For its October 2, 2026 episode, The Book Review from The New York Times brings together Stephen King and Gilbert Cruz to discuss King’s collaboration with Peter Straub and the conclusion of the Talisman trilogy after Straub’s death.
Podcast: NYT’s The Book Review
Participants: Stephen King, in conversation with Gilbert Cruz
Released: October 2, 2026 · 36 minutes
Four books to explore
We chose the first two Talisman novels, a defining Straub ghost story, and a science-fiction classic mentioned in the episode. Together they offer routes into the collaboration and its wider reading context. This is our editorial selection, not a ranking by King or a claim about time spent on each title.
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The Talisman
Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer crosses America and a parallel world called the Territories in an attempt to save his mother. Stephen King and Peter Straub combine a road journey with dark fantasy.
Black House
Years after The Talisman, Jack Sawyer is drawn into the investigation of murders in a Wisconsin town. The case leads him toward a world and a past he has tried to leave behind.
Ghost Story
A group of old friends tells ghost stories in a small New York town. Their shared past returns in increasingly threatening forms in Peter Straub’s novel of guilt, memory, and supernatural revenge.
Dune
On the desert planet Arrakis, Paul Atreides becomes caught in a struggle over power and a precious resource. Frank Herbert combines politics, religion, ecology, and the dangerous appeal of prophecy.
Books discussed in the episode*
The titles below come from the episode’s published show notes. They include recommendations, formative reading, and other works discussed; inclusion here does not mean every participant endorsed every title.
- The Talisman — Stephen King and Peter Straub
- Black House — Stephen King and Peter Straub
- Other Worlds Than These — Stephen King and Peter Straub
- Ghost Story — Peter Straub
- The Hero’s Journey — Joseph Campbell
- Redheaded Peckerwood — Christian Patterson
- The Gunslinger — Stephen King
- The Eyes of the Dragon — Stephen King
- The Stand — Stephen King
- The Dead Zone — Stephen King
- Firestarter — Stephen King
- Mr. Mercedes — Stephen King
- “Survivor Type,” in Skeleton Crew — Stephen King
- Deliverance — James Dickey
- To the White Sea — James Dickey
- Robinson Crusoe — Daniel Defoe
- Dune — Frank Herbert
- Floating Dragon — Peter Straub
*We compile this list from the episode’s published show notes and aim to include every book mentioned. Show notes may omit passing references, and our list may contain omissions or errors. A mention does not necessarily indicate a recommendation.
Source: Publisher-supplied notes for NYT’s The Book Review on Apple Podcasts.
This is an independent reading guide, not affiliated with The New York Times or its podcasts.