The Dark Tower connects worlds...

I have written enough novels and short stories to fill a solar system of the imagination, but Roland's story is my Jupiter--a planet that dwarfs all the others . . . a place of strange atmosphere, crazy landscape, and savage gravitational pull. Dwarfs the others, did I say? I think there's more to it than that, actually. I am coming to understand that Roland's world (or worlds) actually contains all the others of my making...

--Stephen King
“Afterword”
Wizard and Glass


Of all Stephen King’s novels, the Dark Tower saga has had the most persistent hold upon the author’s imagination.      Begun in 1970, it has remained an active part of his creative life for more than forty-two years. Although originally inspired by Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” and Sergio Leone’s “spaghetti” Westerns, the Dark Tower novels have a magic all of their own. At the heart of the Dark Tower novels sits the Dark Tower itself, a magnificent magical/technological structure which is the linchpin of the time/space continuum.  From the Tower a traveler could reach any where or when of his choosing.  This includes our world, and any of the many parallel earths that Stephen King writes about in his fictions.

Just as the Dark Tower is the nexus point of the time/space continuum within the context of the Dark Tower novels, so the Dark Tower novels are the linchpin of Stephen King’s creative multiverse.  Father Callahan, the damned priest of ‘Salem’s Lot, finds his way to Mid-World, as does Patrick Danville, the little boy in Insomnia who lives in Derry, Maine. The world-hopping Randall Flagg is able to travel from the superflu-ravaged world of The Stand to the Kingdom of Delain, found in Eyes of the Dragon, and then back to Roland’s childhood home of Gilead. As Stephen King says, there is a place for all of his characters in Mid-World, from Randall Flagg and Ralph Roberts to Ted Brautigan and Dinky Earnshaw.  Even if some creatures morph when they move from one world to another—as do the can-toi and the Regulators—there is still a place for them in Roland’s universe.

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User Submitted Connections

11/22/63

11/22/63

19: The number nineteen is a magical number in the Dark Tower novels.

19 JUNE, 1999: In Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, we learn that this is the day that Stephen King was hit by van near Lovell, Maine.  In Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, it is the day that Jake Chambers and Stephen King save Stephen King’s life.  In 11/22/63, this is the date that the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor exploded.

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels including, 11/22/63 is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels.

TAKURO SPIRIT: In the Dark Tower novels V, VI, and VII, a Takuro Spirit is a type of car found in some of the alternate versions of America.  In 11/22/63, Jake Epping also sees a Takuro Spirit.

\'Salem\'s Lot

'Salem's Lot

AIR DANCE: A novel written by Ben Mears of ‘Salem’s Lot.  Eddie Dean knows about this book.

CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK:  Father Callahan is a major character Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower.  He is also a character in ‘Salem’s Lot.  While telling his history in Wolves of the Calla, Father Callahan mentions the following characters from ‘Salem’s Lot:

THE VAMPIRE BARLOW (KURT BARLOW)

BEN MEARS

SUSAN NORTON

DR. JIM CODY

LORETTA COOGAN

MR. FLIP

DANNY GLICK

MATT BURKE

MARK PETRIE

HENRY PETRIE

JUNE PETRIE

RICHARD STRAKER

 

JERUSALEM’S LOT (‘SALEM’S LOT): This was the setting for the novel ‘Salem’s Lot. Father Callahan talks about it in the final three Dark Tower novels.  The following places from Jerusalem’s Lot are also mentioned in the Dark Tower novels:

MARSTEN HOUSE

PETRIE HOUSE AND KITCHEN

SAINT ANDREW’S CHURCH AND RECTORY

SPENCER’S DRUGS

LOS ZAPATOS (this is in Mexico, not Maine)

 

WHITE, THE: The White is the force of good in the Dark Tower novels. It also appears in The Talisman and in the “Deleted Scenes” of ‘Salem’s Lot.

 

Autopsy Room Four

Autopsy Room Four

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels. Derry also appears in “Autopsy Room Four.” 

Bag of Bones

Bag of Bones

KEYWADIN POND: In Song of Susannah this is located near East Stoneham, Maine.  In Bag of Bones it is located near Lovell, Maine.

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in Bag of Bones.

The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet

The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet

GINELLI/ FOUR FATHERS RESTAURANT/THREE FATHERS RESTAURANT/FOUR FATHERS BAR: In the Dark Tower novels, Ginelli (no first name given) owns the Four Fathers Restaurant and The Ginelli Pizza truck. In “Thinner,” Richard Ginelli is a silent partner in the Three Fathers Restaurant. In “The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet” the Four Fathers bar appears.

Black House

Black House

BLAINE THE MONO: Blaine is a character from the DT novels The Waste Lands and Wizard and Glass.  He is also mentioned in Black House. However he is not a character in that book. (Mentioned only)

BRAUTIGAN, TED: Ted Brautigan is a major character in the final Dark Tower novel, The Dark Tower. He plays a very important role in "Low Men in Yellow Coats," and “Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling,” both found in Hearts in Atlantis.  Ted Brautigan is MENTIONED in “Why We’re in Vietnam,” and in Black House. (He is not a central character in either of these books.)

CAN-TAH: The carved turtle which Susannah Dean uses to mesmerize people in Song of Susannah. The can-tah are mentioned in Stephen King’s novel Desperation. In that book, the can tah (spelled without the hyphen) are ugly composite animals carved from stone. In the Dark Tower novels, they are good, not evil. The can-tah are also mentioned in Black House. (Judy Marshall mumbles this word while in a delirium.)

CHAMBERS, JAKE: Jake is a major player in The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. He is mentioned in Black House.

DARK TOWER: The Dark Tower (the actual Tower, located in End-World) is mentioned in Black House.

DEAN, EDDIE:  Eddie is a major player in The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. Eddie Dean is referenced in Black House.

DEAN, SUSANNAH: Susannah Dean is a major player in The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. She is also referenced in Black House.

DESCHAIN, ROLAND: As well as being the central protagonist of the Dark Tower novels, he is also mentioned in Black House.

FRENCH LANDING, WISCONSIN: Setting for Black House.  It is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels.

HOSPITAL TENTS: A tent very like the hospital tent found in Little Sisters of Eluria appears briefly in Black House.   The Little Sisters’ tent is not specifically named, but anyone who knows Stephen King’s work will catch the reference.

KA: In the Dark Tower novels, ka is the force of fate.  It is also mentioned in Black House.

LEGION: In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, Walter mentions the End-World creature known as Legion. In Black House, The Fisherman is called Legion. 

OPOPANAX: This feather is found in Calla Bryn Sturgis. The word “opopanax” haunts Jack Sawyer in Black House.

PATRICIA THE MONO: Appears in Black House as well as the Dark Tower novels.

SPEAKING DEMON: The Speaking Demon which appears in The Waste Lands also appears in Black House.

TERRITORIES: Much of the action of The Talisman (and some of the action of Black House) takes place in a land known as The Territories.  The Territories are mentioned in The Waste Lands

Blockade Billy

Blockade Billy

19: The number nineteen is a magical number in the Dark Tower novels. In Blockade Billy, it is Billy’s shirt number.

Cell

Cell

Clayton Riddell, the protagonist of CELL, is a comic book artist. He has written a Western fantasy comic called THE DARK WANDERER. According to his wife, it’s about apocalypse cowboys. The main character in THE DARK WANDERER is the cowboy Ray Damon. (R.D., like Roland Deschain.) Ray Damon uses six-shooters, like Roland.

At the Northern Counties Expo, Clay and the others fighting the phoners come across a children’s ride called Charlie the Choo-Choo. Charlie the Choo-Choo is the name of a sinister children’s book which Jake Chambers buys in THE WASTE LANDS. Charlie prefigures Blaine the Insane Mono.

Cujo

Cujo

BRIDGTON, MAINE:

Setting in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower

PHARMACY: The pharmacy in Bridgton is also mentioned in Cujo.

KING NOVELS MENTIONED IN DARK TOWER NOVELS:

Hearts in Atlantis, The Dead Zone, Pet Sematary, On Writing (non-fiction), Storm of the Century, Rose Red, Kingdom Hospital (screenplay), Insomnia, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo

KING CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN DARK TOWER NOVELS: Greg Stilson (The Dead Zone), Annie Wilkes, Paul Sheldon and Misery Chastain (Misery).  Paul Sheldon is also mentioned in Rose Madder and ‘The Library Policeman’.  Misery Chastain is mentioned in Rose Madder, Ralph Roberts (Insomnia), Carrie White, Cujo

The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah

The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah

BACHMAN, RICHARD: Richard Bachman (Stephen King’s pseudonym/alter ego) is mentioned by name in Song of Susannah. He does not play a role in the Dark Tower novels. (Mentioned only)

Desperation

Desperation

CAN-TAH: The carved turtle which Susannah Dean uses to mesmerize people in Song of Susannah. The can-tah are mentioned in Desperation. In that book, the can tah (spelled without the hyphen) are ugly composite animals carved from stone. In the Dark Tower novels, they are good, not evil.

CAN-TOI: The can-toi are low men.  They appear in Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. Like the CAN-TAH, the can-toi also appear in Desperation. In that book, the can-toi are the animal servants of the demon Tak (short for Can-Tak, or big god). Unlike our can-toi, the can-toi of Desperation have neither human bodies nor the ability to reason or speak.

DESATOYA MOUNTAINS: The Little Sisters of Eluria is set in the Desatoya Mountains. The novel Desperation is set near the Desatoya Mountains.

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in Desperation.

Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep

Dan Torrance uses Jake Chambers’ famous phrase, “There are other worlds than these.”

Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher

BRIDGTON, MAINE:

Setting in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower

PHARMACY: The pharmacy in Bridgton is also mentioned in Dreamcatcher.

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels. Derry also appears in Dreamcatcher.

JERUSALEM’S LOT (‘SALEM’S LOT): This was the setting for the novel ‘Salem’s Lot. Father Callahan talks about it in the final three Dark Tower novels. It is also mentioned in Dreamcatcher.

Everything\'s Eventual

Everything's Eventual

EARNSHAW, DINKY: Like Ted Brautigan, Dinky Earnshaw is one of the Breakers who allies himself with Roland’s tet in The Dark Tower. Dinky also appears in the short story, “Everything’s Eventual,” which can be found in the collection of the same name.

MR. SHARPTON: Mr. Sharpton was a character found in “Everything’s Eventual,” a short story in the collection Everything’s Eventual.  Dinky mentions him in The Dark Tower.

SKIPPER BRANNIGAN: In Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla we are told he is one of Henry Dean’s friends.   In Everything’s Eventual, he torments Dinky.

The Eyes of the Dragon

The Eyes of the Dragon

DELAIN: The setting for Eyes of the Dragon. It is mentioned in The Gunslinger, The Little Sisters of Eluria, The Dark Tower.

DENNIS and THOMAS: In The Drawing of the Three, we learn that Randall Flagg was once pursued by two desperate young men called Dennis and Thomas.  Both of these characters come from Eyes of the Dragon.

DIM: To make yourself dim is to make yourself difficult to detect, if not completely invisible. This skill also appears in Eyes of the Dragon.

FLAGG, RANDALL: Randall Flagg is one of the many incarnations of an arch-baddie found in the Stephen King universe. In the Dark Tower novels, he is Roland’s nemesis. He also appears in Eyes of the Dragon. In the Dark Tower books, he goes by the following names: Walter, The Dark Man, The Man in Black, Walter of All-World, Walter of End-World, Walter O’Dim, The Crimson King’s Prime Minister, Walter Padick, Walter Hodji, Walter Farden, Walter the Blind, Marten Broadcloak, The Green King, R.F., Richard Fannin, Rudin Filaro, Randall Flagg, The Walkin’ Dude. PLEASE NOTE:  Randall Flagg only uses the name “Walter” in the Dark Tower novels and in the novella, Little Sisters of Eluria.

            In Eyes of the Dragon, Randall Flagg goes by the names Randall Flagg, The Dark Man, Bill Hinch, and Browson.

GARLAN: In the Dark Tower novels, Garlan is sometimes referred to as a distant kingdom and other times as a Barony.  This place is also mentioned in Eyes of the Dragon.

From A Buick 8

From A Buick 8

The Buick 8’s previous owner was most likely a low man and the car a portal to the todash spaces from which creatures escape.

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in From a Buick 8.

Hearts in Atlantis

Hearts in Atlantis

KING NOVELS MENTIONED IN DARK TOWER NOVELS:

Hearts in Atlantis, The Dead Zone, Pet Sematary, On Writing (non-fiction), Storm of the Century, Rose Red, Kingdom Hospital (screenplay), Insomnia, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo

BRAUTIGAN, TED: Ted Brautigan is a major character in the final Dark Tower novel, The Dark Tower. He plays a very important role in "Low Men in Yellow Coats," and “Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling,” both found in Hearts in Atlantis.  Ted Brautigan is MENTIONED in “Why We’re in Vietnam.”  (He is not a central character in either of these books.) The Dark Tower novels he appears in (or is mentioned in) are Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower.

CRIMSON KING: The Crimson King is the ultimate baddie of the Dark Tower novels. He appears in The Gunslinger, 2003 edition; Wizard and Glass; Wolves of the Calla; Song of Susannah; and The Dark Tower. He also appears in “Low Men in Yellow Coats” (Hearts in Atlantis). He does not appear in any other Hearts in Atlantis novella.

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels including ‘Hearts in Atlantis’  is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels.

DESCHAIN, ROLAND: As well as being the central protagonist of the Dark Tower novels, Roland is also the protagonist of the novella The Little Sisters of Eluria.  He is also mentioned in “Low Men in Yellow Coats” (Hearts in Atlantis).

DIM: To make yourself dim is to make yourself difficult to detect, if not completely invisible. This skill also appears in “Blind Willie” (Hearts in Atlantis version) and “Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling” (Hearts in Atlantis).

FLAGG, RANDALL: Randall Flagg is one of the many incarnations of an arch-baddie found in the Stephen King universe. In the Dark Tower novels, he is Roland’s nemesis. In the Dark Tower books, he goes by the following names: Walter, The Dark Man, The Man in Black, Walter of All-World, Walter of End-World, Walter O’Dim, The Crimson King’s Prime Minister, Walter Padick, Walter Hodji, Walter Farden, Walter the Blind, Marten Broadcloak, The Green King, R.F., Richard Fannin, Rudin Filaro, Randall Flagg, The Walkin’ Dude. PLEASE NOTE:  Randall Flagg only uses the name “Walter” in the Dark Tower novels and in the novella, Little Sisters of Eluria.

              It should be be noted that Raymond Feigler in “Blind Willie” is most likely an alias for Flagg, but this is not definite.

GARFIELD, BOBBY: Although Bobby Garfield doesn’t enter our story directly, Ted Brautigan mentions him by name in The Dark Tower.

GARFIELD, LIZ: Bobby Garfield’s mother. She is mentioned by name inThe Dark Tower.

GERBER, CAROL: A character from Hearts in Atlantis who is mentioned in the The Dark Tower.

KA-TET: In the Dark Tower novels, a ka-tet is a group of people bound by fate.  This term is also found in Hearts in Atlantis.

LOW MEN:The Low Men appear in “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” and “Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling,” novellas contained in Hearts in Atlantis. (They do not appear in any other Hearts in Atlantis novellas.)  In “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” the low men are also called REGULATORS. Low men appear in the following Dark Tower novels: Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower.

SULLIVAN, JOHN (SULLY JOHN): A character from Hearts in Atlantis who is mentioned in The Dark Tower.



 

Home Delivery

Home Delivery

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in “Home Delivery.”

Insomnia

Insomnia

CRIMSON KING:The Crimson King is the ultimate baddie of the Dark Tower novels. He appears in The Gunslinger, 2003 edition; Wizard and Glass; Wolves of the Calla; Song of Susannah; and The Dark Tower. He also appears in the novel Insomnia. In Insomnia, we’re told that King Herod was one of the Crimson King’s incarnations.  In that book the Crimson King also calls himself the Kingfish.

DANVILLE, PATRICK: The mute artist Patrick Danville is Roland’s traveling companion at the end of The Dark Tower.  He also appears in the novel Insomnia. (In Insomnia he is still a little boy.)

DARK TOWER: The Dark Tower (the actual Tower, located in End-World) is mentioned in Insomnia.

DEEPNEAU, ED: Ed Deepneau was a major character in the novel Insomnia. He is mentioned in The Dark Tower.

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels including Insomnia is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels.

DESCHAIN, ROLAND:As well as being the central protagonist of the Dark Tower novels, Roland is also the protagonist of the novella The Little Sisters of Eluria.  Ted Brautigan mentions him in the novel Insomnia

DIM: To make yourself dim is to make yourself difficult to detect, if not completely invisible. This skill also appears in Insomnia.

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in Insomnia.

KA: In the Dark Tower novels, ka is the force of fate.  It is also mentioned in Insomnia.

KA-TET: In the Dark Tower novels, a ka-tet is a group of people bound by fate.  This term is also found in Insomnia.

ROBERTS, RALPH: A character from Insomnia mentioned in The Dark Tower.

TODANA (DEATHBAG): The todana (or deathbag) is mentioned in The Dark Tower novels (Song of Susannah).  Deathbags also appear in Insomnia. (In that book they are called deathbags, not todana.)

KING NOVELS MENTIONED IN DARK TOWER NOVELS:

Hearts in Atlantis, The Dead Zone, Pet Sematary, On Writing (non-fiction), Storm of the Century, Rose Red, Kingdom Hospital (screenplay), Insomnia, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo.

IT

IT

The concept of deadlights is shared by both Pennywise and the Crimson King.  Many readers have thought that Pennywise and Dandelo are one and the same but Stephen has said that this is not the case.  They are, however, most likely of the same species.

Jake sees elves peering from beneath peaked green caps with strange, sly smiles on their faces in the wallpaper on the house on Dutch Hill.  The house on Niebold Street from IT has wallpaper decorated with runners of roses and capering elves wearing green caps.

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels including It, is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels.

LEGION: In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, Walter mentions the End-World creature known as Legion. In It, the voices in the drains call themselves Legion.

STUTTERING BILL: In the Dark Tower novels, Roland and Susannah meet an Asimov Robot called Stuttering Bill.  In the novel It, Stuttering Bill is a nickname for Bill Denbrough.

TURTLE: The magical Turtle of the Dark Tower series also appears in It.

Jerusalem\'s Lot

Jerusalem's Lot

JERUSALEM’S LOT (‘SALEM’S LOT): This was the setting for the novel ‘Salem’s Lot. Father Callahan talks about it in the final three Dark Tower novels. It is also mentioned in “Jerusalem’s Lot."

The following places from Jerusalem’s Lot are also mentioned in the Dark Tower novels:

MARSTEN HOUSE

PETRIE HOUSE AND KITCHEN

SAINT ANDREW’S CHURCH AND RECTORY

SPENCER’S DRUGS

LOS ZAPATOS (this is in Mexico, not Maine)

Kingdom Hospital

Kingdom Hospital

NOZZ-A-LA: This is a cola found on one of the parallel earths. Nozz-a-la is also mentioned in Kingdom Hospital.

KING NOVELS MENTIONED IN DARK TOWER NOVELS:

Hearts in Atlantis, The Dead Zone, Pet Sematary, On Writing (non-fiction), Storm of the Century, Rose Red, Kingdom Hospital (screenplay), Insomnia, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo

Kingdom Hospital

Kingdom Hospital

In the TV show KINGDOM HOSPITAL, people drink Nozz-a-la Cola. 

Lisey\'s Story

Lisey's Story

EAST STONEHAM: The town of East Stoneham, Maine, appears in Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah. It also appears in Lisey’s Story (East Stoneham Rescue).

TERRITORIES: Much of the action of The Talisman takes place in a land known as The Territories.  The Territories are mentioned in The Waste Lands.  The Territories are also mentioned in Lisey’s Story.

The Little Sisters of Eluria

The Little Sisters of Eluria

“The Little Sisters of Eluria” is a prequel to the first volume of the Dark Tower saga. Roland’s beloved city of Gilead has fallen to the Good Man’s forces, and the Gunslingers have been slaughtered at the Battle of Jericho Hill. Roland is now a lone wanderer, searching for the trail of the elusive sorcerer known as the Man in Black. On a hot day during the season of Full Earth, Roland enters a deserted town in the Desatoya Mountains. The town is called Eluria, and it is empty except for a lame dog, a drowned boy, and the eerie sound of tinkling silver bells. As Roland searches for the town’s missing inhabitants, he is attacked by the slow mutants known as the Green Folk. Our unconscious hero is rescued by an itinerant band of female healers who call themselves the Little Sisters of Eluria. But Roland’s rescuers are not what they seem, and our gunslinger must fight their narcotic potions to stay awake, and alive.

The Mist

The Mist

BRIDGTON, MAINE:

Setting in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower

PHARMACY: The pharmacy in Bridgton is also mentioned in “The Mist.”

Whether intentional or unintentional, it is likely that an experiment by the Arrowhead Project created a thinny that allowed monsters from the Todash spaces to come through "the mist" to Bridgton and the surrounding area around Long Lake.

N

N

The circle of stones in Ackerman's Field is very similar to Mid-World’s speaking rings. Both contain demons.

Needful Things

Needful Things

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in Needful Things.

BRIDGTON, MAINE:

Setting in Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower

MAGIC LANTERN MOVIE THEATER (Bridgton, Maine): Also mentioned in Needful Things.

The Night Flier

The Night Flier

INSIDE VIEW: This scandal sheet is mentioned in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in “The Night Flier."

JERUSALEM’S LOT (‘SALEM’S LOT): This was the setting for the novel ‘Salem’s Lot. Father Callahan talks about it in the final three Dark Tower novels. It is also mentioned in “The Night Flier."

Night Surf

Night Surf

CAPTAIN TRIPS/SUPERFLU: This is the disease which ravages America in The Stand.  Roland and his tet come across a newspaper reference to both names in Wizard and Glass. This disease is also mentioned in “Night Surf.”

Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary

Zelda Goldman (Rachel Creed’s sister) thought that Oz the Great and Terrible was a version of the Grim Reaper. Because of this, Oz the Great and Terrible becomes a symbol of death throughout PET SEMETARY. Roland, Eddie, Susannah and Jake visit a version of Oz’s Palace at the end of WIZARD AND GLASS. 

The Plant: Zenith Rising

The Plant: Zenith Rising

GINELLI/ FOUR FATHERS RESTAURANT/THREE FATHERS RESTAURANT/FOUR FATHERS BAR: In the Dark Tower novels, Ginelli (no first name given) owns the Four Fathers Restaurant and The Ginelli Pizza truck. In “Thinner,” Richard Ginelli is a silent partner in the Three Fathers Restaurant. In “The Plant,” Ginelli owns the Four Fathers Pizza Restaurant.

OPOPANAX: This feather is found in Calla Bryn Sturgis. It also appears in “The Plant.”

The Regulators

The Regulators

The imaginary place where Audrey Wyler takes Seth to escape from Tak is similar to Mia’s ability to travel to the Castle on the Abyss and Susannah’s journeys to the Dogan.

REGULATORS: In Wolves of the Calla we find out that the term Regulator refers to the Low Men, or Can-Toi, who serve the Crimson King.  (PLEASE NOTE: The term “low men” is NOT used in the book entitled The Regulators. There are references to “low voices” and one “low rider” but there are no low men.) In Wizard and Glass we learn that the Big Coffin Hunters were sometimes called Regulators.  In Richard Bachman’s book entitled The Regulators, the Regulators were a band of killers who were part cowboy and part Motocops cartoon characters

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

In SONG OF SUSANNAH, John Cullum tells Roland and Eddie that he worked as a guard at the Maine State Prison for ten years back in the 50s. In both the movie SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and the novella, RITA HAYWORTH AND THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, the Maine State Prison is Shawshank.

The Road Virus Heads North

The Road Virus Heads North

 

DERRY, MAINE: Derry Maine, which is the setting for many Stephen King stories and novels is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels. Derry also appears in ‘The Road Virus Heads North’ (both versions).

Rose Madder

Rose Madder

LUD: This setting is found in The Waste Lands. It is also mentioned in Rose Madder.

ROSE MADDER: Mentioned in Song of Susannah.

KING CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN DARK TOWER NOVELS: Greg Stilson (The Dead Zone), Annie Wilkes, Paul Sheldon and Misery Chastain (Misery).  Paul Sheldon is also mentioned in Rose Madder and ‘The Library Policeman’.  Misery Chastain is mentioned in Rose Madder, Ralph Roberts (Insomnia), Carrie White, Cujo

The Shining

The Shining

SHINING, THE: Stephen King’s novel The Shining is mentioned in the Dark Tower novels.

TORRANCE, DANNY: Danny Torrance (of Stephen King’s novel The Shining) is mentioned in The Dark Tower novels. His father (Jack Torrance) is referred to, but not named directly.

Sleepwalkers

Sleepwalkers

DIM: To make yourself dim is to make yourself difficult to detect, if not completely invisible. This skill also appears in Sleepwalkers.

The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition

The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition

ABAGAIL, MOTHER (MOTHER ABAGAIL): Mother Abagail is mentioned by name in the DT novel Wizard and Glass. In Stephen King’s novel The Stand, she is the enemy of the evil Randall Flagg. She does not play an active role in the Dark Tower novels. (Mentioned only)

CAPTAIN TRIPS/SUPERFLU: This is the disease which ravages America in The Stand.  Roland and his tet come across a newspaper reference to both names in Wizard and Glass.

FLAGG, RANDALL: Randall Flagg is one of the many incarnations of an arch-baddie found in the Stephen King universe. In the Dark Tower novels, he is Roland’s nemesis. He also appears in The Stand. In the Dark Tower books, he goes by the following names: Walter, The Dark Man, The Man in Black, Walter of All-World, Walter of End-World, Walter O’Dim, The Crimson King’s Prime Minister, Walter Padick, Walter Hodji, Walter Farden, Walter the Blind, Marten Broadcloak, The Green King, R.F., Richard Fannin, Rudin Filaro, Randall Flagg, The Walkin’ Dude. PLEASE NOTE:  Randall Flagg only uses the name “Walter” in the Dark Tower novels and in the novella, Little Sisters of Eluria.

            In The Stand, Randall Flagg also goes by the following names: The Walking Dude, RF, Ahaz, The Dark Man, The Man with No Face, Anubis, Astaroth, Richard Fry, Ramsey Forrest, Robert Franq, John the Conqueror, The Midnight Rambler, Nyarlohotep, Old Creeping Judas, R'yelah, Seti, Richard (his real name), The Bogeyman, Russell Faraday, and Robert Freemont.

LEGION: In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, Walter mentions the End-World creature known as Legion. In both versions of The Stand, Randall Flagg is called Legion.

The Talisman

The Talisman

TERRITORIES: Much of the action of The Talisman takes place in a land known as The Territories.  The Territories are mentioned in The Waste Lands

WHITE, THE: The White is the force of good in the Dark Tower novels. It also appears in The Talisman.

UR

UR

DARK TOWER: The Dark Tower (the actual Tower, located in End-World) is mentioned in Ur.

LOW MEN: Low men also appear (but are not directly named) in Ur. (We are told of men wearing long mustard-colored coats who have faces that keep changing, as if what lies beneath the skin is reptilian, or birdlike or both. They also wear buttons bearing a red eye, sigul of the Crimson King.) Low men appear in the following Dark Tower novels: Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower.

ROSE, THE: The magical Rose is also mentioned in Ur.

Content Credits:

Robin Furth is the author of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: A Concordance Volume I; Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: A Concordance Volume II; and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance.

Bev Vincent is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Companion.

Rocky Wood is the author of the out of print, The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King. The material he contributed to this list may also be found in his Bram Stoker Award winning book, Stephen King: A Literary Companion (McFarland, 2011).