A press release from Sophie Mitchell of Orion Books:
Malcolm Edwards, Deputy Publisher at Orion Publishing Ltd, has acquired a ten year licence to The Talisman and its sequel Black House, both by the international bestselling duo of Stephen King and Peter Straub. The deal, which was agreed with Chris Lotts at the Lotts Agency, includes paperback and digital publishing rights.
Edwards says: “As Peter Straub’s publishers, and also the publishers of Stephen King’s The Green Mile, we’re delighted to have acquired the rights to these two epic collaborations.”
The Talisman, first published in 1984, was the first collaboration between King and Straub. It charts the adventures of a young boy, Jack Sawyer, on a quest to find The Talisman in order to save his dying mother. His journey takes him into the menacing Territories, a parallel world where violence, surprise and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape.
In Black House, an adult Jack Sawyer is forced out of his early retirement from the LAPD by a serial killer preying on children. He must retrieve his childhood memories of his adventures in a parallel universe if he is to save the next victim.
The Talisman and Black House will be published in Orion paperback and e-Book formats on 5 July.