• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Stephen King

Okay guys, I was thinking of reading the Dark Tower series, but are there any books I should read first? I heard it was linked-in to a few books, most notably The Stand, should I start with that or go straight into The Gunslinger?

*Note: I have only ever read one book by Stephen King, which was IT*

Phil :)
 
I don't think you need to read any others before The Gunslinger, Phil. Yes, he does put the odd link into other books, but I wouldn't say it was necessary to read others before beginning the Dark Tower series.

My memory is failing me (I'm 89 you know), but from what I can remember, The Eyes of the Dragon is possibly tied in the most closely. Please correct me if I'm wrong, anyone! :)
 
phil_t said:
Okay guys, I was thinking of reading the Dark Tower series, but are there any books I should read first? I heard it was linked-in to a few books, most notably The Stand, should I start with that or go straight into The Gunslinger?
Click to expand...
Phil, here's a good link to the connections between King's Dark Tower series and his other books. (You have to scroll down a bit to see the flowchart.)

Just a warning about "The Gunslinger": it reads in a very disjointed manner and puts some readers off, but it's a short book and well worth the effort to hang in there. Personally, I loved The Gunslinger and immediately went in search of the next of the series.
 
Appropriate for ...

My g'daughter wants to start reading the Dark Tower series. What do you think? She is soon to be fourteen. She liked Eragon and Allende's books for Y/As.

:confused:
 
Thats no flow chart, thats a Battle Station!! :D

Erm ... i mean Thanks Ell, thats great :) May have to start overtaxing my library for Stephen King books!

So, from what I can gather, the connections are generally tenuous at best and more of a circumstantial connection than actually crossing over many plot points?

Phil
 
I think the connections are more of an explanation of what the world of the dark tower is. I read Insomnia after reading the first 3 dark towers and I felt that it explained alot about the Low men....And so on and so forth. None of them actually have the tet in them (with the exception Sisters of Eluria, which is a short story about Roland's beginning) so it doesn't advance the story in any way. Just...explains things. So you are right phil_t
 
But would the Dark Tower series...

... forever traumatize an innocent fourteen year-old girl? I don't want her parents to take my bookgiving privileges away.

:confused:
 
StillILearn said:
... forever traumatize an innocent fourteen year-old girl? I don't want her parents to take my bookgiving privileges away. :confused:
Click to expand...
Hard to advise without more information:
- Just how innocent are we talking?
- What are her parents like in regards to her reading/TV viewing?
- What types of movies is she allowed to see?
- Has she ever read any horror books - e.g. Dean Koontz, King?
Though most people classify these books as fantasy, there's a fair bit of graphic horror thrown in.

If they'd been available when I was 14, I'd have loved them - but I liked scary movies and science fiction at that age too. Personally, I'd have no trouble allowing a 14 year-old girl to read The Dark Tower series.

Why not read "The Gunslinger" yourself and then decide?

ell
 
There's no age restriction on books and this means that people come to different books and authors at their own rate of maturity. If she's wanting to read The Dark Tower series then she must be at that level.; the only exception being that she hasn't read the blurb and is basing the decision upon the cover.
 
Dark Tower/Fourteen...

My guess is that she's simply a voracious reader who's looking for a prolific writer.

She liked Garth Nix, I know... I do (have) read King, but I haven't read this particular series.

The obvious thing for me to do it read The Gunslinger -- it's just that her birthday is only about a week away!
 
The obvious thing for me to do it read The Gunslinger -- it's just that her birthday is only about a week away!
Click to expand...
The Gunslinger is a pretty quick read. Think I read it in just over a day. So you still have time. :D
 
You're right, Ell...

It's just that I'm reading Joyce Carol Oates and Nevada Barr right now, and I don't want to interrupt the flow.

I'll give her a gift certificate to amazon.com and a list of fantasy writers that I got off somebody's link in another thread.

But, thanks for the input, people!

:)
 
I've never found Stephen King to be graphic in any way - he's quite tame compared to others like Clive Barker or Poppy Brite.
 
Stewart said:
I've never found Stephen King to be graphic in any way - he's quite tame compared to others like Clive Barker or Poppy Brite.
Click to expand...
Depends who's reading it. I find King fairly tame, too. My comment about it being graphic was more for the benefit of StillILearn's decision about getting the Dark Tower series. Just wanted to let her know that it might have more horror elements in it than her granddaughter is comfortable with.
 
Holger said:
My VERY favourit author is Stephen King.

Some time ago he started to give out a novell ("The Plant") via the internet. I have 4 or 5 of the files. Does anybody know if he ever continued the story?

/Holger
Click to expand...
I heard that Stephen King is becomming blind and he may not be able to write any more. I'm not sure if this is true, its just what I have heard and I havn't looked up if it is correct or not.
 
After seeing so many posts for 'S.K',I would like to give him another try.
Coz i read 'Firestarter' and dint like much.
So,can anyone suggest a 'Masterpiece' by him,for me to read?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top