Best way back to The Dark Tower

[Manxkitti]

If you are going to read The Black House, read The Talisman first. Both are very good novels. Bag of Bones is a very good ghost story and if you like the sci-fi genre, you'll love Dreamcatcher. Personally, if I was away from the DT series, I would start over.

[Lencho_of_the_Apes]

I was pretty much in the same position as John; I read V1-4 around the time I came out and then set the whole thing aside until I knew the series had been finished, because it was too frustrating to wait each time I got to the end of a book. Once all seven volumes had been published, I... um... I ended up starting over at the beginning.

I think I would at least skim the first books in the series to get myself back up to speed.

Whether you do or not, I do recommend that you read Hearts In Atlantis before resuming the DT series. The DT connection to Dreamcatcher and Bag Of Bones is pretty minor, but Hearts In Atlantis introduces you to someone who plays a major role in the later parts of the DT series. Black House is tightly connected to the DT universe, but the action of that story is totally independent of what happens with Roland as his people; IMO, you'd actually be better off reading that one AFTER you read DT.

We all float down here.

[91rewoT]

Start over, read fast, and finish on April 23, 2012!!!

[Ragan]

There's so many details you'll want to remember that I would just start over and read the whole series so it would be fresh in your mind when you get to the later books.

[Shoe]

I'm with the majority in this one. Back to the beginning and start anew.

[J.T. Adams]

I just want you to read it.

I know people who read all of Sk's other works than read the DT books, and I know people who started with the DT books and both sides loved the series.

My personal opinion is it's just some of the greatest storytelling in man's history.

[jbrunner8654]

yea man, I would for sure start over again, because even now having read the DT series no more than a year ago I still have trouble remembering things when i read related books