The Dark Tower reading order

A plan for the whole series

8 volumes, 4,165 pages, about 75 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 3 months.

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around March 5, 2027, about 4 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 112 h16 daysby November 14, 2026

   • 1. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger1982 · 258 pages · 5 h
   • 2. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three1987 · 399 pages · 7 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 18, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 211 h14 daysby December 2, 2026

   • 3. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands1991 · 574 pages · 11 h
4. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 6, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 313 h18 daysby December 24, 2026

   • 4. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass1997 · 720 pages · 13 h
6. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by December 28, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 420 habout 4 weeksby January 23, 2027

   • 5. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla2003 · 714 pages · 13 h
   • 6. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah2004 · 371 pages · 7 h
8. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by February 2, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 515 h21 daysby February 22, 2027

   • 7. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower2004 · 845 pages · 15 h
10. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by February 26, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 65 h7 daysby March 5, 2027

    • 8. The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole2012 · 284 pages · 5 h
12. The end of the series

    March 5, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: the finale is the best part. The last volume (8.4) stands above the rest. Whoever reaches the end gets the reward.

Best volume: The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (8.4, 836 ratings). Weakest: The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (7.5). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.4) scores close to the series average or above it.