I was itching to explore the Dark Tower series again, and while I was listening to the KingCast, a fantastic podcast about Stephen King and films, and their guest was Bev Vincent, and they talked about his book, The Road to the Dark Tower.

I hunted it down with a vengeance, and was delighted to be able to dig into it immediately. Vincent explores the seven-book series seven books. Each chapter covers one of the books, and additional sections cover the characters, and it’s numerous connections to King’s other works, which seems to leak into countless King tales.

Even reading the summaries in each chapter, I was able to relive the adventures of the saga. I joined Roland Deschain, the gunslinger, and his ka-tet, as they join him on his quest to the Dark Tower. It covers the magic, the horror, the heartbreak, the emotions, and the adventure. It was nice checking in on Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy.

Vincent recounts the drama, the characters, their connections, and the mythology that makes up mid-world, the Tower, and the beams. It explores 19, low-men, and the supporting characters that pass from one story into the main saga, including the fictional version of the author himself.

I flew through this. And while it wasn’t as enjoyable as reading each novel on its own. It definitely allowed me to relive the story, reminding me of favorite set pieces, and heartbreaking moments.

Vincent retells the tale with insight and humor, and highlights the connections that tie it into the larger Kingverse. This book was released before some of his later work, but it makes me wonder if the door in 11/22/63 is one of the manufactured doors that Roland encouters, if The Outsider is from a species similar to Dandelo and Pennywise.

I delighted in Vincent’s well-documented book. The adventure is all there, and the exploration of the writing of the series, its publication history and its influences. I love the Kingverse, and like countless of attentive fans, I get excited at discovering connections in his stories, references to others, and in its inhabitants.

I highly recommend this book. If you’re looking to revisit the Dark Tower saga, but don’t have time to revisit it all, this one makes for a wonderful summary, and also hints at other King books you could and should (re)read.

Honestly, I would think there would be a continually updated book by the Calvins, about all of King’s novels, histories, characters, and their connections.

This one is a bit of a must for the Calvin inside each King reader.