The Talisman. This collaborative work by Stephen King and Peter Straub was never meant to be part of “The Dark Tower” mythos when first published in 1984. But because of the parallels between this world and that of Mid-world it eventually made itself a “Dark Tower Connection.” The main connection in this story is with King’s short “Dark Tower” story “Little Sisters of Eluria.”
Jack Sawyer is the 12-year-old son of “Queen of the B-Movies,” Lily Cavanaugh. His father died under mysterious circumstances and he is left to care for his ailing mom who is battling cancer. They are holed up in the old Alhambra Hotel by the sea in New Hampshire. While walking the boardwalk of Arcadia Beach he meets up with the mysterious “Speedy” Parker.
Speedy tells Jack about a crystal talisman that could cure and save his mother, but he needs to go to the west coast. He teaches Jack how to “flip” into a parallel world where things are much smaller but more dangerous. Jack uses this skill to make it to the west coast faster.
