In 1970, Stephen King embarked on what would become the crowning achievement in his literary career-the Dark Tower. The seven-volume series, written and published over a period of 30 years, was inspired by Robert Browning's poem &quot;Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,&quot; as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, and the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone. <p>With the full cooperation of Stephen King himself, <i>The Road to the</i> <i>Dark Tower</i> examines the epic journey of the author to complete a story that threatened to overwhelm him. In this indispensable companion, Bev Vincent presents a book-by-book analysis of each volume in the series, tracing the Dark Tower's connections to King's other novels including <i>The Stand</i>, <i>Insomnia</i>, and <i>Hearts in Atlantis</i>, and offering insights from the author about the creative process involved in crafting his lifelong work-a work that has consumed not only Stephen King, but his legion of devoted readers. This is essential reading for any Dark Tower-or Stephen King-fan.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>