Back in 1984, when writers Stephen King and Peter Straub released The Talisman, I was in the height of my fantasy reading. But I was also reading both authors novels. This book combined a lot of King’s style of pop-cultural reference and teen-age angst with Straub’s sometimes literary style and scholarly attention to detail. Yes, in some way, this should’ve not worked. Both writers, while long time friends, approached their work differently. King was already working on another High Fantasy series, what became the Dark Tower universe and what he often called a mixture The Lord of the Rings with Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name trilogy from the 1960s.
At the time, Straub had never appeared interested in this sub-genre. As a matter of fact, in his life time, he never wrote anything close to High Fantasy beyond this book and its 2001 sequel.
So in the Talisman, we get the staple of most fantasy, where someone needs to make an epic quest to save the great land. Here, 12 year-old Jack Sawyer (another King trope of a kid with some sort on unknown power) must try and save his dying mother in our world and her twinnner, in The Territories.
The Territories is a parallel world, a sort of pocket universe, which is physically smaller than the world from which Jack comes from. Throughout the course of the novel, Jack uses the size differential as a method to travel quickly across the country. The eastern region, corresponding to the Eastern Seaboard, is the most densely populated and is governed under a feudal system headed by the Queen. The central regions, roughly corresponding to the American plains, are a grain growing area known as "the Outposts." Beyond them, the western region of the Territories is a destroyed area known as "the Blasted Lands" (analogous to the American Southwest – primarily New Mexico, where the atomic bomb was tested). It apparently was wrecked by radioactivity, and has dangerous mutants and occasional fireballs.
Jack begins his quest at the New Hampshire hotel called the Alhambra (a notable location in King's novel The Tommyknockers) where he meets Speedy Parker (another King trope, the unassuming older black man who seemly has the same type of powers as the protagonist –think of Scatman Crothers Dick Hollorann from The Shinning), who tells him he must go on this quest to save both his mother and Queen Laura
So Jack sets off to seek the mystical Talisman in this parallel world, with help and encouragement from Speedy Parker. But Parker warns young Jack of Morgan of Orris, the enemy of the free people of the Territories, will be after him, as well his uncle in the real world, Morgan Sloat, the business partner who probably caused the death of Jack's father, wants Jack dead. So both versions of Morgan are hunting for Jack, and both are aware of his nature, as well as their own.
While the 2001 Black House is very much a standalone tale and the writers do a great job explaining some of backstory of The Talisman, the novel also serves as a small stopover to King’s Dark Tower Universe, which by 2001 had become extensive, with certain books and short stories serving as bits of new information. As an example, 1996’s Insomnia actually introduced the main villain to the Dark Tower, and here in The Black House we are introduced to other aspects of that universe.
Meanwhile, back in ’84, The Talisman was not really designed to be connected to the DT, though it became clear to King fans much later that The Territories must be connected, and The Black House does expose certain things that now make it clear that 1984 book is connected.
In The Black House, decades after the events in The Talisman, Jack has grown up to become a lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department, where his professionalism and uncanny talent have helped him establish a nearly legendary reputation. He has repressed the memories of his adventures in "The Territories" and his hunt for the Talisman, but the residue of these events has served to subtly affect his life even after he has forgotten them. When a series of murders in Los Angeles are traced to a farm insurance salesman from French Landing, Wisconsin (Straub’s home state; and French Landing is fictionalized version of Trempealeau, Wisconsin), Jack cooperates with the French Landing police to capture the killer. While in Wisconsin, Jack is irresistibly enraptured by the natural beauty of the Coulee Country, echoing his reaction to The Territories as a child. When he later intrudes upon a homicide investigation in Santa Monica, certain aspects of the crime scene threaten to revive his repressed memories. He subsequently resigns from the LAPD, moving to French Landing to enjoy his early retirement. When the Fisherman begins to terrorize French Landing, the police all but beg "Hollywood" Jack Sawyer for his assistance; they are surprised when Jack flatly refuses. Memories of the Santa Monica event threaten to overwhelm Jack, and he fears that involving himself in the investigation may affect his sanity. When a fourth child is taken by the Fisherman, events no longer allow Jack to remain aloof. It quickly becomes apparent to him that the Fisherman is much more than a serial killer.
In the last two-and-half decades, both writers said that a third book would come. In 2006, Straub said “Steve and I agreed years back that we would do a third one, and that would be it, because Black House virtually sets up, and all but promises a follow-up. And then we would have a three-volume fantasy novel. That's perfect. That's probably what it wanted to be from the beginning” Then in 2009, in another interview he said “We were going to start right about now, but King got sidetracked by a Broadway musical that he was writing with John Melencamp. So that's been taking shape. And I think they were having out-of-town tryouts this autumn. Then we'll see what happens. But at some point we'll get back to it, because we have to. It's like two-thirds of a long, long story, and the other part really should be done.”
Then in 2010, he told Youtube “Steve and I agreed [...] three years ago that we would in all likelihood write a third book, the last of the Jack Sawyer novels. In a way, though, it was there from the beginning, at least the ending of Black House, because the ending of Black House opens up into another narrative altogether. The protagonist is given a wonderful but profound problem, and he will have to cope with that problem. And it practically writes another book by itself. It doesn't, I assure you, but it does kind of tell us what one of central issues of that novel will be. I think we'll begin in a year or so. It doesn't have a title”
From then on, both of their assistance kept saying a book was coming, but schedule coordination was very difficult. Then Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. Asked once again about a third book, Kind said in 2023 expressed the possibility of finally writing the third installment of The Talisman series despite the passing of Straub, saying: "Before he died, Peter sent me this long letter and said we oughta do the third one, and he gave me a really cool idea and I had some ideas of my own.”
Now four years after Straub’s passing, on October 6, 2026, we’ll be getting the finale of The Talisman trilogy. Called Other Worlds than These, and what is has in store for Jack and (probably The Dark Tower) is yet to be revealed.
But in the meantime, I’m rereading both The Talisman after 42 years and The Black House after twenty-five years. So by the time the book hits my doorstep, I’ll be all caught up.
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