick featured in From a Buick 8From a Buick 8
From a Buick 8 is a novel by horror writer Stephen King. Published on September 24, 2002, this is the second novel by Stephen King to feature a supernatural car...
is left behind at a petrol station by a person who fits the description of a Low Man. Also, the main narrator in "From a Buick 8", Sandy Dearborn, has the same last name as Roland Deschain's alias, Will Dearborn, in the fourth book of the series.
Ur
Two Low Men in Yellow Coats make an appearance and mention the Tower and the Rose. An image of the Tower is also seen on the screen of an E-bookE-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
which can search the multiverse.
The House on Value Street
The unpublished and unfinished novel The House on Value StreetThe House on Value Street
The House on Value Street is the title of an unpublished novel attempted by Stephen King in the late 1970s.In his 1981 treatise on the horror genre, Danse Macabre, King describes his attempts to write a fictionalized novel about the kidnapping of Patty Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army...
featured the first mention of Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by Stephen King. Flagg has appeared in seven novels by King, sometimes as the main antagonist and others in a brief cameo. He often appears under different names; most are abbreviated by the initials R.F. There are exceptions to this rule; in The Dark...
, here as Donald DeFreeze
Donald DeFreeze
Donald David DeFreeze , also known as Cinque Mtume, was the leader of the American guerilla group Symbionese Liberation Army, a group operating in the mid-1970s, under the nom de guerre "Field Marshal Cinque."...
.
Cell
Late in CellCell (novel)
Cell is an apocalyptic horror novel published by American author Stephen King in 2006. The story follows a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious...
, the protagonists stumble across a half-assembled carnival, which includes a child's ride called "Charlie the Choo-Choo", a reference to the third and fourth books in the series. Also, the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
Clay sells at the beginning of the novel is entitled The Dark Wanderer, and the main antagonist, the Raggedy Man, wears a red hoodie from Harvard, a reference to the Crimson King.
As well, the character Alice, who perishes from a trauma to the head, bears a striking resemblance to the Alice who tends bar in Tull, and sleeps with Roland.
The Dead Zone
Nigel, the robot in The Dark Tower 7, was reading The Dead ZoneThe Dead Zone
The Dead Zone may refer to:* The Dead Zone , a 1979 novel by Stephen King* The Dead Zone , a 1983 film adaption of the novel, starring Christopher Walken and directed by David Cronenberg...
and found it "quite enjoyable".
The Shining
Room 217 is a major plot point, as a room to avoid due to high activity of an unrestful spirit - 2+17 = 19, a recurrent number in the Dark Tower series. Another instance of the 19 occurs during the climax of the novel, when Jack is attempting to kill his wife, and it's revealed that there are 19 stairs from the lobby to the first floor of the hotel.Additionally, the name of the Colorado Lounge in the Overlook Hotel was once the Red Eye Lounge, the Red Eye being a major symbol of the Crimson King. One of the Crimson King's major objectives is the collection of powerful psychics to use as Breakers (those who attempt to destroy the Beams upholding the Dark Tower and all of reality itself) and one thing that the Overlook's "management" wants to do is to take control of Danny Torrence. The Crimson King, through the Sombra Corporation, has been known to ally itself with the mafia, and the mafia (through Horace Derwent) has long held controlling stakes in the Overlook Hotel. When Jack is conversing with the bartender Lloyd, at one point his form shifts and a description of the bartender explains that he has drops of blood coming from his forehead, a descriptive point also used to describe certain other servants of the Crimson King, who are described as having singular bloody eyes on their foreheads.
Pet Sematary
Jerusalem's Lot, the town Rachel drives by in Pet SemataryPet Sematary
Pet Sematary is a 1983 horror novel by Stephen King. It was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984, and was later made into a film of the same name.-Plot:...
, is where Callahan says he is from in his world.
Louis Creed describes Church the cat's attitude before being spayed as "like a gunslinger". A Dearborn, Michigan, is
mentioned in relation to Rachael Creed's Father, Irwin Goldman. These are both references to Roland Deschain.
Cujo
In The Dark Tower 7 CujoCujo
Cujo is a psychological horror novel by Stephen King. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982, and was made into a film in 1983....
, the book, is directly referenced by character Bryan Smith who mentions the title to the Character, Stephen King, as they wait for an ambulance to arrive. Bryan describes the story as "Scary as hell! I'm glad that little boy lived!" To which King replies "In the book he died" suggesting a minor connection to the boy and Jake Chambers of The Dark Tower series.
Full Dark, No Stars
In Fair ExtensionFair Extension
Fair Extension is a novella by Stephen King, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars .-Synopsis:On his way home, Dave Streeter sees a man with a setup by the road to the airport. He goes out and talks with the man, George Elvid, who tells Streeter that he sells extensions of various types...
, Dave Streeter says to Tom Goodhugh, "Long days and pleasant nights".
Under the Dome
Roger Killian, a small-time chicken farmer, has three sons, two of whom are named Randall and Roland, which are both prominent names in The Dark Tower. Randall begins the looting of the Food City market, playing a minor antagonist role in Under the Dome akin to Randall Flagg's role in The Dark Tower.Stephen King also uses a literary device in this novel that is used often in the Dark Tower series, writing at one point "See this well."
The security code for the radio station is 1693. The sum of these numbers is 19.