History Literature / TheDarkTower

* ''Literature/TheGunslinger'' (1982)
* ''Literature/TheDrawingOfTheThree'' (1987)
* ''Literature/TheWasteLands'' (1991)
* ''Literature/WizardAndGlass'' (1997)
* ''The Little Sisters of Eluria'' (1998, a novella taking place before ''The Gunslinger'')
* ''Literature/WolvesOfTheCalla'' (2003)
* ''Literature/SongOfSusannah'' (2004)
* ''Literature/{{The Dark Tower|2004}}'' (2004)
* ''Literature/TheWindThroughTheKeyhole'' (2012, takes place between ''Wizard and Glass'' and ''Wolves of the Calla'')

To see tropes about the individual books in the series, please check out their individual pages above.

* ContinuitySnarl: With the revised edition of Volume I: ''The Gunslinger'', later volumes have references to elements that no longer appear in the revised work. Only those who have read both versions will understand some of the references. For instance, early in ''The Drawing of the Three''', the narration refers to Roland's recent discovery of Marten Broadcloak and the Man in Black being allies; the revised of the ''The Gunslinger'' instead reveals that they are one and the same.

* ContinuitySnarl: With the revised edition of Volume I: ''The Gunslinger'', later volumes have references to elements that no longer appear in the revised work. Only those who have read both versions will understand some of the references.

* BadEnd: [[spoiler:''The entire series of books is this.'' The finale reveals that Roland has been going through his quest on a GroundhogDayLoop an unknowable number of times, and that he keeps on having to do it because he fails to meet a set of requirements that are unknown to both him and the reader. Most notably, it's revealed that Roland needs to use the Horn of Eld once he reaches the Dark Tower, a possession he ends up receiving upon his next time through the loop. It's unknown if there are more items that he needs, or if saving each member of his ''ka-tet'' is also a requirement (as Jake had been killed twice (once by Roland himself, an action he painfully regrets every moment after it happens), Eddie and Oy once, and Susannah, depending on how one reads it, is happy and alive in an alternate universe New York or stuck in a LotusEaterMachine.) Fans have different theories on how Roland can achieve the GoldenEnding because of these inspecifities.]]
* BadassCrew: Roland and his ''[[TrueCompanions ka-tet]]'' . All of them save Oy are born gunslingers, and as such are capable of instantly mastering any weapon they come across.

* IconicItem: The rose, Roland's revolvers, and of course the Tower itself.

So begins ''The Dark Tower'', Creator/StephenKing's epic long-runner, a series of eight books published over nearly thirty years. The series is frequently regarded as King's defining work. It is a long and complex MixAndMatch of SpeculativeFiction, HighFantasy, {{Horror}}, PostModernism and [[TheWestern Westerns]].

So begins ''The Dark Tower'', Creator/StephenKing's epic long-runner, a series of seven books published over nearly thirty years. The series is frequently regarded as King's defining work. It is a long and complex MixAndMatch of SpeculativeFiction, HighFantasy, {{Horror}}, PostModernism and [[TheWestern Westerns]].

* TheGunslinger: Roland Deschain and anyone from his old and new ka-tets. The [[KnightErrant the order of Arthurian heroes]] in Mid-World are even called Gunslingers.

* DrivenToSuicide: Narrowly [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] with [[spoiler:Eddie in The ''Literature/TheDrawingOfTheThree''. After Roland inquires as to why he stopped, Eddie initially tries to deflect with a joke before revealing to Roland that he couldn't let him die.]]