When exploring any great series, a specific setting can become just as important and vital to the story as the characters that populate that world. What would Game of Thrones be without Westeros, or Arrow without Star City? In the vast and always-changing landscape of master of horror Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, there are many worlds the Gunslinger Roland Deschain must travel through. However, there is one primary setting that the heroes of the story return to time and time again, and one that definitely needs to be featured in any adaptation: Mid-World.
One of many worlds or “levels” of the Dark Tower itself, Mid-World is the mythical world from which Roland Deschain hails. It is where the kingdom known as Gilead rose and fell, where Blaine the Mono traversed and played deadly games with Roland and his ka-tet. It's even where Roland first found love and experienced loss in his youth. The events that take Roland into “our world” or that of New York City in many time periods throughout the series all begin and end with Mid-World. Thus, understanding the inner workings of Mid-World is important to any live-action series that may come to life in the future.
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Mid-World, Explained
Not to be confused with a specific region, the term Mid-World was once known as the Kingdom of All-World, or “All World That Was” from the time of Arthur Eld, the hero who began the kingdom of Gilead and the gunslingers. Mid-World is composed of three major regions of land: In-World, Mid-World, and End-World. Roland Deschain was born and raised in In-World, which is the central region of the former Kingdom of All-World.
In-World consisted of many baronies, such as New Canaan and, of course, Gilead. Called the center of civilization “before the world moved on,” In-World was so known for being a civilized realm that when leaders like John Farson rose to power, chaos reigned supreme, and Roland was left as the last survivor of a once-prosperous kingdom. It was a realm in later years that became known for political strife, treachery, and betrayal. The fallout of Gilead’s demise had a cascading effect that would be felt by the other regions surrounding it for years to come, which Roland would encounter many times in his adventures later in life.
Mid-World, the region, is filled with remnants of a once prosperous world. There's River Crossing, a town that looks abandoned but secretly hides older civilians who hide the last beautiful garden in Mid-World and remember the days of the gunslingers. There's the war-torn city of Lud, caught in a civil war of sorts and run by the nefarious Tick Tock Man. These places comprise the last vestiges of civilization between the outposts of the Great Old Ones and the declining In-World. The blasted area known as the Wastelands is the final destination for many in Mid-World. Great monstrosities and evils roam in energy-blasted lands, which are only safely traveled on monorails like Blaine the Mono.
Finally, there is End-World, a land of horrors and terrors that separates the rest of the world from the Dark Tower itself, which sits at the center of all reality. In the land of Thunderclap, the Callas and Castle Discordia sit, overlooking the town of Fedic. They also house the Devor-Toi, or the home of the Breakers, the powerful psychics who the Crimson King has had his agents abduct and use to help tear down the beams of energy holding the Dark Tower in place. After traveling through the White Lands of Empathica, all that remains is Can’-Ka No Rey, the beautiful field of endless roses that surround the Dark Tower itself.
Mid-World in The Dark Tower Series
Being able to connect with these characters, especially Roland and his ka-tet, means being able to connect to the world they inhabit, and the unique mythology that they embody. It is in this land that Randall Flagg, aka the Man in Black, flourishes and becomes the nemesis in Roland Deschain’s life. Mid-World is a world of magic, fantasy, and where science fiction meshes with this magic in both natural and unnatural ways that ignite the horror imagery that Stephen King has become known for.
When acclaimed director and creator Mike Flanagan goes about tackling this massive project, Mid-World needs to be a realm both familiar and alien to the viewer. The story begins with a western feel, reflected in the vast desert that the gunslinger chased the man in black across. Yet the world expands and grows, from the monstrosities found on the beaches filled with doorways to other worlds, to the speaking circles housing ancient and powerful demons, and the small towns and villages that hold onto the practices and teachings that Roland grew up on before the world “moved on.” It is important that viewers are able to get lost in the rich and vast world of Mid-World while also seeing our own world reflected in the broken mirror that Mid-World seems to be seen through. That is why Mid-World is so vital to the Dark Tower story when this live-action series is finally brought to life.
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- Birthdate
- September 21, 1947
- Birthplace
- Portland, Maine
- Notable Projects
- The Shining, Cujo, The Shawshank Redemption, It, Carrie