Jenny Baker asked this question about Insomnia:
I read on another book review website that large chunks of this book won't make sense if I haven't read The Dark Tower series. Is this true? Do I need to read The Dark Tower series before reading Insomnia?
Irwin Fletcher Insomnia isn't really necessary (although recommended) for a DT read-through, but some DT reading is pretty important if you want to enjoy Insomnia. I…moreInsomnia isn't really necessary (although recommended) for a DT read-through, but some DT reading is pretty important if you want to enjoy Insomnia. I read it as part of my first Dark Tower read-through about 5 years ago, prior to that I didn't know much about it and had no clue it was tied to the DT. I'm glad it was a book I just happened to have not read prior to that because I can't imagine just reading it as a stand-alone novel. I've spoken to people who have and said they enjoyed it but I think you'll be missing a lot of what the book offers. Outside of the actual DT novels, Insomnia is probably the most bizarre book in Stephen King's bibliography. Maybe even the most bizarre. And without the craziness of the DT books to prepare you or knowing what all the DT references are about, it would probably seem like random insanity just spilled all over the page. It's hard to describe just how MUCH this book ties into the DT series without spoilers, but it's so much that I don't consider it a stand-alone novel. Hearts In Atlantis is somewhat similar in that it's stand-alone and a tie-in at the same time but it doesn't lean on the DT stuff nearly as much as Insomnia. You could easily read that without having even heard of the DT but I'm not sure about this one.(less)
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Irwin Fletcher No, you're good to read it now. It came out between 3 and 4 and you can (and probably should) read it there. At the very least it should be read befor ...more
Nov 01, 2017 04:10PM · flag
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by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)
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