Ep. 192 The Talisman, Part 2, chapters 14-19
episode
Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came: A Podcast about Stephen King and His Books
39 min
3 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome, everyone, to Two Guys to the Dark Tower King, a podcast where we discuss the characters and connections in the ever-expanding universe that revolves around Stephen King's Dark Tower. I'm Jay Russo. And I'm Sean McKerr.
What is the introduction and premise of The Talisman Part 2?
You can email us at twoguysdarktower at gmail.com. To support the show, visit us at patreon.com slash 2guysdarktower. And you can buy merch at store.2guystothedarktowercame.com. In this episode, we'll cover The Talisman. Part 2. The Road of Trials. Chapters 14 through 19.
Let's start the show. Back in our world, Jack travels from Angola, New York to Cambridge, Ohio. He is haunted by the news that an earthquake happened in Angola around the time he jumped from the territories. After calling his mom and being disconnected by Sloat and buying a pair of shoes at the mall, Jack meets a blind busker who reminds him of Speedy Parker. This man gives Jack some advice before he is arrested. Jack runs into Morgan at a rest stop and has to go back to the territories. There he meets a shepherd named Wolf, who is a humanoid wolf creature. Morgan tracks Jack in the territories, and Jack, along with Wolf, jumps back to western Ohio. Jack, now sick, spends a few days in a locked shed, while Wolf, under the power of a full moon, reveals his true nature.
Music
Crazy stuff. I should call out your subtle accent where you don't really pronounce the L in wolf. And you say woof.
Yeah. Woof, woof, because that's the noisy mix.
That's why they're called that. It's onomatopoeic.
It's perfect. Woof, woof, woof. Jay, we are further along into the book, and there is some cool world building in this section, particularly around Wolf and how he fits into this whole world.
Yeah, he seems to be some sort of werewolf. In fact, that's exactly what we find out that he is.
Yeah, and his powers are different, though, in our world versus the territories. Like, he's a lot more, he's more powerful in our world.
How does the episode explore the cool world‑building in chapters 14‑19?
He's much more the werewolf creature who can't control his emotions and, you know, rending garments and attacking creatures. Whereas in the territories, that seems to be a lessened effect. It's obviously something he has to be concerned about and keep away from the sheeps that he's normally a shepherd for. But it's not as intense as it is when he comes into our world. And as Jack is going back and forth, he's discovering more things about the territories. And I thought that this was a nice little piece around Wolf.
It's also the first character that Jack encounters in the territories who he befriends, who can share information. Wolf isn't the most talkative or intellectual character. He's not like a walking encyclopedia so that he can just info dump on Jack about the territories are such and such, right? But he can just through his actions and the things that he shows are important or scary or fun. Jack learns so much about this world and therefore we do too. And a lot of it's pretty cool. Just the fact that there are werewolves, pretty neat.
Yes. It helps that Wolf himself knew Jack's father. Yeah. So they have this instant connection or rapport because Wolf liked Phil and had a connection with him and is obviously saddened when he finds out that Phil has died. And that's part of the reason I think he becomes so close to Jack so quick and vice versa.
Right, right. It was really cool how one of Wolf's aspects is described as, "...half of his intelligence was in his sense of smell, and it is not exaggerating to suggest that Wolf's nose, always acute, had attained a condition of genius." And this was at a moment when he was starting to transform more and more closely to the full wolf mode that he attains at the full moon. So this idea of intelligence being attached to a sense of smell and the level of genius is a wonderful way to describe this. I don't think I've ever encountered anybody talking about genius in the same breath as how well you can smell things.
Right.
It must be true for people, too. People who are trained, you know, sommeliers or chefs or anybody who like works in perfumes.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:13–0:27
2
What is the introduction and premise of The Talisman Part 2?
0:27–2:34
3
How does the episode explore the cool world‑building in chapters 14‑19?
2:34–14:41
4
Why do the hosts say the book has too much “Y” and not enough “A”?
14:41–24:02
5
What are the Dark Tower “thinny” moments and how do they work?
24:02–30:08
6
How does the “Yuck‑King” scene illustrate the book’s darker tone?
30:08–31:43
7
What fun pop‑culture references and side‑bars appear in the discussion?
31:43–36:28
8
How do the hosts connect the episode to “Other Worlds Than These” topics?
36:28–39:53