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Stephen King’s Next Book is the Long-Awaited Conclusion To A 42-Year-Old Trilogy
Stephen King will release *Other Worlds Than These* on 6 October, the long-awaited third book in the trilogy that began with 1984's *The Talisman*, co-written with the late Peter Straub. It arrives 25 years after the second instalment, *Black House* (2001), and loosely ties into King's Dark Tower mythology, making it a significant event for fans who have waited over two decades for the story to continue.
King and Straub had discussed a third book almost as soon as *Black House* was published, but scheduling conflicts kept it from happening for 25 years. Straub sent King a detailed letter about the project shortly before his death in 2022, and King subsequently completed the novel alone, drawing on Straub's notes and his own ideas. The earlier books follow Jack Sawyer: as a 12-year-old crossing into a parallel realm called the Territories to save his dying mother in *The Talisman*, and later as an adult ex-detective investigating child abductions linked to the Dark Tower in *Black House*.
In short
- Stephen King finishes *Talisman* trilogy with *Other Worlds Than These*, out 6 October.
- It's the first sequel in 25 years, following 2001's *Black House*.
- Co-author Peter Straub died in 2022; King completed it using his notes.
Explained simply
Stephen King and Peter Straub began the story with The Talisman in 1984, following 12-year-old Jack Sawyer into a parallel world called the Territories as he tries to save his mother. In Black House, published in 2001, Jack is an adult and former detective investigating child abductions connected to King’s wider Dark Tower stories.
King and Straub had discussed continuing Jack’s story, but the book did not take shape for many years. Straub died in 2022; the third novel draws on notes he sent King as well as King’s own ideas.