The Dark Tower reading order
By Stephen King · Last verified · 4 sources
Quick answer
Read the seven numbered novels in order, and if you want the eighth book in story order, read The Wind Through the Keyhole between Wizard and Glass (book 4) and Wolves of the Calla (book 5) — that is where Stephen King himself puts it, calling it book 4.5. Either edition of The Gunslinger (1982 original or 2003 revision) counts as book one.
Stephen King's eight-novel Dark Tower series (1982-2012), in which the book published last is set fourth-and-a-half, plus the novella The Little Sisters of Eluria.
- The series has 8 novels, 1 novella.
- In publication order, the main sequence starts with The Gunslinger (1982) and the latest listed is The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012).
- Besides publication order, this page offers: Story order with The Wind Through the Keyhole as book 4.5.
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Verification: Some works cite only secondary or catalogue sources (8 of 9 works cite an author, publisher or official source). How we verify.
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Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
- The Gunslinger
- The Drawing of the Three
- The Waste Lands
- Wizard and Glass
- The Little Sisters of Eluria
- Wolves of the Calla
- Song of Susannah
- The Dark Tower
- The Wind Through the Keyhole
Why the order isn't simple
- The Wind Through the Keyhole was published last (2012) but King calls it book 4.5: it is set between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla.
- The first book exists in two texts — the 1982 original and King's 2003 revision — which are the same work in different editions, not two books to read.
- The Little Sisters of Eluria first appeared in a multi-author anthology and is now found in a King story collection and a limited edition with The Gunslinger.
- The boxed set contains all eight novels, so its owners already have every book in the sequence.
Which order should I use?
Publication order runs 1982-2004 for the seven numbered novels and adds The Wind Through the Keyhole last, in 2012.
The story order moves only one book: The Wind Through the Keyhole to position five. Everything else is identical to publication order.
Where each order comes from
- Publication order — Derived from publication dates
- Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
- Story order with The Wind Through the Keyhole as book 4.5 — Author / publisher recommended
- The seven numbered novels with The Wind Through the Keyhole placed where Stephen King places it: between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla ('DT-4.5'), as stated on the official site. Source: The Dark Tower (series page), The Wind Through the Keyhole (announcement).
Novellas & short stories
The Little Sisters of Eluria is the one Dark Tower novella. It was first published in the anthology Legends (1998) and later collected in Everything's Eventual (2002); a 2009 limited edition also paired it with the revised Gunslinger. No official source places it in the sequence, so it is listed but not placed.
| Title | Type | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Little Sisters of Eluria | Novella | 1998 | First published in the anthology Legends (1998); collected in Everything's Eventual (2002) and in a 2009 Donald M. Grant edition with the revised Gunslinger. The official site lists it only as a comic adaptation. |
Collections & omnibus editions: what's inside
The Dark Tower Boxed Set (2016) holds all eight novels. Everything's Eventual and the 2009 Gunslinger edition each hold the novella; the checker shows the 2009 edition overlapping the boxed set on The Gunslinger.
Contents below are works from this series only. Tick the editions you own to check for duplicates and gaps.
The Dark Tower Boxed Set
Omnibus · 2016
- The Gunslinger
- The Drawing of the Three
- The Waste Lands
- Wizard and Glass
- The Wind Through the Keyhole
- Wolves of the Calla
- Song of Susannah
- The Dark Tower
Overlaps with: The Gunslinger (2009 Donald M. Grant edition with The Little Sisters of Eluria) (1 shared)
All eight novels, per the official site.
Source: The Dark Tower (series page)
Everything's Eventual
Story collection · 2002 · series contents only / partly verified
- The Little Sisters of Eluria
Overlaps with: The Gunslinger (2009 Donald M. Grant edition with The Little Sisters of Eluria) (1 shared)
Stephen King story collection; only the Dark Tower story is listed.
Source: The Little Sisters of Eluria
The Gunslinger (2009 Donald M. Grant edition with The Little Sisters of Eluria)
Story collection · 2009 · Donald M. Grant
- The Gunslinger
- The Little Sisters of Eluria
Overlaps with: The Dark Tower Boxed Set (1 shared); Everything's Eventual (1 shared)
Limited edition pairing the revised Gunslinger with the novella.
Source: The Little Sisters of Eluria
Your editions
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Where sources disagree
We don't pick a winner silently. When sources conflict we show each view and cite it.
Where The Little Sisters of Eluria fits
Wikipedia says its events come early in Roland's quest, before the main series. The official site gives no placement (it lists the comic adaptation only), so the novella is not placed in the story order here.
Sources: The Dark Tower (series page), The Little Sisters of Eluria
How this page was verified
Publication months, the 'officially the eighth book / book 4.5' placement and the boxed set contents come from stephenking.com's Dark Tower section.
The novella's publication history comes from Wikipedia (secondary).
Last verified . Some works cite only secondary or catalogue sources.
Sources
Every date, order and edition listed on this page cites at least one of these. See our data methodology for how source types are ranked.
- The Dark Tower (series page) — stephenking.com (official site) · Author (official) · accessed 8 October 2026 Publication months of all eight novels (Gunslinger revised June 2003); Wind Through the Keyhole officially eighth but called 4.5 by King, set after Wizard and Glass and before Wolves of the Calla; boxed set of all eight novels (December 2016).
- The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (original edition) — stephenking.com (official site) · Author (official) · accessed 8 October 2026 Original edition released 1982.
- The Little Sisters of Eluria — Wikipedia · Secondary reference · accessed 8 October 2026 First published in Legends (1998); collected in Everything's Eventual (2002); 2009 Grant edition with the revised Gunslinger; setting relative to the series.
- The Wind Through the Keyhole (announcement) — stephenking.com (official site) · Author (official) · accessed 8 October 2026 King's own label 'DT-4.5' and the gap in the narrative it fills.
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