The Talisman: A Novel
Chapter 36: nterlude: Sloat in This World/Orris in the Territories (III)
by King, StephenThe chapter opens with Morgan Sloat arriving at Thayer School after receiving news that Jack Sawyer and Richard have escaped. Indifferent to rules, he parks in a handicapped spot and uses cocaine to heighten his senses, musing about its potential potency in the Territories. Earlier, Gardener had woken him in a panic, fearing Sloat’s rage, but Sloat remains eerily calm, feeling a sense of predestination. He reassures Gardener before abruptly ending the call and transitioning into his alternate self, Morgan of Orris, in the Territories. The shift brings him immediate physical and sensory enhancements, far surpassing the effects of cocaine.
As Orris, Sloat experiences the world with heightened clarity, marveling at the vividness of his surroundings. He travels by diligence toward Outpost Depot, aware of his Twinner’s knowledge and the impending confrontation with Jack. The rough journey contrasts sharply with his usual comforts, but Sloat relishes the experience, even as his clubfoot aches. He reflects on the differences between his two selves, noting Orris’s superior health and senses. Despite Richard’s involvement with Jack, Sloat is willing to sacrifice his son if necessary, confident that Jack’s luck will soon run out.
Sloat’s thoughts drift to the challenges of navigating between worlds. Unlike Jack, who flips to analogous locations, Sloat always arrives where Orris is, often miles from his target. This inconsistency frustrates him, but he remains determined. After a brief stay in the Territories, he returns to his own body, feeling the immediate weight and discomfort of his physical form. He quickly arranges a flight to Springfield, arriving at Thayer by morning. The campus is eerily quiet, with students appearing dazed, as if sharing a collective unsettling dream.
Observing the aftermath of Jack’s escape, Sloat reflects on the thin boundary between worlds and the unreality of those living near it. He recalls his first transition to the Territories in the 1950s, a near-death experience that now fills him with nostalgia. The chapter ends with Sloat approaching The Depot, contemplating the past and the looming final confrontation with Jack. His dual existence—as Sloat in this world and Orris in the Territories—underscores the chapter’s themes of duality, power, and inevitability.
FAQs
1. How does Morgan Sloat’s experience of “flipping” between worlds differ from Jack Sawyer’s ability to travel between them?
Answer:
Morgan Sloat’s inter-world travel involves a process he calls “Migration,” where he inhabits the body of his Twinner, Morgan of Orris, in the Territories. This creates a “benign possession” where both personalities coexist (Sloat hears Orris’s voice internally). In contrast, Jack Sawyer’s travel is described as a “flip” where he remains himself but moves to the analogous location in the other world. Sloat’s method is less precise—he always arrives where Orris is, which may be miles from his target location, while Jack’s movement is geographically consistent. The chapter emphasizes this distinction when Sloat reflects on how Jack’s “single nature” makes him harder to track (e.g., Jack always being at the analogue of his starting point).2. Analyze the significance of Sloat’s cocaine use in relation to his perception of the Territories.
Answer:
Sloat’s cocaine use serves as a bridge between his experiences in both worlds. After taking the drug, he muses about its potential potency in the Territories, suggesting he views the other world through a lens of exploitation. The substance sharpens his senses in “this world,” but the text implies the Territories naturally provide heightened sensory perception (Orris’s clearer vision, smell, and slower heartbeat). This contrast highlights Sloat’s moral decay—he seeks artificial enhancement in reality but covets the Territories’ innate purity for selfish gains. His indifference to the handicapped parking sign further underscores his entitlement, mirroring his predatory attitude toward the Territories.3. What does the chapter reveal about the psychological and physical effects of “Migration” on Sloat and his Twinner?
Answer:
Migration imposes distinct costs on both Sloat and Orris. For Sloat, reintegrating into his original body brings sudden weight, a racing heartbeat, and disorientation (“the extra pounds fell into him with sickening weight”). Orris, meanwhile, bears chronic pain from a clubfoot and endures rough travel in the Territories’ harsh environment. Psychologically, Sloat experiences a “sense of predestination” from Orris’s influence, while Orris’s earlier migrations left him both “terrified and wildly excited.” The shared consciousness during Migration creates a duality—Sloat accesses Orris’s knowledge (e.g., the route to Outpost Depot) but must reconcile their separate agendas, as seen when Orris prioritizes catching Jack despite Sloat’s anger over Richard’s involvement.4. How does the chapter use parallels between Thayer School and the Territories to foreshadow future conflict?
Answer:
The chapter draws deliberate analogies: Thayer’s “disquieting dream”-like atmosphere mirrors the instability of the Territories’ “thin places,” and the maintenance man cleaning “trumpery diamonds” of glass evokes the fragility of boundaries between worlds. Sloat’s observation that students are “fundamentally unreal” hints at his willingness to sacrifice them—and Richard—to achieve his goals, much as Orris “lost his son and survived.” The simultaneous arrival of Sloat at Thayer and Orris at Outpost Depot (Thayer’s analogue) tightens the narrative tension, suggesting an inevitable collision between Jack and Sloat/Orris in both worlds, especially with the looming threat of the Blasted Lands.5. Evaluate Sloat’s reaction to Gardener’s news about Jack’s escape. Why is his calmness significant?
Answer:
Sloat’s unexpected calm (“extraordinary calm”) contrasts with Gardener’s terror, revealing his growing alignment with Orris’s ruthlessness. His lack of rage suggests he views Jack’s escape as a temporary setback in an inevitable outcome, reinforced by his sense of “predestination.” This detachment reflects his dual nature—he strategizes like a businessman (e.g., arranging a swift flight) but also embraces Orris’s supernatural perspective (“Your luck will run out”). The calm foreshadows his willingness to escalate violence, as seen in his later thought about Richard being a permissible “sacrifice,” and positions him as a more calculating antagonist compared to his underlings’ panic.
Quotes
1. “He felt a sense of predestination which he suspected came from that other part of him—what he thought of as ‘his Orris-ness’ in a half-understood pun on royalty.”
This quote captures Morgan Sloat’s dual identity and his growing awareness of his connection to his Territories counterpart, Orris. It reveals his acceptance of a fated path and the merging of identities across worlds.
2. “As always, his first reaction was pure delight: this made coke seem like baby aspirin. His chest was narrower, his weight less. Morgan Sloat’s heartbeat ran anywhere from eighty-five beats a minute to a hundred and twenty when he was pissed off; Orris’s rarely went higher than sixty-five or so.”
This vivid comparison highlights the stark contrast between Sloat’s physical existence in our world versus the Territories. It underscores the addictive allure of his “Twinner” existence and the superior physical state he experiences there.
3. “When one Migrated and entered the body of one’s Twinner, the result was a kind of benign possession…he guessed that the poor, unlucky slobs so afflicted had been taken over by mad hitchhikers from other worlds.”
This passage explains the novel’s concept of “Migration” between worlds and Sloat’s theory about possession. It provides key world-building while showing Sloat’s arrogant perspective on those who can’t handle interdimensional travel.
4. “They simply didn’t know how fundamentally unreal they all were, as all creatures who live near the thin places between worlds must be.”
This philosophical observation reveals Sloat’s contemptuous view of ordinary people unaware of the multiverse’s true nature. It encapsulates his villainous perspective and the chapter’s theme of hidden realities.
5. “The only thing that had kept Jack alive this long was the maddening fact of his single nature—when the whelp flipped to a place, he was always in the analogue of the place he had left.”
This quote explains Jack Sawyer’s unique ability and why he’s been able to evade Sloat/Orris. It highlights the central conflict between Jack’s singular existence and Sloat’s dual nature.