With an epic as sprawling as the oneStephen Kingcreated withThe Dark Towerseries, it’s inevitable that a fascinating constellation of works that came before went into influencing it.King’sDark Towerseriesis ambitious, a grand mix of genres and inspirations, both clear and subtle. The blending of Western, horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, quantum physics, pop culture, and more creates a unique world that borrows from what came before while alchemizing it into something that is wholly its own story.
That’s what the best writers do, building off the ideas and motifs of others, but shaping them in brand-new ways, building and layering. Stephen King has always been a writer unafraid to acknowledge neither his contemporaries, nor the influence of writers and artists of older eras. It’s what makes hisDark Towerseries, starting withThe Gunslinger, so potent and profound, and knowing the influences behind it makes it an even richer reading experience.
9"Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came"
Robert Browning
Of course, the first and most obvious influence on King’sDark Towerseries is Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” It’s the framework upon which the entire sweeping series sits, telling the story of a knight of sorts who is determined to reach the fabled Dark Tower. Once a member of a band of knights, they have all fallen - including his friend, Cuthbert - and he is the only one who remains.
Stephen King’s New Project Might Solve A Dark Tower Canon Plot Hole That Has Bothered Readers For Years
Stephen King teased a new project that could bring together two of his universes that have long been the subject of some muddled canon consistency.
His journey finds him crossing an apocalyptic wasteland of nightmares and monstrosities, a journey that starts with him being enticed by a Devil-like liar and figure who leads men astray. In the end, while he finds the tower, his fate remains a mystery, the ending ambiguous. While King, of course, expanded greatly upon the 204-line epic poem, the big major beats, the framing, and even some of the backstory andtie-ins to Stephen King’sDark Towerseriesowe a debt to Browning’s 1852 poem.
8"The Waste Land"
T.S. Eliot
Browning’s poem isn’t the only epic poem that influenced King during his writing ofThe Dark Tower. Specifically, the third book,The Waste Lands, was inspired by T.S. Eliot’s 1922 poem of (almost) the same name, “The Waste Land.” The epic poem is about London post-World War I, describing in symbolic terms the collapse, destruction, and decline of a once-great nation, extraordinarily similar to Roland’s own world that had “moved on.” Like Roland’s tale, Eliot’s “The Waste Land” meanders through desert and sea, a ravaged landscape that mirrored Eliot’s own mental state after the war. The influences are unmistakable, with Jake even muttering a line from the poem at one point: “I’ll show you fear in a handful of dust.”
7Man With No Name Trilogy
Sergio Leone
Of course, anyone who has readThe Dark Towerand been introduced to the character of Roland understands the greatest inspiration for the gunslinger: Clint Eastwood. Specifically,Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Namefrom legendary Western director Sergio Leone’sDollarstrilogy,A Fistful of Dollars,For a Few Dollars More, andThe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The physical description of Roland is unmistakably based on Eastwood, as is the famous illustration of Roland standing in front of the tower in the field of roses by Michael Whelan in the original printing ofThe Dark Tower.
The physical description of Roland is unmistakably based on Eastwood, as is the famous illustration of Roland standing in front of the tower in the field of roses by Michael Whelan in the original printing ofThe Dark Tower.
Likewise, Roland’s personality is also taken from the character: a solitary wanderer, laconic, and taciturn. Roland is the quintessential Western archetype of a lone gunslinger, crystalized to perfection in Leone’s film trilogy.
6The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
King has previously said that he began his work onThe Dark Towerafter reading J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy and despairing that he could ever write something that good. He intended his series to be his attempt at an epic that wove together its own mythology and language. What followed was wildly different from Tolkien’s epic fantasy, but a story that shared a similar sweeping vibe as it told a tale of a fellowship of allies bound together by a shared destiny.
1982
1987
1991
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
1997
1998
2003
2004
The Wind Through the Keyhole
2012
On top of that, the similarities between Sauron ofThe Lord of the Ringsand the Crimson King fromThe Dark Towerare unmistakable – and if you squint, Walter/The Man in Black could be an allegory for Saruman, particularly the minion-master relationship between Walter and the Crimson King and Saruman and Sauron. Tolkien may not be the strongest influence on King’s series, but its threads are still clearly bound throughout.
5In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
Stephen King pulled inspiration from everywhere to writeThe Dark Towerseries – books, poems, movies, and even one album. That album was the 1969 debut album of the British prog rock band King Crimson,In the Court of the Crimson King. Similar to King’s genre-mashing series, the band’s album blended various musical genres from rock, symphonic music, jazz, and classical elements.
This is never more apparent than in “The Court of the Crimson King,” which samples from all of these as it weaves a psychedelic, dreamy melody incorporating fantastical, slightly dark and discordant lyrics that conjure up vaguely medieval imagery in court thatStephen King reimagines as his villain, the Crimson King.
4Arthurian Legend
Various Authors
However, the stronger medieval influence onThe Dark Toweris undoubtedly Arthurian legend. Everything about Roland’s lineage and the history of the gunslingers is borrowed directly from King Arthur and his knights; it’s no secret that the gunslingers of Gilead are Stephen King’s equivalent of Camelot’s knights of the Round Table. Roland himself is descended from his world’s version of King Arthur, Arthur Eld.
10 Moments From Stephen King’s Dark Tower Books That Must Be In Mike Flanagan’s TV Series
Mike Flanagan’s TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series needs to feature several key moments from the books in order to do the story right.
Even his dual guns with the sandalwood grips and the odd blue-grey steel were forged from the sword of Arthur Eld himself, Excalibur, passed down through the ages until they ended up with Roland, the last of his line. Likewise, Maerlyn, the powerful sorcerer and demonic entity of King’s world, takes his name from the more benevolent Merlin of Arthurian legend.
3The Wizard of Oz
Frank L. Baum
A lesser-known but still clear inspiration behindThe Dark TowerisThe Wizard of Oz. Rather than strong story beats borrowed from the story of Dorothy in Oz, the ties are more visual and symbolic. This is especially true inWizard and Glass, where Roland’ska-tetfinds itself not only being dropped into a world influenced by wizards and magic, but also in a recreation of the Emerald City and even in a pair of ruby slippers they stumble upon.
It’s not a strong influence throughout the entire series, but it does really underscore at that moment how Roland and his friends are now out of their element and on a strange journey for the last three books.
There, they find Walter has tricked them into setting up an alternate version of the scene where Dorothy arrives in the Wizard’s palace. As a booming voice greets them, Oy pulls back the curtain to reveal it is not Walter, the quasi-immortal wizard, but his minion, the Tick-Tock Man. It’s not a strong influence throughout the entire series, but it does really underscore at that moment how Roland and his friends are now out of their element and on a strange journey for the last three books.
2Three Laws Of Robotics
Isaac Asimov
While most influences on The Dark Tower come in the form of the magical and mystical, or the sweeping scope of an epic, legendary sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov influenced the series in a more direct, scientific way. Robotics play a big role in King’s series through the inclusion of North Central Positronics and their “Asimov Robots,” which are humanoid robots meant to interact with humans. The ka-tet ran into a few of these robots throughout their travels: Andy, Stuttering Bill, and Nigel.
Asimov conceived the concept of the “positronic brain,” along with the word “robotics.” Our modern understanding of robots, both in scientific ethics and fiction, owes a debt to Asimov’s writing.
Unfortunately, not all the Asimov Robots abided by Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics inThe Dark Tower, and, as such, they were exploited by the Crimson King to carry out his orders:
1"Nyarlathotep"
H.P. Lovecraft
Lastly, there are strains ofthe oft-adapted H.P. Lovecraftthreaded throughThe Dark Towerseries. In particular, Stephen King borrowed elements of Nyarlathotep, a malevolent deity from Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Nyarlathotep was first introduced in Lovecraft’s 1920 poem “Nyarlathotep” as the messenger and minion Azathoth, the supreme deity of the pantheon, though, in numerous ways, Nyarlathotep is considered the greatest antagonist throughout Lovecraft’s mythos.
All 21 Randall Flagg Appearances & References In Stephen King Books
Randall Flagg has appeared in more Stephen King stories–or rumored to have appeared–than any other character, but the exact number may surprise you.
If that sounds familiar, it should, as it’s the foundation for Walter’s/The Man in Black’s role throughoutThe Dark Towerseries. Just as Walter Padick is a shapeshifting god in theStephen Kingseries, so is Nyarlathotep, with both entities delighting in visiting the human realm to torment and manipulate humans. Sometimes, that’s through a horrific test; at other times, it’s through amassing legions of cult-like followers. Both are deceivers, and their work paves the way for the larger goals of their masters to unleash chaos upon all the worlds.
