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The Talisman series of books is a work from Stephen King and Peter Straub. The two co-wrote the books in this dark fantasy series that follows Jack Sawyer, a person who discovers a parallel universe while looking for the titular talisman that could cure all.
The series is an intense one that highlights the many Twinners of the parallel universe. These Twinners are the counterparts of people in other words. They are almost the same in terms of who they are, thus creating some unique mysteries.
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Order of Talisman Series By: Stephen King, Peter Straub
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Talisman | 1984 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Black House | 2001 | Description / Buy |
The book series has been one of the most unique ones for how Stephen King and Peter Straub had been known at the start for being among the masters of the horror genre. This even led to where the promotion budget for their first works together totaled more than half a million dollars.
The books have become very noteworthy and popular among all sorts of horror fans. These books have especially been noteworthy for being popular among those interested in medieval stories, fantasy and stories about the dead. People have certainly loved the work in this for how intriguing and unique it is and for how it is inspired a variety of people.
The Talisman series was made into a comic book with six issues published in 2009 and 2010. A second story arc was planned in the comic book series but the plans to set this up were put on hold.
Talisman Awards
The Talisman books have become very popular with many fans of fantasy and horror novels. The Talisman was particularly heralded by Twilight Zone Magazine as one of the best books of 1984. The original release spent 12 weeks as the #1 book on the New York Times bestseller list and a total of 23 weeks on the list all together.
Black House was also nominated for a Stoker Award. This is an award given by the Horror Writers Association for being the best novel of the year. It is one of the highest achievements in the field of horror literature and had been won by both King and Straub in the past.
Talisman Books Into Movies/TV
The Talisman was one of the biggest releases of the year back in 1984 and because of this it was optioned fairly quickly. Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment got the rights and there was talk of making a movie. There was a lot of difficulty getting a script and budget that everyone could agree on and Spielberg moved on to other projects. He would revisit it from time to time, most recently in 2000s as a potential ABC mini-series, but an agreement was never able to take shape.
Most recently, Frank Marshall (a long-time Spielberg producer) has attempted to get this project back off the ground with a movie instead of a TV series. It’ll be interesting to see if this project is able to make any movement.
The Black House novel tied this series into the Dark Tower series which could bring interest back to the project. The Dark Tower was recently adapted into a movie and there is a TV series adaption as well. That could make this series an interesting property if The Dark Tower is able to prove successful.
The books have also been adapted into a graphic novel by Del Rey Books and is set for a 24 issue run. This is similar to the release of one of Stephen King’s other hit books, The Stand. This may be another way that the novels finally find their way to the big screen.
Best Talisman Books:
The Talisman: This 1984 book is the first one in the series. This is a book where a young boy named Jack Sawyer goes on a quest from New Hampshire to California. This is to try and find a talisman that will help with saving his mother’s life. This leads Jack into a land called the Territories. This is a parallel universe that takes place during medieval times where there are a number of Twinners all around. These are the mirror images of people who live in modern times. Jack eventually meets his own Twinner and discovers that the mother of his Twinner is also dying and needs help.
Black House: This book takes place years after the events of the Talisman. In this story, Jack Sawyer has grown up and become a member of the Los Angeles police. As he comes across many suspects and figures associated with the case, he begins to get his memories of the Territories to come back to his mind. As difficult memories come back to his mind, he begins to struggle in the case as it starts to mentally break him. This especially becomes concerning amid many people being at risk of harm.
Other Book Series You May Like
There are a number of other book series worth taking a look at when finding ones similar to the Talisman.
“The Forces of Nature” series from Elizabeth Sharp is a series about a young woman who encounters a number of mysterious strangers unusual people all while many people are tormented by demons. These include many who are transformed into zombies. She ends up being the one person in the world who has the ability to save it and keep humanity protected.
Brian Lumley’s “Necroscope” series is another popular series among fans of the Talisman books. This is a series of stories that entail people who are capable of communicating with the dead. The novels are particularly popular for offering many surprises as people are capable of learning more about the world and about crimes from those who have died and those who were victims of murders.
What Is The Next Book in The Talisman Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Talisman Series. The newest book is Black House and was released on September, 15th 2001.