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The Convoluted History of The Dark Tower

Exits Examined

501,545 views

Intro: 0:00
Trying to Explain the Insanity / Premise / World: 2:05
Spoilers: 16:10
Arcaloot ad: 30:116
Development / History: 31:51
Adaptations / Shows / Movies / Games!: 41:30
Fandom and Future: 48:30

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is the chaotic, multi-genre keystone holding his entire literary universe together and also very confusing.
In this deep dive, we'll break down the high-stakes narrative of Mid-World, how King wove decades of his own bibliography into a single cosmic hub, and everything else Dark Tower. Ka is a wheel, all things serve the Beam, and mind the spoilers ahead.

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https://www.arcaloot.com/exitsexamined

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Subscribe to my second channel: / @jadedinu

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SPECIAL THANKS:
To the incredible Michal Whelan who's cover art is shown throughout the video - https://www.michaelwhelan.com/

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MUSIC & DESIGN:

Thumbnail Design - Dabi Design: https://dabigraphics.my.canva.site/

Video Editing Assist: Oryna: https://olekssportfolio.my.canva.site...

Producer: Andrea Tarce - https://readesignsph.wixsite.com/read...

Hard Boiled, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Rising Tide, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Celtic Impulse, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Vibing Over Venus, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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SOURCES:

reading order guidie- https://horrorinclined.wordpress.com/...

another reading guide: https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/ste...

JRPG - https://soniclovenoize.itch.io/the-da...

https://web.archive.org/web/202508240...

interview: vhttps://web.archive.org/web/200708060...

https://www.ign.com/articles/it-sound...

The Dark Tower Series - Explained

fan etsy - BettyCOFFINsadGIRL.Etsy.com

The Dark Tower Series - Explained

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

20 Comments

@exitsexamined Creator 1 month ago Pinned

If this got you in the mood to journey to your very own dark tower, one thing you'll need for the long road ahead is a mouse pad as epic as Roland's guns. Luckily Arcaloot has got you covered and a nice lil discount for the channel: https://www.arcaloot.com/exitsexamined

Long days and pleasant nights!

@jacobhope6164 1 month ago

"I'll even take a Red Dead mod at this point."
Indeed sir. Indeed.

@thebigksmoosey 1 month ago

Roland having the Horn of Eld, the horn of King Arthur, is a huge moment.

When Roland left it behind, in his panic and fear and selfishness, after Cuthbert sacrificed himself to blow the horn, and was killed by Flagg, Roland figuratively "forgot the face the face of his father"

In the Browning poem, "Childe Roland" must blow the horn when he reaches the Tower.

Without the Horn of Eld, Roland cannot actually enter the Dark Tower properly.

Hence the cycle repeating.

I think him having the Horn at the end signifies that with this last cycle, with his sacrifices after he lets Jake die the first time, he has learned to find his humanity and humility.

Remember, he starts teaching the ka-tet to shoot because he lost his fingers.

He lost his fingers because he kept chasing the Man in Black, and sacrificed Jake to do it

So the newest Roland, the one who has the Horn, is a different man.

He took the Horn from Cuthbert. He accepted his duty to Gilead.

So this time through, Childe Roland will act differently, and with the Horn, he may reach the Tower and blow it like he should, allowing him to enter the real Tower, and make it anew, repair it, or even destroy it.

No matter what, the cycle will be different, and it has hope now

We've known since Wizard and Glass that his mission was doomed, without the Horn.

Now, there is HOPE.

@nathanbeer3338 1 month ago

Eddie Dean being played by Aaron Paul would've been just perfect.

@bennyconnor3902 1 month ago

My favorite part about reading this series was no matter how confusing and over the top it went, I never wanted to stop reading. I HAD to keep reading and get to the Tower even tho it meant practically nothing at first. Thats the beauty of it.

@kallistiX1 1 month ago

Ooh a Dark Tower video! Thankee Sai.

@Dept.44 1 month ago

"Time is a face on the water" Is one of my favorite quote's.

@DeadHorse84 4 weeks ago (edited)

Thinking about Eddie beating Blaine shouting "I shoot with my mind motherfucker!" As he empties the revolver into the short circuiting computer interface is peak.

@danny6801 1 month ago

Fromsoft during a dark Tower game would be absolutely fucking amazing

@Padre_Semaj 1 month ago

I still hear Frank Muller's audiobook narration in the back of my mind.

@SonOfFlagg 1 month ago

@3:49 "There are other worlds than these." - Jake Chambers

@jayclark8284 1 month ago

I got locked up in Washoe County at 18 (1990) for the Memorial Day weekend and picked up The Gunslinger to kill time. What a journey is turned into! Fantastic series

@inkpenavengerYT 1 month ago

18:30 For an other example of a Ka-tet in King's work: the Losers Club from "IT"
That's what's so special about those seven kids. That's why they and only they were able to actually hurt and possibly kill It.

See the Turtle
Ain't he keen?
All things serve the fuckin' Beam

@xHarpyx 1 month ago

As a longtime reader and fan of Stephen King, the ending of the dark tower is fitting. It is satisfying, and it is mind blowing. It leaves you with a sense of wonder and questioning your own existence. I liked it a lot

@GrantBrownDog 1 month ago

I got into The Dark Tower in highschool because I saw a classmate reading the 7th book and was captivated by the cover (which is essentially Clint Eastwood holding a rose and revolver) I asked him what it was about and I picked up all 7 books and read them in a row. I still have an appreciation for them, especially because of how interwoven with all his other works they were, but even now I'm disappointed by how they ended. I always felt the last two books could've had more time to cook, but they felt rushed and unsatisfying compared to the other 5. I know it's because King thought he was running out of time after getting hit by the car, but it's been 20 years since then, so hindsight I guess.

@woodearthdvd 1 month ago

Time for a proper SKCU - Stephen King Cinematic Universe.

@AlabasterSlab 3 weeks ago

The dark tower was without a doubt Stephen King's magnum opus, it is one of the greatest stories that's ever been told. Not only is it an epic tale that can stand alone on its own ,it ties together just about every other book that Stephen King has ever written. It is unreal how far-reaching his world building spans , i've read this series several times I can't get enough of it. Amazing story, characters, plot(s) and themes occur in this series . although a lot of people didn't like the ending, I thought it was perfect. It explains how really reading a story is about the journey , not the destination , and I think that in the end what King is trying to tell you is to read it again! I highly recommend these 7 books