Stephen King has been very prolific and reliable author over the course of his career. Since Carrie was published in 1974, it has been rare for a year to pass without a new King release to read – and if he did miss a year, he’d make up for it by delivering an epic, or release two or even three books in the same year. Of course, someday that steady flow of books is going to come to an end. There will come a strange time when there are no more new Stephen King books to read. And that time might be closer than we would like to think. During an interview with USA Today, King revealed that he has two books on his “to do” list, but he’s uncertain of his writing future beyond those two books.
One of the books King intends to finish is the third entry in the Talisman series he started with Peter Straub. He confirmed that he was writing The Talisman 3 earlier this year. The other is a story that features the Holly Gibney character, someone King has previously written about in Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch, The Outsider, If It Bleeds, Holly, and Never Flinch.
The reason why King is questioning his writing future is his age. The man is 78 years old. He told USA Today, “I’m trying to clear my desk as much as I can. At my age, you’re off the warranty. You can’t take anything for granted.” So, he’s thinking of taking some time off while he’s still healthy. “You can’t guarantee anything once you get past the age of 75, 76. So you’ve got to be a little bit careful. Anything can happen to anybody. I got hit by a car while I was in my prime, so to speak. I might have another 10, 15 years, but you can’t count on it, that’s all.“
So, he’s working on The Talisman 3, which will serve as a way to “button up” both the Talisman and Dark Tower series, and he’s revisiting The Outsider as he prepares to get to work on the next Holly Gibney novel this winter. He’s not saying he’s retiring, he’s still “a busy guy,” but he also wants to make sure his work keeps surprising people. “I’d like to stop before I start to drivel. Like, repeat myself. I feel like I’ve still got a little more space to explore, but I have to watch out and not become a bore. I hate that idea, of being a boring person. I’d like to still surprise people a little bit.“
As for how he has been able to stay so prolific, “The thing is, I try to entertain myself. I sit down like at quarter of 6 in the morning before anybody’s up, and before my wife’s having her first cup of coffee and she’s in another part of the house. I really enjoy those three or four hours where I can play in a kind of a fantasy world. It’s kind of nice.“
What do you think of the possibility that Stephen King could wrap up his career with The Talisman 3 and another Holly Gibney novel? Do you think he’ll really take a break after these two books? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
