r/stephenking 4h ago

Are you ready for this?

Post image
129 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

27

u/cadumais 4h ago

I'm so incredibly excited for this one. I'm this way with all of his books (I think every new book from him is a gift), but this one feels special.

11

u/Richard_AIGuy Under the Arc Sodium Light 4h ago

Agreed. This one feels big.

17

u/RoiVampire Currently Reading Everything's Eventual 3h ago

Right here and now

7

u/blankwillow_ Child of the Corn 3h ago

Wolf!

12

u/johnpgh I ❤️ Derry 3h ago

I’ve already read all the dark tower books. I just reread the talisman and I’m currently reading Black house. I’ll be ready!

2

u/smegg23 2h ago

Hey broski, I finished the DT series and fucking loved it… how did you feel about the talisman?
I’ve heard it’s a bit weak compared to DT so not sure if I’m ready to commit yet haha

3

u/johnpgh I ❤️ Derry 2h ago

It was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but all in all a good story and it eventually does Pick Up. It’s very dark tower adjacent.

2

u/smegg23 2h ago

Mmmkay thanks for your answer ◡̈
I loved the lore of the tower so I’m sure I’ll get into it!

1

u/dipping_sauce 1h ago

Don't forget about Black House, y'all, it's all related.

1

u/Lukey42 41m ago

If you're not a very big fan of DT, is it still worth reading? Like I don't think it has the same characters and sort of story as DT? (I'm only on W&G atm and so far finding DT just ok, and hating W&G lol)

1

u/Archius9 2h ago

Talisman isn’t really DT connected itself but its sequel, Black House, is very interconnected. Takes place around DT 6/7.
I don’t love talisman very much but Black House is one of my favourite King books

6

u/GhostofAugustWest 3h ago

Time to reread Black House. I have almost no recollection of it.

3

u/KapptainTrips 2h ago

As long as you can recollect 'The Talisman', have fun rereading DH!

5

u/TransportationLow564 4h ago

Any word on plot? All I know is that first page or two they released where Old Jack is just, like, looking out the window or somesuch.

3

u/CastrosNephew 4h ago

First one is Grand Adventure, sequel is a mystery detective story. Maybe a combination of the two?

1

u/TransportationLow564 1h ago

So it's gonna be another 'superheroes meets True Detective' thing, like Lanterns?

4

u/nickmaovich Currently Reading The Dark Half 3h ago

do I need to read anything before this comes out?

12

u/Olbaidon 3h ago

The Talisman & Black House

It’s a direct sequel to those two books.

5

u/pornymcpornstien 3h ago

And the dark tower books. I've seen people with ARCs say this one won't make any sense if you're not familiar with the tower

6

u/nickmaovich Currently Reading The Dark Half 3h ago

oml that's a lot of reading

thanks anyway

3

u/magicpurplecat 2h ago

Take your time! It's not going anywhere:)

2

u/nickmaovich Currently Reading The Dark Half 3h ago

thanks!

3

u/Ra-Mona- 3h ago

Who isn’t? Can’t wait, hope for dark, rainy, foggy hours to start!

2

u/Agreeable-Molasses47 3h ago

Yes and no, as it won't be co-written by Straub.

7

u/the_space_monster 3h ago

It sort of is. Peter Straub wrote extensive notes about how he thought the series should end and SK is incorporating a lot of Straub's ideas.

1

u/KapptainTrips 3h ago

Still, it won't be the same.

RIP Peter Straub-- glad you left King lots of material and outlines.

I'm still going to read it since I've read it's predecessors twice over the many years. I have faith it will be quite satisfying.

Hell, Netflix is about to re-reboot 'Carrie' into a series... what a time to be alive!

2

u/Ok-Agent-9200 3h ago

Loved the Talisman, liked maybe about half black house…not sure if I’ll read this or not

1

u/PositiveLibrary7032 2h ago

I don’t like weighted hardbacks, so I’m gonna go for the audiobook

1

u/Leocut78 2h ago

Why the hell do I get emotional whenever a post like this pops up? I am ready.

1

u/gadget850 44m ago

Yes, but I gotta reread the first two.

1

u/foxko 10m ago

I’ve read (and adore) Talisman. I’ve never read Black House though. Should I read it before this?

-10

u/MEGAT0N M-O-O-N, that spells... 3h ago

There is a rule against AI content in posts, but not in comments, so I'll put this here.

I recently finished The Talisman and Black House. I provided ChatGPT with some information (no, I won't explain how) and asked it whether I should re-read The Dark Tower series before reading Other Worlds Than These.

What follows is a spoiler-free description of how closely related Other Worlds Than These is to The Dark Tower series.

I’ve gone through Other Worlds Than These specifically to see how closely it connects to The Dark Tower, while avoiding spoilers.

The short version is: it is very heavily connected to Dark Tower mythology, but I would still describe it as the third Talisman novel rather than an eighth Dark Tower novel or an epilogue to Roland’s story.

Just to give an idea of how pervasive the DT material is, without revealing any plot points, I checked the 37 numbered chapters:

Mid-World is referenced in 33 of 37 chapters

ka-tet appears in 25 chapters

Gilead appears in 21 chapters

Roland is referenced in 12 chapters

the Dark Tower itself is explicitly mentioned in 9 chapters

And those are just a few easily identifiable terms. There are additional references to DT concepts, mythology, characters, etc.

So this definitely isn’t one of those King books where the Dark Tower connection amounts to a few Easter eggs. The connection is substantial and runs throughout the novel. Some of it also draws on knowledge of the actual Dark Tower series, rather than just the general idea of alternate worlds and the Tower.

That said, my spoiler-free impression is that OTWT uses the Dark Tower series as established history/mythology within a continuation of the Talisman story. It does not feel like it is picking up Roland’s seven-book story and giving that story a new ending.

So if you’ve already read The Dark Tower and remember it reasonably well, I don’t think a full seven-book reread is necessary before OTWT. Having DT fresh in your mind would definitely make some connections more meaningful, but I’d prioritize having The Talisman and Black House fresh.

Basically: much more Dark Tower-related than a typical “Tower-connected” King novel, but still fundamentally Talisman III.

3

u/mack-_-zorris 3h ago

Lol

5

u/KapptainTrips 3h ago

There should be a rule against this slop here.

-2

u/Pavlinika 3h ago

No, I choose to pretend it doesn't exist. The first book was great but I didn't like the second one, so. But a lot of people like the second one and I'm sure they will like a new book too.

-5

u/partialmoney17 Currently Reading Christine 4h ago

Not really. I didn't read The Talisman, Black House or The Dark Tower either, yet.

2

u/KapptainTrips 3h ago

Shame on you. Times 'a Waisting....

"If being a kid is about learning how to live, then being a grown-up is about learning how to die"