Stephen King’s next book has been announced and solidifies his biggest universe outsideThe Dark Tower. Many ofStephen King’s best booksare among the eight novels inThe Dark Towerseries, which, despite ending the main story in 2004, expanded in 2012 withThe Wind Through the Keyhole, a story that is set between the fourth and fifth installments. While many of King’s other books are not directly part of this series, they still connect, includingThe Stand’s connections toThe Dark Tower.
While it is not aDark Towerbook,King’s next novel,Never Flinch, is set for release on July 16, 2025(viaEntertainment Weekly) and has significant implications for the expansive universes he has created. The upcoming novel follows a murderer fixated on revenge and a vigilante stalking a feminist celebrity speaker. The two stories are separate until they eventually intertwine in the book’s thrilling climax. While there are many new characters, there will also be some familiar King characters inNever Flinch.
Stephen King’s 2025 Release Adds Another Book To His Holly Gibney Universe
Holly Gibney Was First Introduced In Mr. Mercedes
One of the familiar King characters inNever Flinchis Holly Gibney, who has appeared in many of King’s previous novels. Holly was first introduced inMr. Mercedesand was also in its sequels,Finders KeepersandEnd of Watch. She is also inThe Outsider,If It Bleeds, andHolly. The character was played byNobody Wants Thisstar Justine Lupe in the television series adaptation ofMr. Mercedesand byWickedstar Cynthia Erivo in the HBO adaptation ofThe Outsider.
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Never Flinchwill add another book to the growing universe of Holly Gibney stories.InNever Flinch, Detective Izzy Jaynes turns to her friend, Holly,for help after receiving a letter threatening to kill thirteen innocent individuals and one guilty person as an act of revenge. Holly will be part of the storyline that involves the vengeful killer and will not be involved in the storyline of the vigilante stalking the celebrity speaker, although that may change once the two stories converge.
Never Flinch Makes Stephen’s Holly Gibney Universe Almost As Big As The Dark Tower
She Has Nearly As Many Books As Roland Deschain Now
As pointed out onReddit,Never Flinchwill be the seventh Holly Gibney book, making it just one shy ofThe Dark Tower’s eight novels. It is important to distinguish that the seven Holly Gibney books are not a single cohesive series likeThe Dark Tower,with its overarching tale of Roland Deschain and his quest. The Bill Hodges trilogy that begins withMr. Mercedesand that introduces Holly is a separate story fromThe Outsider,If It Bleeds,Holly, and nowNever Flinch.
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Nevertheless, it is impressive that there are now almost as many books featuring Holly as there are in the entireDark Towerseries. This achievement is even more noteworthy when considering that, afterNever Flinch’s release, she will have appeared in seven books over the course of 11 years. As long as Holly survives the threats posed by the killer and vigilante stalker inNever Flinch, she will likely end up appearing in even moreStephen Kingbooks, and potentially surpassThe Dark Towerin volume.
Sources:Entertainment Weekly,Reddit
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
