Stephen Kingrecently announced a new project he’s working on, and it could finally solve aDark Towercanon issue that has plagued Constant Readers for years. “I’m back in Mid-World…and the Territories,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “Don’t know if it will develop into anything–I never know–but it’s good to be back.” Those who have read King for a while know that that is referencing a few ofStephen King’s most beloved books withThe Dark TowerseriesandThe Talisman,which he co-wrote with the late Peter Straub.
Often, when King dives back into a familiar world from one of his novels after years have passed, it’s because he either has a sequel story that is burning a hole in his brain,or there are some continuity errors he wants to clear up.He did it previously, for example, with therevised and expanded edition of theDark TowerbookThe Gunslinger, and he’s recently written asequel toCujowith the short story “Rattlesnakes” inYou Like It Darker. It could very well be the case with his new project that he’ll kill two birds with one stone and offer a new sequel story while fixing some canon inconsistencies.
Stephen King’s New Project Could Finally Tie Together Mid-world & The Territories
It Seems Poised To Bring Two Separate Worlds Together
Longtime readers were immediately excited by King’s tweet because it promised a return to not one, but two beloved places inStephen King’s fictional universe: Mid-world and the Territories. It’s an exciting development, not the least of which because it hints that we’re getting either a newDark Towerbook orThe Talisman 3book King had teasedlast year.
Either way,it appears that the story will take place in both of those locations, bringing together two beloved King works. Considering how well the worlds line up, it’s hard to understand why it hasn’t happened already;The Dark TowerandThe Talismanseem tailor-made to work together in a story. If the new story idea does work out and the book gets written, bringing those two worlds together could finally solve a plot hole that has bothered readers for years.
Connecting Both Settings Would Solve A Dark Tower Canon Plot Hole From Years Ago
Is The Talisman Part Of The Dark Tower Story?
Stephen King’sDark Towerseries is his magnum opus, but, like most sprawling lore that evolves over decades,later entries have contradicted earlier works and created plot holes.The TalismansequelBlack Houseis one of those. Originally, whenThe Talismanwas published in 1984, it had no connection to King’sDark Towerstory. Roland’s Mid-world was completely separate from the Territories through which Jack Sawyer traveled inThe Talisman.Black House, however, really muddied those canonical waters.
Black Housewas also co-written with Peter Straub, who King has revealed gave him ideas for a third Talisman story before he passed.
UnlikeThe Talisman, when adult Jack traveled back to The Territories in Black House, this time,there were numerous references to the world ofThe Dark Tower, from objects like the speaking stones to references to the Little Sisters of Eluria from The Wind Through the Keyhole. It even referenced Roland and the gunslingers, as well as the Dark Tower and the Beams. Since then, it’s been unclear ifThe Talismanis officially a part of theDark Toweruniverse, or if the Territories is one of the universes canonically served by the tower. If the new project unfolds in both Mid-world and the Territories, it could very well findStephen Kingcleaning up the canon and officially explaining how they are connected.
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
