Stephen King Completes Peter Straub’s Unfinished Novel

Stephen King has finished a story his late friend Peter Straub never got to complete. The result is Other Worlds Than These, the long-awaited third book in the Talisman saga. For King readers, it’s more than a sequel — it’s a final act of literary loyalty.

Straub, who died in 2022 at 79, had exchanged ideas with King for years about continuing the series. After revisiting old correspondence, King found an email outlining a possible direction for the story. He reached out to Straub’s widow and children for their blessing, then began writing in 2024, determined to finish what they had started together.

Closing the Door on a 40-Year Partnership

King and Straub first teamed up in the 1980s on The Talisman, followed by 2001’s Black House, which ended on a cliffhanger. Fans have speculated for decades about Jack Sawyer’s fate. Now, that loose thread is finally tied off.

The new novel spans 624 pages and will be published by Scribner on October 6, 2026. It’s credited to both authors and revisits Mid-World — once known as the Territories — linking the trilogy more directly to King’s Dark Tower universe. Jack, older and physically fragile, faces a new threat involving infected teenagers and a sinister force known as the Gullet.

King has described the project as unfinished business. He approached the manuscript as a true collaboration, channeling Straub’s voice wherever possible. An early excerpt published by Esquire offers a glimpse of Jack’s uneasy return from Mid-World and the fraying bonds of his Ka-tet.

A Standalone — With Dark Tower Echoes

Although designed to stand on its own, Other Worlds Than These will spark debate among longtime Constant Readers. Its deeper ties to the Dark Tower mythos invite comparisons and theories — territory King knows well, as seen when he recently pushed back on Stranger Things comparisons tied to his work.

The Talisman has long attracted Hollywood interest. Steven Spielberg secured film rights decades ago, and the Duffer Brothers were once attached to a Netflix adaptation that stalled in development. The renewed spotlight on the trilogy could reignite those conversations.

For King, this book also joins a recent string of high-profile projects, from new adaptations to fresh editions of older works, including a new audiobook release of The Body. But Other Worlds Than These feels different. It closes a circle that began with a chance meeting in London in 1977 — and proves that even in horror, friendship can be the most powerful force of all.

Part of our full guide: Stephen King Adaptations in 2026: What Is Filming, What Was Cancelled and What Is Next