The Talisman: A Novel

Once upon a time I *read* the Talisman and it was an 'ok' Stephen King book. Then I listened to the Talisman....and that is a very different thing indeed. I consider myself a Stephen King fan. Several times I've re-read particular books and not all of his work came easy, I struggled to reconcile the Gunslinger with his books I'd read earlier. If literary fiction is written storytelling perhaps audio books should be the true measure of a work's worth. The very kindest thing I can honestly say about the Talisman is that it is a good story wrapped in a very dull, repetitive, pointlessly boring, almost malicious waste of the listener's time. If you're interested in masochism cue this one up, you've been a naughty, naughty boy (it's axiomatic) and this will be your punishment. For everyone else, avert your gaze because the King isn't wearing any clothes.

More painful to get through than I thought it would be.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this novel. In fact, it's very honest about what it is: a supernatural coming of age about a twelve year old boy trying to save his mother from a mysterious form of cancer. It would've been great if I had been... what? 21 years old? But I'm a whopping 35 and living in 2017, and I'm saddened to tell you: The Talisman didn't age all that well.

It's impossible to read this book earnestly in the post-Lord of the Rings and post-Harry Potter era. Now that supernatural adventures are a collective experience, every other one you read after that is just a little less exciting, a little less like the first time around. I've enjoyed this novel in bits and spurts, but there were lengths I unashamedly skimmed. This book has its place in the legacy og both Stephen King and Peter Straub, it was just... not fulfilling at all for me.

For many people, this book is their introduction to Peter Straub, one of modern horror’s most successful authors. This was not the case for me though as this was my first time for The Talisman. My first Straub book was Shadowland. (A totally awesome book, worth checking out. Maybe I’ll do a write-up on Shadowland in the future.)

What is it?!
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The Talisman is a story about a teenage boy named Jack Sawyer who moves out to the east coast with his widowed mother trying to hide from Jack’s nefarious Uncle Morgan Sloat. Jack’s mother, a b-movie actress past her prime, is slowly dying of lung cancer and he learns from Parker, an elderly black amusement park repair man, that the only way he can save his mother is to go on a quest for a powerful talisman. To do this he must “flip” to an alternate reality called the territories and travel back to the west coast.

Along the way he comes across many obstacles including the mechanizations of the powerful Morgan Sloat.

Good Stuffs
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The Talisman was a pretty good book. All through it you are rooting for Jack to save the day and thwart the bad guys. My favorite character of the novel, by far, is Wolf. He appears about half way through the story and becomes Jack’s companion in his adventures. Wolf is a werewolf and, in the Territories, werewolves are not evil creatures, but shepherds. The do still transform into bloodthirsty wolves under the full moon, and they are very dangerous than. Otherwise, Wolf is very kind and innocent.

Not-So-Good Stuffs
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Like many of King’s works, this book was way too long. I’ve only read one other book by Straub, but I’m fairly confident that the blame for the gratuitous length of the book lies on SK. There was a very large portion in the second half of the book that could have been totally cut.

I’m sure this is a controversial opinion but, this means completely cutting a fairly important character from the book: Richard Sloat. Richard is Jack’s childhood friend/cousin and Morgan’s son. He does have interesting story significance, as he creates a nice dichotomy between Morgan/Richard and Phillip(Jack’s suspiciously dead father)/Jack.

There’s some stuff that happens at the end that gives Richard’s character importance, but I feel that the book would be just as strong with Richard completely excised. This would take a good 100 pages or so off of the grand total.

Feel free to skewer my thoughts down below in the comment section.

Dark Tower Connections
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So, why did I read this book as part of my Dark Tower Re-Read? Well, I’m not completely sure yet. I can see similarities between Midworld of The Dark Tower and The Territories. I’ve heard that there is more of a connection with sequel (Black House). It was still worth the read though, and would recommend it if you’ve read all of the DT books and need more of something similar.

I don’t know whose idea it was to do a co-written book between the two, but Stephen King and Peter Straub gave us something special in The Talisman. Now, I have never read anything is by Peter Straub besides Talisman and Black House, but this is something I enjoyed. You will too.

The Ugly: I didn’t like Jake Chambers, but I absolutely hate Wolf. Yeah, I said it. I think Wolf is one of the worst characters that King had ever written. I know he is supposed to be Tom Cullin’s twinner, but that doesn’t help Wolf at all. I absolutely hate this character. Enough said there.

The Bad: How many people actually saw Jack? And I do mean in the territories and in his world. Probably enough to realize that a 12-year-old boy shouldn’t be out milling around all by his lonesome. They did do something about it when they sent the Jack and Wolf to the boy’s home, but not enough. Somebody would have said something sooner or later.

The Good: Yes, I have a problem with the fact that Jack moved around too easily, but I absolutely loved the idea of the journey. King and Straub gave us something in the lines of the path to manhood here. Yes, he was only 12, but there is no set age for the journey to begin. He did it here. And, in my opinion, he was a man when he came out on the other side of the journey. Adding in elements from other King novels (and I can only assume from Straub novels as well) helped this story come together in the end.

Final Thoughts: If you haven’t read this story by now, you are wrong. There is no way around that. Move this book to the next in line for you.

I first read The Talisman in 1990 as a freshman in college. I was so taken by the story, the characters, and the multiple settings that I immediately read it again, and have re-read it every few years since.

Stephen King knows how to write kids. He gets into their heads, unlike any other writer can. He does a superb job of writing not only the main character but many others as well. The settings are brilliantly written; I've spent decades falling back into the Territories without realizing I've "flipped".

If you've never read Stephen King because you don't like horror, trust me, you will love this (and many of his other works) regardless. I hold this book close to my heart and always will.

I expected a lot more from this book. The only reason I read it was because I heard it tied into the "Dark Tower" series, but since I haven't finished that series I don't see completely how it ties in (other than the obvious Multiverse stuff).

This book is a road novel, or a journey narrative. I'm realizing that I don't really like road novels in which the main character has a few adventures in this town, and then moves on to someplace else and has a few adventures there, and then moves on to someplace else. I like stories that are continually building to some great crescendo. While some of the side adventures in this book contained small nuggets of important information, there were large chunks of this book that could be skipped, and the reader would still get the main story in full.

The climax of this book happens, and it is pretty cool, and then it feels like the book should be ending soon. And then it doesn't. And then it keeps going on. And on. And on. And I'm wondering how it could possibly still be happening. And then it keeps going. Then it ends and the author says there is more story to be told in a future book.

Final rating = 2.5 stars

SPOILERS:

-When the Talisman started to be described as a nexus point, an axle of all possible worlds, I immediately thought of the Dark Tower. I think that the Dark Tower is described this same way, so maybe the Talisman becomes the Dark Tower. Or maybe the Black Hotel in this book is another name for the Dark Tower. The sequel to "The Talisman" is called "Black House," so I'm guessing it will have something to do with that same structure that appeared in this novel.

-I think I would have liked this book better if most of it had taken place in the Territories, but in retrospect, I think most of it took place in our America. I remember being really excited when Jack crossed over for the first time, and really disappointed when he came back so quickly afterwards.

-I don't have any deep thought on this, but why in the world did Jack spend so much time working at a bar when he was on a hero's journey? That was my least favorite part of the book, and the biggest waste of my time in terms of the reading that I've done this year.

-Fans of the TV series LOST may appreciate that the main character's name is Jack Sawyer.

The Talisman is a classic story in the style of Stephen King in which a parallel world exists and only certain people have the gift to flip between the worlds. One such person is the 13 year old Jack Sawyer, a boy on a mission across the country to find a mystical object that is claimed to be able to save his mother that is dying of illness.

This story had no shortage of gore and situations that go from bad to worse. Creatures on the other side are bizarre and dangerous but it turns out that there is no shortage of creepy characters on this side as well. In the end, for my tastes, I give the Talisman a fair read. If, on the other hand, you are a fan of the gruesome side of King then this would surly be considered a good read.

the store book description: "Why had twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer’s mother frantically moved the two of them from Rodeo Drive to a New York City apartment to the Alhambra, a fading ocean resort and shuttered amusement park in New Hampshire? Who or what is she running from? She is dying . . . and even young Jack knows she can’t outrun death. But only he can save her—for he has been chosen to search for a prize across an epic landscape of dangers and lies, a realm of innocents and monsters, where everything Jack loves is on the line."

To answer the opening question, they're running from Jack's "Uncle" Morgan, Lily Cavanagh's deceased husband's business partner. As many times as I've read this, I've never quite figured out why a nearly-abandoned New Hampshire resort is Lily's choice of hideout, but no matter. It serves as the jumping-off point for Jack's quest for the Talisman, a mysterious object that can only be found in The Territories.

And what are The Territories, you ask? A world that parallels ours, not only in its similar, if compressed, geography, but in its people. With few exceptions, each of us here has a "Twinner" over there. Jack's mother's Twinner is the Queen, Morgan's Twinner is Osmond, a nobleman; and other people Jack encounters along his path exist in each world. Jack is one of the exceptions: his Twinner, the Queen's son, died as an infant. At any rate, at the resort, young Jack is befriended by Speedy, a handyman who also happens to know about The Territories, and the need for Jack to go there.

It all seems a little far-fetched, and the set-up is slow, but go with it. Once Jack accepts Speedy's story (and accepts his own faint memories of a place he called the Dreamland) ("...when Jackie was six...yes, Jackie was six..."), he's off and running, often literally, to save his own life and that of his mother. And it's truly an epic journey, from coast to coast, through pastoral valleys and grimy villages, with each moment, whether here in our world or there in the Territories, filled with danger and magic and wonder and terror.

I've read this book probably a dozen times over the last 30 years, and it never fails to astonish me. King has a gift for creating remarkable young characters -- he gets inside the mind of an adolescent boy like no one else I've ever read; and his and Straub's differing prose styles blend so well, I can't really tell who wrote what. I will agree with a couple of other reviewers that a fearless and ruthless editor could have done The Talisman some good by excising a little repetitive exposition, but you know what? I don't care. It's a damn good story regardless.

I’m normally a sucker for stories about parallel universes, but the mechanics of the magic (particularly the world-hopping) in this one were so unclear that it was a pretty frustrating reading experience. I do like that there was plenty of adventure in the “real” world, rather than everything of note happening over on the other side. And it was interesting to see the germination of ideas about parallel worlds that Stephen King would later bring to fruition in his Dark Tower series, here in a novel written between its first and second books. But as a whole, I had a hard time feeling invested in this story because I didn’t ever feel like I had enough information to know what was and wasn’t possible for these characters to do at any given time.

Hail to the King! Stephen King, that is. Stephen King needs no introduction - he is one of the most iconic and prolific writers of our time. Lines and scenes from his work reverberate throughout popular culture, albeit particularly driven by cinematic or screen adaptations. His prose is vivid, visual and visceral - indeed, the only books that have given me bad dreams, something which generally only occurs from the direct visualization of movies. In short, I am that Constant Reader to which King addresses his Author's Notes.

Apart from It, my other mythic favorite of King's works is The Talisman. Critics have sometimes observed The Stand to be King's American Lord of the Rings, but in my view they are wrong - it is The Talisman that was his equivalent of the fantasy quest across the United States. I enjoyed The Stand, although its literal deus ex machina ending detracted somewhat from my enjoyment, although in fairness, it did somewhat resemble the role of Providence in fulfilling the quest in The Lord of the Rings, albeit with - spoiler alert from the 1970's - Trashcan Man playing the role of Gollum. However, it is the Talisman that resonates more with me and has the greater mythic impact. The quest is that of the novel's hero, 12 year-old Jack Sawyer, who has to cross the United States - and the fantasy world attached to it, the Territories - from New Hampshire to California, to obtain the eponymous Talisman to save his ex-Hollywood movie star mother (and her fantasy 'twin', the Queen of the Territories) dying from cancer. His antagonist is his evil uncle, Morgan Sloat (or Morgan of Orris in the Territories), whom I'll always remember for his villainous delight in finding the loophole in the question of Jesus "what profits a man if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul" - "IT PROFITS HIM THE WORLD".

Indeed, its resonance for me (and with The Lord of The Rings) was evoked by my favorite scene of the entire cinematic Lord of the Rings trilogy, all the more remarkably so as an addition to Tolkien's literary narrative but one that uncannily echoed my favorite scene in The Talisman.  Nearing the end of his quest in The Talisman, Jack is physically and emotionally exhausted, unable to continue - until he is invigorated by the sight of a billboard of his mother, not as she is now, dying of the disease eating her from inside, but as she was in all her smiling radiance and reigning stardom of B-movies as "Queen of the B's"). In the cinematic Lord of the Rings, Frodo, having fought himself free from Shelob's lair (although unfortunately of course, Shelob is not quite done with him) alone, exhausted and at the end of his strength, collapses only to find himself in a peaceful sunlit glade, with smiling Galadriel extending her hand to help him to his feet again. The vision of Galadriel and her glade is gone - but Frodo is restored. Goddess help me - I love that scene, both in The Talisman and in The Lord of the Rings.

I've just finished reading "The Talisman" for the third time. The first was when it was first published, the second when "Black House" came out in 2001 and just now as I'm going through King's stories in chronological order, and with each reading I find something new to take away from this collaboration with Peter Straub, and once again I'm reminded why "The Talisman" is one of my favorite novels as the story is so compelling and imaginative.

Jack Sawyer, a 12-year old boy is taken by his mother, Lily to the off-season beach of Arcadia in New Hampshire. Lily is dying, and she wants to pass in peace, away from her late husband's pushy business partner, Morgan Sloat. Morgan has been harassing Lily about signing over her husband's share of their talent agency. Jack, having very little to do in the nearly deserted resort spends his days roaming around the hotel or the local arcade. While killing some time in the arcade, Jack meets Speedy Parker, and old man that refers to the boy as "Traveling Jack", a nickname Jack's father also called him. Speedy seems to re-awaken memories in Jack, memories of a "daydream" land, a place called the Territories.

Jack soon learns that this mystical place is real, and that he has the ability to flip between our world and the Territories. Speedy tells Jack that the boy can save his mother, and also the dying Queen of the Territories, if must go on a quest for "the Talisman". And object of immense power that lies on the Western Coast beyond the "blasted lands" in the Territories. But the Quest is not an easy one as not everyone wants the Queen to be saved, and they will stop at nothing to make sure Jack fails in his quest.

Populated with wonderful characters, from a companion werewolf, to a murderous TV evangelist, to ghostly knights, "The Talisman" features something for everyone. There are strong parallels to King's "Dark Tower" novels, but it wasn't until "Dark House" that we actually see a definite tie-in. I will say that if you are interested in King's "Gunslinger" series, but worried about jumping into an eight novel commitment, give "The Talisman" a read first. If you like this story, you will most likely enjoy King's epic tale as this novel feels like a condensed version of that much bigger tale (with a much more satisfying ending to boot!).

Great novel, and I almost wish King & Straub had revisited the Territories more often through the years.

I'd forgotten just how good this book is. I first read The Talisman shortly after it hit the bookstores in the mid-80s and then again in the early 90s. I'm a fan of both authors' work and often re-read books in a similar fashion but it's been 15 years or more since I've picked it up.
Recently, I was traveling and finished a book on my Kindle. I wanted something to get me through the trip so browsed my library for something, anything really, to pass the time. The Talisman was available and, from the first page to the last, I was lost in The Territories with Jack Sawyer and the wild collection of characters that fill the book. I remembered the basic plot and events but couldn't recall the full story. It was like meeting an old friend. Peter Straub and Stephen King create wonderful characters, colorful settings and a riveting storyline. I am very glad I found them again.
The Stand and The Dark Tower series are among my favorite books by King. The Talisman fits nicely with them. It is an epic. Larger than life and greater in scope. If you've not read The Talisman, read it - you'll enter a new world. If you've read The Talisman before, pick it up again - you'll be reunited with dear, old friends and blessedly forgotten enemies.

I'm reading his books in order, and so far, this has been one of the best. I really enjoyed it. At first, I wasn't sure about the main character, Jack, being a 12-year old boy. You actually begin to forget that part, and it's a little bit sad, because throughout his long journey, he sees many things that force him almost become an adult - at least mentally and emotionally. He sees things that no child of that age would ever dream of seeing or would begin to understand, but it he has a destiny to fulfill, both in his world and in the Territories. He meets many new people, both good and evil, that will either uplift him or threaten to destroy him. Highly recommend this book - it's a great read.

I have no idea how many times I've reread this book. The writing sucks you into the story from the start. You feel the characters, you take a look around their world...It's a story that brings you in with all the senses.

It has emotion. Lots of it. Especially when Wolf comes in. Such an innocent, courageous, heartwarming character. Jack is the kid you want to help in a heartbeat if you met him on the street.

There's tension and excitement, sadness and despair but always hope. It's a damn good read, what else is there to say?

Do I recommend this book? Does a bear poo in the woods?
Yeah, a bear does indeed poo in the woods and yes I recommend this book.

What else is there to say?

Del Rey's quality, but ill-fated, comic series for The Talisman never made it past this first arc, maybe due to inexperience. As they state in the preview issue to The Road of Trials, this was the first venture into comic books for Del Rey, a longtime book publisher. They did well to enlist the services of Robin Furth to write this adaptation of the novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub. She's Stephen King's research assist, and has written a complete concordance of his Dark Tower novels and Marvel's Dark Tower comic series. And the artists did a fantastic job with both the extraordinary characters and the dreamlike settings of the Territories. The story begins quickly, with Jack meeting Speedy Parker and flipping into the Territories in the first chapter. He also has a flashback about a time he was nearly abducted by a man Talisman fans know as Sunlight Gardener. By the second chapter, Jack's on the road, in search of the Talisman and a cure for his mother's cancer. He meets Captain Farren, sees his mother's Twinner, Queen Laura, and has another flashback to Morgan Sloat nearly suffocating him as an infant. There's also a chilling look at the inside of the Black Hotel, where the Talisman is held prisoner.

In the third chapter, Jack meets Sunlight's Twinner, Osmond, as well as the end of his whip. After suffering a beating from Osmond, he witnesses the deranged right-hand man of Morgan brutally murder a cart-driver. Jack also sees the man's son, who has had half of his head crushed in the wreck for which Osmond killed the grieving father. The artwork here holds nothing back; it's graphic and disturbing. Jack begins to travel, but must flee into a forest when he hears Morgan's caravan approaching. Going into Chapter Four, he barely escapes the clutches of the living trees in the forest by flipping back to America. Soon afterward, he finds himself an employee of the Oatley Tap, menaced by both the bar's owner, Smokey Updike, and a dreadful Territories creature named Elroy, who happens to be a were-goat (you know, like a werewolf, but...goatlike). The last chapter features several memorable scenes from the novel. After Jack flips back to the Territories to escape Oatley, he's struck by wonder when he sees a group of men with wings jumping from a high platform and flying. He buries an apple core from America in the ground of the Territories, then, after flipping back, discovers that he has caused an earthquake that killed five people. In despair, he calls his mother, but is interrupted when Morgan breaks through the line. He's then nearly tracked down by Morgan at a rest-stop, and the book closes with him flipping back to the Territories and meeting Wolf. If you're a fan of the book, this is a tough place to leave matters, as the book really begins to roll from here.

This book does have minor flaws. Maybe it's because Del Rey felt they needed to try and hook an audience, but the writing gives away far too many secrets early. Speedy Parker, instead of stubbornly waiting for Jack to piece together the situation for himself as he does in the book, basically just explains everything he needs to know right away. These premature revelations occur frequently, so if you know the book fairly well, it will become somewhat annoying. But on the overall strength of the story and the artwork, I really wish they had been able to keep this series going. The fantastic imagery of the book lends itself well to the medium of comics, and it would've been nice to have a complete visual companion to the novel. As it is, I enjoy The Road of Trials, and I'm glad to have at least this much of the story illustrated. What I really hope is that Marvel, with their adaptation of The Stand now complete, will someday look at The Talisman and realize what a success they could make out of it.

Who doesn't love Stephen King, or at least acknowledge his impact on popular fiction? I am a fan. Having said that, I sometimes feel like Mr. King is getting paid by the word. On any given Sunday, I can get lost in his prose that is both lyrical and visceral. In fact, I listened to rhetoric first chapter of The Talisman several times, first for enjoyment and then to study the narrative elements and story arc.

This is not my first Talisman rodeo. I listened to the audiobook some time ago and both read and listened the sequel to Black House. Revisiting the Territories and the excellent Stephen King characters was time we'll spent. "Right here and now, Wolf."

Speedy Parker is another of my favorites and the protagonist, Jack Sawyer, is compelling as well. The villains are villains. The horror is portrayed with suffice gratuitous detail for most fans of the genre.

Mr. King writes in the omniscient viewpoint, which gives him supreme cosmic (narrative) power. Gotta love it. I also blame him for my early floundering in regards to point of view. He makes it look easy. The rest of us mere mortals probably should stear clear of omniscient point of view. #justsaying

If you haven't read The Talisman, I highly recommend it.

When I read this book back in the '80s, I thought it was the best novel I have ever read. The adventure is an incredible tale that I can get lost in at so many levels. To this day, Jack Sawyer is my all time favorite character. After finishing this story don't forget to read the sequel, Dark House (now my favorite novel) where that saga of Jack Sawyer continues...

I always identified with Traveling Jack. From a young age I had a fantastical imagination and very vivid dreams. When I read this for the first time in my early teens I was awestruck with the fact that I wasn't the only person who thought that dreams might be more than just the movies that play in your head when you sleep. Some people take issue with the clarity King takes when painting his pictures in your head, If that is you, please choose a simpler book written by a more direct author. I personally love the detail he provides and the twists and turns the characters take along their paths. This book is in my top ten books list and my top ten King books. Yes the list is quite enmeshed but does contain other authors. As far as King books go this is second only to The Dark Tower series. I count is as one piece because essentially it is. But as for The Talisman I liked the different feel the collaboration with Peter Straub provided as well as the exquisite detail in which the scenes are described. I have the type of imagination that desires a complete picture. Books and movies that leave you asking too many wheres, whys and hows are always a bit of a disappointment.

I read this book in one 3 day siting when I was home sick from school with a wickedly nasty stomach virus. When I wasn't sleeping or um...worshiping my waste basket, I was reading. That being said I believe I have only read it again once since then. So in the name of integrity I will read it again this summer and update my review.

The first time I read The Talisman, I had some trouble getting into it. Being primarily a fan of Stephen King, I noticed a different voice telling about half of the story. Plus, the exposition goes on a bit long, with many tedious details describing the setting. But once the narrative gets rolling, which happens when Jack finally embarks on his travels, it turns into a thrilling experience. The Talisman is a journey epic for the ages, the tale of young Jack Sawyer, an 12-year-old boy who must travel across the country on a quest to retrieve a magical object that will cure his mother's cancer. However, he soon discovers that his mission is far more important than that. He learns that our world has many parallels, and in those worlds many of us have Twinners who are nearly identical to us. In a vivid creation of fantasy by King and Straub, Jack discovers how to "flip," or journey from our world to a land called the Territories, which combines a landscape similar to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth with an early, undeveloped America. If he fails his quest, all of the worlds will fall to evil.

In the tradition of The Odyssey, Jack encounters numerous obstacles on his journey, hindered not only by the book's villain, Morgan Sloat, but by a variety of situations and adversaries. He becomes trapped in dangerous spots in our world, such as The Oatley Tap owned by Smokey Updike and the dreadful Sunlight Home of Morgan's right-hand man, Sunlight Gardener. He faces less ordinary dangers in the Territories, like living trees that like to eat people, as well as Morgan's Twinner, who tears through the sky itself and blasts lightning bolts at him. Jack grows as a character through these hardships, becoming much greater than the timid boy afraid to leave his mother at the beginning. As is so often the case in life, the cost of this growth is great personal sacrifice.

The plot is well planned, with the mystery surrounding the death of Jack's father underscoring the premise of Jack saving his mother and the Queen of the Territories. It isn't made clear exactly what the Talisman is, but given the connections this book has to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it may be a magic ball from the Wizard's Rainbow, a group of powerful, colored orbs that can be used for seeing, traveling, creating, or destroying. Whatever it actually is, Jack's journey across worlds to find it is a compelling work driven by two of every boy's childhood fantasies; defeating the forces of evil and...what else?...saving your mother's life. If you have some patience with this book, you'll discover that it's a real treasure chest of creativity and imagination from two brilliant minds. For me, it's become one of those books I have to re-read about once a year, and it just seems to get better with age.

I was an on-again, off-again Stephen King fan back in my twenties. I loved Dead Zone and `Salem's Lot, enjoyed Christine and Firestarter okay, but got turned off by some of his later books. While I was working at a fast food company and trying to get my own writing off the ground, I ended up swapping books with one of the cooks that read a lot. I turned him on to Robert B. Parker, and he lent me a copy of The Talisman. I have to admit, I got swept up in Jack Sawyer's world and read the novel at a blistering pace. I was really disappointed when a sequel wasn't immediately in the offing. Then, later, I was even more disappointed in the sequel. I hear there's a third book coming, and I hope it measures up to this first book.

When I first heard about The Talisman being adapted into graphic novels, I didn't know how it would go. Comics readers seemed to welcome The Stand and The Dark Tower as graphic novels. I saw The Talisman at my local library and picked it up. It has been years since I read the novel, but my memory of the story is as strong as ever.

I love the idea of the real world and the Territories, of a fantasy realm where everybody had Twinners, duplicates that essentially were the same person in both worlds. Except for Jack Sawyer, whose Twinner was the prince of the realm and the threat to the villain, his evil uncle Morgan.

The name Jack is given at the beginning of the book, Travellin Jack, is just awesome in its simplicity. In the audio book, fans get treated to a sequel of sorts. We get to see Jack's dad, Philip, in action before Jack gets involved in trying to find a way to save his mom from her sickness. In the Territories, the Queen lies dying as well.

I liked the way the old characters from the novel are presented visually. Tony Shasteen's are is gripping and evocative, shifting easily from the real world to the fantasy realm of the Territories. The colors are bright and vibrant and feel like movie stills as I flipped through the pages.

The way the novel and the graphic novel open at the amusement park is just brilliant. There, in those faded gaudy colors, you know that everything was once possible, and - after a miracle, a coat of paint - might be again. That's true of both Jack's worlds.

The action and story is broken down really well across the pages. I don't know if we have the writer (Robin Furth) for the spacing or if that's just Shasteen. In either case, it wouldn't work if writer and artist weren't on the same page. Literally.

I'm looking forward to more installments of the story. The tale of Travellin Jack out to save his mother and stay one step ahead of a murderous uncle is just prime storytelling. The generation that loves Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would probably embrace Travellin Jack just as heartily. All of these characters are cut from the same cloth, and all of them have to find the strength to fight the greatest of battles that are in worlds removed from our own.

Wow, I wasn't even sure what to expect when I started this book. At some level, due to the age of the character, I figured it would be a coming of age story. And, given the type of genre these authors write, it made sense that it would be a little more unusual and strange. That being said, wow . . . This book is extremely hard to describe, it has multiple levels of complexity running through it, hard choices, and so on. Yes, it does have all the elements of a coming-of-age story; however, it goes deeper and takes a grittier and darker approach.

The characters and settings in this book were amazing, vivid, and detailed! At times, I was left wondering whether the Territories actually existed. The authors did a wonderful job making everything tangible and real. The imagery of the people flying off of the tower, the Blasted Lands, and the vines wrapping around Jack's legs will stay with me forever. Further, even the minor characters were fully developed. The old trainer operator--I think his name was Anders--felt as though he was an old and established character. I liked how each of the twinners would appear in both worlds. When Jack happens across Snowball outside the mall, I was surprised at his real identity.

The narrative styling and audio book narrator gave them book a magical quality. Granted, it was very, very dark and brutal at times. Something about Jack's youth, the way he saw things, the Talisman, and flipping between lands really made it feel as though it was a fairy tale. And, if it is one, it is definitely in the same vein as the old and grisly ones.

Even though there were times when the book felt daunting due to the length, there was never a dull moment! Near the end of his time at the Sunlight Gardner Home, I almost had to stop running on the treadmill to cry! The book really pulls on your heart strings. The story was amazing, the setting beautiful, and the characters masterfully crafted. Even with the fairy tale elements, this book is not for the faint of heart.

The Talisman does not stand the test of time very well. I read it as a teenager, and loved it. Now, as a father, I picked up a used copy and recommended it to my teenage children. Big mistake! Afterward, I re-read it myself, and found a slew of issues with it, one very concerning as a father.

For those who are not familiar with the story, the main character is a boy of 12 named Jack Sawyer, whose father is dead and whose mother (a famous actress called "the Queen of the B's") is dying of cancer. In her final weeks she takes Jack with her to a remote seaside resort in New England where she fully expects to die. However what Jack doesn't know is that he (and his mother) are quite special. She's got a counterpart, a true queen in a parallel world called "The Territories" who is also dying. Jack learns from a "magical negro" character and his own dredged-up memories about this other world, and about the "Talisman" which can save both his mother and her counterpart the Queen. The novel follows Jack's quest (in both worlds) to find and recover the Talisman.

First and foremost are the many references to male genitalia, sodomy, homosexuality, and pedophilia. Definitely not a book geared to teens, I would give it an "R" rating were it a movie. That was very disappointing, and the book would read far better in my mind without these many passages that make it inappropriate for a teen audience.

The second issue I found with the book in retrospect, not serious but irritating, was the frequent use of contemporary (I assume) slang, such as "connie" for lincoln continental, "jimmy pete" for some kind of truck, "funny book" for comic book, and many others. They don't sound like kids of my generation ever spoke, others seem to have been completely imagined by the authors. They just got in the way of enjoying the book. The writers should have stuck with good simple prose.

Finally are the many pop culture references to people and events that were either current during the 70s setting of the novel, or equally often set in the era of Jack's mother's acting career during the 1940's and 50's. There are quite a few of them, as Jack describes the people (and creatures) and places he encounters in his travels. Again its not a big problem because of google, but the writers would have done much better to provide descriptions in normal prose.

Overall I think the writers tried too hard to write a "cool" book, and so time has turned a potential classic into just an "ok" book that's a little awkward and is aging fast.

One final comment for those who decide to tackle this long book anyway - Wolf is still one of my favorite literary characters of all time. "Wolf! Right here and now!"

The first time I read The Talisman, I had some trouble getting into it. Being primarily a fan of Stephen King, I noticed a different voice telling about half of the story. Plus, the exposition goes on a bit long, with many tedious details describing the setting. But once the narrative gets rolling, which happens when Jack finally embarks on his travels, it turns into a thrilling experience. The Talisman is a journey epic for the ages, the tale of young Jack Sawyer, an 12-year-old boy who must travel across the country on a quest to retrieve a magical object that will cure his mother's cancer. However, he soon discovers that his mission is far more important than that. He learns that our world has many parallels, and in those worlds many of us have Twinners who are nearly identical to us. In a vivid creation of fantasy by King and Straub, Jack discovers how to "flip," or journey from our world to a land called the Territories, which combines a landscape similar to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth with an early, undeveloped America. If he fails his quest, all of the worlds will fall to evil.

In the tradition of The Odyssey, Jack encounters numerous obstacles on his journey, hindered not only by the book's villain, Morgan Sloat, but by a variety of situations and adversaries. He becomes trapped in dangerous spots in our world, such as The Oatley Tap owned by Smokey Updike and the dreadful Sunlight Home of Morgan's right-hand man, Sunlight Gardener. He faces less ordinary dangers in the Territories, like living trees that like to eat people, as well as Morgan's Twinner, who tears through the sky itself and blasts lightning bolts at him. Jack grows as a character through these hardships, becoming much greater than the timid boy afraid to leave his mother at the beginning. As is so often the case in life, the cost of this growth is great personal sacrifice.

The plot is well planned, with the mystery surrounding the death of Jack's father underscoring the premise of Jack saving his mother and the Queen of the Territories. It isn't made clear exactly what the Talisman is, but given the connections this book has to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it may be a magic ball from the Wizard's Rainbow, a group of powerful, colored orbs that can be used for seeing, traveling, creating, or destroying. Whatever it actually is, Jack's journey across worlds to find it is a compelling work driven by two of every boy's childhood fantasies; defeating the forces of evil and...what else?...saving your mother's life. If you have some patience with this book, you'll discover that it's a real treasure chest of creativity and imagination from two brilliant minds. For me, it's become one of those books I have to re-read about once a year, and it just seems to get better with age.

The first time I read The Talisman, I had some trouble getting into it. Being primarily a fan of Stephen King, I noticed a different voice telling about half of the story. Plus, the exposition goes on a bit long, with many tedious details describing the setting. But once the narrative gets rolling, which happens when Jack finally embarks on his travels, it turns into a thrilling experience. The Talisman is a journey epic for the ages, the tale of young Jack Sawyer, an 12-year-old boy who must travel across the country on a quest to retrieve a magical object that will cure his mother's cancer. However, he soon discovers that his mission is far more important than that. He learns that our world has many parallels, and in those worlds many of us have Twinners who are nearly identical to us. In a vivid creation of fantasy by King and Straub, Jack discovers how to "flip," or journey from our world to a land called the Territories, which combines a landscape similar to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth with an early, undeveloped America. If he fails his quest, all of the worlds will fall to evil.

In the tradition of The Odyssey, Jack encounters numerous obstacles on his journey, hindered not only by the book's villain, Morgan Sloat, but by a variety of situations and adversaries. He becomes trapped in dangerous spots in our world, such as The Oatley Tap owned by Smokey Updike and the dreadful Sunlight Home of Morgan's right-hand man, Sunlight Gardener. He faces less ordinary dangers in the Territories, like living trees that like to eat people, as well as Morgan's Twinner, who tears through the sky itself and blasts lightning bolts at him. Jack grows as a character through these hardships, becoming much greater than the timid boy afraid to leave his mother at the beginning. As is so often the case in life, the cost of this growth is great personal sacrifice.

The plot is well planned, with the mystery surrounding the death of Jack's father underscoring the premise of Jack saving his mother and the Queen of the Territories. It isn't made clear exactly what the Talisman is, but given the connections this book has to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it may be a magic ball from the Wizard's Rainbow, a group of powerful, colored orbs that can be used for seeing, traveling, creating, or destroying. Whatever it actually is, Jack's journey across worlds to find it is a compelling work driven by two of every boy's childhood fantasies; defeating the forces of evil and...what else?...saving your mother's life. If you have some patience with this book, you'll discover that it's a real treasure chest of creativity and imagination from two brilliant minds. For me, it's become one of those books I have to re-read about once a year, and it just seems to get better with age.

The first time I read The Talisman, I had some trouble getting into it. Being primarily a fan of Stephen King, I noticed a different voice telling about half of the story. Plus, the exposition goes on a bit long, with many tedious details describing the setting. But once the narrative gets rolling, which happens when Jack finally embarks on his travels, it turns into a thrilling experience. The Talisman is a journey epic for the ages, the tale of young Jack Sawyer, an 12-year-old boy who must travel across the country on a quest to retrieve a magical object that will cure his mother's cancer. However, he soon discovers that his mission is far more important than that. He learns that our world has many parallels, and in those worlds many of us have Twinners who are nearly identical to us. In a vivid creation of fantasy by King and Straub, Jack discovers how to "flip," or journey from our world to a land called the Territories, which combines a landscape similar to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth with an early, undeveloped America. If he fails his quest, all of the worlds will fall to evil.

In the tradition of The Odyssey, Jack encounters numerous obstacles on his journey, hindered not only by the book's villain, Morgan Sloat, but by a variety of situations and adversaries. He becomes trapped in dangerous spots in our world, such as The Oatley Tap owned by Smokey Updike and the dreadful Sunlight Home of Morgan's right-hand man, Sunlight Gardener. He faces less ordinary dangers in the Territories, like living trees that like to eat people, as well as Morgan's Twinner, who tears through the sky itself and blasts lightning bolts at him. Jack grows as a character through these hardships, becoming much greater than the timid boy afraid to leave his mother at the beginning. As is so often the case in life, the cost of this growth is great personal sacrifice.

The plot is well planned, with the mystery surrounding the death of Jack's father underscoring the premise of Jack saving his mother and the Queen of the Territories. It isn't made clear exactly what the Talisman is, but given the connections this book has to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it may be a magic ball from the Wizard's Rainbow, a group of powerful, colored orbs that can be used for seeing, traveling, creating, or destroying. Whatever it actually is, Jack's journey across worlds to find it is a compelling work driven by two of every boy's childhood fantasies; defeating the forces of evil and...what else?...saving your mother's life. If you have some patience with this book, you'll discover that it's a real treasure chest of creativity and imagination from two brilliant minds. For me, it's become one of those books I have to re-read about once a year, and it just seems to get better with age.

The first time I read The Talisman, I had some trouble getting into it. Being primarily a fan of Stephen King, I noticed a different voice telling about half of the story. Plus, the exposition goes on a bit long, with many tedious details describing the setting. But once the narrative gets rolling, which happens when Jack finally embarks on his travels, it turns into a thrilling experience. The Talisman is a journey epic for the ages, the tale of young Jack Sawyer, an 12-year-old boy who must travel across the country on a quest to retrieve a magical object that will cure his mother's cancer. However, he soon discovers that his mission is far more important than that. He learns that our world has many parallels, and in those worlds many of us have Twinners who are nearly identical to us. In a vivid creation of fantasy by King and Straub, Jack discovers how to "flip," or journey from our world to a land called the Territories, which combines a landscape similar to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth with an early, undeveloped America. If he fails his quest, all of the worlds will fall to evil.

In the tradition of The Odyssey, Jack encounters numerous obstacles on his journey, hindered not only by the book's villain, Morgan Sloat, but by a variety of situations and adversaries. He becomes trapped in dangerous spots in our world, such as The Oatley Tap owned by Smokey Updike and the dreadful Sunlight Home of Morgan's right-hand man, Sunlight Gardener. He faces less ordinary dangers in the Territories, like living trees that like to eat people, as well as Morgan's Twinner, who tears through the sky itself and blasts lightning bolts at him. Jack grows as a character through these hardships, becoming much greater than the timid boy afraid to leave his mother at the beginning. As is so often the case in life, the cost of this growth is great personal sacrifice.

The plot is well planned, with the mystery surrounding the death of Jack's father underscoring the premise of Jack saving his mother and the Queen of the Territories. It isn't made clear exactly what the Talisman is, but given the connections this book has to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it may be a magic ball from the Wizard's Rainbow, a group of powerful, colored orbs that can be used for seeing, traveling, creating, or destroying. Whatever it actually is, Jack's journey across worlds to find it is a compelling work driven by two of every boy's childhood fantasies; defeating the forces of evil and...what else?...saving your mother's life. If you have some patience with this book, you'll discover that it's a real treasure chest of creativity and imagination from two brilliant minds. For me, it's become one of those books I have to re-read about once a year, and it just seems to get better with age.

The Talisman was fascinating to me - imagine, Jack Sawyer, barely a teenager trekking across the country to obtain the one thing that will save his mother's life. Your son is your son. I can't imagine my son trekking across the country at that age in the modern world without me putting out some sort of alert, and even more so when everything he meets and encounters is horribly dark, twisted or evil. I love Stephen King. Peter Straub is not as familiar to me, but I loved the whole concept of this book. Slipping back and forth between worlds was kind of neat except for the evil that lurks within. This book was written twenty years ago. Had it been written now, I think they could have gotten the point across with a shorter version, but overall I loved the book. At the end, he is crying as his mother receives the Talisman. It was very touching. However, the one line that states Jack's ordinary life "was back" is probably most debatable.

After the success of the brilliant Marvel adaptations of Stephen King's The Dark Tower, the skillful writing hand of Robin Furth now turns to the bestselling story of The Talisman, along with experienced artists Tony Shasteen, Nei Ruffino, and JD Mettler. Stephen King and Peter Straub co-wrote and published The Talisman in 1984. It is the epic tale of Jack Sawyer, a young boy with a sick mother, who must travel to the other side of the country to find her cure. He also must travel to an alternate world known as the "Territories," where he will meet up with a number of "twinners" from his world - doppelgangers of people he knows. He also meets up with some very strange and unusual people in this fantasy world: some nice who he becomes friends with, and some enemies who want to hurt him. Then there is Morgan Sloat, Jack's father's business partner who knows all too well about the Territories and is looking to bring over some advanced technology like electricity and nukes to change the world and profit from it. Sloat also knows what Jack's up to and is trying to catch him and put an end to him. The question is whether Jack will be able to make it to his destination and get the talisman that will save his mother, as well as her twinner, the queen.

And now Robin Furth is adapting the powerful words of King and Straub to the world of graphic novels, with stunning artwork from Shasteen, Ruffino, and Mettler. In this first volume, The Road of Trials, Furth does a great job of shrinking the lengthy beginning of The Talisman to a number of pages, while the artwork brings the great fantasy world of the Territories to beautiful fruition. The Talisman Volume 1 is a great start to this new graphic novel series that looks to take the reader on as a great ride as King and Straub did with their readers in the original Talisman.

Originally written on May 18 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

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I thought that this book was pretty awesome. It starts off innocent enough, but soon turns into a gory mess that King is known for. The story revolves around a twelve year old boy named Jack who is called to visit an alternate reality that is different yet similar to our own. Although this book would be considered Fantasy, I wouldn’t recommend it for a younger audience as it deals with mature subject matter and was quite violent at times. It also deals with death and loss and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t shed a tear once or twice. If I had one complaint it would be that this book isn’t long enough. I’m a big fan of epic tales and this is surely one of them, though I would have been happy to learn more about the characters and possible more about Jack’s father and Uncle Morgan’s previous adventures. Though briefly touched upon, I was left with a sense that the back history could have been a book by itself, and considering how long ago this was written and how lame the sequel was, I doubt we’ll ever see a prequel. Aside from that, I found this book to be perfect in every sense of the world and anyone who enjoys a good journey will enjoy it.

I read this wonderful piece of work one year ago and I think about it often. If your on the fence about it let me try to convince you in a simple way. If your looking for Cujo, Carrie, full dark no stars, pet cemetery, ect. This is very different, but the deep emotional pull King creates is very much here. With the characters they both created and the story is fantastic. It is fantasy based, but I don't like fantasy and I loved this. So it's not cheesy I promise, very real and raw at times.You follow Jack on a amazing journey between our world and the other. Were through out I met characters I'll never forget. Some mystery, a lot of action, and some heartwarming characters. So many twist and turns. However it starts slow, but I am so glad I gave it a chance. It became my third favorite King book.

Quick aside: Given that my reviews of Stephen King have, with few exceptions, met with displeasure, I've come to look at this as something like placing my head in a lion's mouth -- after the liberal application of ground beef. Yet here I am again; hope somebody brought a suture kit! Onward:
First off, it's great to see that Talisman has been reissued in such a handsome-looking package -- I like this jacket much better than the original Viking hardcover version, which did not capture the novel's spirit at all. I'm also becoming more and more intrigued by advance word on Talisman's upcoming sequel, Black House...but that's for another time. Right now I want to address the original, a collaboration between two markedly different authors, a "collision of worlds" that produced an unexpected classic of fantastic literature. The Talisman is a brilliant, glowing, fantasy/quest adventure which, in spite of a slow start and some odd turns here and there, succeeds on just about every level.
The plot can be summed up in a few sentences: Young Jack Sawyer must save the life of his dying mother by travelling to California and retrieving the Talisman. Also involved are his travels through an alternate reality called The Territories, a medieval world where magic reigns and people Jack knows on Earth have "twinners". Lined up against Jack are the diabolical Morgan Sloat and his minions, such as the maniacal Sunlight Gardener and the demonic, shape-shifting Elroy. On Jack's side are guide and mentor Speedy Parker, Sloat's skeptical son Richard, and Wolf...more on whom in a minute. I just told the basic story in a few moments; King and Straub spin this up into over six hundred delightful pages. It is an epic coming-of-age journey, a strange and beautiful admixture of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, Lord of the Rings, the Round Table's quest for the Holy Grail, and still has room for both Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece and the Christian idea of ressurrection and rebirth. Pretty impressive, eh?
The novel is full of King's immediacy and intimacy, as well as Straub's sensuality and more surrealistic tendencies -- note for instance Jack and Richard's journey through the Blasted Lands, which is a precursor for The Waste Lands in King's Dark Tower novel of the same name (see my review, he said shamelessly). The passages here read like King but have Straub's fingerprints all over them. Of course, I could be wrong; King and Straub both play with each other's styles and sensibilities so much in Talisman that playing who-wrote-what guessing games is silly. Even so, I still enjoy it, and I also enjoy the King/Straub collaborative "voice" very much, which is neither as cold nor as dull as some critics (not mentioning any names, like, say, HARLAN ELLISON) would have us believe. However, having said that, I will also say this: King rails against overuse of adverbs and the passive tense in On Writing, yet there are an overabundance of both in Talisman. However, someone who uses both as much as I should probably just shut the heck up -- so I will.
The story does move slowly at first -- sedate is perhaps the best word, and I think that's as it should be. Lord of the Rings didn't exactly get off to a slambang start either, and look at what Tolkien did with it. In any event, once you get into the story, the pages fly by. I just read the whole thing two weeks ago, and devoured it in about three days, just as I did when it was first released (gulp!) seventeen years ago. And although Jack's "Road of Trials" takes off on some odd tangents (such as the shootout at Camp Readiness, which is still too weird for me), it is still a great story, well-crafted, well-told, full of many interesting and amazing characters.
And that brings me to Wolf -- one of the finest characters either author has ever created. What a beautiful switch on every single werewolf cliche ever created, from Curt Siodmak to Robert Louis Stevenson. Just the idea that Wolf should be a good guy, let alone shepherd to a flock of Territories sheep (hysterically called "creep" by Jack), is such a brilliant conceit that it still floors me. What the authors then do with Wolf is even more impressive. Wolf is man's best friend on two legs; he's loyal, brave, fearless (sort of), fearsome, comic, and damn near steals the book away from its stalwart protagonist. Talisman achieves some of its finest (and funniest) moments in Wolf -- I can almost hear his snarly voice shouting "Right here and now, God pound it! Wolf!" as I write these lines, and I can't suppress a grin. Every kid should have a friend like Wolf...as long as they have a good strong padlock on them, that is. Heh heh heh.
Sorry. Anyway, The Talisman is a hard book to put down...in any sense of the phrase. I loved it then and love it now, and I can't wait to see what happens next, now that this chronicle of a boy has at last become the chronicle of a man. Remain in Light -- Phrodoe.

The Talisman, jointly written by Stephen King and Peter Straub, is the story of a twelve year old boy, Jack Sawyer, who after hearing of his mother's impending death from sickness must find a way to save her. Jack lives in a hotel near the beach in New Hampshire. Summer is ending and all the tourists are leaving the town. The boy's only friend in the lonely town is Speedy Parker, a sixtiesh black man who runs the arcade on the beach. After hearing of Jack's trouble Speedy shows Jack the territories - a parallel dimension where werewolfs and other inhuman creatures exist in an archaic world with midieval technology. Speedy tells Jack that in order to save his mother's life he must use the territories as a passageway to find the talisman - a magical thing that will heal his mother and save the world. Morgan Sloat, Jack's Nemesis, will take over the world if Jack is not successfull. So, Jack's mission is two-fold in that he must save the world as well.
Peter Straub provides the detailed settings of the two parallel worlds as well as other things. Because the territories are so interesting this is the only thing that the two writers should have spent more time on is setting the action in the territories. King writes some strong characters in this one, especially Jack Sawyer and wolf. Wolf is a werewolf whom Jack meets in the territories on his way west. "Wolf" as he is so aptly named uses his incredible strength and endurance to help Jack along the way. "Wolf" is a very lovable character as he makes up for his lack of intelligence with an undying servitude to his flock as well as Jack himself. Jack later finds his longtime friend Richard Sloat at a private school somewhere in Ohio. Jack forces Richard to join him on his mission to the west. Richard has to deal with the fact that his father is Jack's enemy. He slowly warms to the idea that the territories exist and that his father has incredible powers and is an evil man.
Some of the ideas within the novel are creative and cool. Jack actually must fight twice as many enemies because his two main adversaries have "twinners." These are replicas of beings in the real world translated into the territories version of them. The territories also are detailed in their realism as a parallel universe. The air is cleaner in the territories due to the lack of combustible engines, industrial factories, and for other reasons. Wolf, with his keen sense of smell, is the first to notice and his repulsion often results in something amusing happening.
This novel is about many things, but mostly it's about a boy who must have courage to face his fears and endure the hardships in order to become a hero in the end. This novel is a very enjoyable read. At well over six hundred pages it is long but definitely worth it. Once you read the first few pages you can't put it down. You will come back to it every day until you have finished.

Even if one wanted to severely criticize this novel, such criticism would little impact. Stephen King is the most popular author of horror stories in history and Straub is one of the best writing today. Talisman sold a bazillion copies when it was first published and will likely rack up another bazillion with the recent release of the sequel Black House. King and Straub's collaboration is an excellent nail-biting horror/action story that is perhaps overly long but thoroughly engaging otherwise.
I'm not a great Stephen King reader having read only his Dark Tower series and I tied into Talisman because of its linkage to that series. Are the Territories of Talisman also the Territories of the Dark Tower? Perhaps. King and Straub do make the linkage in the climax of the novel although the reader doesn't need to know anything of the Dark Tower series to enjoy Talisman.
Talisman is a quest novel in which the hero, twelve-year old Jack Sawyer, must traverse the continent to obtain a talisman that will cure his dying mother. His travels take him across 1981 America and the Territories which are in another world adjacent to ours. He encounters evil men, good werewolves and vice-versa along the way to mention only a few of the challenges he faces. Like most novels of this ilk, the hero and reader understand little of the quest at hand. There is a much bigger picture than the one initially presented by the authors. A twelve-year old boy can get into a lot of trouble on his own and Jack Sawyer does that in spades.
The USA of 1981 is interesting but the awe is reserved for the Territories. In spite of the length of Talisman, the authors only feed the readers bits of it. Young Jack is never in the Territories long enough that the sense of wonder wears off. As the novel progresses we understand that the Territories and our world are intertwined and that an action in one is felt in the other. Is the overflow damage from our world into the Territories a metaphor for our impact on the environment?
What's most interesting is to read this novel some 17 years after it was first published. The authors were obviously taking a shot at the evils of corporate America. The antagonist, Morgan Sloat, is very much an example of the worst kind of corporate thief and perhaps his actions are a metaphor for the insider trading scandals and corporate downsizing of that era.
Talisman is an exciting, wonder-filled novel that suffers only from excessive length. The authors could easily have trimmed it down by 100-200 pages without losing an awful lot of the content. Perhaps they felt the additional bulk was necessary to create the right atmosphere or perhaps they wanted to give the reader his money's worth and they are getting the royalties from it, so it's hard to argue. All in all it's an excellent if familiar story.

My idea of a great story. Real Adventure like I said. This feels more like a King Book than A Straub and I agree with a reviewer from before that it seems like you can tell who is who pretty well. Though if you did not know either author maybe it might seem seamless. That isn't a terrible thing in and of itself though. That said, This book is only enhanced by its sequel BlackHouse. If you can get through the first fifty pages and some oddities the next book is outstanding too I think. This one was similar for me. I had to read about fifty pages to care what happened. The book takes you on such a long journey and creates such characters that I really felt involved in the story by the end. It was engrossing. I didn't really want it to end at all, which is why the sequel was great. I was rereading the book when I found out about it. Anyway I think the characters are very enjoyable and the process of the story is the great thing. Unlike a lot of books, this has a very big process from begining to end. It moves from place to place, world to world, one set of people to the next but keeping certaing constants. Jack a mature 12 year old with the weight of the world [ and other worlds ] on his shoulders. The fact that the hero is a 12 year old being stretched far beyond his belief and what his seeming means are, is the magic of the story. The unique world that they create as a companion to their own is something that makes me admire their imagination. How you can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away and so forth. I'm so glad that I read this book as most of my reading material comes from non-fiction. This is a real escape from the world yet it accurately describes day to day characters we all probably run into. You'll have to see what I mean by that I guess. But I recommend this book before any other of King's. Really I do. Straub I don't know so well, but this is a King Masterpiece to start with. There of course is a gross out or two in there, but the writing makes up for the obligatory guts that show up here and there. This is one of my favorites and one that you really can read over when ever. Take a trip with these extremely creative story tellers and you can experience what real fantastic story telling is I think.

The good thing about the Talisman, well one of them anyways, is that you can hardly tell when the authors' take turns. The flow is soothing and is hardly as visible as some readers have noted it to be.
This is a journey, as so many have stated, but one in which you feel as though you, too are traveling. The depiction of such characters as Sunlight Gardener is astonishing. The journey will leave you gasping for breath.
Plot wise, you can't ask for a better story-line. A young boy, Jack Sawyer, must cross from one side of America to the other in order to save his mother's life. Of course, there is a Kingly twist to the plot and the boy makes his trip a bit quicker by moving in and out of another dimension known exclusively as 'The Territories.' Jack is aided briefly by an old black,enigmatic blues musician named Speedy Parker. Jack later encounters a score of good warewolves, bad warewolves, hooved fiends, and a number of other antagonists on both sides of the dimensional spectrum. He is a marked young man and both cosmic worlds seem desperately out to eliminate young Jack and prevent him from obtaining the mysitc Talisman - the one item that can save his mother, and, ultimately both worlds. One such fiend, a hooved creature named Elroy, is particularly well-crafted. Other villains include corrupt cops, preachers, not-to-be-trusted adults with evil and perverse intentions, and a number of just plain evil folk.
As for the famous ally of Jack's named Wolf, well, he will warm your heart and make you utterly root for him throughout his time on the journey with Jack. As well a crafted character as there has ever been from the mind of King.
A great read. Not scary, but very involving.

I bought this book back in 1986 when I was in high school. The pages were so fascinating that I wanted to reach the last page. This desire came about during a time when I did not particularly like reading but yet wanted to develop a passion for exploring authors' adventures and works of creativity.
The chapters of Jack's travels between two universes and the encounters he faces are both numerous and memorable. Despite the several pages, I thought that this might be a quick read. However, as I continued further into the book, several personal obstacles would come in the way of my finishing it up. I would later fear that if I delayed my reading long enough, then I would forget not only where I left off but also where I started from.
This worry was to be unfounded. Despite the items that would come months and years later, such as: SAT preparations, college courses that were time consuming, the dedication required to obtaining my college degrees, lengthy job pursuits, and other personal goals that would leave me sidetracked, I could pick The Talisman back up after putting it away several months prior and then easily continue with the flow.
The delays to finishing up became longer, but the adventures of Travellin' Jack were so fascinating that they could stick fresh in my mind for a very long time. In 1998, almost 12 years later, I finally finished the book, and I found that my levels of involvement and enthusiasm were just as intense as they were at the very beginning.
I highly recommend this book. If you like the Lord of the Rings, then you will definitely appreciate this fantasy by King and Straub, and may you not have to take so long to finish it up as I did.

When I heard that Peter Straub and Stephen King were writing a book together I thought what an unlikely paring of styles... Did these two authors prove me wrong!!!

You are caught up in the story almost from the second page. Jack Sawyer is one of both Straub's and King's memorable characters.

The kid goes through it all and by the end of the story we are sad to part company with this amazing kid.

Along the way we get to meet Speedy Parker mysterious blues man, seer, advisor. Wolf an unlikely hero, but as memorable as Jack Saywer. A host of other interesting character as well as some that are monstrously evil.

The story is filled with some vivid images of both idyllic scenes, as well as the bleak and downright terrifying. It was said that each writer was trying to write like the other so it's hard to tell who came up with some of the imagery but it works. There is alot of contemporization here which is more King's wont than Straub. Yet things balance out. Jack Sawyer has the ability to switch dimensions, you see. So throughout the story you are treated by visions of our dimension and that dimension that is encroaching into ours.

The story and tension is more acute when in our dimension. Perhaps since the other dimension is more medieval and based more in magic than science. This is a matter more of preference and more a subjective observation on my part.

There are close calls, plot twist, chicanery, subterfuge, tension and suspense.

Tense, suspenseful, touching, tender, uplifting and heartbreaking and heroic.

I read this book shortly after it's initial release. I was active military living overseas with my 8 yr old son. We were going through a very difficult time and he, especially so. We lived on the "economy" and had no American (English speaking) TV or Radio. My son is HDSD and we were both struggling with this. Then we began a regiment of reading, The Talisman. Of course, I took the liberty of editing some of Kings & Straubs language and text. I would read ahead and then allow him to read to me those chapters I felt he could. At the end of the book, after all was said and done, the message that came across to us both was: Each of us has magic buried deep inside. Each person's magic is different, but very strong. Sometimes, bad things have to happen to make us tap into that magic, but when we do tap into it, amazing things happen. We can control our lives and what happens to us, if we understand that we are magic and we can share our magic to make it stronger. Thank you Mr. King and Mr. Straub. You helped me, help my son, understand his amazing magic.
I still hold Jack and Wolfe and Richard so very close in my heart. My son is now 21 and he is re-reading the book and finding out Mom left a lot out, but finding again the magic that will always be there, in every word, in every reading. We (my son and I) are totally hooked on "The Dark Tower" series. We pray each night that Mr. King lives long enough to complete it.

Even if one wanted to severely criticize this novel, such criticism would little impact. Stephen King is the most popular author of horror stories in history and Straub is one of the best writing today. The Talisman sold a bazillion copies when it was first published and will likely rack up another bazillion with the recent release of the sequel Black House. King and Straub's collaboration is an excellent nail-biting horror/action story that is perhaps overly long but thoroughly engaging otherwise.
I'm not a great Stephen King reader having read only his Dark Tower series and I tied into The Talisman because of its linkage to that series. Are the Territories of The Talisman also the Territories of the Dark Tower? Perhaps. King and Straub do make the linkage in the climax of the novel although the reader doesn't need to know anything of the Dark Tower series to enjoy The Talisman.
The Talisman is a quest novel in which the hero, twelve-year old Jack Sawyer, must traverse the continent to obtain a talisman that will cure his dying mother. His travels take him across 1981 America and the Territories which are in another world adjacent to ours. He encounters evil men, good werewolves and vice-versa along the way to mention only a few of the challenges he faces. Like most novels of this ilk, the hero and reader understand little of the quest at hand. There is a much bigger picture than the one initially presented by the authors. A twelve-year old boy can get into a lot of trouble on his own and Jack Sawyer does that in spades.
The USA of 1981 is interesting but the awe is reserved for the Territories. In spite of the length of The Talisman, the authors only feed the readers bits of it. Young Jack is never in the Territories long enough that the sense of wonder wears off. As the novel progresses we understand that the Territories and our world are intertwined and that an action in one is felt in the other. Is the overflow damage from our world into the Territories a metaphor for our impact on the environment?
What's most interesting is to read this novel some 17 years after it was first published. The authors were obviously taking a shot at the evils of corporate America. The antagonist, Morgan Sloat, is very much an example of the worst kind of corporate thief and perhaps his actions are a metaphor for the insider trading scandals and corporate downsizing of that era.
The Talisman is an exciting, wonder-filled novel that suffers only from excessive length. The authors could easily have trimmed it down by 100-200 pages without losing an awful lot of the content. Perhaps they felt the additional bulk was necessary to create the right atmosphere or perhaps they wanted to give the reader his money's worth and they are getting the royalties from it, so it's hard to argue. All in all it's an excellent if familiar story.

In my life of being a reader, I have been through many adventures,and loved many characters.The talisman is a special book.It's funny, because every book I have read by King gets remade into a movie, because people have a passion for his stories, and want everyone to benefit from his vision.This story,I believe, hasn't been made into a movie because it just can't be recreated.There is so much in this story, that the greatest director or producer could never conceive of how to recreate it.I adore the main character, and the lands he travels to.Old travelin Jack, and speedy parker, could never be reborn into cinema.They reside in our spirit, and heart.Sometimes, there is true magic,,and it should stay within the pages of what we read.This book is special,so special that it's like a member of my family.I would recommend this story to anyone,and everyone.It is truly a legendary story,and is a gift to anyone who reads.Thank-You Stephen King,you knocked it out of the park.

The Talisman is the story of Traveling Jack, a boy who sets out on a long journey across the country to save his dying mother. At the same time, he wakes up to his ability to travel to an alternate world that is in desperate trouble. Several years later, the authors teamed up again to write a good sequel, the recently published Black House.
The alternate world is populated by "twinners" of our world--people who are similar in personality, motives and looks as people in our world, but who are their own distinct person, mostly unaware that their twinner exists.
Jack's twinner was murdered at an early age, which makes Jack very special. Most people die soon after their twinner dies. The two worlds are connected in other ways; something that happens in one world has an effect in the other world.
In this world, Jack's mother was a B movie actress. She was a great actress but never quite got the right breaks. In the other world, she is a queen. Jack's mission, to go to a mysterious location in California to rescue a talisman will save both his mother and the queen, the mother of his twinner.
King and Straub write extremely well together. It is hard to tell when one is writing or when the other is writing, or who suggested what idea. The alternate world they paint is quite interesting and well done. They also are able to maintain the child-like perspective of their main character, Traveling Jack. They also create a beautiful character in Jack's sidekick, Wolf, a good werewolf from the alternate world.
Finally, despite the fact that it seems almost impossible that a child would be able to manage all of the adventures that Jack goes through in his cross-country journey, King and Straub are such good writers that you easily suspend your disbelief and read the story sharing in Jack's adventures and fears.
This is a very good book. If you go out and buy the sequel, Black House, without reading this book, you will be missing something.

Jack Sawyer is a thirteen year old boy who grew up dreaming of a magic place far away, but always wrote if off as make believe. Jack and his mother move to a beach front communnity on the east coast. This is where Jack meets a man named Speedy Parker. He tells Jack about the magic realm of the Territories, and that the dreams Jack has been having all his life are real. Speedy informs Jack that his mom is dying, and that he has to go into the Territories to get the only thing that can save her life - the Talisman! Unfortunately, Jack also has the fate of the Territories resting on his shoulders. The queen of the Territories is dying as well, and can only be saved by a human that manages to obtain the Talisman. Speedy warns Jack that monsters, demons, and people from both his own world and the Territories, will stop at nothing to make sure that Jack never gets his hands on the Talisman. Join Jack on his quest in this amazing story, as he faces numerous challenges and obstacles!!
The Talisman in my opinion, is Stephen King's best book. The fact that Peter Straub was also involved, only made the book even better. The story unfolds like a modern day Lord of the Rings. King and Straub did such an amazing job with the description of the Territories and all of the evil that is encompased within. I also love the fact that Jack can travel in and out of the Territories at will. This also means that creatures from the Territories can travel into the real world, which means that he is never safe. The characters are incredibly written and they are one of the big reasons that the book is so appealing to readers. There are too many to mention, so I will cover only my personal favorites. Jack Sawyer is the best heroine that I have ever encountered in a novel. The main reason is due to the fact that he is only 13. But despite his age, he behaves like a man, never gives up, and shows incredible courage and determination. A werewolf from the Territories named Wolf, acts as Jack's guardian and his traveling companion. He is my favorite character of the novel, because of his struggle to adapt to Earth, and his constant battle with his animal instincts and urges to kill. The story's two main villans - Morgan Sloat, and Sunlight Gardner, are very menacing and dispicable. They add major suspense to the story.
The Talisman does not receive the credit that it deserves. Many of King's popular novels, do not even come close. When reading The Talisman, you will laugh, you will cry, and the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. This amazing adventure will have you hooked from the first page, and I guarantee that you will not want to put it down!

I don't suppose this would be the novel that would convert those who are not already fans of Stephen King or Peter Straub's work to either writer, but it's a pretty fine piece of work nonetheless.
The first thing I should point out about The Talisman is that it IS a slow starter - probably more so than any of King's other work, with the possible exception of The Gunslinger, the first book in his Dark Tower series (it took me three tries to get past page 200, but it was worth the effort). This has a lot to do with the scope of the story King and Straub are telling - they're creating a whole new world here, which requires quite a bit of exposition.
The Talisman is intented, I think, as an homage to several great English-language authors. Tolkien is the most obvious influence here (his Lord Of The Rings is name-checked about half a dozen times), though the works of Mark Twain hold an equally pervasive sway (two quotations from Huck Finn serve as the opening epigraphs for the novel, and it concludes with a quote from Tom Sawyer). Less readily apparent but still important influences include Kerouac's On The Road (with its theme of cross-country travel as a means of self-discovery) and Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant novels (of which King is a fan).
In conclusion, although The Talisman is hardly a perfect novel, it is certainly an engaging, and often powerful, piece of work. Highly recommended to fans of epic fantasy and those who are interested in seeing two of our finest horror writers try something a little bit different.

In the vast and eerie world of Stephen King's multiverse, "The Talisman" is something special -- a boy's quest to save his mother, and his journey into another world where magic reigns.

And that magic begins to bloom like a black rose in "The Talisman: Road of Trials," the first comic book collection adapted from King and Peter Straub's epic fantasy. Vivid, shadowy and hauntingly visceral, this story gives an eerie, dark edge to the everyday world. The first part is kind of fragmented, but it does an excellent job of introducing Jack (and readers) to the Territories.

Jack and his mother Lily are on the run, driving from place to place so they can get away from a sinister man known only as Uncle Morgan. When they stop at a deserted beach resort, Jack befriends a kindly old man named Speedy -- and not only does Speedy know about Jack's "daydreams," but he also knows the true reason Lily is dying.

To save his mother, Jack has to go on a journey into a strange otherworld knows as the Territories, populated by "twinners" (sort of a other-world doppelganger who lives and dies alongside the person in our world). Jack manages to "flip" into the Territories and begins his journey to recover the Talisman, but he soon discovers that horrendous enemies are following him -- both in the Territories, and in our world....

The first volume of "The Talisman Road of Trials" is all about setting up the story -- plot threads are set up, characters are introduced, and the preteen hero begins his quest. It's a bit fragmented in plot, but when Speedy and Jack start talking by the broken carousel the story really begins to take focus.

Robin Furth does an excellent job adapting King and Straub's prose into fast pared-down dialogue, rife with creepy moments ("It's so fresh it hardly knows it's dead!"), some gruesome carnage, and a feeling of urgency that builds throughout the story, getting stronger all the time. While it's not terribly horrific yet, there's some creepy moments as well (Jack getting assaulted by goat-men or snarling trees).

Tony Shasteen and Nei Ruffino paint the story in lots of neglected houses and shops, pale sandy shades, stark shadows and bleak light... except in the "twinner" world, which is bright and colorful. Think an opal sun, glowing golden beds, sunlit green fields and blackberry vines.

Jack is a preteen hero that you don't often see, especially in a book intended for adults -- he's mature and intelligent without seeming like a mini-adult. He's quietly desperate to save his mom, and haunted by weird voices and strange occurrences. Speedy is a pretty intriguing figure, and in the prequel we see more about Jack's father -- not only could he flip, but he was deeply entwined in the Territories.

"The Talisman: Road of Trials" is blessed with shadowy, vivid artwork, and a powerful story that touches on one of the deepest human fears -- losing the people we love.

THE TALISMAN, coauthored by Stephen King and Peter Straub.

Jack is twelve years old. A wise old man "Speedy" tells Jack about an alternate world called the Territories, with many of the same people called twinners. Jack's mother Lily is dying of cancer. Lily's twinner in the Territories is Laura who is Queen of the Territories. Laura is also ill. Speedy tells Jack he can save the lives of Lily and Laura if he gets the Talisman which is located in California. Jack is on the east coast. Speedy tells Jack to start his journey by walking. He also gives Jack a potion that allows Jack to flip back and forth between the worlds. This story is mostly one long journey. Jack encounters evil villains and magical creatures. He also encounters allies. Jack is frequently harmed, yet he survives and escapes. He radiates goodness, love, courage, and perseverance.

This was ok, but I wasn't excited or pulled in. At best I was curious about what would happen. There is a lot of description - maybe too much - of places and creatures. If I were reading the physical book I might have been impatient for it to be over. But because I was listening to the audiobook I didn't mind since I was doing other things. But I wasn't surprised, delighted, or wowed the way I've been with other Stephen King books. I wonder if part of the reason is that it was coauthored with Peter Straub. I don't think I have ever loved a book that was "coauthored." This may not apply, but I envision coauthors being buddies and not wanting to criticize each other. A sole author is more likely to self criticize, resulting in a better work.

The best audience for this book is probably teenage boys. There are werewolves, odd creatures, and magical items and places. Strong language is used a few times, but not often.

The ending was typical for this type of story with a final fight between good and evil. I would have liked a more unusual ending, but at least it was happy for the good guys which I liked.

The narrator Frank Muller was excellent. He is one of the best narrators ever - for any book.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook reading time: 28 hrs and 5 mins. Swearing language: strong but rarely used. One instance of a racial slur. Sexual content: none, other than references to male body parts. Setting: 1981 various U.S. locations. Book copyright: 1984. Genre: fantasy adventure suspense. Ending: good for most of the good guys. Bad for the bad guys.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Stephen King books, see my 5 star review of Carrie posted 5-11-12.

I want to start off with what a huge fan I am of Stephen King. I also loved Peter Straub's classic 'Ghost Story'. The Talisman is a collaboration of both of the aforementioned talents, and definitely a bold venture on both their parts. This story kind of has that 'Lord Of The Rings' feel to it. A boy named Jack Sawyer sets off on a long journey to find the Talisman that will supposedly save his mother. The boy, who is only 12 when he starts off, encounters many people and situations along the way. I thought this was a highly imaginative story, but this story did stall a bit during some of Jack's encounters, and I felt that it could have moved a little faster without over dwelling on certain encounters. It did become a bit tedious to read after a while, and really could have cut corners without the over-detailed descriptions. Overall, this was a journey worth taking with Jack, and the outcome was also worth the ride.

This novel is a wonderful mix of fantasy, horror and myth. The story is about a twelve-year-old boy who starts on a quest for The Talisman, which is the only thing that can save his mother from the grips of cancer and the slow poisoning of evil; but he soon discovers saving his mother is but a part of his destiny. By saving his mother and defeating the forces that want her dead, he will save a world, two worlds, and an infinite number of worlds, all linked together in a chain of destiny.

Drawing from stories like Huckleberry Finn, Pinocchio, The Lord Of The Rings, a score of myths and legends, and being strongly intermixed with Stephen King's own Dark Tower saga, `Talisman' has a complex plot filled with meticulous detail and rich imagination. Had I read this book at age twelve, this would have been one of my favourite and influential books. Now, aged twenty-four, I still loved it to death, but I've read too many other books now. The beehive of my imagination has been filled with the nectar of too many other works. (I did however, read Stephen King's `Eyes Of The Dragon' at about that age, and if you like 'Talisman' I recommend you get a copy of that book as well.) Are you twelve yourself, and are you not afraid of violent and sometimes horrifying scenes, then pick this novel up now or regret it later- just like I regret it now.

Jack finds many obstacles on his road, some in our world and some in the other. You'll find no obstacles trying to finish this book, unless you're talking about turning the last page. But don't worry, there's a sequel: `Black House.'

This one gets four stars.

Bram Janssen,

The Netherlands

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

...as can be proven between the covers of The Talisman. Jack Sawyer is a young boy, on the cusp of manhood when his whole world becomes skewed. His mother is dying and takes him off to the resort hotel, Alhambra, a place from her recent past that is full of nothing but happy memories of her late husband, Jack's father. Upon arriving, Jack discovers there is a world beyond ours, "The Territories," and begins an adventure that will change his life forever.

The only thing that can save his mother is a mystical object, the talisman, and Jack must trek across the country, and the territories to bring it back so his mother will live. Others want his mother and her "twinner" in the territories, Queen Laura, dead for reasons of their own and will stop at nothing to see that Jack never makes it to the talisman.

The Talisman is the quintessential fantasy novel that tells of the coming of age for young Jack... There are the typical good versus evil wars, mystical powers, vivid alternate realities, compelling characters, and maximum adventure. Jack is older than his years, with a surprising wisdom for one so young. He sets out on his quest with only his wits, the contents of his backpack, and some mysterious advice from friend Speedy Parker. By the time Jack reaches the resting place of the talisman, readers will have watched him turn from frightened boy to confident young man.

The cast of players is varied and colorful, with the most intriguing character being Wolf, the friendly werewolf who makes it his mission to protect his young friend with his life. Readers will love him dearly, maybe even more than Jack in some instances. A thrilling adventure, The Talisman carries readers on a magical journey, disappointing only in that it has to end.

I've been a King fan for years, but have recently become bored with his writing style (my over-exposure to it, I think), so I thought the co-authored Talisman would be a nice change of pace. Well, I have to tell you that at first I was not at all impressed. In fact, I put the book down twice, for a month each time! The first few chapters (until Jackie actually finds out about and goes to the Territories, an alternate dimension of our world) are SO overdone King. Shades of the Shining, as Jack and his mother flee to a basically abandoned and pretty creepy hotel, shades of Hearts of Atlantis in the oceanside amusement park. When Jack, the 12 year old hero, meets the magical older man who starts him on his journey, I was just about to throw the book out the window!! But (here's the helpful part of the review...) read on, because from that point on is where the book gets interesting.
Now, plot-wise, this one is your pretty basic good-versus-evil kind of story. Jack has to brave and surpass many tests during his quest cross-country to get the mystical Talisman that will save his mother (dying of Cancer) and the multiple dimensions of the world. Some of the better characters like Wolf are extremely well done, add a lot of interest to the story, and offer pretty blatent commentary on the state of the environment in our world, or at least in the US. Probably the best written section of the book is smack dab in the middle, when Jack and his friend Wolf are incarcerated in Sunlight Gardener's Home for Boys. The end is weak and underdeveloped...seems like the author's got tired of it and just wanted to finish it quickly!
I've never read Peter Straub before, but I would say it was pretty easy to tell King's voice from Straub's. I imagine it is quite a challenge, for the editors as much as the authors, to get through a collaborative project such as this successfully. All things considered, I did enjoy the story, and would say that if you like King, you will enjoy this book as well.

"The Talisman," the first collaboration between Stephen King and Peter Straub (they later collaborated on its sequel "Black House") clocks in at 769 pages and, unlike a lot of the people on here; I didn't find that I breezed through every sentence of it. Quite the opposite, actually, parts of the book were quite tedious. After the first 200 pages or so, I just kept waiting for the book to get better...Than something happened...It did. Don't crucify me, you King fans, but my favorite book by King is "The Dark Tower," the final novel in his legendary series. I found this novel reminded me quite a bit of that novel and in the final 400 pages I was enraptured by the tale of 12-year-old Jack Sawyer. A quick synopsis; when the novel opens we meet Jack Sawyer and his mother, a former B-movie actress nicknamed "Queen of the B's." Jack's mother is slowly dying of cancer. Around this time, Jack meets Speedy Parker who tells Jack that he can save his mother by traveling to California and acquiring the Talisman. Speedy gives Jack some "magic juice" which transports Jack to the Territories, a parallel universe. Apparently things that happen in this world or that world can directly affect each other's outcome. People have twinners in the Territories and Jack's mother happens to be the Queen of the Territories. Travellin' Jack, as he's nicknamed, begins hitching his way west to get the Talisman (occasionally "flipping" over into the territories)...To me, the story really picked up when we meet the character Wolf. While in the Territories, Jack meets Wolf (who is a werewolf, for the record) and is forced to take him back to the real world with him after they're attacked by Morgan of Orris (the twinner of the antagonist of the story, Morgan Sloat). Soon, Wolf and Jack find themselves in a boys home ran by a religious fanatic. These are the most compelling passages of this very long novel and it only gets better from there. Wolf is a terrific character, one of King's (or was it Straub's?) finest creations. We feel the same about Wolf when we meet him that Jack does. He's kind of annoying and seems to be holding the story back, but, by the end, we find that we love him as much as Jack does. This book has a hot-and-cold reception it. Some people praise it, calling it one of the greatest novels ever written. Some people hate it, for various reasons. Jack is too smart for a 12-year-old, Morgan Sloat is a boring villain, there's too many climaxes, etc. Well, I'll be the first to admit, that this is not a masterpiece...It's not King's best book (I've never read anything by Straub). But it is a good novel that is quite intriguing and makes me want to read "Black House" immediately. It's got great characters, compelling parts, and that alone makes up for the parts of this book that suck.
Bottom line: read it.

GRADE: B+

This combination of skilled fantasy/thriller authors could hardly go wrong, and it didn't. "The talisman" is a quest story. Jack Sawyer is a twelve-year-old boy that must set on a western course through the USA and the fabled, dream-like Territories in order to retrieve the Talisman, an unidentified object that can save his dying mother and her "double", the queen of the Territories.
Once again, Stephen King excells when writing about children. Jack Sawyer is the same age of the main characters in "It", and, although not as richly developed, a fantastic kid as well. There are other interesting characters in the story, good ones and bad ones alike. They are a little too stereothypic, but as this is a work of fantasy, it fits.
In the end, "The Talisman" is a very nice book, predictable at times, thrilling at others, sometimes merry, sometimes sad. I don't think it was too long, I think the authors took their time to write a complete book while having fun at it. And they did a good job. In fact, I already bought "Black house", showing Jack Sawyer as a grown-up.
On final word to Dark Tower fans: "The talisman" is a standalone, and has little to do with Roland's saga. The only thing in common is the fact that the "Territories" are medieval-like and desolate. Otherwise, "The talisman" has little to do with the Dark Tower. So far. As we can see, Stephen King, like Isaac Asimov, is linking all his fictional universes.
Grade 8.0/10

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub was my first trek into the world of Travelin' Jack Sawyer and the Territories, and as a fan of King's Dark Tower series (of which this eventually became a companion novel), I was delighted to go back to a time when the Dark Tower universe was young and largely unexplored. Or as King might phrase it, most of the fossil had yet to be discovered.

Getting comfortable with Jack's world takes some time even though everything seems similar to our own. In the beginning, at least. It wouldn't be a classic King novel without plenty of supernatural surprises along the way. Part of the fun is experiencing the journey from Jack's perspective, and Jack has no idea what he's in for so we get to learn and grow with him.

Jack Sawyer's mother is dying, and only he can find the magical cure to her terminal disease. It's a classic quest story, but King and Straub throw our hero plenty of curveballs. He has two worlds to contend with -- the world we know and The Colonies, a sort of parallel-dimension with an agrarian society and magic instead of technology. Monsters both human and inhuman want him stopped . . . fortunately, he's got at least one monster on his side.
This is good old-fashioned epic storytelling, with plenty of human touches to keep it interesting. Jack's transformation from scared young boy to confident young man is believable and gradual over the course of his journey. Even at nearly 800 pages, the story never bogs down, and finished almost too soon for my tastes. Jack is such an intensely sympathetic character that I was sorry to leave him.
The Colonies and the way they interweave with our recognizable world are fascinating. This fantasy world is as well realized as Terry Pratchett's Discworld, or even Tolkien's Middle Earth. A lot of modern fantasy is a blurry conglomeration of stock characters and situations. With The Talisman, King and Straub give an almost photographic account of their fantasy world, enough to make you feel you've been there, and make you want to go back (fortunately, King and Straub are discussing a sequel).

I originally read The Talisman in 1984 when it was released, and was blown away. I recently re-read it in preparation for Black House and found it to be a completely different experience. While I still found the story engrossing, I think it has suffered some through the years. Much of the material has a very dated feel to it. Not that this is a bad thing; most classical literature also has a dated feel, but that's part of the point. The characters, even the secondary ones, come to life and move through this quest with a cinematic quality, which is more typical of King than Straub, but even with this quality, the book somewhat suffers under the weight of the quest in general. It's almost like a series of short stories strung together to get to a common, designated end. However, as a tremendous King fan (and much less of a Straub fan), I found the Talisman (on re-read) to be some of the strongest material these guys have produced. I would definately recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with the authors' work.

This book about a 12-year-old boy seems to be written by a committee of 12-year-old boys. It is filled with superfluous detail that neither entertains nor moves the story along. The premise is interesting but it was a long, weary slog.

Rarely do I ever read a book more then once, even when it's phenomeonaly great. I have just finished reading The Talisman, and have decided that I must buy my own copy and read it many more times, and then share it with my own kids... when I eventually get kids. It is more then just a great adventure story about a 12-year-old boy on a journey through this world and its mystical counterpart, it is a wonderfully touching, emotional story about the innocence of youth and the difficulty in coming-of-age, and more then anything else, what it means to be a true hero and friend. I was depressed when I finished the book because I had to leave Jack Sawyer's world. I had to say good-bye. He was one character who, in a rare fictional event, I cared for as much as I cared for real people that were close to me. He became as real as they were. I truely miss Jack, and will have to read his story again and get others to share in his friendship. This story really is about friendships, and a love that is usually not expressed in the truely great ones. It makes you thank God for the good friends we have, and then find them and give them a big hug. And thanks is deserved by King and Straub for giving me a great friend in Jack Sawyer.

In 1981, Stephen King and Peter Straub teamed up to create the first "dark fantasy" novel, two horror novelists' take on a classic adventure story of a child moving from the mundane real world to a larger-than-life fantasy world right next door, for the sake of a quest critical to the survival of each world.
While the form is an old one, aside from Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and L. Frank Baum's Oz novels, the genre is traditionally almost entirely British or European: Alice in Wonderland or through the looking glass, the British children entering Narnia through the wardrobe and painting and so on. More importantly, the actual consequences of such adventures are rarely dwelt upon to any degree: Twain's story is a comedy, Alice wakes up into the real world at the end of her adventures, and if the children forming a new Royal Family in Narnia has an repercussions, they aren't felt on this side of the wardrobe.
In contrast, the repercussions of the adventures that take place before the opening of "The Talisman" - the adventures of the parents of the protagonists, to be specific - are what drives the action. The sins of the fathers become the problems of the sons, problems far beyond what any child should have to endure. That the adults could get so entranced with the magic of the Territories that they become drunk on it is part of the dark underside of fantasy, one rarely touched upon prior to the publication of "The Talisman."
But while the fathers find the magical land of the Territories - a magical pseudo-medieval American colonies that never were, where an old blues player serves as the wise advisor instead of a white-bearded wizard - to be intoxicating and seductive, their children also see the terrifying side. Monsters even worse than those that exist in the real world - and the horror grounding of authors King and Straub clearly communicate an understanding of real-world evil - stalk back and forth between worlds, and young Jack Sawyer has to dodge shapechangers and carnivorous trees along with pedophiles as he hitchhikes across America and the Territories.
The influence of Mark Twain's stories of child adventurers abroad - Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, of course - is strongly felt here, from the on-again, off-again presence of a strong adult black male in a world full of racism, to the unabashed adoration of a closely observed small town America, to the sly sideways look at American follies, both personal and public. (After this book, Jack Sawyer even grows up to become a detective, much as Tom Sawyer does in Twain's fiction.)
But if the form is classic fantasy, and the content in the vein of Mark Twain, the style is distinctly modern horror, as one might expect from King and Straub. Events that might be magical in the hands of other writers - voices coming from small funnels in the sand, talking animals, animated trees - takes on a hallucinatory, runaway feel, like the reader is falling down a well, or riding a roller coaster no longer under the control of the operator. While the adventure may have begun, in part, with self-determination on the part of 12-year-old Jack Sawyer to save the life of his cancer-ridden mother, he soon is in over his head, sucked relentlessly from one danger to another, both mundane and magical. The violence and danger he faces are conveyed with a visceral reality, enough to make the reader flinch and wince in sympathetic pain.
Countless dark fantasy writers have further explored the realms charted out by King and Straub in the years since, and both fantasy and horror novels have had their mutual boundaries smudged since - there are even romance novels that operate in this sort of milieu now - but to read "The Talisman" is to go back to the spring from whence the stream first began to flow. And like Jack Sawyer finds whenever he "flips" over to the Territories, all the flavors and scents are stronger here, of "such purity and sweetness that you might imagine a man could smell a radish pulled out of the ground a mile away."
Strongly recommended to anyone who ever loved a fantasy adventure tale, even if - or perhaps especially if - you long ago put aside such childhood things.

In THE TALISMAN, Stephen King and Peter Straub have crafted a horror-fantasy-adventure story for the ages (one which they were proud enough to sequelize, years later). When I read this book, I had an idea that most of the ideas were Straub's (as they seemed very un-King like to me at the time, having not yet read THE GUNSLINGER or EYES OF THE DRAGON) and that most of the actual writing was King's (this based wholly on King's growing tendency to write in the vernacular, even when in third person omniscient point of view). I'm better read and, I hope, less presumptuous now, but I'd still be curious as to the division of labor on this incredible journey. THE TALISMAN should be listed among the greater works of either author, and that is saying something.

It's the archetypical quest story: a boy's mother is dying, and he must journey across the country (blipping back and forth between this world and its smaller, "twinner" fantasy equivalent). Along the way, out hero will face untold dangers, befriend magical creatures, suffer horrible betrayals--and, of course, he will triumph. These reliable stand-by devices for the epic quest story are augmented, empowered, and tweaked with a hearty helping of King-Straub horror, and by that style of writing that begins to make the reader feel not as though he is actually reading a story, but that someone is sitting next to him and telling the story. And the storyteller isn't a wizened old, professor, speaking in the archaic; he's probably a retired, slightly alcoholic rock star, rich and profane in expression, musical, and nostalgic for his own lost boyhood.

Grand, imaginative, and inexplicably sorrowful--the more so as it nears the end--THE TALISMAN is a must-read novel.

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire book, "Teeth: a Horror Fantasy".)

Yes, it sounds wierd, but Stephen King and Peter Straub got together in the eighties and wrote this fantasy novel. If you're familiar with either's work, you know that this is going ot be a great book. So, I guess I'll let you read the summary, as written by myself.
Jack Sawyer is only twelve, but he's about to go on the journey of a lifetime. His mother is dying, and what she needs to survive resides in California...But Jack is on the east coast. He must get there alone, by himself,and quickly, for not only his mother's life hangs in the balance, but that of a woman Jack doesn't know, a woman who is the queen of a land Jack has never heard of...The Territories.
Jack's father could travel to this strange land, buy simply wishing it to happen. Jack soon learns that he, too, can do it, and finds that traveling in the Territories covers much more land than in the real world. For instance...Say he "travels" to the Territories from one point, and walks half a mile. When Jack "travels" back, he finds he's walked two miles! Getting to California should be easy, right?
Wrong. For Jack's evil Uncle Morgan does not want Jack to succeed. He wants Jack's mother--and the Queen of the Territories--to die, for then Morgan's "Twinner" (the copy of yourself in the Territories) could take control of the strange land and spread his harshness.
So Jack's journey is two-fold: Save his mother (and the Queen) and stop Uncle Morgan from taking over the Territories. Since he can't do this alone, Jack makes several friends that help him along the way, and the entire story comes together in a conclusion that'll leave you on the edge of your seat.
Did you understand any of this? I hope not, for it should make you want to buy the book even more. Trust me, "The Talisman" is worth every penny you sink into it, for it is an adventure of the ages, filled with excitement, suspense, humor, horror, and the struggles of one boy on a desperate quest. Also, check out Stephen King and Peter Straub's sequel to this wonderful book: "Black House."

The Talisman chronicles the adventure of a twelve year old boy named Jack Sawyer. The young hero sets out from the East Coast of the USA in a bid to save his mother, who is dying from cancer. Jack needs to find the mystical artifact known only as the 'The Talisman'.

Werewolves, both good and bad, inhabit the far western parts of a world parallel to America known as The Territories - which incidentally are part of the Dark Tower World. A sixteen-year-old Wolf, simply named Wolf, is accidentally drawn pulled into America by Jack Sawyer, and the two form a strong friendship as they seek ways to travel between their worlds and find the talisman.

The book is split between The Territories and our world's America. King and Straub are able to constantly throw Jack from the frying pan to the fire, as he escapes from one life-threatening situation to another. Jack must retrieve the Talisman before it falls into enemy hands and will be lost to him forever.

A different type of book for King, as it involves the creation of worlds other than our own...A concept he uses almost exclusively in his Dark Tower stories and the Eyes of the Dragon. However, this is a successful stand alone novel, in its own right and I would suggest picking up a copy of this for a rainy day so you too can visit another world...

Relic113

At first I picked up this book because there are so many news about the sequel, Black House, so I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. And it turned out to be one of the best book I've read ever!! I'm not a big and loyal fan of Stephen King although I do own and read few of his books. I don't have the Dark Tower series ... I do have Hearts of Atlantis, which I think was great except for the 2nd story (boring).
I agree with one of the reviewer that the first 150 pages are a little bit slow. Well, actually, not until the chapter where Jack met Wolf that I started to tune in with the book. And after that I finished the whole story in just 6 - 7 hours.
This is such a wonderful book about a journey of a 12-year-old kid named Jack Sawyer to find the Talisman in order to save his beloved mother. And what a long and hard journey it had been for him... Friends lost, friends found, hopes lost, hopes found. It was beautiful. And there was a lot of times that I felt my heart squeezed 'cause I felt what Jack felt. I think I'll continue with Black House ...

I recently re-read this book in anticipation of King and Straub's latest collaboration. Come to find, I needn't have done so, The Talisman is not a prerequisite to Black House, but nonetheless, I am glad that I revisted this novel. This richly descriptive tale follows young Jack Sawyer as he traverses across the United States (and it's other-world counterpart, the Territories) to find the mysterious Talisman and save his dying mother. The Territories are a smaller, less industrial version of America where magic exists and many Americans have "Twinners," or counterparts. It just so happens that Jack's mother, Lily Cavanaugh Sawyer's (she is a faded B-movie star) Twinner is none other than the Good Queen Laura DeLossian of the Territories. She too is dying and fate of an entire world depends on the success of Jack's quest. This book captures its reader from page one. I find myself flying through the pages and the hours melting away around me. A definite must-read.

Anyone who has spotted my reviews of other SK books will recognize a true fanatic when they see one. Why? Because Stephen King (here, in the company of Peter Straub, another fine writer) guides his readers effortlessly into other worlds, other universes. The gift of a top author is to be able to get his[her] readers to suspend belief while they enter the world of the story. In fantasy/scifi, this is all the more difficult because the reader not only has to suspend belief of what is likely and what is probable, they have to suspend belief about the real world and allow themselves to be led into a world of phantoms and dragons and witches and hobgoblins and whatever. Both of these authors have the gift of drawing their readers right into the front line of their novels. When you read The Talisman, you ARE Jack Sawyer. When you read Insomnia, you ARE Ralph Roberts, when you read The Dark Half, you ARE Thad Beaumont. King's and Straub's ability to write from one person's clear viewpoint (whilst delving into the minds of the lesser characters) is an ability that many writers lack. I'm delighted to see The Talisman republished. If you've not already read it, you should.
The biggest mystery is who wrote what!

This book is definitely different from most King books I've read, but that's not exactly a bad thing. It is more fantasy, which is good, but sometimes it is extremely slow and uninteresting, which is bad. Fortunately, the slow parts are few and far between. The story is amazing, dealing with other dimensions and extra-dimensional travel. I can see where many stories and even games could have possibly been developed from the ideas in this book (think "Crono Cross"). Again, I enjoyed this book, it just seemed that I got through it much slower than other King books ("It", "The Stand", "The Tommyknockers", etc.) Don't get me wrong, the scene with Wolf on a rampage was more intense than many scenes in any book I can remember, but not all scenes are like that. All in all a great read, just don't expect a fright fest or a fast-paced thriller through the whole book, but instead expect a great story that is a lot of fun with some thrills along the way. It really was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to "Black House".

This is among Stephen King's best books, which is a bit strange strange considering that he made the unusual decision to collaborate with an author who is less well known than himself, in a genre in which they both specialize.

But you can't argue with results, and The Talisman delivers in a big way. When 12 year old Jack finds himself on a sad, grey beach with his mother, a former movie star who is dying of cancer, it seems like his life can't get much worse. But he soon gets sucked into an adventure, in which he is sent on a quest to save his mother. Jack travels in two different worlds; the world that we live in, and another, fairy-tale world that mirrors our own in some ways. The fairy-tale world seems like something out of the Middle Ages, except that there are magical objects and creatures, some of which are very forbidding.

This is a masterful take on the somewhat common idea of a young person finding himself on an adventure in a magical land. By jerking Jack back and forth between the dangers of our world and the dangers of that other world, King and Straub bring both worlds into sharp focus. The dangers that Jack faces are very creative, including a sentence in a religious rehabilitation center for boys, and getting stuck in a dead-end job for a dangerous man.

This book is reminiscent of The Eyes of the Dragon, which is another King masterpiece, and yet it is slightly more slanted towards a realistic, and adult-oriented view. It also foreshadows the Gunslinger series in some respects, without being as abstract. At a hefty 768 pages, the sheer size of it might remind readers of King's name-making epics, such as The Stand. In short, this book has a lot of elements that have worked for King in the past (sad to say, I'm much less familiar with Straub's work, and so can't comment on comparisons to his other works, except to say that this is much better than Straub's "Ghost Story").

Even though some of the villains are somewhat cartoonish, Jack and his relationship with Wolf, a friend that he meets along the way, is particularly well-done and touching. We grow to love these characters, and this emotional hook keeps us interested beyond just knowing who lives and who dies. We want them to be happy, and are concerned every time their happiness is threatened.

Despite the size, this is a perfect book for someone just easing into King's work. It has elements of horror (these guys can't pass up a chance to detail the sound of a bone being crushed, for example), but is mostly centered on fantasy themes. I also highly recommend this book specifically to teenagers, who are looking for a book that is exciting, but which is more adult than the children's books that they've read to date.

This is my FAVORITE book! The book as a whole is like a painting of the mountains in the Territories- where the air is so clean and clear you can smell a radish pulled out of the ground a mile a way. It's a refreshing look at innocence and courage. The main character, "Travelin' Jack" Sawyer, is a 13 year old who sets out on a journey to save his mother, the famous Queen of B movies, from cancer, and save an entire world in an alternate universe called the Territories. Jack meets Wolf along the way, an orange-eyed werewolf who follows the law in The Book Of Good Farming, the Wolfs' Bible. Tragedy and terror can't stop the chain of events that Jack sets in motion, and he finds himself at the Black Hotel with Richard Sloat. What is the secret behind Jack's father's death and how does it involve Richard's father Morgan, who was once his business partner in a Hollywood film company? The ending is a perfect finish to this wonderful book. You should read this book, as Wolf always said, "Right here and now."

Overall, this is one of my favorite books because it is such a great story.
Simply a brilliant book. I've re-read this book over five times, and love it each and every time, always in tears at the end.
The story follows a young boy, through two worlds, across the country in order to save his dying mother. All while his 'uncle' tries to stop him from reaching his destination by killing him. The boy ends up linking up with another boy, who acts as his protector and traveling companion. But the other boy, isn't exactly all human, which presents for some addition challenges.
You get sucked into the boy's journey, and feel for him, for his loneliness for his despair..when it looks like there's no hope left, he always picks himself up and takes another step down his path. Because if he doesn't, his mother will die, and there will be no one else to save her.
I will say, there is a sequel to this book, written decades after this book was released called "The Black House" teaming authors King and Straub together again. The story picks up with the boy, now a fully grown man living in a small town. I was not impressed with it at all, it lacked the magic the authors had when they wrote the original book.
It's currently being developed into a mini-series by Spielberg, supposedly to air on TNT in 2009. Though I have heard nothing else about it (2010). I hope they do the story justice.

"The Talisman" is a masterpiece. It has become part of my holy trinity of favorite novels, alongside J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany." Readers of all three books may notice a common thread of heroism and deep love. The three novels also share writing so vivid that it creates an alternate reality that is hard to leave once the book is over. As with "Owen Meany", I immediately started "The Talisman" again the moment I finished it, with tears still drying on my face.
King and Straub understand love. Love is the motivating force in this book, and the true magic of the book, more so than the hunk of glass of the title. The vividly drawn main character, 12 year old Jack, loves his mother and goes through Hell for her. Likewise, Jack loves his best friend / brother / soul mate Richard uncommonly deeply. Love like this has the power to save the universe.
Peter Straub and Stephen King have my deepest gratitude.

This book is a trip. Literally.

Jack Sawyer must save two women from two different worlds: his mother and the Queen of the Territories. He must travel from the East Coast to the West Coast to do so, on foot and with nothing more than the clothes upon his back.

But he's only twelve years old. How is he going to do that?

Well, you see, Jack Sawyer has a unique gift: He can travel between dimensions.

But that isn't the best part of the story. The best part is all that he discovers along the way.

Another must read addition to the Stephen King library.

[...]

I just finished reading "The Talisman". It is only my second full length read by Stephen king, and my first by Peter Straub. The other Stephen King book I had read was "Dreamcatcher", and I thought it was alright, at times interesting, but not all that great. Then a couple friends recomended I read "The Talisman", saying it was more of a fantasy oriented story and one of the best things King had written, and, as it turns out, I really enjoyed it.
Many readers are probably familiar with the basic story by now, but in case you're not, "the Talisman" is the the story of a boy named Jack Sawyer who must make a journey across America (in both this realm and in a magical realm known as the Territories) in order to retrieve a magical object (the talisman) which will save the life of his dying mother, and help him defeat an evil power threatening to swallow his world. Along the way he must overcome a variety of enemies and evils both mundane and supernatural, from abusive employers and phony preachers, to mutant monsters and werewolves. In some ways, this story reminds me of a more fantastic version of Henry Fielding's "Joseph Andrews", one of the first novels ever written, which is also about a boy who must go on series of travels in which he overcomes various obstacles and mishaps.
One of the book's great strengths is the way in which the mundane and supernatural seem inextricably linked, creating a brooding sense of horror and true evil behind even the most ordinary places and bad guys. The story also has an equally great sense of goodness present in it through the character of Jack who is both an ordinary boy and an extraordinary hero at the same time. His character radiates a strong presence of love, courage, and perseverance which is one of the things that makes the story so compelling. You really care about him and the people he loves and you want to see him triumph.
My only negative criticisms are that at times the book does seem to drag some and be a bit long. I was also slightly disturbed by the almost completely negative portrayal of Christians, Christianity, and the Bible whenever these appear in the story. While there is certainly alot of hypocracy and fake, stupid religion out there, not all of it is and the story seems to overly emphasize the negative side of it. Also, some readers will probably be disturbed by the presence of a fair amount of foul language in certain parts of the book. All of that said though, I didn't let any of that ruin what was otherwise a fine and enjoyable fantasty story of true goodness and love triumphing over true evil and selfishness.

Take Stephen King, the greatest novelist of our generation, and mix him with Peter Straub, the most underrated writer of our time, and what do you get? You get a great coming-of-age epic novel about one boy's discovery of adulthood.
Jack is on a mission; he must find a hotel that holds a power source which will enable him to save his dying mother. But things aren't that simple; there are parallel worlds in the universe and Jack has to jump from one world to the next in order to reach the black hotel. In these worlds, he encounters friends as well as dangerous enemies. He will be face with horrible situations and he will be put on the verge of death many times. Furthermore, he must be careful to stay out of his uncle's way, the very man who is trying to catch him and kill him.
The book is incredibly well thought, full of beautiful imagery and always compelling. This is a great fantasy/drama that is always surprising and never predictable. Straub and King have written one of the best novel of the 1900s. Let's just hope that the sequel will live up to our expectations!

I will read this book again and again! It is kind of like a Horror/Adventure/Fantasy book and a very unique combination! Their was a part near page 612 that made me want to take a (# 2) 15 minutes later after reading. Never been that spooked from a book in my life!!! It was about the place with "The Talisman" I think. A great thrill ride. Now one of my top 5 King books. One of the most spooky books I've read so far. Are you a horror novel thrill-seeker? Yep, this is one of them.

'The Talisman' is a great novel, period. The novel surrounds Jack Sawyer, a 12-year old boy on the run with his mother who is a b-actress, she is known as queen of the b's.
'The Talisman' starts off with the story of Jack and his mom fleeing Jack's uncle Morgan Sloat. Jack and his mom end up in New Hampshire, and rent a hotel room. Since Jack is not in school, he takes a walk around the boardwalk and to the arcade, and that is where he meet's Speedy.
Speedy is a old black man who is a repair man for the rides on the boardwalk. He makes conversation with Jack, and he refers to Jack as 'Travlin Jack'. Jack Sawyer's father used to call him 'Travlin Jack' because when he was younger, he would go everywhere.
But then one day, Jack discovers his father and Uncle Morgan Sloat talking about another world called 'The Terrorities.'
Jack's father wants to help out the people in the other world by giving them electricity, and other basic needs that us normal folk take for granted.
Since Jack was only three at the time, he didnt know what they were talking about, but Speedy tells Jack that he has to go travlin' west because there is something going on in the terrorities, and only Jack can save the queen of the terrorities, which turns out to be Jack's mother's 'Twinner'.
A 'Twinner' is me, in 'The Terrorities', and so Jack finds his mom talking to Uncle Morgan over the phone, now he knows that if Uncle Morgan finds them, they are going to be in huge trouble.
The reason is that Jack's mother owns Uncle Morgan money and he has the cops looking for her because Uncle Morgan told the cops that Jack's mother is unfit.
So Jack tell's his mom that he has to go, so he packs some stuff, and goes back to Speedy. Speedy then gives Jack some 'magic juice' to get into the terrorities.
With this, he then begins traveling, running into different things he has never seen, he then befriends a werewolf who calls himself 'wolf'. Then the story keeps on getting better as the story tellers go on, and the end is great. This is something that holds up to the Lord Of The Rings books, and this is fanasty is one of the best fanasty novels of our time.

One of the most interesting, fascinating, exciting, scary and pleasing books, I've ever read. In my 40 years on this earth, this is one of the few books, I've read twice. I read it years ago when I was much younger and more impressionable and I just had to revisit it to see if it was truly as good as my memory recalls...and it indeed stands up to the test of time! Even though I've grown and my reading taste have varied and expanded this is still one delicious book!

It starts off a little slow at first, focusing on young Jack and his mom in New Hampshire, and their mundane existence but after a few low key chapters, it kicks into high gear! You will be unable to put it down! The premise behind the book: standard fair in the Horror genre, good vs evil... but with a scintilating twist, the existence of a parallel universe! It is just a superb idea in print, and the collaborative effort between King and Straub, in my opinion, is one the best, I've come across.

Both are great writers and they pull you in and hold you hostage with great imagery, focus and detail. Your imagination and anticipation will blossom with each passing chapter. I challenge anyone to put the book down when Jack takes his boxcar trip through the "Badlands!" Simply exhilirating! And I must say the ending when Jack reaches the big house on the beach will have your adrenaline pumping so fast, you will feel like you're on a rollercoaster or free falling from the top of Mt. Olympus!

Excellent writing makes for extremely fantastic reading and entertainment, and King and Straub accomplish it in spades!

When i finished this book i had some strange feeling which did not leave me for a while. It was as if i had been on a long journey and at last i was back home.
From all the novel i have read by King this is the one which still gives me that feeling whenever i think of it.
It was indeed a great adventure in the Territories. While King might become boring in the middle of his long books, this one never bored me even for a second. It was engrossing, captivating, sometimes heartbreaking (like the scene with the Wolf). And it felt real. That's a good writing, when you can't stop worrying about the characters, and when you hate the bad guys wholeheartedly.
A wonderful book, a great story of a boy who's set to save his mother. A bit of magic, a bit of paranormal, a bit mystery, and in the end a book which i still can't get out of my head.

Jack Sawyer is a precocious 12 year old who, while visiting a Coney-Island like resort town, meets an elderly African American janitor named (Speedy) who tells him of a fictional country called the territories. Speedy informs him that if he drinks a magic wine he can `flip' into the territories, a fictional world where his mother is Queen.
Jack believes Speedy, and goes on a quest to save his mother from his father's evil ex-partner and the ravages of cancer.
I really enjoyed the first three-quarters of the Talisman. I liked the character of Wolf. But after awhile I found the writing became repetitive. I felt Jack was too mature to be 12. I also found his friend: Richard to be very annoying. Richard whines more than any character ever created by Anne Rice. Plus he was useless. Also, the ending was too surreal for me to find very interesting. I think the threat of Sloat could've been resolved in a different way.
Peeves? What's with all Phallic imagery? It seems like every rock and tree is described as looking like an erect (you know what). This was done WAY too much. Surely the author could come up with some other less Freudian adjective?
Overall, while this book started off well, it quickly lost steam. Would recommend for diehard fans.

I am a very big reader. I read one book a week with is very uncommon for somone of my age 17. I read this book a few years ago and I have yet to find a book that is any better. The story is just so epic and amazing with very likeable heroes and villians that you love to hate.

This book is filled with a very melancholy outlook but they manage to throw in a little humor along (there is somthing to do with marijuana that still makes me grin to think about). This is deffinitly Stephen Kings best work and I think that he had a bigger hand in the making making of this book than Peter Straub, because I have read a book by Straub and he is not that talented. So if you like Straub back away because this is a King Book.

If you are a fan of the Dark Tower series you will really like this because this book links up with those. And if you really like this book go over and check out the Black House, the sequal to this story. It is not as good because this book would be impposible to surpass but it is still a great book and very original.

So if I were you I would stop reading this review right now and just order the darn thing! If you are reading this you do not know how much time you are wasting. You could have started on getting this book on the way to your house, each second longer you read this is a second longer that you wil wast while waiting for this book to arrive. Stop reading now. This book is to good to wait for. Ok if you will not stop reading this I will stop writing. Juat remember that you have to buy this book because there has never been anything, nor wiil there ever be anything, better then this book. So put this thing in your cart and get a move on. NUFF SAID.

This book was more than just some Stephen King horror novel, this is the reason why people read. To lose themselves, to find themselves, to laugh, to cry, to make our lives disappear for just a brief moment and enter a new world. You can and will lose yourself in this book and there is no stopping it, not that you would want to.
Peter Straub does an excellent job of playing a counterbalance to an often over the top Stephen King. While it is written by two authors, both with incredibly different styles, the book flows very well and the author's styles mesh perfectly. This is not to say that if you are a fan of these authors that you can't tell who's chapters are who's, I am just saying that it works. Also reading the book and being able to tell who is writing the chapters makes the book that much more enjoyable to the true fan.
This book is good it doesn't deserve a lengthy review just a dramatic plea, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! It is true brilliance unlike much else that has been written, especially in this genre.

when i first read the cover of this book i didn't know what to expect as with some of Mr. King's books the story is not always on the back cover, but as i started to read he took me back to a place in my childhood where i fantasized and acted on impulse and felt like i was free,and before i knew it i had read the whole book and it was suddenly daylight outside, and the funny thing was i had spent all night reading and being back in a fantasy world i wasn't even tired, though that is no excuse for not getting your homework done.If you really want to feel like a kid again and remember how inherently scary some of those decisions you made when you were a kid actually turned out to be read this book, but save some for later you know too much of a good thing is like reading a King novel not necesarily bad for you but you don't feel like a virgin no more.

In this work by Stephen King and Peter Straub, a young boy's quest to find a cure for his dying mother leads him into another dimension. This book grabs on tight and won't let go. The character of Jack is a wonderful everyman, and with a name like Jack, it only lends itself to this idea. Any good book will take its protagonist and transform itself into its reader and this is no exception. The Talisman is a great quest story, and like any of its kind, the hero of it does not only search for a boon, but learns a great deal about themselves along the way. The thing that sets this apart from most fantasy novel writing is that it tends to not shy away from the darker aspects of things and as Jack learns, he begins to listen to his instincts when it comes to trusting certain people. A good lesson to be gleaned from this book for young readers would be to learn to become discerning as the world is latent with ambiguity as you get older.

Jack's encounters with evil are well written and the scenes with the religious zealots come to mind, as they were chilling to read. I loved the whole conclusion as it really felt like you went on the journey with this young boy. I thoroughly enjoyed The Talisman and recommend it to any who are looking for a darker and edgier type of fantasy novel.

Ever since I first read The Talisman when I was in grade school, I've read it at least once a year since, and that's been over 10 years. This book is a departure from King's horror genre and I don't think he'll ever come close to this quality again.
The story is about Jack's journey to save his mother across the country and different worlds. I don't want to say too much, but this is the best effort of throwing fantasy into the present day world. King's descriptive writing hints at the genius of Tolkien, but is completely King. I become so immersed in this book every time I read it that I'm often up until 3 in the morning reading and my copy is all but destroyed from reading it so much.
I cannot recommend this book enough. Even if you are not a fan of Steven King and his horror works, I suggest this book. There are only the slightest of hints of horror. The characters are extremely rich and you really care what happens to them.

I haven't read more than ten Stephen King novels, but this one is different from any others I have read. Additionally, it is one of the most unique and best novels I have read for its genre. I really enjoyed this novel. One thing a reader can count on King to do is to make the reader feel the characters' emotions. In this novel he does an excellent job of making me feel like I am Jack. The plot and action are intense, and I couldn't put it down; I finished the novel in three days. King is a writer who can take the reader into the story.

What happens. There are two worlds that are almost mirror images of each other, and what happens in one generally, in a round about way, happens in the other. Jack Sawyer is trying to save his mom in one world and a queen in another. Jack faces many ordeals as he crosses the country trying to find a cure for his mother. When Jack reaches California, the novel really heats up; especially inside the house. The details King pays attention to make this novel gripping, and I think this novel may have the most climatic conclusion I have read by him.

One of the things I like about this novel is how well King writes it from a child's perspective. It is definetly different than any other novel I have read, and that, in this case, makes it spectacular.

Too much anger, hate and grizzly human torture. I feel sorry for Stephen King's wife. What a warped mind.
each scene was just a repeat of the one before. How many times can you destroy a persons soul.
Reminds me of a verse in "Sound of Music" "You must have had a terrible childhood".
get a life.....Stephen King
Betty Lester

The First volume in the Talisman graphic novel adaptations collects issues # 0 - 5 of the comic book series which adapted the 1984 novel by King and Straub. The book includes a zero issue prelude to the story which provides more of a backstory to the characters.

A twelve year old boy named Jack Sawyer goes on a dangerous, cross country quest to save his dying mother and find a powerful crystal known as the Talisman. Jack becomes aware of a fantasy world called "the Territories" a world where parallel individuals known as Twinners exist. In this parallel world Jack's father was a Prince who was murdered by a sorcerer named Morgan. In real life, Morgan was his fathers unscrupulous business partner who wants to locate the Talisman for his own evil intentions. Jack is befriended by a mysterious man named Speedy Parker who sends Jack on his quest and provides a magical potion that allows jack to travel to the Territories and back again.

The story has many of the plot devices present in Kings work such as the New England setting and a cross country journey similar to "The Stand" but with elements of heroic fantasy. The art by Tony Shasteen is passable, but nothing spectacular. The adaptation hits the major points of the novel while moving the story along nicely.

I finished reading The Talisman mere moments ago. I must say that I read those final pages with a smile on my face; following Jack Sawyer on his quest was a pleasure. I have always been a Stephen King fan and this book has done nothing to dissuade that opinion. Classic stories of good versus evil, as in this case, renew that childhood innocence that no matter how bad things seem everything will turn out for the best in the end.
King and Straub have done a wonderful job of taking readers on the journey of a child that is forced to deal with adult issues - to adapt based on his own understanding of how the world works. Somehow the insights of the thirteen year old (Jack) see beyond the façades of people and into the truth in all realities.
I don't wish to spoil the book for you - read and I promise you won't be disappointed. For those of you that only have a vague idea about what Stephen King books are like, don't expect a gory horror novel. King's stories usually involve a journey or an evolution for his characters; they are different people from whence they began. His stories do include some of the fantastic - but that magic is what reminds us of what it was like to be kids again ourselves.

Twelve-year-old Jack has to travel across the country and across worlds to save his mother's life. He is seeking the Talisman, an object of great power. Along the way, he encounters many allies and enemies --- as well as their counterparts --- in both worlds, and finds that his entire life has been leading up to this journey.
I absolutely loved The Talisman. It is one of my favorite books. I enjoy the idea of the alternate worlds, thought I realize that this execution of it doesn't hold up to logical examination (like most fiction that incorporates the idea of alternate worlds/realities), but is still very entertaining. The book has an interesting and well thought-out plot, and it doesn't suffer from as much excess verbiage as you would expect from a King/Straub collaboration.

I re-read this book before cracking Black House, and found myself just as moved as I was the first time I read it. I direct this review to all the nay-sayers that depleted the average review to less than 5 stars.
This novel is a seamless union of two formidible authors, worthy of comparison to any epic adventure story in literature. Jack's Odyssey across the US goes beyond the average coming-of-age story and achieves something of the devine. True, it is not necessary to read The Talisman before reading Black House, just as it is not necessary to know someone since childhood in order to make friends with them, but forming the bond beforehand gives the characters and flashbacks in Black House a sense of familiarity. I read them sequentially in order to satisfy that desire for continuance that sets in at the end of every good novel.
In The Talisman, the pacing of the action, with certain parts of the cross-country journey blurred and others in magnificent detail, really gives the effect of being both inside and outside of Jack as he suffers and triumphs. The blend of foreshadowing and surprise twists makes for a gripping read. King's talent for creating characters that charm and haunt you is part of his genious, and this novel illustrates that. For an emotional rollercoaster filled with humor and hubris, The Talisman is the choice for those who are unafraid to cry as well as revel in base as well as witty humor.
As a devoted Stephen King fan, I view this as an essential part of my collection and The Talisman will always have a place in my heart.

It's basically a "Kid Goes On a Magical Quest Through Fantasy Land" story but still manages to stay pretty original and fun to read. The characters really make the story. Jack, Wolf, Speedy, Sunlight Gardner; all of them very entertaining and memorable.
A couple people I've talked to remarked this was somewhat along the lines of Clive Barker's A THEIF OF ALWAYS. I would have considered that an all ages book where The Talisman to me comes off more for Mature Readers. A LOT more violence than one would expect after reading the first couple chapters.
In my ignorance I steered away from this for quite ahwile due to Peter Straub's co-writing. After several recommendations I finally picked it up. I'm glad I did, it's actually one of his best. Even more amazing the recently released sequel Black House is equally good.
I hear they'll be making a Talisman TV mini series soon, do yourself a favor and read it before it's mangled for the small screen.

I read this book a long time ago and decided to write a review after seeing someone else's review of Shadowland by Peter Straub. This book took me to a totally different place. It actually took me to another place and time and actually put me into the character's shoes. It was extremely difficult for me to put down. As I am reviewing this book I have decided to re-read it because I have rekindled some memories of the first reading. I have not read too many books that have actually disconnected me from this time and placed me somewhere else for a period of time as this one did. It was extremely exciting and was definitely a page turner. This book did so much to help me to visualize the scene and the characters. I actually believe I read the book over 15 years ago and the picture of the Osh Kosh bib overalls still is vivid in my mind. I also read Floating Dragon by Peter Straub which was good but not quite as good as this one. I actually think the two authors really complimented each other. Stephen King tends to get very bizarre and weird toward the end of his books and I think Straub helped to tone him down a bit on this one. I am looking forward to reading Shadowland.

It's hard to go wrong with a combination like King and Straub. This is a coming of age story in dark fantasy clothes...and it's great. Jack Sawyer is 12, and sets out on the adventure of his life in order to save his mother, who is dying of cancer. His adventures take him across the US, and through Territories beyond (REALLY beyond!). In his travels he encounters good and evil in many forms, and learns what is truly valuable (love, honor, friendship). King and Straub have created a fantastic tale, full of vivid characters who make us love or hate them.
The audio version of the novel is superbly performed by the incomparable Frank Muller, who could read the phone book and make it sound good. Best wishes to Mr. Muller, who's talents will be greatly missed by audiophiles like me. I highly recommend any and all of his audio performances, particularly King's Dark Tower series.

"The Talisman" is a very good story, written well. But the book's strength can also be found in the way that it draws inspiration from other novels; popular works and classics:
Jack, the protagonist of "The Talisman" has been given the last name of Sawyer, a fitting tribute to Mark Twain's work. A story involving Jack and his new friend, Wolf, reads to an extent like the central characters' relationship in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." The great distance that Jack, Wolf, and Richard (a boyhood friend) travel, evokes the breadth and scope of "The Lord of the Rings" (the authors even point out references to Tolkien's work). And, the expected growth of the boy that Jack was, to the man that he seems to have become echoes with the themes that emanate from one of the most famous of coming-of-age stories, "Catcher in the Rye."
Indeed, "The Talisman" draws inspiration from some great bodies of work, but does not copy them. The book allows its predessors to help guide it to becoming a special story in its own right.

This truly remarkable collaboration is as engaging the second or third reading as it was the first, and the story has aged very well. Remarkably imaginative and thought provoking, with strong overtones of good versus evil, it is my favorite King book after The Stand. Young Jack's quest lies on the other side of the country, which he must navigate - either in our world or the second world of the Territories. Part of the quest is to save the life of his dying mother. On this reading of the tale, I was more able to enjoy the ingenious expedition and all the nuances along the way, without so much focus on the possible ending. The concept of twinners and the character Wolf once again completely captivated me, and now I am ready for (and hoping for) a sequel. (?) A "magical mystery tour" the reader won't ever forget.

As with many of the other people here, I also loved this book. I am a big Stephen King and Peter Straub fan, and this book brought the best of their 2 worlds together for a wonderful journey that I was sorry to see end. It is hard for me to put into words how this book changed me and moved me. I also agree that it would make a wonderful movie... if made correctly. Unfortunately, too many books are made into poor movies. It is such a complete and wonderful story, isn't it... the story of a boy and his mother and his dear friends facing danger and overcoming great hardships for the best prize of all... love. I found it to be both an adventure story and a love story of the best kind. I would love to hear from other fans as well. My e-mail address should be easy to remember. :-)

This is by no means a bad book, but I expected so much more. Maybe I'm a victim of my own hype, but it didn't do it for me. I think that perhaps my problems begin with Jack not acting much like a 12-year-old boy nor is he treated like one by the people he encounters. I'm glad I read this book--it's stature deserves reading--but it would have been nice to have a more fully developed world. King and Straub did a good job at writing the characters, even the secondary ones. Many people obviously like this book more than me, so go ahead and give it a try.

I really enjoyed this lengthy but worth it book. Peter Straub and the infamous Mr. King meld their respective talents as authors, and the finished product is a story of great depth, with many morals and many endings and many beginnings. Jack/Jason's journeys and trials throughout the story are infinitely interwoven. The narrative descriptions are phenomenal, leaving the reader with a vivid mental image of the various scenes. A battle between good and evil such as the world has never seen before, and, hopefully never will, ends with not one, not two, but several twists. I was dazzled by each chapter in a way, and each character came to life with ease for me. Weaving the characters together in mind, I don't think I will ever forget this book. I only wish I could write like that.

Tolkien's epic work set the stage for the Fantasy genre and for me, the finest tales of fantasy involve an epic journey and quest. "The Talisman", a grand story created by two master story tellers, Peter Straub and Steven King, is one of the greatest of this genre. It is an epic story about a twelve year boy named Jack Sawyer who bravely takes up the quest to travel alone, across the country, to save his mother in this world and who is a dying queen in an alternate world, the Territories, a parallel plane to Jack's word.

The Talisman is such a poignantly beautiful, powerful, and touching story that kept me riveted the entire time. I am glad that I decided to revisit this story now that the sequel to Jack's journey takes up with him as an adult and these events segue nicely into the Dark Tower novels. Excellent reading from two of my favorite authors and very highly recommended.

This is a (mostly) spoiler-free review.

After finishing the 784 page novel for the first time (and loving it) I decided to check out this graphic adaptation about a week later. I'm traditionally a much bigger comic book fan than I am a "books without pictures" fan so I was certain that I could love this version equally as much.

I'll cut to the chase-- this book was disappointing. I have two major grievances with it: the pacing, and the art.

The Pacing
The original Talisman novel is a slow burn. There were times while reading it that I was disinterested, becoming impatient and wondering when the plot was going to pick up the pace. After reading the graphic adaptation I realized just how important all of that exposition is; it gives you more time inside of Jack's head as he travels and deals with one bad situation to the next. You feel his anxiety, his sadness, his fear. This plot in this graphic adaptation, on the other hand, is rushed, lacking an enormous part of the emotion and character that drives the story and connects the reader to Jack and the plight he is going through. As an avid comic fan I understand that pacing has to be quicker and plot beats need to be separated into neat little single issues, but this book feels as if Robin Furth skimmed the pages of the novel for the absolute most basic plot devices needed to progress the story and slapped them on the pages. On multiple occasions while reading this version of the story I found myself wondering that if I were approaching this with fresh eyes, completely unfamiliar with the source material, would I have the slightest idea of what's even going on? (I'm specifically thinking of a scene at a mall where there are some rude teenagers making remarks to Jack. Oh by the way, now he's got a box of new shoes next to him and he's on a pay phone and what happened to those kids? Now he's leaving and there they are again but who are they and why are they saying "Something stinks" and why are they even in this book?) While a lot of the dialogue is pulled straight from the novel, without the insight into characters motivations and drivers, a lot of it comes across as flat and forced. So much emotion is lost in this format...which brings me to my other complaint:

The Art
The artwork, while beautiful, is lifeless. Don't get me wrong; Tony Shasteen is an incredible artist. rendering characters and scenes in immaculate detail. Why is this a problem? Because it seems his focus is spent more on drawing every wrinkle in a tshirt or individual leaves on a tree rather than expressing accurate emotions in his characters. Their facial expressions and body language often don't fit the situations they are in, particularly with the protagonist Jack. When he's being chased by a crazy goat-man he's drawn like he's running late for the bus. When killer trees are grabbing him by the ankles and trying to eat him he looks like he just stepped in gum. These are life-threatening situations and the sheer terror that Jack is supposed to be going through is diluted by the artwork to the point where the reader loses some of their connection with Jack. He's a 12-year-old kid dealing with "unspeakable horror" but inexplicably maintains his composure throughout. He shows no real fear or panic; only surprise and mild annoyance at worst. The reader feels the sense that, "Hey, if Jack isn't scared, then I guess I don't need to be scared either," (and that is a disconnect from and disservice to the story).

When you combine these two issues what you end up with is a story where Jack is smiling on one page, suddenly in a nightmare scenario on the next (but hey, no worries, he's pretty chill about it), and then on the following page he's out of the situation and ready to move to the next plot beat, smiling and without a care in the world. And despite the fact that he's been on the road for weeks now, wearing the same clothes and not showering and only eating once every day or so, Jack looks spunky and well-kept, his hair perfectly swept to the side, his clothes unragged and clean. For a kid who is on a nightmarish, lonely journey of hitchiking and sleeping in hay bales, he sure looks like he's having a great time.

If you do read this book and end up enjoying it, but have never read the original novel, I would highly recommend it.

It took me 3 months and a 150 pages to get into this book. Three months because that's how long it took me to cover the first 150 pages. After that, I finished the book in two days. I don't know, the beginning to this book is...is so goddamned slow. I know some people will lash me for that one, but hey I love Steve King...Peter straub, I plan to read some of his...but I mean, the beginning sucked. Anyway, I know this is a little harsh. Oh well. anyway past that I thought the book was excellent and would reccomend it to anybody willing to plod through crap for a while (damn this is harsh). Right now I am just starting Black House the sequel and so far it's started out so much better. Anyway, read this book, it's good, just slow at the start.
--Dustin

Not realizing that The Talisman was the prequel to the Black House, I bought and began the Black House. Within 2 tapes I realized that I wanted to read the Talisman. Had to -- to appreciate the Black House -- which is nothing without The Talisman. The Talisman, however, stands on its own.
This is a phenominal tale about a concurrent world and those few who can travel hither and yon with ease. A young boy of 12 works his way through good and evil in both worlds. His goal is to find the Talisman to save his mother who is dying of cancer. Simple plot you say? Hmmmmmm.
The imagery is brilliant. I could tell when King was writing and when Straub was writing. I fear Straub is more gruesome than King, if possible! The writing was exemplary, the story compelling, and frankly, it's one of those books you wish would never end. Although striated with continuing fantasy, this tale is incredibly believable.
Once you finish The Talisman, find the young Jack Sawyer, with all his authenticity and integrity, a grown man investigating a disturbing murder case in Black House.

As an author of a debut mystery that is set primarily in a coastal amusement park, I suspect THE TALISMAN may have had a greater subtle influence on me than I ever realized. While this is an epic work of fantasy and I am a mystery writer, I recall reading this book when it first came out. When I saw it in reprint, I picked it up and read it again. THE TALISMAN, opening near a silenced theme park involves the journey of a thirteen-year-old across America and into another realm attempting to save his dying mother. The prize in crucial to Jack Sawyer, yet his journey is even more meaningful. THE TALISMAN is a groundbreaking book, and I have never been able to tell which parts were written by which writer. Steven King and Peter Straub are both brilliant here. Magnificent all around!

I'm only able to listen to audiobooks because not many are produced in braille, and those that are are so ridiculously high in price range. So when I saw the Talisman on audio on the store, I knew I had to read it. Frank Muller narrating the book was also another reason why I snapped it up.

These two authors work extremely well together, and Muller delivers an absolutely stunning performance. Yes, its a bit lengthy, but I for one enjoy reading epics such as this. The main characters are easy to identify with, and due to Muller's methods of portraying each one through outstanding vocal performances, it was very difficult to see one of these characters die midway through the novel. Yes, I had to stop the tape and just cry for a few minutes. I mean, the guy's that good at making you become attached to the characters. I'd give you a synopsis, or try to analyse this thing, but its been done before. If the store still carries the unabridged recording of this book on either cassette or cd, and if you have the cash, why not experience this novel in audio format? And if you've never listened to anything performed by Muller, here's one of his best.

this book was a pleasure when i first read it so many years ago, and upon my re-reading, i found it still to be a wonderful book. it has one of the best characters king has created (or co-created), which is wolf. it combination of horror and fantasy that any fan of king's will recognize and enjoy. (sorry to say i really haven't read any of straub's work, so i can't really compare to the rest of his work) and let's be honest, anyone who enjoys king's dark tower series definitely wants to read this book--the similarities are obvious. it does bog down a little at the end, and they do use the talisman as a convenient plot piece to get jack and richard out of trouble, but the rest of the book overpowers the weak ending.

I bought this book at a used bookstore years ago after discovering that I loved Stephen King's books. I put it on my shelf with other books I meant to read, but it was a year before I picked it up again. Finally I did, read a couple chapters... then I put it back down. I couldn't get into it.
A month and a couple books later, I decided to give it one more shot. So I started from the beginning, but still just wasn't in to it and had reached my previous stopping point. I had made a vow that I would push on though, and it wasn't 5 minutes after I read on that I was literally in a whole new world. King and Straub showed Jack Sawyer a new world, and they took me along as well. I could smell the bread baking at the pavilion, I was best friends with Jack's new friend Wolf, I was running in horror from the Elroy-Thing in the Men's Room of the Oatley Tap. I was IN that world.
I've owned and read countless books, but The Talisman has always remained my all-time favorite. I have read it about 6 times, and each time I am whisked back to that world that I love and fear so much.

Okay, now, I'm giving this book five stars, but lets not rush to consider that Seiler's Official Mark of Flawlessness, because this book is far from flawless. I'm a pretty wide reader of Stephen King (I own every piece of fiction he ever sold bound, and I'm working through them chronologically right now), and I can tell you that you won't recognize a lot of the voice that you're familiar with in this piece. That's a result of the collaboration, I suppose, but Stephen King's storytelling style--his literary voice--is diluted and mixed with Straub's. That's not a bad thing, but just be prepared to read something that sounds a little more like Eyes of the Dragon than The Stand.
Of greater concern is the fact that the plot of this book has alredy been done by King--this book is the short version of the Dark Tower, a quality which make's the upcoming Black House's address of the Crimson King and the Breakers all the more amusing. There are a LOT of parallels between the two works--more than I could really list here--but suffice it to say that I was impressed as I read with how little this felt like an original work for King, but only a reinterpretation of something he already had swimming around.
That's not to say the book is bad--I am, after all, giving it five stars. The imagery is excellent and the story is interesting. The story does have a tendency to get bogged down in negative imagery, however--a crime that a novel this long should try to avoid. At points, I felt a little like I was reading Less Than Zero instead of a King/Straub book, a fact which was made all the more remarkable by the low attrition rate among major characters. All the same, be prepared for some heavy, bad atmosphere to hang around the book. This is a pretty good device, considering that one of the themes of the book is the desecration of the pristine or beautiful, but it is, perhaps, a little overused.
The only other major complaint I could see anybody voicing would be regarding the characters themselves. Jack Sawyer and Richard Sloat aren't really very believable. For a twelve year old boy, Sawyer's psychology seems a little out of whack, and Sloat's own psychological profile seems a little charicatured. All the same, I didn't find it to be too much of a problem, myself, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. This isn't King's best ever, and I can only assume that it isn't Straub's either, since collaborative works tend to have that effect, but as a book on its own, it's still good enough to go in any collection, and should certainly be in any King enthusiast's library.

The tapestry of style and genres exhibited by both authors is incredible in this work. When I started reading this book for the first time, it was 3:00 on a lazy afternoon. I became so enthralled I refused to put it down, turning page after alluring page, not even eating, reading on until 4:00 am when my eyes no longer would stay open. As soon as I awoke I again continued my journey through the deeply textured world of fantasy created by the bitter taste of King's demented sweetness and Straubs isolated mastery. This book is one of 10 non-fiction books I own and I have recommended it to every avid reader I have met. It's sheer perfection tantalized me more than the need to eat, I think that alone says enough.

Before I read The Talisman, I was a fan of Stephen King.
After I read The Talisman, I was a worshipper of Stephen
King. This has to be one of the best books ever written,
category irrelevent. From the first page, this book took
me on a fast-paced journey that ended only after i had read
the very last page. Twice. I stayed up into the wee hours
and got up before dawn to finish this riveting tale.
When I did finish it, I found myself wanting more.
The story of a boy and his very
special friend, their trials, adventures, misadventures, and
the incredible bond they shared. Stehpen King and Peter
Straub, are true Kings. A must read.. for everone.

This book has wonderful imagery and forces you to use your imagination... I just got through reading the one bad review on this page and I have to tell people who haven't read this book yet to please take customer reviews in context. The person who wrote that apparently doesn't read much King, and if you look at the other reviews you'll discover that that is the only bad one. Okay, on with my review... the characters in this book and the situations in which they find themselves are very entertaining, you will come out of reading this book with an experience similar to most readers, I think, and that means you will love it :) This is one of my favorites right behind The Tommyknockers and The Stand.

For me, King and Straub's fantastic first collaborative novel, 'The Talisman', wipes the floor with nearly any Fantasy novel I've ever read. It is completely original, the characters are well-rounded and very likeable, and Jack's quest flows with so much emotion, danger, and creativity that you can't help but root for him as he crosses the continent, in two different worlds, to save his mother's life.

The concept of parallel worlds in fiction has probably been done many times before, but rarely as well as it's been done by these two. They keep it realistic, the ideas are never overblown, and the whole thing played out like a movie in my head, and I was genuinely sad when it was over. The sequel turned out to be incredibly different, but all in all just as good, and if there's ever a third, you can count me in.

I totally suggest this to any avid reader of fantasy or horror, or to anyone who just wants a good read.

This book is a masterpiece. It was really long but completely worth it. Excellent world building, character development, prose, etc, etc. It was pretty much perfect, I really have no other way to put it. I just bought Black House because I loved this so much!

Although I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I did when I read it at 14, I still felt it was a great coming of age Sci-Fi novel. In short the story is about a young boy's travels across america and a parallel land called the territories. He's forced to make this journey in order to find a cure for his mother's cancer.
During his travels he incounters both fantastical and realistic evil. He also encounter allies within both worlds. The best part of this novel is the development of the young naive Jack (young lead character) to the strong and confident jack at the end. As the reader, I felt afraid for him in the beginning during this journey and wondered how could a young 12 year old boy survive? By the end, I felt completely confident of jack's abilities and didn't doubt that he would succeed.

Although there have since been better sci-fi novels (Tad William's,, Otherland series). The Talisman is still one of the best novels to merge the coming of age story with science fiction.

The Talisman is a very good book. It is about a boy who is the 13 year old son of a out dated movie star. His Father is dead, and his two uncles are dead too. Now he fights to stop another death. Jack [the boy] is thrown into a world with monsters and hatred. Were people he knows are changed and called "Twinners". Along the way he meets many people and learns many things. I would say this is a good book for a post-collage or high school level book. It is very long and explains everything in great detail and is a great book. I'm in 7th grade and i had two weeks to read a 800+ page book. You should read this book, but on your own time =]

This is a wonderful book that can be enjoyed on different levels by just about anyone. It is definately NOT your usual Stephen King blood-and-guts horror story.

I've recommended this book to several friends who absolutely hate Stephen King's writing and they have all loved it. The team of Stephen King and Peter Straub have produced a wonderful story which combines fantasy, science-fiction, drama and adventure to produce a thoroughly enjoyable tale.

If you're looking for a "can't-put-it-down" novel with characters that you will really care about and an exciting story where the good guys win...you'll enjoy this one

When I read this about ten years ago, I was a kid, discovering King's work in bunches. I read his books almost exclusively, mowing down everything from "Carrie" to "Needful Things." However, "The Talisman" stuck out as one of my favorite books of that era. Unfortunately, as years went on, only certain memories of the book stayed with me - I tend to have forgotten a lot of stuff I read as a kid. Memories of Wolf, Sunlight Gardener, Twinners and such, but little else. I definitely wanted to revisit this novel at some point, and was given the perfect opportunity to do so when I heard of the impending release of "Black House." So, finally, with about a week left before "Black House" was due, I picked my old, tattered paperback version of "The Talisman" that I had read so many years ago. To be fair, I'll confess that it took me a considerable amount of time to get into the book, but part of this was due to my own personal lack of attention span. However, once Jack got out onto the road (and met Wolf, quite frankly) I was glued to this book. I had forgotten so much about what makes this a wonderful book. In fact, I believe the last 200 pages or so represent some of the most amazing writing both King and Straub have ever done. This book is a definite labor of love (yes, it can be a bit of a labor) but by the time you complete this wonderful novel, you'll have gone the same road with Jack, Wolf, Richard and so many others... and you'll never forget it.

The authors don't miss a detail; wonderful visualization; superb writing. In this present-time fantasy we get to meet a slew of interesting characters.

We follow Jack, a boy of twelve, who is able to transport himself into a twin world. He is drawn to find the the healing power of the Talisman. Is this what he needs to save his mother from death; he will need to fight for it. He finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place; flipping between dual worlds as he's perused by horrible creatures. Learning as he goes, Jack realizes his unique importance.

Complaints: The evil portrayal of the majority of the characters, the unnecessary raunchy dialog, feel as if authors stuck in political statements regarding pollution and religion, an overly smart 12 year old, and to many coincidences. I enjoyed the references to popular fantasy novels.

So where does the Talisman's power come from? What is the true purpose and meaning? Who cares, right?

Wish you well

Scott

I just finished Stephen King's The Dark Tower series and was really looking forward to this book. But I almost quit reading after about the first 400 pages. I could easily tell when P.Straub was writing. It was soooo boring and drawn out. I hated his pointless descriptions of things that were utterly irrelevant. The book could have easily been 200 pages shorter and actually been better. The end was pretty good, but the first 60% was really really boring.

I will never read another Straub book. I've read reviews about the sequel to this one - Dark House or something like that - being really bad. I can't imagine how slow and boring it must be to get those reviews when this book actually got good reviews.

I liked Jack and Wolf, but it seemed like Jack kept making stupid little mistakes that didn't actually hurt or help his journey, but added another dozen pages of total bs. The end was a little rushed which is crazy since small pointless stops on the way West got 50-80 pages that didn't matter much at all.

Would not recommend. I'm definitely sticking with only King for my next book.

I really enjoyed The Talisman, but it did take me a few weeks to finish (I generally read books in 2-3 days - this one took at least 3 weeks). The writing in this book is almost mythological in character, definitely following The Stand's evil-vs-good story.
The story is about 12-year old Jack's journey from New Hampshire to California in search of the Talisman. Once he finds the Talisman, his mother's lengthy cancerous illness will be gone, and she will live. The journey is at times bizarre, but never your typical gorey Stephen King.
I recommend this book for newbies to King who aren't as interested in the disgusting factor. Bewarned, this book will take a long time to read though.

Perhaps that is a blasphemous statement, considering how Tolkien fans (I am one, too) view "The Trilogy," but from the moment I began reading about Jack Sawyer's world, I was enthralled, captivated, I barely put it down to sleep or eat or go to class. I have read the book over and over again and have passed it along to many friends and relatives. It is a marvelous adventure story, yet also a story of great friendship, great love and heroism, making it clear that the most impressive form of bravery is taking action in spite of your fears. Wolf is an exceptionally endearing character, we should have had more of Wolf and Speedy Parker, but I guess that is one reason I read it again and again, to spend more time with them and Jack and all the other amazing characters. I am not a particular fan of King or Straub but love a great adventure and fantasy story, and this is one of the best. Thank you, SK and PS for my many many hours of pure pleasure reading your terrific tale. Will we ever see Jack and Richard again? Sequels are risky but may be worth it in this case.

This is one of my favorite books ever. I am a great fan of SK and this is one of his greatest work. This book has touched me in a way no book ever did. I have read it a few times and each time I enjoyed it more.
I'm not much older than Jack (17) but I know that I would have had trouble in dealing with all he goes through. Most of the things he sees will send a regular man over to LoonyLand, and in my opinion what saves Jack is his age. His belifs, behaivor, dedication and way of thinking can only belong to a child. That makes us think about our life as adults.
It is a beautiful story about a beautiful boy.

Of all of King's books, including the Dark Tower series, this one is my favorite. Once I got through the first few chapters, I was captivated. Something about the mythic atmosphere of this book, and the beautiful eeriness of the Territories world, did something to me. Jack Sawyer is half Tom Sawyer and half Frodo Baggins, a boy traveling across America because he must, even though he's afraid. My favorite character in this story was Wolf, an innocent and simple-minded teenage werewolf who accompanies Jack on part of his journey, and who is symbolic of what our world is capable of doing to the good world that we have left behind.
This book is good for everyone. Even if you are not a big King (or Straub) fan, I am sure that many people will consider this to be the exception.

This book was my favorite book by these two writer's. I read all of their books! Along with Saul...... It was a big book for me, but I didn't want it to end, it was that good. I read it years ago when it first came out and it has stuck with me all these years. I would love to see them produce another book together. The Shining by Stephen Kind was my most favorite, The Talisman, by King and Straub is my 2nd favorite and Suffer The Children by Saul was my 3rd favorite. And it's only a hair's width between them. I love these authors. :)

I purchased this book from an overstock bin many years ago, and read it not that long after... and promptly forgot about it. But now that the "Dark Tower" series is drawing to a close, I'm trying to read some of the related books, and I decided to re-read this before tackling "Black House." And am I ever glad I did!

The start of the book is slow going... I was concerned I'd set myself up for torture during the first 100 pages or so. But after that it really picks up and I had great difficulty putting it down. Jack's journey is enthralling, as are some of the not-so-subtle lessons he learns.

I've been told this is not a typical King book, and given that the horror elements are definitely downplayed (well... except for some fairly horrific people) I can understand that. But if you've enjoyed the "Dark Tower" books, I recommend this one. I'm very glad I re-read it!

When I started reading this book, I wasn't sure what to expect (the back cover really doesn't tell much about it). However, being a huge Stephen King fan (I've never read anything by Peter Straub), I kinda knew what tone to expect. This book is amazing. The concept, while not really novel, has been given a spin that only Mr. King could impart. I could hardly put it down for the last 2/3 of the book. The only thing that bothered me was that the 12 year old main character didn't THINK like a 12 year old...he thought more like a 16 year old. Oh well, it was still an amazing book.

I've never been a huge King fan, and haven't had much exposure to Straub, until now. This book, in a word, is great! I'm a huge horror fan and this book delievers in that area, also encompassing fantasy, drama, etc. The characters are vivid, the descriptions so real that you can picture yourself in the Territories. I found myself looking forward to sitting down with this book to see what happens to Traveling Jack next. Excellent read! I really can't say enough about this book. I am looking forward to reading The Black House next! Run out and get this, you won't be disappointed!

This book is not scary and isn't up to King's usual writing standards. I have never read anything by Straub, and having seen what the collaboration resulted in, I probably never will.
This particular book is pretty easy to put down (and I love King and nearly all of his other novels). If you are looking for FANTASY, which is what this book is, then check out King's Dark Tower. If you ask me, I think this book got him started on all the Dark Tower stuff. For instance, it's fantasy, there are two diff. worlds, and what is at the end? In this book, the Black Hotel...as compared to the Dark Tower.
Gimme a break.
Simply put: the main character really isn't that interesting, the characters meant along the way are usually annoying, the main character's friend is really annoying, the "flip" world isn't all that spectacluar, villains are a yawn, and the book is too long. I heard there was going to be a sequel...I can only hope that it surpasses this effort. Skip it and read the Dark Tower series.

A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ FOLKS!!!! I have read though at least 20+ different reviews and, so far, most of the reviews were pro-TALISMAN...although some unfortunate fools didn't believe this book was worth their time. But just between you, me and everyone else that loved this novel....the difference between OUR tastes in great literature and those who gave this book "a thumbs down" is that WE HAVE SOME (GOOD) TASTE!!!! But, of course, thats just my opinion. I was just annoyed with the "other" people who didn't care for this book and wrote very blande reviews about it. There are quite a few "colorful" discriptions I'd like to tell these people of how I felt when I read their {cough, cough....UGH!!!} reviews. But I don't think I'm allowed to do that on here, so I'll just tell you how much I loved this book. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! I feel guilty tho because some folks said they read this book like 20 times. I know I have read it more than once...maybe 3 or 4 times (and am planning on doing so again...I just bought the re-issue version of it). This book just takes you away!!! And I had no problem with the rich discriptions and detail that was put into this masterpiece...thats what made this story SO enchanting, thrilling, lively, entertaining and heartwrenching!!! My first read was very hard because I became so emotionally engrossed in this story. It just drew me right in from the get-go. Jack was very entertaining and I loved being his shadow, following him from one trial to another...Speedy Parker, Lily, Smokey Updike, Buddy Parkins, Wolf (ahhhh, Wolf....I fell in love with him!), Sunlight Gardner and all his hateful little crownies at the Sunlight home, Richard....it was like I was there too!!! This story was a great escape from my own life and I loved every moment of it!!! And now to learn that, 14 years later, Stephen King and Peter Straub are releasing a sequel to "The Talisman" in September....I was just floored!!!! I've already ordered my copy!!! I've read the intro to this new story and it seems interesting....I just hope it's as good (if not better) as "The Talisman" was!!! This novel was (and still is definitely)a keeper!!!

I first read this book about 10 years ago, when I was in high school. It was the first fantasy novel I ever read (although I had read a lot of King's horror genre novels). I loved it! When I saw the book at a friend's house recently, I wanted to see if I still liked it just as much now that I'm an adult as I did as a teenager; now that I read completely differnt books.

Indeed, I loved it just as much. I devoured it in a few days. I still think it's a wonderful introduction to fantasy novels. I enjoyed the main character Jack "flipping" back and forth between two worlds that were the same but different. How people existed as "twinners" in both worlds...kind of like alter egos. Great characters and relationships between characters and just a good all around story about traveling and adventure.

I can't think of many examples of popular fiction that can be revisited like an old friend. Always there for a memory, a laugh, or a tear. "The Talisman" manages to be all that and more. Classic tale of a boy-hero. King's kids are always great. Straub grows them up in a hurry.
What wonderful friends and fantastical enemies Jack has in this tale. You care about him, his friends, and all that happens to him in his quest. I cannot say enough about this one. I think my copy is dog eared enough! Save this one for a week long vacation. You won't need to leave your home to travel on this magical journey. Thank me later! Skip the sequel! 'tis awful!

The Talisman is a good book, but as my title suggests, I felt the ending was too easy for Jack Sawyer. My biggest problem with this book, though, was the numerous times the twelve-year-old character compares things in his mind to things no twelve-year-old on earth would know. Near the end, the boy mentally compares somebody to Xavier Cugat, which almost made me spit my drink. This happens probably a dozen times in the book.
The friendship between Jack and Wolf is by far the most satisfying part of this book, and it created a spark of interest I was needing to stay interested. I listened to this as an audio book while I was working. I doubt I would have made it all the way through the print version.

I was looking forward to reading this book for a long time and was surprised with the ties it seem to have with Dark Tower (which is probably the best books I will ever read).

There were places in the book I felt, however, that things have been drawn-out unnecessarily (such as Jack's imprisonment in the Oatley Tap and The Sunshine Home for Wayward Boys), in others where characters where used to much or too little.

I would have liked to see lots more of Wolf, not sacrificing himself to save Jack, but completing the journey with him to the end and not the tedious Richard Sloat who was all-together irritating at the best of times and not playing such a big a role as initially promised earlier in the novel.

The trigger happy teens also did not fit too well into the picture - even for a princeling's Twinner.

The ending however was truly spectacular - up until the part where the Black Hotel was defeated, the Talisman obtained and all the protagonist in the novel have been destroyed.

The rest was a bit, well too ordinary for the rest of the novel that came before it.

All in all, not a bad novel and a damned fine fairy tale at that.

This novel was.... alright. By any other standards, I would consider it above average. But we musn't forget that this is Stephen King we are considering here - one of the most prolific and (in my opinion) most entertaining authors of this century. And I truly believe that much of his work will continue as true 'literature' (what a subjective term!) throughout the ages. But this piece would certainly not quality. I don't know if the Peter Straub collaboration had anything to do with it, but nevertheless - it is somewhat cheesier than his better stuff. Merely an opinion, but it's why we write these reviews.

I've read The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub no less than ten times, and I'm sure I'll read it at least that many more times, if not more. One of my favorite novels of all time, The Talisman is the modern version of Tom Sawyer and the newer version of The Lord Of The Rings. Bold statements, I know, but I can't say enough about this book. King & Straub just clicked on this project and the results are brilliant.

12 year-old Jack Sawyer is on a quest to save his dying mother. He has to cross the country to find The Talisman and in order to do so he has to cross over into the territories (a parrallel world) to find his way through terrors unimagined.

I've loved this book since the first time I read it way back when it came out. The first book, unfortunately, makes its sequel, Black House, look like a booger in comparrison. Bummer. Enjoy the first. Truly amazing.

Dig it!

As you can see from the Rating and the Title for this review I thought this was a great book. Ok. This is a large 700 page epic that is somewhat like the Lord of The Rings but it is MUCH different than that. At first when I picked it up I was worried about if I would hate it or like it. A lot of people said to me that you might not like it because it is a fantasy story and a lot of other people did not like it.
This is not a horror story, but it is a fantasy story yet it has some horror elements because King wrote part of it. In the genre category I would say it is fantasy/horror/drama. As most epics it has some drama. What I loved about this novel is the interesting touch of Peter Straub's terrific writing, but also my favorite aspect of it is how there is cliffhanger after cliffhanger. Most would say that a 700 page epic must contain a lot talk and unneeded material. That is not true here. Talisman is just pure story after page 90 or so. Also by the final scene of this book I was so attached with the characters that I could not let them go. The ending was not really sad but it was "beautiful", so I nearly cried(It is hard to make me cry).
I will give a summary with as much detail as possible but with no spoilers. It starts off with a boy named Jack Sawyer. Jack's mom is dying from the "Black Death" or Cancer. To add to his troubles his Dad died a few years earlier, and, guess what?
Jack is only 12 years old. Poor kid. While Lily Cavanaugh(Jack's Mom), Queen of the B's is dying with Cancer in a New Hampshire Resort with her only son, Jack meets someone mysterious on the beach near an amusement park. His name is Speedy Parker. Jack eventually spills out that his mother is dying and that he obviously is very sad. Speedy one day takes Jack up to his office and tells Jack his destiny. There is a Talisman in the west on the Pacific Ocean. Jack must travel there to get the Talisman. Speedy also introduces Jack to the "Daydream-land" or The Territories. Jack's nemesis in Morgan Sloat who worked with his dad Phil Sawyer. Morgan Sloat's Twinner(your other being in the Territories) is Morgan of Orris. Morgan of O wants the queen dead and she is already sick with Cancer. The Queen happen's to be Lily Cavanaugh's Twinner in the Territories.
As Jack travels he learns more about himself and about the Territories. Jack also learns dark truths about his family and Sloat(Morgan). In a land full of monsters and encounters of Sloat Jack makes his journey.
The Prize is Essential, but the journey means even more. Let The Quest Begin.....

Best-selling authors Stephen King and Peter Straub proved themselves a dynamic duo when they collaborated and conceived "The Talisman."
Fantasy and reality collide in this whirlwind tale as "The Talisman" chronicles the journey of a young boy attempting to save his dying mother. After meeting an eccentric old man in an amusement park, Jack Sawyer becomes aware of an alien realm called the Territories. Jack must trek across America, facing the evil creatures of the Territories and of this world, to retrieve a valuable prize that can save his mother's life.
The book, while very enthralling, can crawl at points and some sequences feel as if they don't relate to the plot, which is distracting to the reader.
The two authors each have a noticeably distinct style, making it obvious when one author stops writing and the other starts. Any avid King fan can recognize his trademark style. Straub has the amazing ability to define scenes down to the finest detail.
The novel is well-devised with the effort of both authors and very pleasant to read. The vivid descriptions make the unforgettable characters come alive. Scenes become so astonishingly real that it's more like watching a movie than reading a book.
With great descriptions, interesting characters and two great authors holding the reins, "The Talisman" is a success.

Those critics who label King as a Horror writer need only to read the Talsiman to fully understand what an abhorration that label is. This novel is a terrific fantasy story set in different dimensions and realms, and is very similar to Tolkien's The Hobbit and C.S Lewis' The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story is masterfully told, and is completely encompassing. Once this book begins, you yourself will feel you are on the journey for the Talisman, treking through worlds and situations you would have never dreamed. For those who are looking for a great fantsay yarn, read this novel.

It may have sounded like a good idea to have Stephen King and Peter Straub collaborate on a horror book, but the idea doesn't pan out in reality. The book leapfrogs back and forth without rhyme or reason; we don't really get into the plot; and the really interesting character, Wolf, not the book's pedestrian protagonist Jack Sawyer, doesn't remain in the story long enough to satisfy us. The real problem with "The Talisman", though, is that the writers' styles don't mesh; they clash instead of complimenting each other and it gives the book a stilted and uncomfortable tone. King and Straub are each fine writers on their own, but this book is ample testimony to the fact that two good writers don't necessarily add up to one good book.

I have just completed the talisman and must say it was phenominal
experience.Based on Friendship, mystery and one hell of a journey.It was the first book that made me feel sad (crying sad) at a point in the book. That never happened to me over a book before I was in disbelief I was sad over a book but I was sad.
Its a definite page turner, cause I stayed all day home on Saturday to finish this book from 8:30am to the late night.
Now i'll tell you why I did this over a book.
First of the story is about a 12 yr old boy who goes on a journey across america to find the Talisman to save his mother.
But this isn't a easy journey he enconters nightmares and makes/meets friends along this long perilous journey.
There is never a repitition of the same thing; there is no Jack (the main character) going back and forth and back and forth in the same damn place.
The scenes are always changing from some half abandoned town to a youth centre (that is not normal), to the territories (another realm) where the world is pure and clean but also has nightmares worse than the regular world. The book is never steady, always fluctuating;there are no long boring stops, but their is always an event to keep your interest.
Now i'm going to just speak freely the talisman is awesome. That is an understatement by far. I loved this book. I was sad to finish it and have to read it again (must read it again).
Stephen King and Straub were excellent.The sadness, the power, the feel of celebrating when Jack succeeded in something.There are no repititons in the Book every event is once and is done gloriously. When i reached the end of the book I had almost forgot the talisman ( which was always mentioned in the book), was even there. The journey was a monumental experience and the ending was no less (in fact better). From page 1 to the end it was beautiful in every way (that was another understatement.)
I only have on problem which is just me actually I wish the book was longer so i could still be reading it now (its 735 pages).So i hope you buy this book cause it is certainly worth it.

I first read this book when i was 13 years old. Seven years later i still have not found a book i love as much as this one. I was hooked after that first flip (read and you will know what I'm talking about). After that I couldn't even force myself to put the book down. I can promise you that this book will bring back that feeling of wonder you had as a child. Everything seems so new and amazing even if it's your 30th time reading the book. I love this book and always will and I am sure you will feel the same.

This is the first in a series of LOST books that I plan to read as the final season unfolds. I have always meant to read the books mentioned on LOST so there is no time like the present. While not actually mentioned by the show or read by a character it does fit. This book focuses on a boy named Jack Sawyer who can flip between parallel worlds. Sound familiar? ;)

The Talisman is rich in detail, story and off-beat characters. In fact...are we really sure that Peter Straub co-wrote this? Because this reads like pure Dark Tower King. One thing that stood out and maybe should have been retooled was that the character of Wolf was so close to that of Tom Cullen in The Stand.

A Stephen King fan must-read. This is more than a novel. It's an epic tale. This one hits home in the same way that The Stand and the Dark Tower series does. I fell into this tale of Jack Sawyer as he journeyed between worlds in an effort to save his dying mother. I fell in, like Alice down the rabbit hole, and I just never wanted to find my way back out. If you read Stephen King and enjoyed his writing style, you'll love this one just as much. Peter Straub injects a fresh perspective and together they keep you captivated. I recommend this book to those who love King's other epic tales. Also recommended to those who enjoy a good fantasy-turned-mainstream.

At first the book is slow and incoherent. The first several chapters in this monster ~700 page book are establishing the characters and ideals. Once that is out of the way, things get interesting. And at that point you can't stop reading it until you're done, at which point you may become bored with all your newly found free time. This book is highly entertaining and is worth reading, even for those not terribly fond of King, Straub, or horror books, as this is more about fantasy than it is about horror.

I don't usually write reviews, but I just had to write one for this book, because it is INCREDIBLE! I am an avid Stephen King fan, and have also been reading Peter Straub books recently. I can honestly say no other book compares to this one.
I think the character development is key, I was so worried about Jack Sawyer, throughout the whole book, that I just couldn't put it down.
I was a little confused in the beginning, but it didn't stop me from continuing and once into the book there was just no stopping. I wish King and Straub would collaborate again and write a sequel. I also think it would make an monumental movie.
Other King books I thought were great are Insomnia, The Stand, and IT. I have read many other King books, all of them are engaging, but these are my favorites. One thing you can always count on from a King book is that it's always a great read.

When I first began this book I was a little disappointed. Up until Part 2: The Road Of Trials, the book is kinda boring. Right when Jack flips for the first time the book becomes an incredible adventure story. I loved all of the characters...Morgan Sloat/Morgan of Orris, Sunlight Gardener/Osmond, Richard Sloat, Jack Sawyer, Wolf, and everybody. The only two parts I didn't like were the whole Part 1, and Chapter 34-35. It's not that they [were bad], they were just kinda slow. I highly recommend this book.

This is a plot to flip for (read the book!)! Who else but the two masters of the dark side could team up to create such an incredibly scary, tearjerking, suspense filled dream of a book but King and Straub! One of my ALL TIME favorite reads!

This book combines childhood dreams, fantasy, mystery, a smidgen of horror and a lot of magic and suspense. You won't be able to put it down so don't start till you have plenty of free time to spend with Jack Sawyer and his band of buddies (and foes).

You'll end the book wanting more, I guarantee it. Great read, great story, great storytelling.

I got the book for my birthday when I was nine, and since then (ten years) I have read the book to tatters! The cover was lost long ago, and masking tape is the only thing keeping the book from falling apart. So, why do I love the book so much? This is strange, but here goes. When I was nine, I read this story of how a twelve year old boy travelled across the country to save his mother' life. The book empowered me. I remember thinking "Sure, if I were twelve, I could do that if I had to." Over the years (and many readings later) I finished the book for the Xth time, and realized that I was twelve. It was really kind of a strange moment for me, because I remembered what I had thought to myself three years before. I reexamined my situation, and concluded that, yes, if I had to, I could still have done what Jack did as a twelve year old. Now, looking back, I am inclined to doubt whether any twelve year old could go through what Jack did and not die or go insane. Years of becoming an adult have led me down the path of underestimating the youth of the world. But, then I remember what I thought when I first read the book, and what I thought when I was twelve, and it's like I can reconnect with what it was like to be a kid, with the ideals I had at the time. Doing so has done a great deal for me; it prevents me from passing judgement so quickly on the "naive" youth of the day, and forces me to realign my current ideals with those that I cherished in the past. In short, I guess, it's helped me hang onto my childhood. I'm not sure if the book will do all of this for you, Potential Reader, but judging by the other opinions on this page, I be t it could. By it for yourself this Christmas, or for your kid or your friend's kid. This book is just as timeless as Tom Sawyer, and so much more empowering.

Like every Stephen King's work, this book contains all your horrors, so masterly painted, that they almost go out of those pages, ready to catch your neck and take you with them to the maelstrom of darkness. But with the addition of Peter Straub, this terrifying cocktail can actually blow up your sanity.
You're very welcome to join Jack Sawyer, a 13-year-old boy in the most amazing quest: Save his mother's life. To do so, Jack must travel across America in a frenzied search, trying to locate the sole thing capable to restore her health. But Jack is not alone, all through the journey he'll find both allies and foes, whiles he realizes that his quest not only affect him and his mother, but an entire different realm, closely connected to "his" reality.
What will he do, alone and frighten, fighting against an Evil worse than his deepest fears? Where will he find both the courage and the perseverance, to stay focus in his goal without losing his mind?
Like Jack, you'll realize that even "the smallest person can change the face of the future", and the path is as important as the goal itself.

I am a big fan of Stephen King, which prompted me to pick up this book while waiting in an airport somewhere in America. I never started to read it until one week ago, on a flight to somewhere else in America. From the first page, I could not put the book down, hardly pausing to eat, sleep or go to school. This is by far, the best book I have ever read. Not just by Mr. King, either. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was a great book, but I'm afraid it pales in comparison. I won't spoil it for you by mentioning characters or towns or anything like that, it will intrigue you once you opened the page. If you're like me you will laugh a little, cry a little, scream a little, cringe a little. But every minute you spend with The Talisman and the adventure it holds will captivate you until the very end-and well beyond.

Together with It, The Stand and Weaveworld (Clive Barker) this has always been at the top of the list. I read this book over 15 years ago when it came out and since then I have read it at least eight more times. It is fantasy you can identfy with, the characters are so well drawn. I recommend it to "children of all ages", adults to, from 16 to 100 if they so wish, fantasy lovers and anyone who wants a really compelling read. I was thrilled to see the two authors have gotten together to do it again because I always wanted to know what happened when the young hero grew up. Enjoy.

Stephen King probes the depths of human imagination in this dark yet beautiful novel. He introduces the reader to the first visitings of the world in which the Dark Tower is apart of. King and Straub are excellent at sweeping the reader into the story and placing them at its very heart. The character development is wonderfully displayed and the world(S) that are described come alive before the readers very eyes. A must read for people who are fans are for people looking for an entertaining and excellent read!

I read the Talisman back in 84 when it first came out. To this day, I can still remember vividly the whole story. In fact, as silly as it might sound, the first time I read it I purposely did not read the last 50 or so pages so I could read it again and still feel the suspense of not knowing the end. No, I had never done this before. I waited maybe 2 years to treat myself again to Jack and Wolf (the main characters). needless to say I loved this book. It moved me into the story and for awhile I felt I left earth and lived in its pages. Yes, it is long but well worth every page. I don't enjoy Straub very much as a rule but this combo was a dynamic duo. I hope the upcoming sequel is just as magical.

The Talisman is an exquisitely formed masterpiece. King's down-to-earth writing style is infused with Straub's wild and incomprehensible flights of fancy. The two authors complement each other and the strenghs of both emerge in the process. The only downfall of the book is its wordiness but coming from Straub and King that is to be expected. Also for the ardent King fan, look for the Dark Tower undertones that surface throughout the book. Enjoy a masterpiece.

This would get 4 stars if I was 12yrs old again. It reads like a young adult book. It is about a boy named Jack Sawyer who sets out on a quest to save his mother and in doing, much more. In the process he must stop his evil, greedy uncle. I found Jack's mother not to be a likable character. I did have great sympathy for a boy willing to go to any lengths to save his mother, although she is far from the ideal Mom. Being and adult it was hard for me to get pulled into the story and enjoy this fantasy. So, I recommend this book for those still in their teens.

This novel supersedes anything either King or Straub has ever written, before or after. The scale matches that of Clive Barker, who I consider to be the better author, though this is undoubtedly the best novel I have ever read (well, equal only to Barker's 'Imajica'). 'The Talisman' shows the depth of the author's imagination - they manage to create a whole new world in The Territories and whilst most of Barker's novels consist of this, reading about The Territories is more enjoyable and less draining than reading Barker. The book features some of King and Straub's most memorable characters, such as Morgan Of Orris and The Elroy thing, as well as some less evil ones like Jack(the main character) and Wolf. It must be a year since I read the book(which I did in record time) but it features some vivid images which still stick in my mind. It has to be King's best ( I havn't read enough of Straub to comment on his novels, though it's hard to believe that the same man wrote 'The Hellfire Club' & 'Ghost Story' - both fine novels) but King's novels, roughly from the period from 'It' onwards, excellent as they are, prove no competition. If only Mr spielberg would get round to putting to good use the rights he bought for the film! I only fear that King or Straub will not write another book like it (or collaborate for the sequel).

I love this book. Stephen King is my favorite author, and I have read all of his books, not to mention quite a few of Peter Straub's, and this is the best of them all. It contains my favorite fictional character of all time, Jack Sawyer: the twelve year old lead who must journey across the country in an attempt to save his mother's life, and much more. He can travel in our world, and an alternate universe. In both worlds there are many dangers for a boy traveling alone, including his uncle, Morgan Sloat, who has more than a little vested in Jack's failure. He is also helped along the way by some friends, Richard and Wolf. I have always loved KING's kids, you know: strong, brave intelligent, SPECIAL, but still just kids under it all, still scared and lonely, and you can't help but be touched by them. If you feel the same, or if you like a good fantasy/adventure story, read this book. I've read it four times and it still makes me cry each time.

Short review: Horrible. I hate to slam too negatively on someone's work because I realize that a lot of effort and pieces of a person go into a novel... but I feel okay in calling this novel horrible because I think it's clear no work went into it.

Longer review with spoilers:
I spent the first 25% of this book thinking to myself that it felt like a kiddy Disney story and that the 'world building' was more reminiscent of this type of story than of an actual novel. At 25% the authors actually cop out of describing a villain by laying it out that, 'It looked like something out of a Disney movie.'

I should have given up there, but I hate to give up on a book. Reading the rest of this ridiculously stupid story was a real chore for the following reasons:

This wealthy kid needs to make his way from New England to California with the only stipulation being that he cannot fly. He then gets his mother's permission to go on this journey but instead of just having her buy a greyhound bus ticket he decides to hitch across the country while being persued by 'forces of evil.'

Ignoring that the entire book could have been skipped with something so obvious the main character then proceeds to continue to put himself into ridiculously dumb situations that suck his time away from his trip for absolutely no reason other than the story tells him to.

EVERY situation he faces has ZERO suspense because he gets out of each thing because 'supernatural forces want him to.' Including the final 'battle' scenes where he approaches each evil entity and basically 'wills' them to fall apart. It's wrapped up with a cute 'and then everyone was better, but the talisman that ALL worlds absolutely depend on not being destroyed just kind of deflates.'

At no point was any character in this book worthy of actually rooting for. I read for the characters much more than the stories and love to fall in love with my fictional little friend... not one person in this book had a redeeming quality or any depth to them that allowed for this.

I noticed after reading the book that it was apparently published many years ago and was shocked because it reeks of King's recent 'too big to fail so I don't have to try' style of writing and editing.

I've long been a huge King fan but this is the novel that closes the door for me to future books from this author. Between this and the disappointment from Under The Dome I just can't be bothered to pay premium book prices for this guy anymore.

I have been wanting to read this book since I was in the fourth grade, but didn't get around to it until now, some 20 years later. I enjoyed this book, but found the first 250 pages hard to get into. Once I got past some of the dryer material, I started to appreciate Jack's long journey towards the talisman. Upon finishing the book, and realizing just how epic the whole thing really is, I was refreshed and found it to be very heart warming. The Talisman is definately a book any fantasy fan should not go without reading. The bottom line is that this is a book about the strength of love and friendship amidst the many evils in the world.

I have an insatiable appetite for King's writing. Once again, this book is a fascinating journey into the mind of the master storyteller. It's a collaboration with Peter, but I can pick out Stephen's verses everytime. They stand out from the rest. When he tells it, everyone is amazed and enthralled. He has an uncanny ability to create natural, down - to -Earth characters, that folks can actually like and respect. It's an absolute delight to read.

Whenever a Stephen King book approaches or surpasses the 1000 page mark, the reader should beware (the exception is the uncut version of "The Stand"). What you're in for is a lot of unnecessary bloat, and "The Talismen" is no exception. King's stories are better the closer to plausible reality he keeps them and this books best parts don't take place in the mythical otherworld created by King and Straub. Part of the problem here might be that each author may have been too polite to ask the other to trim his sections of the writing. The fate of the book resembles that of many rock'n'roll supergroups; a mediocre effort not worthy of the reputation of the participants.

I read this book when it first came out, and it was the book that got me into Stephen King. Everything in this story is incredible, the characters, locations, just incredible. One of my favorite stories by him (and Straub). It's been a while since I re-read this and am currently enjoying it on my Kindle. Just as much fun as when I read it the first time.

I read "The Talisman" a couple of years ago when I was an eighth grader, and I have to say that I thought it was a very good book with an interesting plot. A couple of months ago, my college prep teacher asked my class to write a literary analysis of a book of our choice. I jumped on the opportunity to write about the book. After reading "The Talisman" for a second time to write my paper, I decided to read it again so I can just enjoy the book and not worry about writing a paper. It starts slow and seems very long, but once you start reading the book and get involved in the story it's very hard to put it down. Stephen King and Peter Straub do a good job describing the characters and their surroundings, but at some points in the book it gets a little annoying. For example, King and Straub make Jack's three day stay at a bar seem like an eternity and his one month visit to a youth correctional facility like it happened in no time at all. Other than that I feel that "The Talisman" is a great book for people of all ages and highly recommend it.

This is the first Steven King novel I have read and I plan to read many more. I couldn't stop reading. The book was not what I expected. There is a connoisseur like after taste that is liberating. What an adventure Jack Sawyer had compared to his name sake of Tom. If you liked Tom Sawyer and his adventures you will find this listen intriguing. Just like Tom Sawyer disturbed the people of his day, Steven King's Talisman makes the same impact. I love it and want more of it.

I borrowed this book from the library about 4 years ago when I was going through a particular rough period of my life and suicide was not far away from my thoughts. By the time I had finished reading the book, I had laughed and cried and experienced so much through its pages, that my problems seemed managable!!
Since then a friend of mine gave me a copy of the book for my birthday a couple of years ago and I have read it about 5 times. Each time I read it, I cried with Jack over Wolf and experienced the joy that only the Territories could give. It has never failed.
Then in Sep 2001 I was in NY on business and was stuck with no way of flying home, when I picked up The Black House. Although not as wonderful as The Talisman, it is still fantastic reading and helped me forget that I was stuck in a foreign country, not knowing when I was going home!!
I have always loved Stephen King books, although I will read just about any fiction I can lay my hands on, but this book is one of my all time favourites. Read it - I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

I've read everything Stephen King has written, and though this was part Straub, it's more King than Straub. I find myself weighing every other Stephen King book against The Talisman. If you like books about precocious youngsters who are driven to extraordinary feats, then this book is for you. As much fantasy as horror, it is not easily categorized. Read it. My teenagers loved it too ... when they were still in their teens.

The Talisman was simply great as we have come to expect from Mr. king although with the input of Mr. Straub it takes on an even deeper / more heartfelt level as you can determine very early in the read. The book MUST be followed up with Black House (also by King / Straub).

There are books you're excited you're going to finish, and there are books you can't wait to finish simply so you don't have to read it any more. Unfortunately, this is in the latter category. I don't know if it's due to it being co-authored, but this was all over the place. Long chunks of it dragged on, and I found myself reading only about twenty pages before boredom drove me to do something else. It had its good parts, mind you; they were just too few and far between to warrant giving this a higher rating.

An interesting book, but not one of King's best. I did appreciate the concept of the various dimensions and objects would often take new forms as they passed into one of them. I also liked that people generally have doppelgangers on the other side and they were not always human.

Some of the scenes held a little corniness. Example: the owner of the Oatley Tap's eyes exploding at the end of the book. A little wacky. Overall though, it was well written and enjoyable.

I've read the paperback many times since it was released. I've only recently started using kindle and came across this book again. It's like rediscovering it all over again since its been many years side I've last read it. I'm not in the habit of reading books over and over but this one is a treasure.

This is one of those books you wish was longer, because it is a true disappointment to have it end. The story is both a fantasy and a dark horror. Jack must go on a journey to save the life of his mother, he must make a journey from the east coast of the United States to California. However it is not as simple as it seems. I don't want to give away anything in this book, it's one of those books you can read over and over again and still see new things. If you are a King fan, you will not be disappointed.

This book is amazing! Traveling Jack is the typical anti hero who overcomes great tribulation and triumphs. This story is highly imaginative and it is very difficult to tell just exactly who is writing what becuase they tried to mimic each others styles when they wrote it. When you get wrapped up in this story it becomes very difficult to function until you finish it. I highly recommend this book to any lover of horror or adventure stories.

Tale of a preteen hero who can travel from this world to a medieval fantasy one where everyone has a twin. His mother's twin is a sleeping queen who can't wake up and yes her kingdom has fallen into ruin. I think this first volume is setting things up but we've yet to get to the really good stuff though there is promise here. WHEN READ: 10/22/2010; MY GRADE: B; ARTWORK: B.

A friend recommended The Talisman to me, claiming it to be a good book to read. It was well received by it's the store customers and the book had an interesting summary; so I bought it. My opinion? Nothing more than an average read.
The book stimulates the reader's imagination by relating the store of a 12 year old boy embarking on a treacherous journey through a fantasy world filled with danger. I must point out however that the book was not realistic in terms of the numerous, insurmountable circumstances that this little 12 year old boy was albe to overcome at various times on his journey. The story is gripping and suspenseful at times, but other readers may confirm (as well as myself), that the suspense was over played due to the book's extensive depictions. I often found myself wanting to skip the excessive descriptions and simply get to the consequences. Overall, I give this book a B- and I recommend it to individuals with strong imaginations and those who enjoy make believes and what ifs?

I did enjoy this book, although it did get confusing at times, and maybe reached out there at other times, not knowing where it was going when it was being written, but eventually it does all work together.
Jack is certainly amazing character and I loved his "god pounding" friend Wolf. I did enjoy the theory of "twinners" in other worlds. It is simply a book of good versus evil. With a bizarre and somewhat strange ending. For being such a "big" book it does go fairly quickly.

Not his best work, but very readable, kept me reading late at night. Not especially scary, just very 'different', very 'King'! Also one of the longer novels, took me a couple weeks to get through completely. But all in all a good read, and I recommend it!

this is stephen king's #1 book (right beside insomnia).The thing about this book is king's outstanding ability to reflect a touching (somewhat twisted,but nevertheless touching)look upon life and its deep purpose.There is a nice smooth distinct beetween the good characters and the undeniable bad characters.There is no mistake as for jack's motive to go out on the spoken mission,to get the talisman which is of-course to cure his dear mother from the bloody cancer.If you have not read this book,you can not imagine what you're missing on.To my personal opinion,the main point of the book is to show us that,no matter what role you play in each and every world in which you apear,you will always down beneath stay the same.The ending of the book is a magnificent ending in favor for all good over bad in each and every ones of those other worlds (including ours naturaly).Before I finish writing this review about the book I would just like to thank the incredible stephen king (richard bachman)for sharing this incredible text.So THANKS ALOT!!!!!!!

After being poked and prodded by so many friends (and strangers alike) to read this (in their words) "classic", i finally relented (meaning it made its way up to #1 on my list of 'books to do') and picked it up. Well? My book report for the Talisman could be summed up by saying one word: "WOW." I was (and am) blown away by all that it is... So many different allusions come to mind... Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are there... i'm reminded of Narnia and am thinking back over my childhood... the Ents (among other things) of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings come alive once again in the forest... and this doesn't even hint at King's OWN references!!! Obvious is the hint at The Gunslinger's world, though it should be pointed out that i'm reading Wizard & Glass now as well, and have decided to put it down because i'm more intruiged with The Talisman (which is saying A LOT: i'm a HUGE Gunslinger fan!!!). I'm reminded of The Stand, The Shining, and so many others... "So what?", you say "but was it entertaining?" Read for yourself and become a wide-eyed child again...

Based on other reviews and people I've talked to, I must be one of the few who didn't really enjoy this book. As others have said it does start out kind of slow, then some seemed to find it picked up after Jack got into the territories, which I did, but then I found it kind of did a yo-yo between interesting and boring. I sat there going "Finally! Now it gets good!" And for awhile it did, but some parts are rather pointless (the Oakley Tap was pretty lame for example). Usually Stephen King makes interesting, complex characters which Jack started out to be--and maybe it was Peter Straub's influence--but he started to seem not so real for me. The action was too slow for my taste and all in all I just didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. I'm sure others disagree with me, sorry, but that's my two cents. Two stars for good description and because I didn't actually have to pay for the book, someone gave it to me when we were camping one time;)

I wallowed in this one -- it's got everything: a boy on a quest to save his mother and another world, a mystery, really BAD bad guys, well drawn characters (courtesy of Straub) and an exciting plot and menacing mood (thanks to Steven King). Sometimes King can be troubled by dealing with such enormous concepts as good and evil in other than cartoonish form, which sometimes leads to unsatisfactory plot resolutions. I think his collaboration with Straub here makes for a breathless ride. If you liked Straub's "Ghost Story", King's "Bag of Bones," Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, you'll love this -- if you hated any of these, don't bother with the "Talisman."

I came across this book as I was looking for a good book for my English class, but all of the books that I had found were slow starting. I have nothing against these kinds of books but I am more into a book that catches my eye (this book really caught my eye). I really like this book and I think you would too. This book really twists and turns along the way (if you know what I mean). It's about a young child who is dragged across the world by his mother who seems to be running from something. As they settle down in a small town he hears news that his uncle has passed away. He begins to dream horrible things about his mother, as well as seeing horrifying things in broad daylight. He finds a friend in the town they moved to and he finally starts to feel like a human again. He eventually finds an item that takes him were he has never been before. Sorry, the rest is for you to read. This is one of the only books that I have been able to sit down and read without knowing how much time has passed by. One time I even forgot what day of the week it was. I was even so interested in this book I have begun to look into all of these authors' books.

Jack, a young boy, has to travel across America and its parralel world "The Territories" to save his mother and the queen of the Territories from dying. He meets many bizzare creatures through out his journey in search of the Talisman. I believe this is a one of a kind novel and Peter Straub and Stephan King work wonderfully together. It will keep you in suspense. Its bone chilling!

I've always read Stephen King, but when I read The Talisman it stood out wonderfully. I've read this book 3 times and my hands sweat everytime. This book turned me on to Peter Straub too. If you want to try a new writer, try reading Mystery by Peter Straub. It has quickly jumped to the top of my list of books. Kudos to King and Straub for the masterpiece they call the "The Talisman"

I'm not really sure how to react to this book. If you're looking for classic King, move on. This isn't it. Right away, you can tell it's co-written. It's neither horror nor psych-thriller, like most of the rest of his work. At first, it struck me as a nerdy adventure story like my 8th grade lab partner would have liked. The story meanders here and there, mostly tedious, sometimes exciting in a really dangerous sort of way. The strange thing is, I didn't really like the story much, but I couldn't put it down. About 150 or 200 pages in, the main character, Jack, gets a travellin' buddy, and the story becomes a bizarre "Of Mice And Men" parody. The new character is amazingly endearing. Maybe that's what kept me going. Much like the book, my review isn't really going anywhere. There's just not a lot to say about "The Talisman." If you're looking for a story about a kid on a survival adventure all alone, go for "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon," instead.

Stephen King and Peter Straub are commended as being two of the world's best-selling authors, and have done nothing to retract from this statemtent with The Talisman. Being an avid King fan and purchasing Black House, I thought it prudent to read the first outing of King/Straub and was not disappointed. The amalgamation of the two writing styles creates worlds in which the reader cannot help but be totally immersed. Creativity is used to its fullest potential to bring about this collision of worlds and in the creation of Jack Sawyer and those about him. Having read to first two instalments of The Dark Tower Series, I feel as though I am discovering a whole new world of King previously unchartered and The Talisman seems to be at the forefront of those undiscovered planes, so well constructed as to be a worthy opponent of even Middle Earth. So, much so, that I can scarcely wait until the journey begins again in the Black House.

"The Talisman" is a good tale but it could have been better if some portions were trimmed back. I should imagine that further editing would have resulted in a 50 page tightening and a much better story. Further it seemed too convenient for Jack to 'flip' to an alternate 'territory' whenever he got into a tight spot. After a number of these timely 'flips' I felt as though King was copping out rather than devising a more 'real' escape. Wolfie was cool! Wolf!!

Ever since I was twelve years old I have been a Stephen King fan. The first novel I ever read by "the master" was a novel he wrote in conjunction with another writer ny the name of Peter Straub. The Talisman hooked me from page one, I identified with the character of Jack Sawyer unlike any other character in the history of mainstream fiction. This novel, from it's fascinating beginning to it's terrifying conclusion, is everything any horror or fantasy or just fiction fan could want. Jack's strange and terrible journey across the Territories and 1980's America makes for wonderful storytelling. King and Straub(arguably the greatest writer in horror fiction) blend seamlessly together in a wonderfully hopeful and awe-inspiring tale. If you enjoy top-notch storytelling and believable characters (from Wolf to Sunlight Gardener) then this book is everything you could hope for.

I remember picking up this book one day during my lunch break at the shopping mall and reminding myself to buy it after work. It was the best thing i ever did. This book is the most thought provoking, richly layered, energetic and emotional journey that one could possible imagine taking. It has all the elements of an amazing book and Stephen King and Peter Straub did an amazing job of bringing a wonderful and emotional story onto 700 or so pages. The characters are interesting and worth caring about, Jack and Wolf in particular, the scenarios are exciting such as when Jack finally returns back to the hotel with the talisman. This is the most incredible book one can ever expect to read and is on the same grand scale as one of King's other works "IT." I laughed, wondered and cried when I read this book and it is the only book to have ever achieved what it set out to achieve and that is to move the person. It moved me and no book since this one has ever done the same. Possibly one of the most important and greatest fiction novels to ever grace our presence and one I am sure that King and Straub will regard at the end of the careers as one of their best. Do yourself a favour, get a copy and become lost in this wonderful world for a few days. Simply, a gem.

In some ways both authors created a supernatural version of the great American novel. Every author tries this in every single generation and most fail. Stephen King and Peter Straub actually succeeded it is a novel filled with the magic, wonder, and hope that only comes from being a child. While reading it you feel like one again and even if it's only for a moment that right there is worth it...right here and now.

This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. Jack Sawyer, in order to save his dying mother, is sent on a quest for the mysterious Talisman. On the way, he "trips" through a parallel world called the Territories where he falls into one adventure after another with elements of fear, terror, suspense, and humor, along with many poignant, heartfelt moments that brought tears to my eyes. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoyed The Stand and/or the Dark Tower series because of a few similar elements involved.

The second time I read this book it was much much better (the first time I was quite young). Jack is one of the strongest characters S.K. has developed. However, you seem to be able to tell where Stephens influences were and where they were not. The wolf storyline could have been scaled back somewhat and the Sunshine School and Oatley Tap could have stood some cutting down as well. After all, we were on a journey across the country. Over-all, I rate this book a three (the second time around) because it gives us a character we really care about and is definitely an interesting part of THE GUNSLINGER.

I read this book when I was about 13 years old. I remember being bored through the first bit and then becoming more and more involved as the story picked up. As it happens I just finished re-reading it and it's still a really good book. My perspective has changed a bit now though.

For a book that has been reviewed by 337 people before me, it's probably not exactly vital to do a plot summary but I'll do one in 50 words or less. A kid named Jack Sawyer has a mother who is dying of cancer. He learns of a parallel world that he can travel back and forth to and which contains a magical artifact which has the power to heal her. That artifact is the eponymous Talisman. The catch is that Jack is in New England somewhere and the Talisman is in California. So an epic quest begins! Will he overcome the forces of evel? Will he find the Talisman?? Will he save his dying mother???

Well of course he will! Like all good quest tales it's not the destination that counts as much as the journey. And what a journey it is! Jack will travel the length of the United States and face violent fops, evil werewolves, malls, radioactive wastelands, fireballs, snipers and worst of all.. the most frightening of all... Televangelists.

The esthetic of the Quest epic usually involves a party of companions that travel with the hero and guide him and help him along. This book is actually different from them in that Jack usually is either alone or only has one companion at a time. This means that there is a lot of time spent inside Jack's head as he works things out.

One of the reasons I liked this book as a teenager was that the stories, either in printed or visual form, never seemed..hrm.. I don't know.. (You know.. this is print.. I didn't have to let you know I was searching for words here, I could have just edited this out once I thought of the right ones.. but oh well) The actions of evildoers never seemed to be handled appropriately, the writers always seemed to wuss out. I'll give a for instance: I was 13 at the time I read this book as I mentioned. At the time G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe and The Transformers were in vogue (Robotech hadn't hit TV yet) and the villains on these shows, being recurring characters, never really suffered any realistic consequences, I mean if Cobra Commander was a real guy they would have put a bullet in his brainpan the first time they captured him. But they put him in jail instead - because an organization that can blow up cities and control the weather and such is probably incapable of breaking their leader out of Jail. Star Trek was popular in our family but it seemed that all those guys did was talk everything to death. EVEN Star Wars, the bastion of fanboy Fantasy violence was getting to a point where Luke and Vader were all lovey dovey. I didn't want to see Darth Vader redeemed (I mean I did.. and I liked that he was but come on) I wanted to see Luke slice that dude into 9 pieces Ice Pirates style.

I am making a point here (all evidence to the contrary) in that this book was so awesome to me at that particular moment because it was the first story I had heard where evil is punished (well thee was Lord of the Rings. but dropping a ring into a volcano didn't exactly strike me as evil being punished :)). There have been many stories since where I get that similar sense of closure (Robotech hit the air six months or so after I finished the Talisman and changed my outlook forever. Everyone got a slice in that show, good guys and bad) but this was the first.

That may have seemed like a very long digression there, but to me it was very important. It is especially important now that I see the Talisman as a small part of Stephen King's larger universe. That universe has The Dark Tower as it's axis and the Dark tower is the biggest let down in literary history in my not so humble opinion.

I should also say here that, as an adult rereading this book, I discovered that hidden away towards the end of this novel is the best description of a mystical experience I have ever read in fiction. Most people say that a mystical experience is impossible to describe (and it is) but I think he came the closest you can come while being hampered by the chains of the written word.

Finally, Peter Straub is credited as co-writer of this particular Stephen King book, but I think he must have just been the editor or something, maybe he wrote the table of contents. After reading this book I sought out a Peter Straub book and read it. It was hard to find and knew why long about page 20. This guy is bad.. very bad.. he's axiomatically bad. He makes C.J. Cherryh look like Chaucer. Yes that BAD! So I can't understand how this book got his name on it. IF you have read Straub and hated him, don't shy away from this book because King is the main voice here.

Wow! I went through a Stephen King phase in my early 20's. It started when I bought a load of his paperbacks at a local yard sale {they always seem to frequent yard sales don't they}. I peckered through 'The Dead Zone', 'Carrie' {they're all going to laugh at you!} and 'Skeleton Crew' but, yep, you guessed it...'The Talisman' was in a league of it's own! The beginning, albeit slow, warms you up to the characters. It perfectly describes the mediocre atmosphere of Jacks surroundings..this is where I got a bit impatient but then the whole book takes a 360 and you just can't put the book down! What a ride! I feel like reading it again.....I think I'll go to another yard sale this saturday, it's bound to show up.

I picked this book up several years ago and read the first two chapters right there in the bookstore. Since then I have read this story four times. The Talisman is without a doubt one of the most unnapreciated works ever published. It's real strength is in its marvelous characterization and outstanding storyline. It is a microcosm of King's own Dark Tower series as both the gunslinger and Jack Sawyer are heroes with a dark past who rise to an impossible challenge with a very personal stake in their quest.
Captivating and touching, The Talisman is a good read for any experienced reader--it's very appealing to me to be to read through this book and clearly see the writing styles of both authors peeking through.
The sequel Black House is due out in September so get on it quick so that you've got some time to really absorb the storyline and move right on into the sequel. This book will make you actually care for the characters and is a must read for anyone who wants an excellent Road of Trials--type story.

Any book that contains a character named Speedy Parker is just going to be good. And with Stephen King at the wheel it is great. You've read all the other reviews so I have nothing else to say....so now go read the book. And then read Black House, the sequel. Now get to it!

i love stephen king, and i've read only one peter straub novel (which i couldn't even finish!), so i embarked on this journey with an open (if skeptical) mind. i was slightly disappointed. you can tell where one left off and the other began, and this, to me, is the mark of a somewhat mediocre book.
it's not king's best book by a long shot (if you want something really good, i recommend "the stand", "misery" and "the green mile"), and i have nothing to compare straub to, so i won't.
i'm looking forward to reading the sequel, "black house", despite the fact that i was less than impressed with this novel.

If you want a book to wrap around you and stick with you no matter what you are doing, this is the book. The first 4 or 5 chapters were hard to get into , but if you stick with it , you will be well rewarded. There are more twists and turns and fantastic imagery than any book i ever read. I have no idea why they have not made this a movie epic yet. It would be a fantastic visual production ! Pick this one up and hang on tight for the ride of your life!

I have read this book so many times that I could probably recite it. The first time I read this book, I immediately began it again; I could not bear to let it end. There is no feeling more wonderful than finishing a book with tears streaming from your eyes and a smile on your face. Stephen King and Peter Straub created a masterpiece. I love, love, love this book.

Written for teenagers. I thought this would be great because of the authors but it was just boring. Plot was loose, went anywhere, jumped around. Silly characters at a childs level. Ending was predictable. I can no longer believe the store reviews after this total fiasco.

I first picked this book up because of the hype from the release of "The Black House". While reading this story, it reminded me much of "The Stand" because of the long journey and the quest across the country.
I found it also to be a great fantasy story about a boy who overcomes his fears. It is a great story of a quest, much like that of Ulysees.

But aren't all King books a must read?
One critical review said it was too long. Oh good grief. Attention problems? Who on earth complains about a King book being too long?? There's nothing worse than the feeling when you've finished a King book are realize your done. Black House the sequel was OK, I just wished it had followed more along this story line of the Talisman and the alternate world. What a cool concept King came up with. What an amazing mind.

I was sick in bed when a friend of me brought me this book. As I wasn't feeling very well I didn't feel like reading; until I started. Never a book kept my attention like this one; I could hardly sleep until the book was over. I am a great fan of fantasy books but this is my favorite one(with a big difference). FANTASTIC!
A Spanish Student in Dublin

Next to The Stand, this is the best book by King (and Straub, let's not forget him!) Absolutely amazing. Don't take my word for it...go read it. It never loses your attention (which is something many books tend to do at one point or another.) I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, Black House. Written almost 20 years later, I hope it does the original justice.

This book was always a favorite of mine. I recently reread it, and I realized all over again why I loved it. It is a truly great epic, a coming of age story about a young boy who faces his fears of the unknown and his mother's death. Jack Sawyer is an inspiration, with his adult and childlike views of the world, friends, family, and sense of duty.