"It's his eyes, Roland thought. They were wide and terrible, the eyes of a dragon in human form" - Roland seeing the Crimson King for the first time.
"When the King comes and the Tower falls, sai, all such pretty things as yours will be broken. Then there will be darkness and nothing but the howl of Discordia and the cries of the can toi" - From Song of Susannah
Unless they've got one of those great big warships pointed at you.
Oh. Wait. Wrong spelling. Those weren't the Cardashians you were talking about...
[/sillly-mode]
I'm not sure I've ever really chosen an order for the series. I tend to like some equally but in different ways. Also there are parts of each book I like better than others. For example I'd probably rank The Dark Tower as least but there are parts of that book that are up there with the more favoured books.
The Waste Lands - Drawing of the Three
1. The Drawing of the Three
2.Wolves of the Calla
3. Songs of Susannah
4.The Gunslinger
5.The Waste Lands
6.Wizard and Glass
7.The Dark Tower
I thought about it. And thought about it. And thought some more.
Finally, here is my standpoint. Apologies in advance to all the various members that will be offended by it.
1. The Waste Lands
2. The Drawing of the Three
3. The Gunslinger
4. Wolves of the Calla
5. Song of Susannah
6. The Dark Tower
7. Wizard and Glass
Yeah pretty tough thread here. I would normally just go in order because the story flowed well together in transition. But... Some of the books I couldn't put down while others I read a little bit slower. I feel like he rushed the last three and I wasn't a big fan. I've read books 1-4 at least four times and 5-7 once. So here goes.
1. Wizard and Glass
2. The Gunslinger
3. Drawing of the Three
4. The Wastelands
5. The Dark Tower
6. Wolves of the Calla
7. Song of Susannah
X-man: The One Man Wolfpack...
1. The Drawing of the Three
2. The Waste Lands
3. Wolves of the Calla
4. The Dark Tower
5. Wizard and Glass
6. Song of Susannah
7. The Gunslinger
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
This is a tough one...but this is a close as I can get to a solidified list:
1. Drawing of the Three
2. The Wastelands
3. Wolves of the Calla
4. The Dark Tower
5. The Gunslinger
6. Wizard and Glass
7. Song of Susannah
1. Drawing of the Three
2. The Wastelands
3. The Gunslinger
4. Wolves of the Calla
5. The Dark Tower
6. Wizard and Glass
7. Song of Susannah
The bottom two were the easiest choices for me.
"A person's never too old for stories. Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them." - Roland Deschain
For this reason alone, I'm SO tempted to put Wolves at the top, but it just can't quite beat the introduction of Eddie, so:
1. Drawing of the three
2. Wolves of the Calla
3. The Wastelands
4. The Dark Tower
5. Song of Susannah
6. The Gunslinger
7. Wizard and glass
8 Wind through the keyhole (I know people haven't been including this or Sisters, but I just love seeing it at the bottom)
And like so many people here, this is just the current list, subject to change without notice. But I'm curious about how people would rate these books based on the first reading only? When you had no idea what was going to happen? I think for me, VII would rate much higher. Sure, later rational thinking might make me realise that Drawing is a better read, but the first time I read The Dark Tower, was the first time I ever cried like a baby while reading a book.
you qualify anyway!
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. The Dark Tower
2. Wizard and Glass
3. Wolves of the Calla
4. Song of Susannah
5. The Wastelands
6. The Gunslinger
7. The Drawing of the Three
I'm way past due for a re-read but here's the order for today. It changes based on mood:
The Waste Lands
The Gunslinger
The Drawing
The Dark Tower
Wolves
Wizard
Song of Susannah
The Wind
1. The Drawing of the Three
2. Song of Susannah
3. The Waste Lands
4. The Dark Tower
5. The Gunslinger
6. Wolves of the Calla
7. The Wind Through the Keyhole
8. Wizard and Glass
Wow.. last message was 2012
I'd say something like
1.The Gunslinger
2.The Dark Tower
3.Song of Susannah
4.The Wastelands
5.Wizard and Glass
6.The Wind Through the Keyhole
7.The Drawing of the Three
8.Wolves of the Calla
It was pretty hard but I really think that Wolves of the Calla was way too hyped. I mean, I expected a lot more from the battle and it ended up being just 20 pages and very quickly with just two loses.
grrr...
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm still in the later part of Song of Susannah, but so far it'll be...
1. The Gunslinger (one of the most creative and emotionally complex books I've ever read)
2. The Drawing of the Three (relatable, funny, and exciting, among other things)
3. Song of Susannah (kind of weird but very appealing and kind of mind-blowing)
4. The Waste Lands (boring in some places but a great story with an awesome ending)
5. Wolves of the Calla (some likable characters but doesn't seem worth its length)
6. Wizard and Glass (confusing with all those points of view, didn't connect much to the others)
Apparently I'm nearly 7 years late to this conversation, but this type of thread is exactly why I joined this forum, so I'm going to share my opinion. If no one sees it or agrees or refutes, fuck it, I just wanted to speak my piece.
For me, the best books in the series are as follows:
Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower
The Drawing of the Three
The Wastelands
The Gunslinger
The Wolves of the Calla
Song of Susannah
I don't rank The Wind Through The Keyhole here because it's not a "true" Dark Tower Book. Feel free to judge my rankings!
Well, first off, what's with all the negative vibes, dude? lol Everyone is entitled to their opinion even if its wrong (Just kidding you dude) lol. Okay, jokes aside so DT IV is your favorite book in the series? Don't often see that so you're an original on that one. I'm boring in that I like 'em just fine in the order of release, though DT IV is my least favorite of the series. I'd say DTII is my favorite with I and VII following for my top three. I also carry WTTKH as 4.5 and enjoyed that book as well.
But hey, that's just me and you obviously have strong feelings another way. Cool. I guess main thing is you read and enjoyed the series, right? Welcome to the site, have a look around and we're happy to have you join our little community. I think you'll find it a great place to call home on the web!!!!
1. The Wolves of the Calla
2. Wizard and Glass
3. The Dark Tower
4. The Wastelands
5. The Drawing of Three
6. Song of Susannah
7. The Gunslinger
Wish List:
Any of the following flatsigned or inscribed-
It, Shining, Salem’s Lot, Mr. Mercedes, The Stand
Brother ARC, Seed ARC
Hahaha, I didn't intend to sound so negative. I just reread it and...yeah...my bad.
Wizard and Glass has always resonated with me. The back story has so much rich detail, and gives wonderful insight into how Roland becomes, well, Roland.
I just started rereading the series again, and this will be my first opportunity to add WTTKH in the middle. I'm looking forward to a potentially new perspective this go round!
My order would be:
- The Waste Lands
- The Drawing of the Three
- The Gunslinger
- Wizard and Glass
- Wolves of the Calla
- The Dark Tower
- Song of Susannah
Honestly, the last four in the list are so close that any ordering is pretty meaningless. And none of them were bad, but I found the last three volumes to be, well, messy. Characters suddenly knew things they had never mentioned before, and that knowledge was not explained. New ideas and concepts were introduced that added to what went before, but didn't explain or unify it. The plots were meandering, and the pacing was all over the place.
Say what you will about the first three volumes, there was a sense of purpose. The plot moved forward. And there was a sense of epicness, of a looming confrontation, of a real danger that would meet Roland at the Tower. There was the sense that the elements - the Tower, the Rose, Flagg, and whatever awaited Roland at the the end of his quest - would be explained and unified in a grand vision and a final conflict. And some of it was resolved, in later volumes, but much of it was smothered in an avalanche of other ideas - Walk-ins, Taheen, Mordred, Blue Heaven, the Breakers, and the inclusion of the author himself. And much of it steeped in the patois of Calla Bryn Sturges, which was creative, but felt gimmicky; it did not make the world feel richer or more substantial.
By the way, I *love* The Gunslinger. There are days when that would be at the top of the list; the only reason I put 2 and 3 above it is that they expand the world and characters so brilliantly. But I love the feel of that first volume - the starkness of the writing, the coldness of Roland, the sacrifice of Jake. I read through the final conversation with the Man in Black so many times, trying to figure out what it meant, trying to discern what the Tower was, what it might hold, whether it needed to be destroyed or preserved, and why Roland was drawn to it.
HBJ
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
Nice idea so i will join right in ~
1. The Drawing of the Three
2. Wizard and Glass
3. The Dark Tower
4. Wolves of the Calla
5. The Gunslinger
6. The Wastelands
7. Song of Susannah
A special place goes to The Wind through the Keyhole because even its not part of the main series its a nice read and breather from the other books ~