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A review by graylodge_library
Stephen King's the Dark Tower Concordance by Robin Furth
5.0
14.03.2020
Updated the list with the short stories Night Surf, Jerusalem's Lot, and One for the Road. They're technically not part of the universe on their own, but they're related to The Stand and Salem's Lot (apparently prologues/epilogues of sorts), so it makes sense to read them together.
09.10.2018
Okay, I've been leafing through this and I honestly find it hard to believe that there will be a better reference book for the Dark Tower series. This is a hefty tome that includes all the important terms and characters you need to remember when travelling in Roland's world, but also has the smallest of trivia that isn't probably very crucial information but which nevertheless makes the experience more whole and vivid. Furth has done an incredible job of keeping everything in good order, and as pointed out by King in his foreword, Concordance was never meant to be published but can still be useful to ordinary readers as well, not just the author (can you imagine being asked to be Stephen King's research assistant?).
And it is. The indexes are easy to use, there are several maps to make the journey more fun when you can actually follow the route (I have a good imagination and can usually picture the events in my mind pretty well, but I always appreciate maps, too), the definitions for dialect expressions are definitely going to be useful, introductions for the different volumes are great if you don't want to reread anything and just want to refresh your memory etc. Just make sure to get the newest fully revised and updated version and you're good to go.
I'm already reviewing this, because this isn't the sort of book you can just read normally all the way through, but I'll be updating my review if I stumble into any issues during my reading project or have some thoughts I want to share about the functionality of the book.
03.09.2018
Finally. I'm determined to finish the entire Dark Tower series (well, actually, I decided to just go ahead and start from the beginning, because I don't remember much anymore). Not just that, but I'm also going to read the most important novels that are connected to the universe and should ideally be read together with the series. In preparation, I'm first going to browse The Concordance a little to get an idea how it's constructed and then keep it handy while going through the project.
I'm... scared. But also excited, so it's all good.
There are multiple versions of the correct reading order and many good arguments for and against the positions of certain books, but since I wasn't fully satisfied with any of them, I did some tweaking and made my own list. I'm going to add it beneath every review connected with the universe, so that you have a better idea about my progress and you can easily access the related reviews. Feel free to use this if it's helpful to you as well.
"Night Surf" from Night Shift (1978)
The Stand: Complete and Uncut Edition (1990)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (2003 Revised Edition)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
"Little Sisters of Eluria" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
"Jerusalem's Lot" from Night Shift (1978)
Salem's Lot (1975)
"One for the Road" from Night Shift (1978)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
Insomnia (1994)
Black House (2001) (sequel to The Talisman)
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" from Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
"Everything's Eventual" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)
Updated the list with the short stories Night Surf, Jerusalem's Lot, and One for the Road. They're technically not part of the universe on their own, but they're related to The Stand and Salem's Lot (apparently prologues/epilogues of sorts), so it makes sense to read them together.
09.10.2018
Okay, I've been leafing through this and I honestly find it hard to believe that there will be a better reference book for the Dark Tower series. This is a hefty tome that includes all the important terms and characters you need to remember when travelling in Roland's world, but also has the smallest of trivia that isn't probably very crucial information but which nevertheless makes the experience more whole and vivid. Furth has done an incredible job of keeping everything in good order, and as pointed out by King in his foreword, Concordance was never meant to be published but can still be useful to ordinary readers as well, not just the author (can you imagine being asked to be Stephen King's research assistant?).
And it is. The indexes are easy to use, there are several maps to make the journey more fun when you can actually follow the route (I have a good imagination and can usually picture the events in my mind pretty well, but I always appreciate maps, too), the definitions for dialect expressions are definitely going to be useful, introductions for the different volumes are great if you don't want to reread anything and just want to refresh your memory etc. Just make sure to get the newest fully revised and updated version and you're good to go.
I'm already reviewing this, because this isn't the sort of book you can just read normally all the way through, but I'll be updating my review if I stumble into any issues during my reading project or have some thoughts I want to share about the functionality of the book.
03.09.2018
Finally. I'm determined to finish the entire Dark Tower series (well, actually, I decided to just go ahead and start from the beginning, because I don't remember much anymore). Not just that, but I'm also going to read the most important novels that are connected to the universe and should ideally be read together with the series. In preparation, I'm first going to browse The Concordance a little to get an idea how it's constructed and then keep it handy while going through the project.
I'm... scared. But also excited, so it's all good.
There are multiple versions of the correct reading order and many good arguments for and against the positions of certain books, but since I wasn't fully satisfied with any of them, I did some tweaking and made my own list. I'm going to add it beneath every review connected with the universe, so that you have a better idea about my progress and you can easily access the related reviews. Feel free to use this if it's helpful to you as well.
"Night Surf" from Night Shift (1978)
The Stand: Complete and Uncut Edition (1990)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (2003 Revised Edition)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
"Little Sisters of Eluria" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
"Jerusalem's Lot" from Night Shift (1978)
Salem's Lot (1975)
"One for the Road" from Night Shift (1978)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
Insomnia (1994)
Black House (2001) (sequel to The Talisman)
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" from Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
"Everything's Eventual" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)