The Talisman

Customer Reviews

• Simply Brilliant  Dec 20, 1999 (30 of 33 found this helpful)

  J.R.R. Tolkien once said, "Write of Earth, but not Earth," That is exactly what King has created for the reader. I originally wasn't going to write a review, but after reading many of the others i felt that i should at least give my opinion even if it isn't heeded. To begin with, Jack Sawyer begins on his quest to save his mother's life. I have read the book twice, fearing Morgan Sloat, hating Osmond, crying for Wolf, and losing control of the hinge in my jaw for Jack's final victory with the Talisman. And both times, it has been one of the best books I have ever read. Some say King focuses too much on detail, but it is that detail that makes him great, that makes every action of every character sing with joy and cringe in agony. Some have also said that the ending was "obvious" and "lavish". My response to that would be that all stories that portray good and evil and human nature caught between the two have obvious endings. Good always wins, and if you are waiting for evil to triumph in one of King's novels then maybe you had better find another author to read. The book, in fact, is a bit lengthy, but with the imagery and breadth of emotion and toil, it suits its purpose just fine for me. Grade: A+

• One Of The Greatest Novels Ever  Aug 2, 2005 (40 of 46 found this helpful)

  A little while ago I did a writeup for Clive Barker's "Weaveworld" and said it may be the best blend of the horror novel and the fantasy novel ever. While I stand by that 'may be' it occurs to me now that I should have also mentioned "The Talisman" as a voraciously strong contender for that title.
  
  It's about a lot of things, including the existance of paralell realities overlaying one another and what happens in one of them also affecting what happens in the other (or others?) but perhaps the best way to describe the slice in space and time in this stunningly realized Universe (Multiverse?) we're taken to in "The Talisman" is to say that it's about a young boy named Jack who's mother is dying, and to save her he has to go on a journey to obtain a mystical artifact (the title 'Talisman'), and his mother's counterpart is also dying. And she's the Queen of one of Earth's parralell selves. This may sound like the basis for a 'Y.A.' novel a la "Harry Potter" or "Abarat" but it's not, this novel is graphic and brutal through much of its run. It also contains some of the very best of the worlds of charm and whimsey and wonder at other times. Jack is possessed of the ability to 'flip' from one world to the other, and the novel spends time in each. Items from one world, as well as people, have their counterparts in the other world as well, but in different forms. What is a house in one world could well be a hut or a castle or a tent in another. Magic is far stronger on the 'other' world, technology more prevelant in 'ours', but each exist in both. One of the characters encountered by Jack during his time in the other world (aka The Territories) is Wolf, a member of a race of non-evil werewolves, and this is one of the most instantly engaging and lovable characters the world of storytelling has ever brought to us.
  
  Sometimes, in between the time when I first read a book and the time I may eventually re-read it again years later, I like to refamilirize myself with old favorites as I rearrange them on their shelves, flipping through the pages here and there, occasionally reading a couple of paragraphs, and bringing the memories coming back. This is a book that it's hard to do just that with, because perusing just a few lines can compel you to go on for pages and pages. It reminds me of when I was first getting into novels bigtime, and this book defined 'Impossible To Put Down', keeping me going for hours past midnight, by far the longest I'd ever read in one sitting at that point. For several chapters straight the suspense was just so unbelievable it was unthinkable to stop, all leading up to a climax (in the middle of the book; this tale has not one but several climaxes) that still stands as one of the most earthshaking in history.
  
  Complete in itself but tying into other tales (and directly sequelized in the equally awesome "Black House"), this is just incredible, one of the very best for either author certainly. As a gratuitous plug, I'd also just like to say this: probably many times more readers came to this book through their familiarity with Stephen King than Peter Straub (I was one of them). If you've read lots of King but your only Straubs are these colloborations deny yourself no longer: his best solo books are every bit as good as King's best solos, and the very best stand of either stand up with "Talisman" and "Black House".

• Good collaboration  Oct 25, 2001 (12 of 12 found this helpful)

  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.

• Greatest book ever.  Aug 9, 2003 (9 of 9 found this helpful)

  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.

• The Talisman  Jul 31, 2001 (9 of 9 found this helpful)

  It was with great excitement that I discovered that Stephen King and Peter Straub had teemed-up to write this book. The story and characters are absorbing and as you, and the main charater learn more of the story, it builds to the typical crescendo ending that is the hallmark of both authors. The good guys are good, and the bad guys are positievly evil. An odessey that no normal person would want to be caught up in, but that we love to experience vicariously.

  It is King and Straub at their unpredictable best. Thank God there is a sequal. I can hardly wait!