Other Worlds Than These: Stephen King’s third Talisman novel gets a title and release date
Back in 1984, writers Stephen King and Peter Straub collaborated on the fantasy novel The Talisman, in which a 12-year-old boy named Jack Sawyer goes on a cross-country journey to save the life of his ailing mother – a journey that takes him not just through the American heartland but also through a parallel universe called The Territories. In 2001, King and Straub reteamed for the sequel Black House, which found an adult Jack Sawyer working for the LAPD and travelling to Wisconsin to bring down a serial killer called The Fisherman. There have been rumblings of a third book in the series for a decade, and even though Straub passed away in 2022, King stuck with the plan to finish the Jack Sawyer trilogy.
In October of 2024, he wrote on social media, “I’m back in Mid-World…and the Territories. Don’t know if it will develop into anything–I never know–but it’s good to be back.” In January of 2025, he confirmed on Threads, “Beavering away on Talisman 3.“
And now, the book is complete. Scribner has revealed that the third Talisman novel is titled Other Worlds Than These, and it will be published on October 6, 2026!
Straub Receives Credit
Although King wrote Other Worlds Than These years after Straub passed away, his The Talisman and Black House co-writer still receives credit on the book.
King previously explained, “Peter Straub had a terrific idea (for The Talisman 3) before passing away. Dual credit, as on The Talisman and Black House.” When a fan asked if he would be channeling his “inner Straub” while writing this book, King said, “Absolutely.“
Several years ago, it was said that Straub and King knew exactly what the third book in the Talisman series was going to be, and the idea was something related to a famous real world story that both authors kept scrapbooks about when they were young. The specifics have never been revealed, and it’s not clear if that’s the same idea King turned into Other Worlds Than These.
Description
Copies of Other Worlds Than These (and the audiobook CDs) are available for pre-order on Amazon. The 624-page novel has the following description: Jack Sawyer, a beloved and enduring King protagonist, returns in the final book in the Talisman Trilogy, the #1 New York Times bestselling collaboration between “master craftsmen” Stephen King and Peter Straub (The Washington Post).
“I wanted to go back to Mid-World, which was always the Territories by another name.” – Stephen King
This is Stephen King and Peter Straub’s epic and unforgettable finale to the Talisman Trilogy (including the novels Talisman and Black House) and a wrapping up of the fate of the worlds in King’s iconic, fiercely beloved Dark Tower epic. It is also a magnificent stand-alone novel, that will appeal to new readers, as well as to King’s Constant Readers.
OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE is the story of Jack Sawyer, whom readers first met when he was twelve, crossing America and “the territories” to save his mother’s life, and met again in Black House, where Jack faces a child killer and the Crimson King (among other evils). In OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE Jack must stop a rampaging gang of infected teenagers from America-side, and the forces of the mysterious Gullet at the edge of Mid-World, before it destroys our world and all worlds. Jack is older now; his Ka-tet (echoing the world of Roland) is fraying; and his task, nearly impossible.
Magnificent, riveting, full of heart, and humor, OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE is a spectacular, propulsive adventure, and features 30 exclusive black and white illustrations by artist Gabriel Rodriguez. The title instantly announces to readers who already know these other worlds that King has returned to them. OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE will appeal to new King readers and his constant readers.
Are you a fan of The Talisman and/or Black House, and will you be reading Other Worlds Than These? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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