dark tower question
 

i just read that the talisman and the black house are prequels to the tower series, does anyone know the truth?

Here's the real prequel:

http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Po...g_R/Childe.htm

Yes and no. Many of King's novels tie in somehow with the Dark Tower series, the most obvious being the Talisman series, The Stand and Insomnia.

I wouldn't say these are exactly prequels, but they do tie in closely with the Dark Tower books.

It isn't the real prequel as well. According to Mr. King, this poetry has inspired him to write the Gunsliger.... and eventually other books of the Dark Tower.

If you really want to understand the novel and its characters, you should learn this list of his books:
http://www.stephenking.com/darktower/connections.html