Stephen King's Anthology First Is An Even Bigger Deal After His Territories & Mid-World Tease

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The recent tease by Stephen King that he's returning to Mid-World and the Territories is even more exciting when considered in the context of the upcoming anthology based on his work. The recently-announced The End of the World As We Know It anthology is a first for Stephen King, a surprising fact considering his long career has already seen so many notable firsts. The anthology will find multiple horror writers coming together to pen stories that are not just inspired by King or inspired by one of his classic novels, but actually set in the world of Stephen King's The Stand.

Shockingly, despite Stephen King's interconnected book universe and deep lore, it's the first time anything has been set in one of his universes that he himself hasn't written. As such, it's a really fascinating project with a lot of potential that could, in turn, get King's own creative juices flowing when he sees other authors' takes on his own universe. If that's the case, it could very well find his universe expanding once again.

Stephen King's The Stand Anthology Could Be Bigger News After His Recent Writing Tease

It Shows He's Still Ready To Experiment

However, with King teasing that he's returning to The Dark Tower, specifically Mid-world, and the Territories in a project he's slowly developing, the announcement of The End of the World As We Know It could be even bigger. In numerous ways, King has always been one of the more experimental current living authors, trying things like releasing The Green Mile in serialized installments, revising and expanding previous books like The Gunslinger, switching genres, expanding into comic books, and collaborating with other authors. Experimentation is necessary to keep the creative spark going in a career that has been as long as King's and has seen so much success.

King's New Project Could Build On Or Connect To The End Of The World As We Know It

King Could Easily Make One Of The Anthology Stories Canon In His Own Work

Though King won't feature in The End of the World As We Know It, he'll almost certainly contribute the forward, and he'll certainly be reading the stories from his fellow horror authors with relish. Stephen King has never been an author to reject a potentially good idea, no matter where the inspiration comes from. Considering his long history of collaborations with other authors, up to and including his own sons, it wouldn't be surprising to see King incorporate something from one of the stories in The End of the World As We Know It into one of his future works, whether it be a short story collection or a novel.

This custom image shows the cover of two Dark Tower books with the gunslinger.

Sorry, Stephen King Probably Wasn't Teasing A Dark Tower Book (But It's Just As Exciting)

Stephen King has recently teased his new project, and it seems to suggest a return to the Dark Tower franchise - but another option is more likely.

If it is a novel, his teased book set in Mid-world and the Territories, which some have speculated might be King's long-teased The Talisman 3, would be the perfect way to do it. The world of The Stand is ripe with possibility. Though the entirety of the story is set in contemporary America, it already has multiple connections to his larger universe, namely in the form of Stephen King villain Randall Flagg. Considering that, and the vibe of the epic Americana journey that The Stand shares with The Dark Tower and The Talisman, it would, in theory, be quite easy for King to take something from The End of the World As We Know It anthology and make it canon in his own work.

The Author's Willingness To Expand On The Stand Is Good News For His Dark Tower Universe

The Dark Tower Has Even More Potential For An Anthology Than The Stand

Whether King ever ties any of his stories into the anthology or not, it's still exciting news for his Constant Readers. If he's willing to allow other authors to expand on The Stand, one of Stephen King's favorites of his books, then it wouldn't at all be a surprise to see him eventually give the green light to a similar anthology set in The Dark Tower universe, specifically the Mid-world portion of it. Expanding on The Dark Tower beyond the central focus of Roland has never been something King has seemingly been interested in, which is a shame: the dying realm of Mid-world is such a fascinating place.

Expanding on The Dark Tower beyond the central focus of Roland has never been something King has seemingly been interested in, which is a shame: the dying realm of Mid-world is such a fascinating place.

It's why King's return to Mid-world is so intriguing, as it may get him to see the potential of diving back into that world again, whether it's him doing the writing or other talented writers. Simply spending time in Mid-world would be welcome, and there is so much opportunity to expand: What was Blaine the Mono like before he went insane? How did North Central Positronics operate before the world moved on? The city of Lud is prime for stories, too, as are the little border towns. Whatever happens, it will be great to return to the Stephen King world.

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