Alchemical Journeys
dark fantasy
Series · fantasy horror
The Talisman
The Talisman series by Stephen King has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with The Talisman (1984). Other Worlds Than These is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 1984
- Status
- completed
Start here: The Talisman (1984)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Talisman
The Talisman, published November 8, 1984, opened King and Straub's collaboration at 768 pages, sending twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer across America -- and into the parallel medieval Territories -- to find an object that can save his dying mother. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Talisman - Book 2:
Black House
Black House followed seventeen years later, on September 15, 2001, at 658 pages, catching up with a now-adult Jack Sawyer as a retired LAPD detective forced back into both worlds by a serial child-killer. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Black House - Book 3:
Other Worlds Than These
Other Worlds Than These is scheduled for October 6, 2026 at 624 pages, completing the trilogy more than four decades after The Talisman -- written by King alone from an outline Straub had emailed him before his 2022 death, with Straub retaining co-author credit. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Other Worlds Than These
Key facts about The Talisman series
Our list has 3 books in The Talisman series. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with The Talisman, since it opens the publication order in 1984. Black House is book 2, from 2001. Other Worlds Than These is book 3, from 2026.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Other Worlds Than These is the latest book with a full release date, out on 6 October 2026. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 1984 and 2026, while their length runs from 624 to 768 pages. That is a run of 42 years.
Stephen King has 72 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Shining, The Dark Tower and The Green Mile, plus 2 more series. We shelve the books under fantasy horror.
About The Talisman
Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer sets out across America to find the Talisman, a mystical object that can save his dying mother -- and quickly discovers he can 'flip' into the Territories, a parallel medieval world where every person in his world has a double. The Talisman (1984), King's first collaboration with fellow horror novelist Peter Straub, is a cross-country coming-of-age quest crossed with dark fantasy, its structure indebted as much to The Wizard of Oz as to either author's usual horror. Black House (2001) catches up with Jack seventeen years later: he's a retired LAPD detective living quietly in Wisconsin, trying to forget the Territories, when a serial child-killer forces him back into both worlds at once -- a plot that also threads in a reference to King's Dark Tower mythology, tying the Territories into that larger multiverse.
Other Worlds Than These, the long-promised third volume, has an unusual publication story: Peter Straub died in September 2022 with the book unwritten, but King discovered an email Straub had sent him years earlier outlining ideas for it, and used that material to write the novel himself, retaining Straub's co-author credit. It is scheduled for release on 6 October 2026, completing a trilogy written across more than four decades.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Talisman series?
Three: The Talisman (1984), Black House (2001) and the concluding volume, Other Worlds Than These (6 October 2026).
What order should I read The Talisman books in?
Publication order: The Talisman, then Black House, then Other Worlds Than These. Black House picks up Jack Sawyer's story seventeen years after The Talisman and assumes that book's events are known.
Is Other Worlds Than These really co-written with Peter Straub, who died in 2022?
King wrote the novel himself using an outline and ideas Straub had emailed him years before his death; Straub retains co-author credit on the finished book.
Does Black House connect to The Dark Tower?
Yes -- Black House includes explicit references tying the Territories into the wider Dark Tower multiverse that runs through much of King's fiction, though prior Dark Tower knowledge isn't required to follow this trilogy.
Is The Talisman appropriate for younger readers, given its young protagonist?
No -- despite Jack Sawyer's age, both novels are adult horror/fantasy with graphic violence and disturbing content, consistent with King and Straub's usual register.
If you like The Talisman
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