Stephen King works related to The Dark Tower series
Apart from the eight books in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, many of his other works are connected to this series to varying degrees.[1]
Major connections
'Salem's Lot
Father Callahan is a major character in the latter part of the series. Father Callahan first appears in 'Salem's Lot, originally published in 1975, seven years before the first book in the Dark Tower series, and twenty-eight years before his reappearance in the fifth book "The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla." Callahan and others discover a copy of 'Salem's Lot, along with other King novels, in "The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind" bookstore. Constant Readers will also notice "The Waste Lands" also gives us a glimpse.
The Stand
The world of The Stand, first published in 1978, is visited in the fourth book of the series. Randall Flagg is one of the main characters.
The Talisman
Twinners are present in The Talisman (1984 by Stephen King and Peter Straub). The Talisman has a purpose similar to The Dark Tower, as it is a center of many different worlds and universes.
The Mist
In the novella "The Mist" (included in the collection Skeleton Crew), 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.
In the film adaption of "The Mist", David Drayton can be seen painting a portrait of Roland in the opening scene.
It
In the novel It, the villain is a monster called "It", and 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. Also mentioned is the phrase, "In this universe there might grow roses which sing." There is also a robot in the last book named Stuttering Bill, a nickname shared by Bill Denbrough. Its full name/ serial number is William D-746541. (William being Bill's actual first name, and the D his last initial.) Pennywise the clown is the same kind of creature (psychic vampire that feeds on emotions) as Dandelo, whom Roland, Susannah and Oy meet near the end of their quest to the Dark Tower. The store where Bill finds his old bike Silver is called 'Secondhand Rose, Secondhand Clothes', a reference to the many roses (which are always forces of good) in the Dark Tower series. There is also a reference in book 7, when the turtle passes out of existence; King writes "and the Turtle passed out this story (just as a paper boat you may remember)".
The Eyes of the Dragon
Flagg is a villain in The Eyes of the Dragon, 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
Insomnia's main character, Ralph Roberts, is made to save the life of the child Patrick Danville, a major character in the last book of the series. The "doctors" Clotho and Lachesis speak of ka, ka-tet, The Dark Tower, and singing roses at various points during the story. 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 Madder, 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", which is seen in The Dark Tower, especially The Little Sisters of Eluria and Black House. There are hints of "the deadlights", which indicate Tak may be a relative of the creature It/Pennywise.
This book and The Wind Through the Keyhole both contain malevolent spiritual entities which originate in glowing cracks, found deep in mine shafts.
When a character dies at the end of the book, death is described as "like swooning into a rose," a reference to the roses that surround the Dark Tower and the rose in the parking lot that serves at the Tower in one reality.
David Carver uses the word "God Bomb" when talking about messages from God. This is the same terminology used by the preacher outside of the Dark Tower in New York.
The Regulators
According to the flap for The Regulators, Richard Bachman's wife is called Claudia 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 Inez Bachman.
Also, in Wolves Of The Calla, Father Callahan calls the Low Men "Regulators." Tak, the villain from Desperation, is also the villain in The Regulators.
The fictional film that the book is named after, "The Regulators", is later mentioned in The Wolves of the Calla.
Poplar Street, the setting of the book, is bordered on one end by a "Bear Street". The Bear is an important plot element in The Dark Tower series, as the Beam that Roland's group follows is along the path of the Bear and Turtle.
Bag of Bones
In Bag of Bones, 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. Ralph Roberts from Insomnia (which is related to the Dark Tower series) also makes an appearance, and the area around Sara Laughs is described as where the world is thin. Dark Score lake could be that universe's location for the Dark Tower.
Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis centers on 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. 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. Not named as such, the tent of the Little Sisters of Eluria shows up in The Territories.
Everything's Eventual
The collection Everything's Eventual, 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.
From a Buick 8
The Buick featured in From a Buick 8 (2002) is left behind at a petrol station by a person who fits the description of a Low Man. Also, the narrator, Sandy Dearborn, has the same surname as Roland Deschain's alias in the fourth book of the series: Will Dearborn.
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-book which can search the multiverse.
Minor connections
Dreamcatcher
Douglas "Duddits" Cavell, a boy with Down Syndrome and special powers of the mind, lives on 19 Maple Lane as a child (the number 19 having significance in the Dark Tower Series). The number 19 also appears as the jersey number of Richie Grenadeau, a bully and minor antagonist of the story. As an adult, Duddits lives on Dearborn Street. Dearborn is the surname adopted by Roland on his mission in the Dark Tower 4.
Firestarter
In Firestarter (1980), the main protagonist, Charlie McGee, shares her name with the word for death in Rolands world, "Char".
The Dead Zone
Nigel, the robot in The Dark Tower 7, was reading The Dead Zone (1979) and found it "quite enjoyable". He plays number 19 on the roulette to win the big lot. Johnny is described by a construction worker at the fair as "long, tall, and ugly," which is how Eddie describes Roland.
Cujo
In The Dark Tower 7, the movie Cujo (1981) is directly referenced by character Bryan Smith, who mentions the title to the Stephen King character as they wait for an ambulance to arrive. Bryan describes the movie as "Scary as hell! I'm glad that little boy lived!" To which King replies "In the book he died." This refers to the fact that the boy died in the book but not the movie, but may also suggest a minor connection to the boy Jake Chambers of The Dark Tower series.
It is also later referenced in The Dark Tower 7 that Susan Delgado would sometimes call Roland "cujo," which meant "sweet one." Making the events in the novel Cujo all the more tragic.
Cell
Late in Cell (2006), 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. The protagonist, Ray Damon, has the same initials as the main character in The Dark Tower, Roland Deschain.
As well, the character Alice, who perishes from a trauma to the head, is a twinner to the bartender Allie, who had a scar and slept with Roland.
Just After Sunset
In the short story "N." (2008), a seemingly mentally ill man obsessed with numbers describes the number 19 as being powerful but dangerous.
Blockade Billy
Billy, the protagonist of Blockade Billy (2010), has murderous tendencies and wears Number 19.
Full Dark, No Stars
In Fair Extension (2010), Dave Streeter says to Tom Goodhugh, "Long days and pleasant nights". Streeter also shares a last name with a character from The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole.
Under the Dome
In Under the Dome (2009), 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.
Stephen King utilizes the "See this well" literary device that is also used in the Dark Tower series.
The security code for the radio station is 1693. The sum of these numbers is 19.
They take the number 19 bus.
The "Great Bear" constellation is mentioned.
11/22/63
In 11.22.63 (TV Mini Series)(2016) In Episode 4, "The Eyes Of Texas" Jake is handed a leather belt by Miss Mimi, and the belt has the word "CHAR" written on it. "Char" means Death in the High Speech of the Gunslingers, and in the language used "before the world moved on".
In Wolves of the Calla (2004), the ka-tet discusses the possible use of the doorway cave to go to other times and change history, with their most discussed possibility being to prevent Kennedy's assassination, but decide that it would be a bad idea because of potentially worse future events. The station in Fedic depicted in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower also has a specific door dedicated to visiting Dallas, 11/22/63, as if it were a tourist destination (another leads to Ford's Theater on the night of Lincoln's assassination). These doors, locked to a specific time, may be of a similar design as the one in the pantry that Jake Epping uses to travel to 1958.
In Wizard and Glass the ka-tet, visiting the ruins of a world that has died, see a 'Takuro Spirit', a fictional vehicular make and model. In 11/22/63 Jake sees the same make and model while exploring the dystopic future he's created.
The Long Walk
In part one of the Skin-Man of The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012), Peter McVries is mentioned as a deceased associate of Steven Deschain of Gilead. This character shares a name with a walker in The Long Walk (1979), written as Richard Bachman. There is also a passing reference to this book in book seven when King mentions going on a long walk and notes that he wrote a book with that name.
The Colorado Kid
King noted on his personal website on October 7, 2005 that an apparent research error in his novel The Colorado Kid (2005) regarding the rise of Seattle, Washington-based Starbucks Coffee may hold other implications: "The review of The Colorado Kid in today’s issue of today's USA Today mentions that there was no Starbucks in Denver in 1980. Don’t assume that’s a mistake on my part. The constant readers of the Dark Tower series may realize that is not necessarily a continuity error, but a clue."
Revival
The road rocket's number, when Jamie's father fixes it up and gives it to Duane Robichaud to race in, is 19.
Norman Irving's band were formerly known as the "Gunslingers", but later changed their name to the "Chrome Roses". Both of these names reference elements in the Dark Tower series.
Charles Jacobs (the focal character of "Revival") speaks of an Unfound Door as a metaphor for the potential of his "Secret Electricity" stating that it leads to chambers few people have ever seen and filled with unearthly beauty; strongly alluding to the elusive portal titled Unfound.
NOS4A2
The novel by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) contains numerous references to The Dark Tower and other King works. The main antagonist, Charlie Manx, mentions knowing about "the doors to Mid-World". The town of Derry, ME is mentioned, as is Shawshank Prison.
Doctor Sleep
Dan Torrance recites from the Book of Good Farming, found both in The Talisman and in the Dark Tower series. "And all will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well." Note: Stephen King was quoting Julian of Norwich. Any recitation of this line is not a quote from Stephen King unless the author states it as such.
Dan also says to his companion John Dalton, "There are other worlds than these..." before recounting the events of "The Shining" to him.
Misery
In the book Misery, King describes the imagined voice of the typewriter which Paul Sheldon uses to write in Annie Wilkes' house as being like that of a gunslinger.
References
- ↑ Connections (The Dark Tower official website)
