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The Talisman #1
The Talisman
Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, is about to begin a most fantastic journey, an exalting, terrifying quest for the mystical Talisman—the only thing that can save Jack’s dying mother. But to reach his goal, Jack must make his way not only across the breadth of the United States but also through the wondrous and menacing parallel world of the Territories.
In the Territories, Jack finds another realm, where the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away—and a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continuing struggle between good and evil. Here Jack discovers “Twinners,” reflections of the people he knows on earth—most notably Queen Laura DeLoessian, the Twinner of Jack’s own imperiled mother. As Jack “flips” between worlds, making his way westward toward the redemptive Talisman, a sequence of heart-stopping encounters challenges him at every step.
In the Territories, Jack finds another realm, where the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away—and a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continuing struggle between good and evil. Here Jack discovers “Twinners,” reflections of the people he knows on earth—most notably Queen Laura DeLoessian, the Twinner of Jack’s own imperiled mother. As Jack “flips” between worlds, making his way westward toward the redemptive Talisman, a sequence of heart-stopping encounters challenges him at every step.
784 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 1984
About the author
Stephen King
2,143 books899k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,461 reviews
November 28, 2007
My favorite book of all time! To me, it is just the perfect epic hero's journey story. I love that it takes place in the early 80s; I love the grittiness and ugliness of what happens to Jack as he travels back and forth between this world and The Territories, and I LOVE the character of Wolf.
The first few chapters are a little slow and not very exciting, but they are important and hold crucial story points that will come into play later, so to anyone reading this for the first time, I recommend sticking it out and reading on...because it quickly turns to great once the story gets going! I could not put it down the first time I read it, which was in 6th grade.
This is the only book, besides Catcher in the Rye, that I can pick up and just read a few chapters here and there when I feel like it. I don't need to read the whole book front to back anymore, but I do love just getting that taste every so often.
I know I am paid to be a writer for my day job, but here's the thing: It's hard for me to write reviews, since I don't always know how to describe what makes a book "good" in a way that is eloquent and persuasive. Despite that, I do just want to make it known that this is, indeed, a VERY GOOD book. Read it. I'm open to discussing it with anyone.
The first few chapters are a little slow and not very exciting, but they are important and hold crucial story points that will come into play later, so to anyone reading this for the first time, I recommend sticking it out and reading on...because it quickly turns to great once the story gets going! I could not put it down the first time I read it, which was in 6th grade.
This is the only book, besides Catcher in the Rye, that I can pick up and just read a few chapters here and there when I feel like it. I don't need to read the whole book front to back anymore, but I do love just getting that taste every so often.
I know I am paid to be a writer for my day job, but here's the thing: It's hard for me to write reviews, since I don't always know how to describe what makes a book "good" in a way that is eloquent and persuasive. Despite that, I do just want to make it known that this is, indeed, a VERY GOOD book. Read it. I'm open to discussing it with anyone.
February 25, 2019
Weird book.
The great thing about us residents of the country of READING is that we are a diverse, eclectic bunch. We like and dislike all sorts of different books and for different reasons. Sometimes a few of us will like a book or writer, but for completely different motivations and coming from different perspectives altogether.
“It had great action”
“There was wonderful characterization and dialogue”
“It was a clever allegory and well written.”
Etc. etc.
And so we come to Stephen King’s 1984 collaboration with Peter Straub, The Talisman. Published a couple of years after King began the The Dark Tower series with The Gunslinger, readers will be drawn to King’s unique style of fantasy – contemporary without too much gothic and / or mythical elements. There are horrific undertones but almost absurdist in its originality.
Like The Dark Tower books, and Insomnia and It, and 11/22/63 and several others of his works, this is about a multiverse where different worlds are connected together by a thin membrane of a boundary, easily crossed.
This is about a child and a journey and inspiration was taken from Mark Twain, this is a great American fantasy that may still hold attraction to any of King’s or Straub’s fans around this world. There were villains and monsters and magic and heroes.
Our protagonist, Jack Sawyer, goes on a long quest to find the talisman and save his mother. Along the way he finds friends and makes enemies and struggles and cries and almost dies and comes through to confront the bad guys and do what must be done.
This was WAY WAY too damn long.
I know that is a ubiquitous complaint of mine, and maybe its true I have a truncated attention span but King and Straub took a long time to get to where they were going. I did end up liking it, but almost put it down and by the end was more than ready for this to wrap up. A hundred pages less, hell even cutting it in half, would have made it more enjoyable.
I can see where other citizens of our country of READING will like this a lot more than I did, even notice some reviewers who list this among their favorites. And while I did ultimately at least become interested and like it and finish it, this was not one my favorites of his many great books.
The great thing about us residents of the country of READING is that we are a diverse, eclectic bunch. We like and dislike all sorts of different books and for different reasons. Sometimes a few of us will like a book or writer, but for completely different motivations and coming from different perspectives altogether.
“It had great action”
“There was wonderful characterization and dialogue”
“It was a clever allegory and well written.”
Etc. etc.
And so we come to Stephen King’s 1984 collaboration with Peter Straub, The Talisman. Published a couple of years after King began the The Dark Tower series with The Gunslinger, readers will be drawn to King’s unique style of fantasy – contemporary without too much gothic and / or mythical elements. There are horrific undertones but almost absurdist in its originality.
Like The Dark Tower books, and Insomnia and It, and 11/22/63 and several others of his works, this is about a multiverse where different worlds are connected together by a thin membrane of a boundary, easily crossed.
This is about a child and a journey and inspiration was taken from Mark Twain, this is a great American fantasy that may still hold attraction to any of King’s or Straub’s fans around this world. There were villains and monsters and magic and heroes.
Our protagonist, Jack Sawyer, goes on a long quest to find the talisman and save his mother. Along the way he finds friends and makes enemies and struggles and cries and almost dies and comes through to confront the bad guys and do what must be done.
This was WAY WAY too damn long.
I know that is a ubiquitous complaint of mine, and maybe its true I have a truncated attention span but King and Straub took a long time to get to where they were going. I did end up liking it, but almost put it down and by the end was more than ready for this to wrap up. A hundred pages less, hell even cutting it in half, would have made it more enjoyable.
I can see where other citizens of our country of READING will like this a lot more than I did, even notice some reviewers who list this among their favorites. And while I did ultimately at least become interested and like it and finish it, this was not one my favorites of his many great books.
July 12, 2020
I wish King would have more often cooperated with other authors, this one is in some parts so different than his general work and I would really like to know who wrote which parts and how it must generally be to have the honor of working together with the King. You lucky person, Mr. Straub, you lucky person.
King writes far too few dark high fantasy with worldbuilding and in this one, we see the potential of the , something just seen in his Dark tower, duh, as it has elements of it in it, series in such a quality. I don´t know why King avoids the meta, big picture, series style, maybe it´s because he is so into the characters writing the story, maybe he wants to avoid the time intensive and complicated creation of own worlds, maybe dark forces tell him not to show too much of the abysses they allowed him to glimpse down, who knows.
It´s just that some of his best paranormal novels are not just about the normal horror, but about parallel societies or powers that make them more complex than the majority of the novels just dealing with death, horror, and torture elements. An extra icing on the cake of insanity, an additional delicious rotten layer in the pie of pain, just something everyone is eagerly looking forward to.
I honestly don´t know if Straub is one of the underrated or just average authors, I have one or two of his book lying around in one of my unorganized, out of control TBR piles, not sure if it´s just his famous friend King and the horror empty era he wrote his novels that made him big or if he is a jewel to be found. I couldn´t get going with Ghost story and may possibly give it a second try, maybe if I am on the horror wave flow again, whenever this may be.
A problem of the genre in general might be that, if there isn´t a completely new, fresh idea or great talent and hard work combined, there are just the same few, overused, stereotypical plots that have to be used to create suspense, which makes it pretty predictable.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
King writes far too few dark high fantasy with worldbuilding and in this one, we see the potential of the , something just seen in his Dark tower, duh, as it has elements of it in it, series in such a quality. I don´t know why King avoids the meta, big picture, series style, maybe it´s because he is so into the characters writing the story, maybe he wants to avoid the time intensive and complicated creation of own worlds, maybe dark forces tell him not to show too much of the abysses they allowed him to glimpse down, who knows.
It´s just that some of his best paranormal novels are not just about the normal horror, but about parallel societies or powers that make them more complex than the majority of the novels just dealing with death, horror, and torture elements. An extra icing on the cake of insanity, an additional delicious rotten layer in the pie of pain, just something everyone is eagerly looking forward to.
I honestly don´t know if Straub is one of the underrated or just average authors, I have one or two of his book lying around in one of my unorganized, out of control TBR piles, not sure if it´s just his famous friend King and the horror empty era he wrote his novels that made him big or if he is a jewel to be found. I couldn´t get going with Ghost story and may possibly give it a second try, maybe if I am on the horror wave flow again, whenever this may be.
A problem of the genre in general might be that, if there isn´t a completely new, fresh idea or great talent and hard work combined, there are just the same few, overused, stereotypical plots that have to be used to create suspense, which makes it pretty predictable.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
November 11, 2024
“The Talisman” by Stephen King and Peter Straub is another one of the pre-reading books I couldn't wait to read in preparation for my journey to The Dark Tower. It’s been a goal of mine in 2024, and I’m well on my way.
Before I begin my review, if any fellow Constant Readers want to read The Dark Tower series the way I am, here’s the list below if you wish to have the full experience to enjoy it. Remember, this is with all the pre-reading material and the specific way to enjoy this series for maximum awesomeness based on a plethora of feedback from other Constant Readers, librarians, and those that have conquered The Dark Tower…
The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
I also found just two trigger warnings in The Talisman, which were…
- Cancer
- Drugs
If these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, “The Talisman” was an incredible read with great characters that hooked me immediately. Considering what happened initially, I loved Jack Sawyer and his overall story the most. It was great to read his progression as a character; his journey is fantastic.
This was more of a dark fantasy than an actual horror novel. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this novel, but it was more of a backstory of these parallel universes, the Territories, than anything that terrified me. It’s a slow-burn novel, but it’s worth it if you stick to it. The world-building was incredible, especially since it paints a better picture of what awaits when I eventually get to The Dark Tower.
Funny enough, this novel reminded me of King’s “Fairy Tale” I loved back in 2022, and “The Talisman” gave me similar vibes with these different realms and dimensions. I won’t spoil anything for you, but this novel, alongside all the other pre-reading material I'm getting through, helped explain this whole Dark Tower multiverse, even though it sometimes got confusing. It eventually made sense once I got to the final 30%.
Later in the story, I loved the character of Wolf. Wow, he's one of my all-time favorite characters I’ve ever read! Between him and all the obstacles Jack faced, this was a lot of fun to read. I’ve always enjoyed the whole good vs. evil style of writing, and King/Straub nailed it here. “The Talisman” felt like an 80s fantasy movie while reading, and I loved it since it brought me back to my youth. Jack’s progression in this story to do whatever he needed to save his mother was inspiring when things started to unravel, and I wasn't even sure what would ultimately transpire.
The horror parts that hit were good, even though I wanted more, but the thrills and pacing picked up big time in the final moments of this novel. Some parts dragged on, but it’s still a killer story, especially the ending. I loved how everything wrapped up, leaving me with a huge smile because that was one hell of a ride.
I give “The Talisman” by Stephen King and Peter Straub a 5/5 for being an incredible dark fantasy story with memorable characters, lots of thrills, decent amounts of horror, and a satisfying ending. This was also the first book I’ve ever read by Straub, and I can quickly tell he was an amazing author. I hope he’s resting in peace as I plan to read more of his work in the future, especially “Ghost Story,” since I hear it’s one of his best and most popular novels.
With all that being said, I’m now just one book away from finally going to The Dark Tower as I already read "The Little Sisters of Eluria." Now, if you’ll excuse me since I finally found this famous Talisman, I'm excited to visit a Black House next.
Before I begin my review, if any fellow Constant Readers want to read The Dark Tower series the way I am, here’s the list below if you wish to have the full experience to enjoy it. Remember, this is with all the pre-reading material and the specific way to enjoy this series for maximum awesomeness based on a plethora of feedback from other Constant Readers, librarians, and those that have conquered The Dark Tower…
The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
I also found just two trigger warnings in The Talisman, which were…
- Cancer
- Drugs
If these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, “The Talisman” was an incredible read with great characters that hooked me immediately. Considering what happened initially, I loved Jack Sawyer and his overall story the most. It was great to read his progression as a character; his journey is fantastic.
This was more of a dark fantasy than an actual horror novel. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this novel, but it was more of a backstory of these parallel universes, the Territories, than anything that terrified me. It’s a slow-burn novel, but it’s worth it if you stick to it. The world-building was incredible, especially since it paints a better picture of what awaits when I eventually get to The Dark Tower.
Funny enough, this novel reminded me of King’s “Fairy Tale” I loved back in 2022, and “The Talisman” gave me similar vibes with these different realms and dimensions. I won’t spoil anything for you, but this novel, alongside all the other pre-reading material I'm getting through, helped explain this whole Dark Tower multiverse, even though it sometimes got confusing. It eventually made sense once I got to the final 30%.
Later in the story, I loved the character of Wolf. Wow, he's one of my all-time favorite characters I’ve ever read! Between him and all the obstacles Jack faced, this was a lot of fun to read. I’ve always enjoyed the whole good vs. evil style of writing, and King/Straub nailed it here. “The Talisman” felt like an 80s fantasy movie while reading, and I loved it since it brought me back to my youth. Jack’s progression in this story to do whatever he needed to save his mother was inspiring when things started to unravel, and I wasn't even sure what would ultimately transpire.
The horror parts that hit were good, even though I wanted more, but the thrills and pacing picked up big time in the final moments of this novel. Some parts dragged on, but it’s still a killer story, especially the ending. I loved how everything wrapped up, leaving me with a huge smile because that was one hell of a ride.
I give “The Talisman” by Stephen King and Peter Straub a 5/5 for being an incredible dark fantasy story with memorable characters, lots of thrills, decent amounts of horror, and a satisfying ending. This was also the first book I’ve ever read by Straub, and I can quickly tell he was an amazing author. I hope he’s resting in peace as I plan to read more of his work in the future, especially “Ghost Story,” since I hear it’s one of his best and most popular novels.
With all that being said, I’m now just one book away from finally going to The Dark Tower as I already read "The Little Sisters of Eluria." Now, if you’ll excuse me since I finally found this famous Talisman, I'm excited to visit a Black House next.
September 2, 2020
4.5 to 5 stars
The Talisman is quite epic and not necessarily for the casual King fan. If you happen to try and make this your first King book ever, you may not want to try anymore - and you might not even make it through this one. But, if you have read several of his "shorter" books, dabbled in some of his bigger offerings (The Stand, IT, etc.), and maybe even taken in a Dark Tower book or two, I think you will be ready to graduate to The Talisman.
It doesn't quite feel like a King book. That makes perfect sense because of his collaboration with Straub, but I can't say I can put my finger on what feels not-King. I can only say that I can tell it is not all King. It has many elements you find in King's writings - horrifying monsters, children doing battle with the supernatural, etc. But, if you said to me I had to pick out which parts were King and which were Straub, I couldn't do it.
I see some people mention the slow start in their reviews. This is very true and it is why I think you should not start with this one. If you are already gung ho on King I know you will have patience with how slow this book starts because you will be willing to bear the anticipation of getting to the meaty parts - and it does get quite meaty!
After it starts to roll, it is a coaster ride of fantasy, horror, supernatural, post-apocalyptic mayhem with a series of episodic adventures across America and multiple planes of existence. Along the way you will meet many characters that will stick with you for a long time, including one that might be the most endearing of any character in any King book.
So, if you are far along in your King readings and haven't tried this one yet, I deem you ready to begin your pursuit of The Talisman!
The Talisman is quite epic and not necessarily for the casual King fan. If you happen to try and make this your first King book ever, you may not want to try anymore - and you might not even make it through this one. But, if you have read several of his "shorter" books, dabbled in some of his bigger offerings (The Stand, IT, etc.), and maybe even taken in a Dark Tower book or two, I think you will be ready to graduate to The Talisman.
It doesn't quite feel like a King book. That makes perfect sense because of his collaboration with Straub, but I can't say I can put my finger on what feels not-King. I can only say that I can tell it is not all King. It has many elements you find in King's writings - horrifying monsters, children doing battle with the supernatural, etc. But, if you said to me I had to pick out which parts were King and which were Straub, I couldn't do it.
I see some people mention the slow start in their reviews. This is very true and it is why I think you should not start with this one. If you are already gung ho on King I know you will have patience with how slow this book starts because you will be willing to bear the anticipation of getting to the meaty parts - and it does get quite meaty!
After it starts to roll, it is a coaster ride of fantasy, horror, supernatural, post-apocalyptic mayhem with a series of episodic adventures across America and multiple planes of existence. Along the way you will meet many characters that will stick with you for a long time, including one that might be the most endearing of any character in any King book.
So, if you are far along in your King readings and haven't tried this one yet, I deem you ready to begin your pursuit of The Talisman!
May 24, 2021
A 12 year old boy has to cross the United States from East to West coasts to hopefully save his dying mother's life. He can go by the conventional route or via the alternate world of the American Territories(!). Not only must he find the Talisman to save her life, but also to subvert an emerging and growing evil. You get the gist, it's in the book blurb.
More a fantasy story than a tale of horror, I'll just call it supernatural horror. A typical King (and Straub) venture with countless sub-arcs, and characters interesting enough to keep me involved for over 700+ pages, but on this third reread towards the end I just didn't care that much what happened. Maybe it's one of those books that can only be truly enjoyed on the first reading, which I really enjoyed. 7 out of 12, for still being all about the adventure! Originally gave this 9 out of 12 on my first read.
More a fantasy story than a tale of horror, I'll just call it supernatural horror. A typical King (and Straub) venture with countless sub-arcs, and characters interesting enough to keep me involved for over 700+ pages, but on this third reread towards the end I just didn't care that much what happened. Maybe it's one of those books that can only be truly enjoyed on the first reading, which I really enjoyed. 7 out of 12, for still being all about the adventure! Originally gave this 9 out of 12 on my first read.
May 14, 2026
“You don’t own a thing unless you can give it up, what does it profit a man, it profits him nothing, it profits him zilch, and you don’t learn that in school, you learn it on the road, you learn it from Ferd Janklow, and Wolf, and Richard going head-first into the rocks like a Titan II that didn’t fire off right.”
The Talisman ~~~ Stephen King
Believe it or not, The Talisman is the first Stephen King novel I have read. I wish I hadn't put reading King off for so long. I would have loved him in my teens. This was a fantastic read.
Together, King & Straub have written one of the greatest coming of age novels ever written. The Talisman belongs to the ranks of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , David Copperfield & Dandelion Wine . Isn't it interesting that King & Straub chose "SAWYER" for Jack's last name ...
Yes, I know, I'm gushing over a book again. Ok, let me do a proper review for you.
The Talisman is a brilliantly plotted novel ~~ one that balances both horror and fantasy taking place in both our world and in an alternate-universe. In this world our hero, Jack, is on an epic journey to find the talisman, and save the worlds ~~ plural. King & Straub traverse multiple places in these two worlds with all paths leading to the Black Hotel. A place where there is an epic battle between goodness and darkness ~~ moon and sun.
Our young hero, Jack Sawyer, “twelve years old and tall for his age,” is an amazing protagonist to lead us on this journey. What Jack experiences test his emotional, physical and mental endurance as he travels west to the Black Hotel ~~ his journey strengthens and hardens him. The plot is complex as characters pass back and forth between worlds and dimensions. It is a necessary for Jack to take for we learn that he is the key to preventing disaster on all worlds.
Joining Jack on this journey are Wolf and Richard, who play Jim and Tom respectively to Jack's Huck. In addition to serving as Jack's traveling companions they are Jack's greatest teachers as he learns of love, friendship, loyalty, and protecting your herd. In fact, I would say the major theme of The Talisman is love.
In relation to Wolf
"Wolf smiled so openly?and yet so wistfully that Jack was moved to take his hand. It was something he never could have done in his old life, no matter what the circumstances, but that now seemed like his loss. He was glad to take Wolf's warm, strong hand."
"'I love you, Jacky.'
'I love you, too, Wolf,' Jack said, 'Right here and now.'"
In relation to Richard
"Jack reached for Richard. Richard tried to push him away. Jack was having none of that. He held Richard. The two of them stood that way in the middle of the deserted railroad bed for awhile. Richard's head on Jack's shoulder ... Then Richard fell on his knees with his hair in his tired face, and Jack got down there with him, and I can bear to tell you no more only that they comforted each other as well as they could."
Jack's affection for his friends is, indeed, pure, unconditional love. He loves them openly and purely, without reservation.
Jack's quest is a long one, covering days and weeks and months; our hero travels tens of thousands of miles through psychically and physically draining landscapes. At the completion of his mission, Jack returns home in a matter of days ~~ chauffeured by Wolf's brother. The Talisman is ambitious in scope.
The Talisman ends in light with the redemption and At the end of The Talisman, Jack's task is completed and he is safe ~~ for now ~~ for Travellin' Jack will make at least two more appearances in King's Universe. But ~~ for the time being ~~ Jack is back in his world on the verge of manhood and new adventures.
King & Straub end their tale as they began it, with a quote from Mark Twain : " So endeth this chronicle. It being strictly the history of a boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop—that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can.
The Talisman ~~~ Stephen King
Believe it or not, The Talisman is the first Stephen King novel I have read. I wish I hadn't put reading King off for so long. I would have loved him in my teens. This was a fantastic read.
Together, King & Straub have written one of the greatest coming of age novels ever written. The Talisman belongs to the ranks of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , David Copperfield & Dandelion Wine . Isn't it interesting that King & Straub chose "SAWYER" for Jack's last name ...
Yes, I know, I'm gushing over a book again. Ok, let me do a proper review for you.
The Talisman is a brilliantly plotted novel ~~ one that balances both horror and fantasy taking place in both our world and in an alternate-universe. In this world our hero, Jack, is on an epic journey to find the talisman, and save the worlds ~~ plural. King & Straub traverse multiple places in these two worlds with all paths leading to the Black Hotel. A place where there is an epic battle between goodness and darkness ~~ moon and sun.
Our young hero, Jack Sawyer, “twelve years old and tall for his age,” is an amazing protagonist to lead us on this journey. What Jack experiences test his emotional, physical and mental endurance as he travels west to the Black Hotel ~~ his journey strengthens and hardens him. The plot is complex as characters pass back and forth between worlds and dimensions. It is a necessary for Jack to take for we learn that he is the key to preventing disaster on all worlds.
Joining Jack on this journey are Wolf and Richard, who play Jim and Tom respectively to Jack's Huck. In addition to serving as Jack's traveling companions they are Jack's greatest teachers as he learns of love, friendship, loyalty, and protecting your herd. In fact, I would say the major theme of The Talisman is love.
In relation to Wolf
"Wolf smiled so openly?and yet so wistfully that Jack was moved to take his hand. It was something he never could have done in his old life, no matter what the circumstances, but that now seemed like his loss. He was glad to take Wolf's warm, strong hand."
"'I love you, Jacky.'
'I love you, too, Wolf,' Jack said, 'Right here and now.'"
In relation to Richard
"Jack reached for Richard. Richard tried to push him away. Jack was having none of that. He held Richard. The two of them stood that way in the middle of the deserted railroad bed for awhile. Richard's head on Jack's shoulder ... Then Richard fell on his knees with his hair in his tired face, and Jack got down there with him, and I can bear to tell you no more only that they comforted each other as well as they could."
Jack's affection for his friends is, indeed, pure, unconditional love. He loves them openly and purely, without reservation.
Jack's quest is a long one, covering days and weeks and months; our hero travels tens of thousands of miles through psychically and physically draining landscapes. At the completion of his mission, Jack returns home in a matter of days ~~ chauffeured by Wolf's brother. The Talisman is ambitious in scope.
The Talisman ends in light with the redemption and At the end of The Talisman, Jack's task is completed and he is safe ~~ for now ~~ for Travellin' Jack will make at least two more appearances in King's Universe. But ~~ for the time being ~~ Jack is back in his world on the verge of manhood and new adventures.
King & Straub end their tale as they began it, with a quote from Mark Twain : " So endeth this chronicle. It being strictly the history of a boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop—that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can.
August 28, 2017
Twelve year old Jack Sawyer's mother is dying of cancer and the only thing that can save her is The Talisman. Can Jack cross America and The Territories to claim it and save his mother?
I first read The Talisman while waiting for the last three Dark Tower books to be published. Thanks to the magic of getting older, I forgot 95% of what happened. When the ebook fell into my lap, I was ready for a reread.
Brief Side Bar: This book fell into my lap because Goodreads offered me an ebook of my choice in order to share my notes and highlights. At first, this seemed like a pain in the ass but it wound up being pretty useful when formulating my review. Also, it beat carrying the massive hard cover around like a cave man.
The Talisman is a coming of age tale and also a quest story. Jack Sawyer's mom has cancer and the only thing that can save her is The Talisman, a mysterious McGuffin housed in a haunted hotel all the way over on the opposite side of the country. Fortunately, Jack can cross over into The Territories, a fantasy/pseudo-western that exists alongside earth. Still with me?
Co-written with Peter Straub at the beginning of the 1980s, The Talisman simultaneously feels like a dry-run for the Dark Tower and a collection of Stephen King's greatest hits up to that point. Jack's trek across the country is not that unlike the ka-tet's journey to the Dark Tower and the Talisman is referred to as "the axle of all worlds" on several occasions, just like a certain Tower. King flirted with the concept of twinners in other books, though not by name. I have to believe Jack Sawyer is linked to Jake Chambers in some way. Maybe King didn't think he'd ever finish the Dark Tower so he worked as many ideas from it into The Talisman as he could.
The "greatest hits" notion I mentioned? Specific scenes seemed like they were almost lifted from other king books. The talk Speedy gives Jack is a lot like the talk Danny Torrance gets from Scatman Cruthers (I know that's not his name but I can't think of it at the moment) in The Shining. You also get King staples like the spooky tunnel. There were echoes of other, earlier King books in the mix that I've already forgotten. Not only that, there were some future echoes as well. The Alhambra hotel, anyone? Also, there were numerous things that would be revisited during various points of The Dark Tower.
So where is Peter Straub in all this? Honestly, I can't say since I've never read any Straub solo books. However, there are a few times in the text where the writing lacks a certain Kingliness. I'll chalk those up to Straub. There was some backtracking I didn't care for that I'll also blame on Straub.
For a kitten squisher of this size, there wasn't a whole lot in The Talisman that felt like it could be pruned. It takes a long time to hoof and thumb across America and The Territories and Jack Sawyer goes through several hells on the way. Oatley and Sunlight Gardener's boys home were the worst, in my opinion. Give me a railroad trip over a radioactive wasteland over those two places any day.
A co-worker of mine said King is at his best when writing about kids. I didn't agree with him at the time but I saw where he was coming from some ways into this book. While I thought Jack, and later Richie, talked more like seventeen year olds than twelve year olds, what twelve year old doesn't want to go on an adventure? I'd visit the Territories now, as a 40 year old kid.
I felt for Jack's companions at times but I would also be frustrated trying to travel with Wolf. More than once, I would have left Richie behind, though. When Jack finally reached the Agincourt, I had the put the book down so I could finish it at home rather than sneak read the rest in my cube. The big showdown at the end reminded me a lot of something that happened in The Wastelands. I was also really glad of how the ending turned out, the ending of Cujo still fresh in my mind.
The second time through The Talisman was just as enjoyable as the first time thanks to the magic of forgetting. Trial run of the Dark Tower or no, The Talisman is an enjoyable epic and a taste of things yet to come from Stephen King. Four out of five stars.
I first read The Talisman while waiting for the last three Dark Tower books to be published. Thanks to the magic of getting older, I forgot 95% of what happened. When the ebook fell into my lap, I was ready for a reread.
Brief Side Bar: This book fell into my lap because Goodreads offered me an ebook of my choice in order to share my notes and highlights. At first, this seemed like a pain in the ass but it wound up being pretty useful when formulating my review. Also, it beat carrying the massive hard cover around like a cave man.
The Talisman is a coming of age tale and also a quest story. Jack Sawyer's mom has cancer and the only thing that can save her is The Talisman, a mysterious McGuffin housed in a haunted hotel all the way over on the opposite side of the country. Fortunately, Jack can cross over into The Territories, a fantasy/pseudo-western that exists alongside earth. Still with me?
Co-written with Peter Straub at the beginning of the 1980s, The Talisman simultaneously feels like a dry-run for the Dark Tower and a collection of Stephen King's greatest hits up to that point. Jack's trek across the country is not that unlike the ka-tet's journey to the Dark Tower and the Talisman is referred to as "the axle of all worlds" on several occasions, just like a certain Tower. King flirted with the concept of twinners in other books, though not by name. I have to believe Jack Sawyer is linked to Jake Chambers in some way. Maybe King didn't think he'd ever finish the Dark Tower so he worked as many ideas from it into The Talisman as he could.
The "greatest hits" notion I mentioned? Specific scenes seemed like they were almost lifted from other king books. The talk Speedy gives Jack is a lot like the talk Danny Torrance gets from Scatman Cruthers (I know that's not his name but I can't think of it at the moment) in The Shining. You also get King staples like the spooky tunnel. There were echoes of other, earlier King books in the mix that I've already forgotten. Not only that, there were some future echoes as well. The Alhambra hotel, anyone? Also, there were numerous things that would be revisited during various points of The Dark Tower.
So where is Peter Straub in all this? Honestly, I can't say since I've never read any Straub solo books. However, there are a few times in the text where the writing lacks a certain Kingliness. I'll chalk those up to Straub. There was some backtracking I didn't care for that I'll also blame on Straub.
For a kitten squisher of this size, there wasn't a whole lot in The Talisman that felt like it could be pruned. It takes a long time to hoof and thumb across America and The Territories and Jack Sawyer goes through several hells on the way. Oatley and Sunlight Gardener's boys home were the worst, in my opinion. Give me a railroad trip over a radioactive wasteland over those two places any day.
A co-worker of mine said King is at his best when writing about kids. I didn't agree with him at the time but I saw where he was coming from some ways into this book. While I thought Jack, and later Richie, talked more like seventeen year olds than twelve year olds, what twelve year old doesn't want to go on an adventure? I'd visit the Territories now, as a 40 year old kid.
I felt for Jack's companions at times but I would also be frustrated trying to travel with Wolf. More than once, I would have left Richie behind, though. When Jack finally reached the Agincourt, I had the put the book down so I could finish it at home rather than sneak read the rest in my cube. The big showdown at the end reminded me a lot of something that happened in The Wastelands. I was also really glad of how the ending turned out, the ending of Cujo still fresh in my mind.
The second time through The Talisman was just as enjoyable as the first time thanks to the magic of forgetting. Trial run of the Dark Tower or no, The Talisman is an enjoyable epic and a taste of things yet to come from Stephen King. Four out of five stars.
February 12, 2018
“Everything goes away, Jack Sawyer, like the moon. Everything comes back, like the moon.”
Only the Talisman will save young Jack Sawyer’s dying mother and he must embark on a quest across America (and into another world) in order to obtain it.
I had been anticipating The Talisman since forever, I can’t even put my finger on why, I just had the feeling it would be a book I would fall in love with. And if I’m completely honest, it just wasn’t what I had hyped it up to be in my head. I still REALLY enjoyed it and think it’s a fantastic book, but it’s not a new favourite. *sad face*
Jack Sawyer is a great character, he reminds me so much of Jake Chambers, and this perhaps is the problem – he’s not Jake Chambers. This book also gave me intense Dark Tower vibes… but once again, this is not the Dark Tower. I think part of the problem is that I was comparing it to the Dark Tower, and it was never gonna come close to surpassing King’s magnum opus, and my favourite book series of all time. I have a feeling that if I had read this first, I’d perhaps have loved it a lot more.
Now this opening to my review feels harsh, because I did LOVE aspects of this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Wolf quickly became a new favourite King character – what a sweet soul. “Right here and now!” I really could have done with even more Wolf. I also loved the concept of the Territories and Twinners etc, although it did get slightly confusing at times, especially because some of the Twinners had names that were very similar (which is intentional, of course), but sometimes my brain had to connect the dots and work out who was who. The story also dragged at parts for me… and I wish we had spent more time in the Territories, because normal earth is just boring in comparison, and I wanted to know more about this different world!!
The Talisman is fraught with emotion – Jack is a very emotional child, who felt very real to me, and his quest to save his mother is so damn brave and admirable. It’s really something special to watch his growth and development as he travels across America. The collaboration between King and Straub felt pretty seamless – I honestly just felt like I was reading a King book, I’ve yet to read any Straub so can’t really comment if it felt like Straub’s writing, but King was definitely stamped all over this one.
I’m honestly so upset that I didn’t LOVE this one, I just didn’t connect with it in the same way I thought I would. I did really enjoy it though, and am looking forward to reading Black House soon!
Only the Talisman will save young Jack Sawyer’s dying mother and he must embark on a quest across America (and into another world) in order to obtain it.
I had been anticipating The Talisman since forever, I can’t even put my finger on why, I just had the feeling it would be a book I would fall in love with. And if I’m completely honest, it just wasn’t what I had hyped it up to be in my head. I still REALLY enjoyed it and think it’s a fantastic book, but it’s not a new favourite. *sad face*
Jack Sawyer is a great character, he reminds me so much of Jake Chambers, and this perhaps is the problem – he’s not Jake Chambers. This book also gave me intense Dark Tower vibes… but once again, this is not the Dark Tower. I think part of the problem is that I was comparing it to the Dark Tower, and it was never gonna come close to surpassing King’s magnum opus, and my favourite book series of all time. I have a feeling that if I had read this first, I’d perhaps have loved it a lot more.
Now this opening to my review feels harsh, because I did LOVE aspects of this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Wolf quickly became a new favourite King character – what a sweet soul. “Right here and now!” I really could have done with even more Wolf. I also loved the concept of the Territories and Twinners etc, although it did get slightly confusing at times, especially because some of the Twinners had names that were very similar (which is intentional, of course), but sometimes my brain had to connect the dots and work out who was who. The story also dragged at parts for me… and I wish we had spent more time in the Territories, because normal earth is just boring in comparison, and I wanted to know more about this different world!!
The Talisman is fraught with emotion – Jack is a very emotional child, who felt very real to me, and his quest to save his mother is so damn brave and admirable. It’s really something special to watch his growth and development as he travels across America. The collaboration between King and Straub felt pretty seamless – I honestly just felt like I was reading a King book, I’ve yet to read any Straub so can’t really comment if it felt like Straub’s writing, but King was definitely stamped all over this one.
I’m honestly so upset that I didn’t LOVE this one, I just didn’t connect with it in the same way I thought I would. I did really enjoy it though, and am looking forward to reading Black House soon!
July 4, 2022
A really bad book. Strange, because it belongs to the "old" King, the one pre-2000, the one who still wrote because he liked it, not just to make money. And yet this book is really bad; slow, not very incisive, not very intriguing, with zero inventiveness. King probably has to write alone, because when he tries to write with other authors it becomes really unreadable. Proof of this is when he writes with his son ... To forget.
April 9, 2017
4.5 Stars. Can't classify this one as horror, but THE TALISMAN is one wild and woolly action-packed fantasy ride!
"Traveling" Jack Sawyer is a good kid and 12 years old when he and his mother flee Los Angeles for New York ultimately ending up in an empty, creepy hotel in New Hampshire; and while Jack questions the moves, he knows deep down his mother is not well.
As the days pass and his mother's rest periods become more frequent, a worrisome Jack explores a closed amusement park nearby and is soon befriended by a gnarly old black janitor...Lester Speedy Parker who tells him incredible stories of a parallel world and a magic juice that can transport him to a place where he can acquire the secrets of THE TALISMAN and hopefully save his mother.
His danger infested quest from east coast to west with flips from a world of evil doings and enslavement to one with bizarre creatures beyond your imagination has an unlikely friendship for Jack with a 6'5" Wolf that will break your heart.....it did mine.
For me, THE TALISMAN brought back memories of King's Dark Towers series, and while a chunkster at 700+ pages, entices me to re-read it in the form of a graphic novel so I can see the creeping tree roots, the evil abusive bar owner, the camp-school from hell, and visually experience the train ride through the "blasted land" as a scared, but brave young Jack Sawyer grows up fast to save his friends and mother and complete his mission.
Entertaining and fun read with a young-adult feel to it.
January 25, 2015
Dave's Quick Judgement -
THE DEFENSE
- Book is so cohesive, it feels like it was written by one author instead of two.
- Horror and fantasy elements are blended together perfectly.
- Story is astonishingly original and unpredictable.
- Prose is lush and magical.
- Events are very exciting (particularly the climax).
THE PROSECUTION
- Gruesome moments are not for more gentle readers
(Of course, chances are gentle readers avoid any book with the words "STEPHEN KING" on the cover anyway!)
- Plot inconsistencies can be frustrating at times.
THE VERDICT
"The Talisman" never ceased to amaze, surprise, or excite me! A truly breathtaking book!
FULL REVIEW TO COME
THE DEFENSE
- Book is so cohesive, it feels like it was written by one author instead of two.
- Horror and fantasy elements are blended together perfectly.
- Story is astonishingly original and unpredictable.
- Prose is lush and magical.
- Events are very exciting (particularly the climax).
THE PROSECUTION
- Gruesome moments are not for more gentle readers
(Of course, chances are gentle readers avoid any book with the words "STEPHEN KING" on the cover anyway!)
- Plot inconsistencies can be frustrating at times.
THE VERDICT
"The Talisman" never ceased to amaze, surprise, or excite me! A truly breathtaking book!
FULL REVIEW TO COME
June 15, 2024
3.75
Richard was irritating as hell and I struggled every time I had to read about him
However...
Wolf was one of my favourite characters of any novel I've ever read
The pacing was quite slow at times but ultimately I really enjoyed following Jack on his quest.
I'm looking forward to reading the sequel
Richard was irritating as hell and I struggled every time I had to read about him
However...
Wolf was one of my favourite characters of any novel I've ever read
The pacing was quite slow at times but ultimately I really enjoyed following Jack on his quest.
I'm looking forward to reading the sequel
July 18, 2023
I began The Talisman knowing nothing of what it was about, but a friend's mom considers it her favorite Stephen King book (sorry Peter Straub lol). ~100 pages in, I started to worry. It was giving me shades of King's The Eyes of the Dragon and Fairytale, both books I was not enchanted by.
Something about King's fantasy worlds doesn't click with me. I think so much of his strength as a writer comes from his cutting insight into human nature, largely informed by aspects of our culture. It's what makes his bullies, his abusers, and his monsters so intimidating. It is especially reflective of American attitudes & norms. When he creates a fantasy world whole-cloth, this commentary goes missing from his storytelling. Plus, his worldbuilding is sparse. What's left are shallow characters - no more than archetypes, really - navigating a world with just as little depth.
On the other hand, he worked a special magic when writing The Stand, my all-time favorite book. There, he transformed the USA into a high fantasy landscape, both similar and strange to the world we know, and imbuing it with its own unique magic system around real-world religion. Not only do I consider The Stand high fantasy, but it's my favorite work of high fantasy ever written. And King didn't even have to create a whole new world for it.
All this in mind, despite my initial misgivings, I didn't end up hating The Talisman. It wasn't amazing, but I liked it.
I realized, to enjoy The Talisman, I had to view it episodically - like Tolkien's The Hobbit being meant to be read in episodes each night to his children. Not everything that happens to Jack on his journey is essential to the story - he makes and loses friends, takes up odd jobs, gets into trouble, hopscotches between worlds - some parts are more interesting than others, certainly, just like in Bilbo's adventures.
What I liked most was how this story didn't entirely take place in the Territories - again, because King's fantasy worldbuilding is ehhhh. I loved how Jack could flip back and forth from it to the real world. It was a device to help him out of bad situations but had set limitations for how often he could do it. I was also really intrigued to see where in America he'd end up when he came back, as every location (and person) in our world had a Territories equivalent.
Weak points, aside from the Territories' worldbuilding, would be Jack - he acted with the maturity and sense of humor of a 50-year-old man rather than a 12-year-old kid. His friend Richard was introduced too late into the story for a character so important to the plot. Morgan Sloat was just a blanketly evil villain; he would've been more complex if he had real love and concern for his son.
And this book mentions "Twinners" a million times. Every single time it did, I thought of these queens:
Something about King's fantasy worlds doesn't click with me. I think so much of his strength as a writer comes from his cutting insight into human nature, largely informed by aspects of our culture. It's what makes his bullies, his abusers, and his monsters so intimidating. It is especially reflective of American attitudes & norms. When he creates a fantasy world whole-cloth, this commentary goes missing from his storytelling. Plus, his worldbuilding is sparse. What's left are shallow characters - no more than archetypes, really - navigating a world with just as little depth.
On the other hand, he worked a special magic when writing The Stand, my all-time favorite book. There, he transformed the USA into a high fantasy landscape, both similar and strange to the world we know, and imbuing it with its own unique magic system around real-world religion. Not only do I consider The Stand high fantasy, but it's my favorite work of high fantasy ever written. And King didn't even have to create a whole new world for it.
All this in mind, despite my initial misgivings, I didn't end up hating The Talisman. It wasn't amazing, but I liked it.
I realized, to enjoy The Talisman, I had to view it episodically - like Tolkien's The Hobbit being meant to be read in episodes each night to his children. Not everything that happens to Jack on his journey is essential to the story - he makes and loses friends, takes up odd jobs, gets into trouble, hopscotches between worlds - some parts are more interesting than others, certainly, just like in Bilbo's adventures.
What I liked most was how this story didn't entirely take place in the Territories - again, because King's fantasy worldbuilding is ehhhh. I loved how Jack could flip back and forth from it to the real world. It was a device to help him out of bad situations but had set limitations for how often he could do it. I was also really intrigued to see where in America he'd end up when he came back, as every location (and person) in our world had a Territories equivalent.
Weak points, aside from the Territories' worldbuilding, would be Jack - he acted with the maturity and sense of humor of a 50-year-old man rather than a 12-year-old kid. His friend Richard was introduced too late into the story for a character so important to the plot. Morgan Sloat was just a blanketly evil villain; he would've been more complex if he had real love and concern for his son.
And this book mentions "Twinners" a million times. Every single time it did, I thought of these queens:
May 18, 2013
Tricksy Review
There is so much that happens in this novel, that any thoughts I can cram into one review will always be woefully inadequate.
Don't you sometimes think there's more to life than order?
Don't you want just a little magic?
It is perhaps a good thing to read this book three decades down the line, separated from the hype that so weighed it down when it was first published. 50% Horror; 50% Dark Fantasy. 50% Straub; 50% King, and yet not anything you would have expected from either.
The quotes from Mark Twain, that open and close the story, make me think that Jack Sawyer’s surname isn’t coincidental, although I reckon The Talisman is more Huckleberry Finn than Tom Sawyer.
There was too much death, the world was half-made of death.
The novel requires a flexible mind, and is based on the assumption that other worlds exist just below the surface of the one we all live in. Normally this kind of thing would only appeal to me in a purely Science Fiction setting, what with “parallel worlds” and all that. However, the authors manage to keep things tight, and steer clear of over-indulgence. It’s a story about the fantastical, but it’s also a chilling tale of fear and the macabre. This is not Narnia.
He went down the stairs on all fours, silent as oiled smoke, eyes as red as brake lights.
As befits any good supernatural Horror story, there are some fearsome critters to be found here. Not all are inherently evil, though, and I suppose anyone who reads this will love the character of Wolf.
There was madness here, and walking death, and gibbering irrationality.
The transformation of Traveling Jack, from Jack Sawyer to Jack Sawyer, is handled masterfully. It represents one of the most palpable feats of character development I have ever read.
There were some sequences that I felt didn’t positively influence the general feel of the novel, but that is my personal opinion. Also, towards the end things get a bit messy; the final, climaxing scenes are interminably drawn out for no apparent reason. This is the only reason I’m not giving it five stars.
It’s a story that will probably resonate with me for a while, and I might have more to say on the issue, but not right here and now.
There is so much that happens in this novel, that any thoughts I can cram into one review will always be woefully inadequate.
Don't you sometimes think there's more to life than order?
Don't you want just a little magic?
It is perhaps a good thing to read this book three decades down the line, separated from the hype that so weighed it down when it was first published. 50% Horror; 50% Dark Fantasy. 50% Straub; 50% King, and yet not anything you would have expected from either.
The quotes from Mark Twain, that open and close the story, make me think that Jack Sawyer’s surname isn’t coincidental, although I reckon The Talisman is more Huckleberry Finn than Tom Sawyer.
There was too much death, the world was half-made of death.
The novel requires a flexible mind, and is based on the assumption that other worlds exist just below the surface of the one we all live in. Normally this kind of thing would only appeal to me in a purely Science Fiction setting, what with “parallel worlds” and all that. However, the authors manage to keep things tight, and steer clear of over-indulgence. It’s a story about the fantastical, but it’s also a chilling tale of fear and the macabre. This is not Narnia.
He went down the stairs on all fours, silent as oiled smoke, eyes as red as brake lights.
As befits any good supernatural Horror story, there are some fearsome critters to be found here. Not all are inherently evil, though, and I suppose anyone who reads this will love the character of Wolf.
There was madness here, and walking death, and gibbering irrationality.
The transformation of Traveling Jack, from Jack Sawyer to Jack Sawyer, is handled masterfully. It represents one of the most palpable feats of character development I have ever read.
There were some sequences that I felt didn’t positively influence the general feel of the novel, but that is my personal opinion. Also, towards the end things get a bit messy; the final, climaxing scenes are interminably drawn out for no apparent reason. This is the only reason I’m not giving it five stars.
It’s a story that will probably resonate with me for a while, and I might have more to say on the issue, but not right here and now.
January 17, 2025
On my journey to reading all of Stephen King's books in publication order, The Talisman was the next to be devoured. This ended up being a really solid read and it deserves the praise it gets. It isn't a five star because it didn't do enough with its 900+ pages, but what it manages to do is pretty awesome. I read Black House a while ago a didn't really enjoy it only to find out it was the second book to The Talisman, so going into this book I didn't know if I was going to like this.
Although still a horror this is full of adventure, it follows a young boy trying to save his mother, he embarks on a journey like no other to save the woman he loves. Jack is such a brilliant character and because he is a main character his growth is beautiful. We really read/see a boy grow into a man, starting out innocent and naïve Jack soon learns that the world is a harsh and scary place. Jack not only begins to turn into a man but a leader, someone to be followed and admired.
The adventure is constantly twisting and turning and from each chapter to the next I never knew where this read was taking me. It's magical, brutal and beautiful. We meet so many brilliant characters each one well thought out and detailed. Wolf has to be one of my favorites characters, he's loyal, fierce, pure and still so fearful!
There is heartbreak in this book to, mixed with action scenes and travelling scenes. I do love books that take us into a new world and let us really explore it, they let us see through the authors mind and into the world they create.
The world building in parts in stunning but now and then in lacks and I found myself wondering where I was and struggling to imagine anything but the characters. I think if this was a series on graphic novels it could be something truly amazing.
I am now looking forward to reading Black House again and hopefully this time it will be much more enjoyable. If you like adventure, horror and character development I would 100% recommended this. It is a book I would re-read because I feel like I have already missed so much the first time around.
I would also recommend taking your time with this read it is 900+ pages but it needs digesting every couple of chapters I feel to really get an understanding of the world SK is trying to portray.
Although still a horror this is full of adventure, it follows a young boy trying to save his mother, he embarks on a journey like no other to save the woman he loves. Jack is such a brilliant character and because he is a main character his growth is beautiful. We really read/see a boy grow into a man, starting out innocent and naïve Jack soon learns that the world is a harsh and scary place. Jack not only begins to turn into a man but a leader, someone to be followed and admired.
The adventure is constantly twisting and turning and from each chapter to the next I never knew where this read was taking me. It's magical, brutal and beautiful. We meet so many brilliant characters each one well thought out and detailed. Wolf has to be one of my favorites characters, he's loyal, fierce, pure and still so fearful!
There is heartbreak in this book to, mixed with action scenes and travelling scenes. I do love books that take us into a new world and let us really explore it, they let us see through the authors mind and into the world they create.
The world building in parts in stunning but now and then in lacks and I found myself wondering where I was and struggling to imagine anything but the characters. I think if this was a series on graphic novels it could be something truly amazing.
I am now looking forward to reading Black House again and hopefully this time it will be much more enjoyable. If you like adventure, horror and character development I would 100% recommended this. It is a book I would re-read because I feel like I have already missed so much the first time around.
I would also recommend taking your time with this read it is 900+ pages but it needs digesting every couple of chapters I feel to really get an understanding of the world SK is trying to portray.
August 26, 2026
‘Everything has consequences, and some of those consequences might be on the uncomfortable side.’
I finally made it... that was a huge book.. Look I’m all in for big books but this one surely didn’t have to be that long...
Some parts surely were very exciting and filled with high tension but some other parts were moving like a slug and i felt like i was drifting to some other territories of my mind.
I kept saying to myself that this is not a dark tower book, this is not a dark tower book but I couldn’t help it.. i surely had a lot similarities with the dark tower series but in my opinion that is much superior
Guess i had high hopes for this one, there are a lot that one can enjoy here but i can see someone who hasn’t read the dark tower series (yet) to enjoy this one a lot more than i did.
3.5/5
I finally made it... that was a huge book.. Look I’m all in for big books but this one surely didn’t have to be that long...
Some parts surely were very exciting and filled with high tension but some other parts were moving like a slug and i felt like i was drifting to some other territories of my mind.
I kept saying to myself that this is not a dark tower book, this is not a dark tower book but I couldn’t help it.. i surely had a lot similarities with the dark tower series but in my opinion that is much superior
Guess i had high hopes for this one, there are a lot that one can enjoy here but i can see someone who hasn’t read the dark tower series (yet) to enjoy this one a lot more than i did.
3.5/5
January 3, 2013
Recently, a good GR friend agreed that the word 'magical' is a great way of describing The Talisman. In turn, she shared a quote by Markus Zusak:
“Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around with you for months after you've finished just to stay near it.”
Only now can I not only fully agree, but appreciate the sentiment behind Zusak's words.. although it's uncertain if he was referring to this particular novel. It's incredibly profound, and they describe my feelings toward The Talisman perfectly. (Thank you, once again, Michelle.)
Yet there's more to it than mere magical elements. Much more. At the heart of the story is 12-year-old Jack Sawyer, whose sold purpose seems to be his ailing mother's salvation. In order to acquire that, however, he must venture east.. and beyond.
In the days leading to his departure, Jack meets the truly invaluable "Speedy" Parker. Insodoing, King & Straub expertly introduces the Constant Reader to him, as well. The duo transports you there, right alongside them. They are long-lost friends, indeed!
This being my 3rd reading, they took me on a roller-coaster of a journey which surpassed my considerably high expectations. With that admission, I have another valid confession: I tend to be a very analytical reader, especially compared to my previous experiences with the book.
One scene, in particular, stands out as slightly unrealistic: our protagonist's leave-taking. I seriously do not recall having this reaction. Perhaps with age and maturity, we perceive things differently, thus reacting in various ways, I really don't know...
Part II: The Road of Trials, is easily a favorite section of mine. As the title suggests, it chronicles the genesis of Jack's epic journey. It's life-altering, as his adventures help form the man he is to become. This is precisely why I love the section so very much.
"..Another light perhaps eight blocks down changed to green before a high dingy many-windowed building that looked a mental hospital, and so was probably the high school.."
The words conveyed to describe the bleak beauty of Oatley are utterly amazing and awe inspiring ..as I believe is evident in the previous passage.
The character of Wolf is very memorable (I haven't forgotten him since my first reading, in 1999.) He's beloved, and so masterfully crafted that you can't help the urge to run toward him with a warm embrace. In times of sorrow, joy, or imminent danger, your heart goes out to him. it breaks your heart, really. Well, it did mine, anyway.
As the journey continues, the reader is treated with an attribute rarely given by the so-called "latest and greatest" writers of today. In Jack, for instance, we learn much about his personal character (as opposed to the superficial,) to the point that it almost feels like an invasion of his privacy. King & Straub delve deep, exposing cherished memories, childhood fears, and the like. Most interestingly, the mind-set of the characters.
The juxtaposition between Jack and Richard Sloat still astonishes me. One thought plagued me, relentlessly, and that is, How is it possible for two individuals-who are polar opposite of one another- to be so incredibly close? It hardly seems plausible, even now, yet it's true. Brilliant work, King and Straub!
I'd never experienced this before, but at a certain point, I had a genuine Eureka! moment, which commenced with the realization that this duo were clearly influenced by C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and, to an extent, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.
P.491: "..The coats and suits are gone, the floor is gone, but it isn't crisp white snow underfoot; it's stinking black dirt which is apparently the birthing ground for these unpleasant black jumping insects; this place is by no stretch of the imagination Narnia..."
492: ".. And later that day, he takes all of his storybooks--The Little Golden Books, the pop-up books, the I-Can-Read books, the Dr. Seuss books, the Green Fairy Book for Young Folks, and he puts them in a carton, and he puts the carton down in the basement, and he thinks: "I would not care if an earthquake came now and opened a crack in the floor and swallowed up every one of those books. In fact, it would be such a relief that I would probably laugh all day and most of the weekend.." "
By the fourth and final section, aptly entitled The Talisman, I absolutely loved every word. I though that it couldn't possibly get any better, but I was mistaken... by far.
From the Blasted Lands to the very end of their adventures, and virtually everything in between, this one has it all. Excluding the spectacular conclusion, I really enjoyed and have much respect for the chapter centered around Richard's past, and-ultimately- how he deals with it.
On a side note, Jack's mother, Lily Cavanaugh, felt very distant throughout most of the novel. I had the impression that she was, in a way, detached from reality. And aside from her debilitating illness, I barely felt anything for her at all. That is, until the end. This development impacted me greatly!
If I had a critique to give, I'd comment on the novels' wordiness. And it can be a bit long-winded in places, but its innate visual enhancements make them almost necessary. Hardly a critique at all, eh?
Up next, Black House. I haven't read it since the initial HC publication, circa 2001. I remember practically nothing of the text, so as you can probably imagine, I am very much looking forward to this one!
July 30, 2013
Maybe I had too high of expectations, but I can’t say that I was overly impressed by “The Talisman”. From the very beginning of the story, I could not get into the plot or even any of the plot devices. It wasn’t that the story was hard to believe, and I don’t have a problem with fantasy, it’s just that the execution and premise of the story was really hard to get in to.
Overall, it felt like a patch-work quilt where a collection of short-story adventures were sewn together with 12-year old Jack Sawyer being the single thread. My main problem with the story could be summed up with the following points: **SPOILERS AHEAD**
1. Jack’s Mother: The premise of Jack’s mom dying of cancer and letting him leave and travel the country seems a bit far-fetched. If Jack’s mother was near-death and dying of cancer, why would she travel up to a beach house rather than seek medical treatment? I never really got this angle, yet most of the story hinged on Jack leaving his mother to find the Talisman to cure her.
2. It seems convenient that it takes 90% of the book for Jack to reach the west coast, and on the way back he gets a car ride that takes a couple of pages. It reminds me of the Eagles from Lord of the Rings which begs the question: why does an adventure story take pages upon pages to tell the quest of a journey, yet the return home has a means that makes it convenient for the characters to reduce travel time by a fraction? Why wouldn't that have been your first option?!
3. I didn’t care for Wolf. Seems lazy to have a werewolf as a secondary character and simply name him “Wolf.”
4. Speaking of Wolf, King/Straub took lengths to describe Wolf’s fear of driving in a car yet at the end of the tale his litter brother is a chauffeur.
5. I could’ve done without the sexual references. When characters are described as having foreskin, erections, and jewelry for their genitals, I really don’t understand how that adds to the story. If anything, I’m distracted and disgusted.
6. The main villains – Morgan Sloat/Morgan of Orris and Robert "Sunlight" Gardner/Osmond – were not as villainous as expected. They seemed very cookie-cutter and stereotypical.
7. Speedy Parker/Parkus was a bit of a confusing character. It was never well explained how he was able to pop-up in random places, yet Jack’s got to travel on foot everywhere he goes. I guess Jack isn’t so special after all. Maybe I missed something in the book, I but it was unclear to me how Speedy was able to show up in all the right places at all the random times.
I feel like maybe I am being a bit harsh with “The Talisman” but after reading The Dark Tower series I end up comparing all of Stephen King’s work to the DT. His DT series was such an epic piece of work that it really set the bar for any of King’s other fantasy/sci-fi stories.
Pros: Not many…maybe the sequel will be better.
Cons: Too many…the single most being that it’s hard to believe a single, dying mother would let her 12-year old son disappear for an unknown amount of time to an unknown location.
Bottom line: Not the best of King and maybe not the worst, but I probably wouldn’t read this one a second time.
Overall, it felt like a patch-work quilt where a collection of short-story adventures were sewn together with 12-year old Jack Sawyer being the single thread. My main problem with the story could be summed up with the following points: **SPOILERS AHEAD**
1. Jack’s Mother: The premise of Jack’s mom dying of cancer and letting him leave and travel the country seems a bit far-fetched. If Jack’s mother was near-death and dying of cancer, why would she travel up to a beach house rather than seek medical treatment? I never really got this angle, yet most of the story hinged on Jack leaving his mother to find the Talisman to cure her.
2. It seems convenient that it takes 90% of the book for Jack to reach the west coast, and on the way back he gets a car ride that takes a couple of pages. It reminds me of the Eagles from Lord of the Rings which begs the question: why does an adventure story take pages upon pages to tell the quest of a journey, yet the return home has a means that makes it convenient for the characters to reduce travel time by a fraction? Why wouldn't that have been your first option?!
3. I didn’t care for Wolf. Seems lazy to have a werewolf as a secondary character and simply name him “Wolf.”
4. Speaking of Wolf, King/Straub took lengths to describe Wolf’s fear of driving in a car yet at the end of the tale his litter brother is a chauffeur.
5. I could’ve done without the sexual references. When characters are described as having foreskin, erections, and jewelry for their genitals, I really don’t understand how that adds to the story. If anything, I’m distracted and disgusted.
6. The main villains – Morgan Sloat/Morgan of Orris and Robert "Sunlight" Gardner/Osmond – were not as villainous as expected. They seemed very cookie-cutter and stereotypical.
7. Speedy Parker/Parkus was a bit of a confusing character. It was never well explained how he was able to pop-up in random places, yet Jack’s got to travel on foot everywhere he goes. I guess Jack isn’t so special after all. Maybe I missed something in the book, I but it was unclear to me how Speedy was able to show up in all the right places at all the random times.
I feel like maybe I am being a bit harsh with “The Talisman” but after reading The Dark Tower series I end up comparing all of Stephen King’s work to the DT. His DT series was such an epic piece of work that it really set the bar for any of King’s other fantasy/sci-fi stories.
Pros: Not many…maybe the sequel will be better.
Cons: Too many…the single most being that it’s hard to believe a single, dying mother would let her 12-year old son disappear for an unknown amount of time to an unknown location.
Bottom line: Not the best of King and maybe not the worst, but I probably wouldn’t read this one a second time.
September 28, 2022
Truly wondrous. My memories of my first read of The Talisman definitely do NOT do the original justice. The re-read also comes on the heels of a vast re-read of all the other SK reads with their connections to DT and the fact that everything follows the beam.
Of course, I may have judged this book entirely on its merit compared to all the other SK books I had read up to that point by 1989 when I read this last.
The obvious: this is a straight adventure novel that takes place half the time in 1980s America, following a 12-year-old's fraught adventure across the dark continent from coast to coast, and half the time in a magical mid-world version that was just as dark as our side. All of this makes this book a bonafide Epic Fantasy to me. Only, it's called the Territories, here.
Dark forces, heavy magic, the erosion of reality and goodness, the whole quest structure, much bigger in fact than Jack Sawyer trying to save his mother, is just as classic a fantasy as you might imagine, but it's not derivative.
Indeed, between the YA core, the better treatment of Holes, the true nastiness of the human spirit, and the feel of On the Road mixed with dark doppelgangers, twinners, everywhere, I have to say I like this BETTER than most modern YA by a long stretch.
But here's the best part: It was written with Peter Straub and SK and published in 1984, exactly two years after SK's first Dark Tower came out. Back in the day, I would have only been able to make a tentative stab at the connections. The Blasted Lands are the Wasted Lands, both quite an accurate representation of middle America, the Territories resemble Midworld, and the references to MANY Territories are also a giveaway.
But here's the really fun part: from the rest of the DT series, we get all the references to the train, wizard and glass, a different representation of The Rose, chittering spiders on the Tower itself, and so many other aspects that make THIS novel, the Talisman, almost a straight prototype for the full epic of The Dark Tower.
I do NOT recommend reading this book before the full epic of DT, mind you. I love the easter-egg hunt and the analysis too much.
BUT, if you're a big fan of SK's new book, Fairy Tale, this is a great follow-up and continuation and a slow build-up for everything else. Or as any fan of SK knows, everything follows the beam. It doesn't really matter where you start. It all builds and gets you to the same nexus in the end. ;)
My appreciation for this novel is, however, vastly improved. I'm kinda geeking out over it now. Other than the DT, itself, it is the closest we get to the full saga, and I wonder if that was kinda how it had to be. The publishing industry didn't really want to give DT a chance at the time.
Of course, I may have judged this book entirely on its merit compared to all the other SK books I had read up to that point by 1989 when I read this last.
The obvious: this is a straight adventure novel that takes place half the time in 1980s America, following a 12-year-old's fraught adventure across the dark continent from coast to coast, and half the time in a magical mid-world version that was just as dark as our side. All of this makes this book a bonafide Epic Fantasy to me. Only, it's called the Territories, here.
Dark forces, heavy magic, the erosion of reality and goodness, the whole quest structure, much bigger in fact than Jack Sawyer trying to save his mother, is just as classic a fantasy as you might imagine, but it's not derivative.
Indeed, between the YA core, the better treatment of Holes, the true nastiness of the human spirit, and the feel of On the Road mixed with dark doppelgangers, twinners, everywhere, I have to say I like this BETTER than most modern YA by a long stretch.
But here's the best part: It was written with Peter Straub and SK and published in 1984, exactly two years after SK's first Dark Tower came out. Back in the day, I would have only been able to make a tentative stab at the connections. The Blasted Lands are the Wasted Lands, both quite an accurate representation of middle America, the Territories resemble Midworld, and the references to MANY Territories are also a giveaway.
But here's the really fun part: from the rest of the DT series, we get all the references to the train, wizard and glass, a different representation of The Rose, chittering spiders on the Tower itself, and so many other aspects that make THIS novel, the Talisman, almost a straight prototype for the full epic of The Dark Tower.
I do NOT recommend reading this book before the full epic of DT, mind you. I love the easter-egg hunt and the analysis too much.
BUT, if you're a big fan of SK's new book, Fairy Tale, this is a great follow-up and continuation and a slow build-up for everything else. Or as any fan of SK knows, everything follows the beam. It doesn't really matter where you start. It all builds and gets you to the same nexus in the end. ;)
My appreciation for this novel is, however, vastly improved. I'm kinda geeking out over it now. Other than the DT, itself, it is the closest we get to the full saga, and I wonder if that was kinda how it had to be. The publishing industry didn't really want to give DT a chance at the time.
November 14, 2019
Review talisman
There is a running debate among King fans whether the early Stephen King books (first published during the 70s and 80s) are better than the post-millennium modern King. Like all such debates, there is no right answer, as it is entirely subjective. Of his post-2000 books I have only read 11/22/63 which I think is very good, but it did not leave a deep impression like his “classic” works, The Stand, The Shining etc. The Talisman (first published in 1984) is King’s first collaboration with Peter Straub, This is a title I consider to be among his very best works. I first read it over 20 years ago but parts of it were still embedded in my memory as I started rereading it just a few weeks ago.
The Talisman is a dark fantasy with a YA feel to it, mostly due to the protagonist Jack Sawyer being twelve years old. Jack sawyer is the only son of former actress Lily Cavanaugh Sawyer. As the book opens Jack is staying with his mother in a hotel resort. Lily is slowly dying of cancer but will not talk about it with her son. One day Jack meets a homeless man called Speedy Parker (a “magical negro”, one of early King’s favorite tropes) who tells him about the Territories, a parallel world where Jack can find the one thing that can save his mother's life. He gives Jack some awful tasting juice that will transport him to and from this parallel world, and so Jack’s incredible adventures in the Territories (and also in our own world) begins.
(from the graphic novel)
This is one of my favorite King novels, it has an interesting plotline, great world-building, well-paced, very well-drawn characters (both good and evil). It is hard to say which parts of the narrative are written by King and which part by Straub as I'm very familiar with the works of the former but not so much of the latter. Reading The Talisman feels like reading a solo work by King, stylistically it just feels very King-ish, none of Straub’s highfalutin prose found in Ghost Story. Which begs the question is King better with Straub? (like how Larry Niven is better with Jerry Pournelle) I would say no, certainly not worse just not really better.
The Talisman is excellent but equally excellent are The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, It, and most of the Dark Tower books. Still, kudos to Peter Straub for helping to write a very fine book, I wish I knew which parts he wrote so I can be more appreciative of his contribution. Interestingly The Talisman reminds me a little of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, another classic work of dark fantasy that probably would have been classified as YA, if it was not written decades before YA became a thing. While this Kind/Straub’s prose style is very dissimilar to Bradbury, both novels place a lot of emphasis on friendship, with the protagonist doing most of the heavy lifting but the best friend still has a vital role to play. The Talisman, however, features, two friendships, both involving Jack Sawyer. I am particularly enamored with Jack’s friendship with “Wolf”, who is the best werewolf character have ever seen in fiction (in print and on-screen). Wolf is odd, interesting, kind, loyal, totally badass, and even scary from time to time. The authors have done a wonderful job of tweaking and adding to the werewolf mythos.
(Jack and Wolf, don’t know who to credit, sorry)
Jack’s human bestie, Richard Sloat, is also very well-drawn and sympathetic. The world-building of the Territories is top-notch, definitely one of the fantasy worlds I would like to visit (even with the dangerous monstrosities). The climax is thrilling and the ending does not disappoint. Both King and Straub are known for their horror fiction, but the Talisman is more of a dark fantasy because, while there are frightening moments, the emphasis is more on the fantasy sie. It is also worth mentioning that Jack’s adventures do not take place entirely in the Territories, about half of the narrative takes place in our world. The more grounded parts of the narrative are also quite riveting and at times harrowing. I would place The Talisman on the same level as the best of King’s own Dark Tower books. That, ladies and gentlemen, is very high praise indeed.
(graphic novel cover)
Note: I have a copy of Black House King and Straub’s sequel to The Talisman, I hope to (re)read that soon.
There is a running debate among King fans whether the early Stephen King books (first published during the 70s and 80s) are better than the post-millennium modern King. Like all such debates, there is no right answer, as it is entirely subjective. Of his post-2000 books I have only read 11/22/63 which I think is very good, but it did not leave a deep impression like his “classic” works, The Stand, The Shining etc. The Talisman (first published in 1984) is King’s first collaboration with Peter Straub, This is a title I consider to be among his very best works. I first read it over 20 years ago but parts of it were still embedded in my memory as I started rereading it just a few weeks ago.
The Talisman is a dark fantasy with a YA feel to it, mostly due to the protagonist Jack Sawyer being twelve years old. Jack sawyer is the only son of former actress Lily Cavanaugh Sawyer. As the book opens Jack is staying with his mother in a hotel resort. Lily is slowly dying of cancer but will not talk about it with her son. One day Jack meets a homeless man called Speedy Parker (a “magical negro”, one of early King’s favorite tropes) who tells him about the Territories, a parallel world where Jack can find the one thing that can save his mother's life. He gives Jack some awful tasting juice that will transport him to and from this parallel world, and so Jack’s incredible adventures in the Territories (and also in our own world) begins.
(from the graphic novel)
This is one of my favorite King novels, it has an interesting plotline, great world-building, well-paced, very well-drawn characters (both good and evil). It is hard to say which parts of the narrative are written by King and which part by Straub as I'm very familiar with the works of the former but not so much of the latter. Reading The Talisman feels like reading a solo work by King, stylistically it just feels very King-ish, none of Straub’s highfalutin prose found in Ghost Story. Which begs the question is King better with Straub? (like how Larry Niven is better with Jerry Pournelle) I would say no, certainly not worse just not really better.
The Talisman is excellent but equally excellent are The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, It, and most of the Dark Tower books. Still, kudos to Peter Straub for helping to write a very fine book, I wish I knew which parts he wrote so I can be more appreciative of his contribution. Interestingly The Talisman reminds me a little of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, another classic work of dark fantasy that probably would have been classified as YA, if it was not written decades before YA became a thing. While this Kind/Straub’s prose style is very dissimilar to Bradbury, both novels place a lot of emphasis on friendship, with the protagonist doing most of the heavy lifting but the best friend still has a vital role to play. The Talisman, however, features, two friendships, both involving Jack Sawyer. I am particularly enamored with Jack’s friendship with “Wolf”, who is the best werewolf character have ever seen in fiction (in print and on-screen). Wolf is odd, interesting, kind, loyal, totally badass, and even scary from time to time. The authors have done a wonderful job of tweaking and adding to the werewolf mythos.
(Jack and Wolf, don’t know who to credit, sorry)
Jack’s human bestie, Richard Sloat, is also very well-drawn and sympathetic. The world-building of the Territories is top-notch, definitely one of the fantasy worlds I would like to visit (even with the dangerous monstrosities). The climax is thrilling and the ending does not disappoint. Both King and Straub are known for their horror fiction, but the Talisman is more of a dark fantasy because, while there are frightening moments, the emphasis is more on the fantasy sie. It is also worth mentioning that Jack’s adventures do not take place entirely in the Territories, about half of the narrative takes place in our world. The more grounded parts of the narrative are also quite riveting and at times harrowing. I would place The Talisman on the same level as the best of King’s own Dark Tower books. That, ladies and gentlemen, is very high praise indeed.
(graphic novel cover)
Note: I have a copy of Black House King and Straub’s sequel to The Talisman, I hope to (re)read that soon.
September 17, 2023
What. The cocaine-fuelled fuck. Was that.
I've read a lot of Stephen King. Like, a LOT. Most things he's ever written, with a few exceptions that I'm getting to on my own Great Stephen King Reread. I've rarely actively disliked one of his books before, and never to the extent of The Talisman. The only other one I gave a 1-star rating was The Outsider and that was only after it turned into a Scooby-Doo episode. So here we are, with The Talisman, or as I call it, The MacGuffin.
It's not only that the titular talisman is the ultimate MacGuffin. Everyone wants it, it does whatever the hell you want it to, heals people, teaches boys what vaginas look like, blows up everyone who's ever been mean to you, unlocks the multiverse, whatever. It's that multiple other MacGuffins propel the plot too. The MC needs a token to prove his trustworthiness? Give him a fancy guitar pick, oh look it's a shark tooth in the other world, both are kind of triangular I guess. Use your special coin to repel monsters, sure. Bad guy needs a thing to shoot out lightning and also one time makes a snowstorm? Why not have him just instinctively know that an antique toy's wind-up key is a special interdimensional tool, for no reason, he just feels it while randomly walking by one day. Replace each item in the book with "item A/B" and it changes nothing. It reminds me of a thing I hate in some middle grade fantasy stories, where the kid acquires a random item then uses it to solve a random problem later, in a way that makes it clear that the item was planted solely for that, by the author's hand. What's that, Percy, you turned into an animal? How about you solve that by chewing on some magic vitamins? Good thing that Greek god gave you magic vitamins all those pages ago for no specific reason, right? Anyway, King has frequently done the "character just senses the power of this totem" thing across decades, but here it felt really lousy and overdone. The story was simply too reliant on all of this to remain interesting.
Speaking of "interesting", what was this book not for multiple long stretches? This was such a slog to read. The page count varies by edition but it sure felt like 1000 pages while reading. It was very uneven; there were energetic, exciting parts, but so much slog too. It took so long, multiple library loans, and concentrated willpower to get through it. There was very little tension. Any time he needed, the main character could shift worlds to get out of danger. Even after he ran out of world-shifting juice, it was obvious that he would be then able to do it by his juiceless self. Even in the context of expected heroic outcomes, there was never any sense of doubt that the boy would find the talisman and save his mom and a whole other world. So that leaves you with just the journey to get there. Was it an interesting journey? It was not.
Exception: the long middle sequence in the book involving Wolf and the Sunrise Home, that boys' workcamp evangelistic prison. That whole section of the book had the electric King energy that I adore. That's where the cocaine energy was fuelled appropriately. In other places . . . I've never disliked King's writing per se, but as this book progressed I found it more and more unhinged. Poor word choices, weird cringy description, poor choices in general.
I suppose Straub is maybe also responsible, but I don't know how this collaboration worked. This bothers me about a lot of co-authored books; I want to understand who did what, who has final say in any area, how it could possible work out between two talented authors. I'd like to think that King wrote some parts and Straub wrote other parts once they had agreed on the storyline. There were sections that felt distinctly not-King to me, particularly early in the book, sections that were a bit more literary in style, or things that were simply not in King's voice. Maybe Straub wrote the part that came immediately after the Sunrise Home sequence, but after all that thrill, that energetic climax, the next part of the book was pbbbttthhhttt. A drag.
Most of that particular drag was because of the addition of Richard to the story. Richard was a drag. He was an an unbelieving drag, then a only partially conscious drag, then a physical drag. He added nothing to the story, he helped the quest for the Talisman not at all, he was in fact a huge hindrance. I suppose he was meant to offer some parallel; he and the MC (I really can't remember his name at this point. I'll call him Tad because that's all I can think of because that's the teen boy protagonist of the most recent book I finished) are the sons of the pair of humans who first launched this cross-world quest; one is dead at the story's outset, the other is the main villain. Is there any payoff to having the villain's son as a co-hero? There is not. Does Richard go through any struggle to accept that his dad is evil? *shrug*. Does his dad have any feelings about his son in this regard? *shrug.* Does Richard's presence make any difference in the book's outcome? Nope. So WHY THE FUCK DID I JUST READ 400 PAGES OF RICHARD BEING SUCH A FUCKING DRAG?
Maybe if the villain presented any kind of real threat, it would have been a better book despite the clearly forecast outcomes. He does not. He's menacing, but he's never shown to be competent. His only achievement is to pay off hotel staff to ignore his ex-partner's wife. Otherwise, he fails at everything he attempts on-screen. He is continually foiled by a 12-year-old boy. He can't shoot lightning straight to save his own ass. He's surrounded by incompetent minions. Both he and his main minion, the leader of the Sunrise Home, are utterly histrionic. Histrionic! That's what replaces effective antagonists in this story.
It all went particularly downhill towards the end (you can tell you're there when you reach choice dialogue like, “Fushing feef, fushing FEEF!” and "Bwana make juju"), and this is where I see King's then-current cocaine habit most wreaking havoc. I measure this in this case by the density of penis talk. Penises came up so many times in those last, I dunno, 130 pages. It was like: Penis. Penis. Testicles. Hardon. Goat's penis. Vagina—oh look, I can see the Talisman's true form, it looks just like a vagina! I've never seen a vagina before but I just know that's what it looks like! I love vaginas now! I came from a vagina just like that one! I have to save my mom! That was the main character speaking, btw. A real coming of age moment.
And let's not even talk about the Magical Negro.
To sum up, The Talisman was just the worst.
Penis.
I've read a lot of Stephen King. Like, a LOT. Most things he's ever written, with a few exceptions that I'm getting to on my own Great Stephen King Reread. I've rarely actively disliked one of his books before, and never to the extent of The Talisman. The only other one I gave a 1-star rating was The Outsider and that was only after it turned into a Scooby-Doo episode. So here we are, with The Talisman, or as I call it, The MacGuffin.
It's not only that the titular talisman is the ultimate MacGuffin. Everyone wants it, it does whatever the hell you want it to, heals people, teaches boys what vaginas look like, blows up everyone who's ever been mean to you, unlocks the multiverse, whatever. It's that multiple other MacGuffins propel the plot too. The MC needs a token to prove his trustworthiness? Give him a fancy guitar pick, oh look it's a shark tooth in the other world, both are kind of triangular I guess. Use your special coin to repel monsters, sure. Bad guy needs a thing to shoot out lightning and also one time makes a snowstorm? Why not have him just instinctively know that an antique toy's wind-up key is a special interdimensional tool, for no reason, he just feels it while randomly walking by one day. Replace each item in the book with "item A/B" and it changes nothing. It reminds me of a thing I hate in some middle grade fantasy stories, where the kid acquires a random item then uses it to solve a random problem later, in a way that makes it clear that the item was planted solely for that, by the author's hand. What's that, Percy, you turned into an animal? How about you solve that by chewing on some magic vitamins? Good thing that Greek god gave you magic vitamins all those pages ago for no specific reason, right? Anyway, King has frequently done the "character just senses the power of this totem" thing across decades, but here it felt really lousy and overdone. The story was simply too reliant on all of this to remain interesting.
Speaking of "interesting", what was this book not for multiple long stretches? This was such a slog to read. The page count varies by edition but it sure felt like 1000 pages while reading. It was very uneven; there were energetic, exciting parts, but so much slog too. It took so long, multiple library loans, and concentrated willpower to get through it. There was very little tension. Any time he needed, the main character could shift worlds to get out of danger. Even after he ran out of world-shifting juice, it was obvious that he would be then able to do it by his juiceless self. Even in the context of expected heroic outcomes, there was never any sense of doubt that the boy would find the talisman and save his mom and a whole other world. So that leaves you with just the journey to get there. Was it an interesting journey? It was not.
Exception: the long middle sequence in the book involving Wolf and the Sunrise Home, that boys' workcamp evangelistic prison. That whole section of the book had the electric King energy that I adore. That's where the cocaine energy was fuelled appropriately. In other places . . . I've never disliked King's writing per se, but as this book progressed I found it more and more unhinged. Poor word choices, weird cringy description, poor choices in general.
I suppose Straub is maybe also responsible, but I don't know how this collaboration worked. This bothers me about a lot of co-authored books; I want to understand who did what, who has final say in any area, how it could possible work out between two talented authors. I'd like to think that King wrote some parts and Straub wrote other parts once they had agreed on the storyline. There were sections that felt distinctly not-King to me, particularly early in the book, sections that were a bit more literary in style, or things that were simply not in King's voice. Maybe Straub wrote the part that came immediately after the Sunrise Home sequence, but after all that thrill, that energetic climax, the next part of the book was pbbbttthhhttt. A drag.
Most of that particular drag was because of the addition of Richard to the story. Richard was a drag. He was an an unbelieving drag, then a only partially conscious drag, then a physical drag. He added nothing to the story, he helped the quest for the Talisman not at all, he was in fact a huge hindrance. I suppose he was meant to offer some parallel; he and the MC (I really can't remember his name at this point. I'll call him Tad because that's all I can think of because that's the teen boy protagonist of the most recent book I finished) are the sons of the pair of humans who first launched this cross-world quest; one is dead at the story's outset, the other is the main villain. Is there any payoff to having the villain's son as a co-hero? There is not. Does Richard go through any struggle to accept that his dad is evil? *shrug*. Does his dad have any feelings about his son in this regard? *shrug.* Does Richard's presence make any difference in the book's outcome? Nope. So WHY THE FUCK DID I JUST READ 400 PAGES OF RICHARD BEING SUCH A FUCKING DRAG?
Maybe if the villain presented any kind of real threat, it would have been a better book despite the clearly forecast outcomes. He does not. He's menacing, but he's never shown to be competent. His only achievement is to pay off hotel staff to ignore his ex-partner's wife. Otherwise, he fails at everything he attempts on-screen. He is continually foiled by a 12-year-old boy. He can't shoot lightning straight to save his own ass. He's surrounded by incompetent minions. Both he and his main minion, the leader of the Sunrise Home, are utterly histrionic. Histrionic! That's what replaces effective antagonists in this story.
It all went particularly downhill towards the end (you can tell you're there when you reach choice dialogue like, “Fushing feef, fushing FEEF!” and "Bwana make juju"), and this is where I see King's then-current cocaine habit most wreaking havoc. I measure this in this case by the density of penis talk. Penises came up so many times in those last, I dunno, 130 pages. It was like: Penis. Penis. Testicles. Hardon. Goat's penis. Vagina—oh look, I can see the Talisman's true form, it looks just like a vagina! I've never seen a vagina before but I just know that's what it looks like! I love vaginas now! I came from a vagina just like that one! I have to save my mom! That was the main character speaking, btw. A real coming of age moment.
And let's not even talk about the Magical Negro.
To sum up, The Talisman was just the worst.
Penis.
September 14, 2024
A re-read, (I believe it's my third), this time via audio. Frank Muller is a wonderful narrator and really brought home this tale that was a mash up of fantasy/horror/bildungsroman. It's a story of a boy that loves his mother and will do whatever he can to save her. It's the story of friendships...maybe even a bromance. (Does anyone write bromances better than King? Red and Andy Dufresne? Jack Sawyer and Richard Sloat?)
It's also the story of the Territories. It's the story of a giant black hotel. (This world's dark tower?)
There are other worlds than these and I enjoy it when Stephen King takes us to them.
(In this case he did it with Peter Straub an extraordinary writer in his own right, may he rest in peace.)
My highest recommendation!
Be on the lookout for a Netflix show of this book, (hopefully this time it's really happening.)
*I downloaded this audio free from my local library. Libraries RULE!
It's also the story of the Territories. It's the story of a giant black hotel. (This world's dark tower?)
There are other worlds than these and I enjoy it when Stephen King takes us to them.
(In this case he did it with Peter Straub an extraordinary writer in his own right, may he rest in peace.)
My highest recommendation!
Be on the lookout for a Netflix show of this book, (hopefully this time it's really happening.)
*I downloaded this audio free from my local library. Libraries RULE!
April 24, 2016
One of the things that I love the absolute best about Stephen King's books (most of them) is that they are immensely re-readable, and depending on where is in one's life, or how many of King's other books one has read, the experience could be completely different each time.
I have loved this book for a long time. It's a quest, it's a great story with great characters, but more than that, it's almost like a prototype of where The Dark Tower series would eventually go... An alt universe mini microcosm of Roland's quest for the Tower.
There's so much to love in this book - except Peter Straub's involvement anyway, which is something that I usually try to forget. It is no secret that I'm not a fan of Straub's writing. I've tried, and failed miserably, at reading two of his books now, and I've decided that his writing is just not for me. Whatever his involvement was in these books, Stephen King made it palatable to me. He blurred the lines and blended the edges so that it seems seamless and painless for me to read.
Anyway. This read through I loved it just as much as the last time I read it, but I also felt like I had a better understanding of some of the characters. Jack has always been one of my favorite characters, but this time through, I felt much more empathy toward Richard. This poor kid has gotten the shit end of the stick from life. His father is a dick, he has no mother (took off? dead? Nobody knows. She's not even mentioned.), and his only protection from the insanity of the life his father imagines for him is to delude himself into complete, 10000000%, no exceptions Reality with a capital R. The poor kid doesn't even like fantasy books.
Yet, he and Jack had very similar experiences. Both have fathers who could travel to the Territories, and both boys watched their fathers disappear and reappear in very different areas than where they left. The only difference is that while Jack's father left him and went to experience and learn from The Territories, Richard's father went to exploit it. And so their kids' individual experiences of the Territories they couldn't understand were miles apart in terms of experience, and it's all down to their fathers' ideas of what the Territories should be.
He had fantasy related PTSD before he could even read. That's got to be traumatizing.
I loved Richard's growth though. Even though he refuted and rejected every possibility of what was happening for 90% of his time in the story, the way that he eventually came to terms and acceptance was impressive. I don't know many 12 year olds who could create those kinds of life-changing coping mechanisms, and then break them down in a matter of days. So the fact that he started to forget what happened is either massively unfair to him, to work through everything for nothing, or incredibly just and compassionate. If you were to ask Richard, I think he'd choose the latter.
I also felt slightly that Jack was a bit cruel and selfish this time through. His treatment of Wolf and Richard at times was thoughtless for their needs, and it really broke my heart at times. I get that in the greater scheme of the quest and its goals, sometimes one must do things that are cruel, and make hard decisions... But it was the little things, like Jack thinking that Wolf would enjoy a double-feature in a movie theater when he knows that loud noises scare him, and he's never even heard of a movie in his life. Can you imagine how terrifying that would be? Poor Wolf. It's just a small example of how twelve year olds just haven't developed their full sense of empathy yet.
Speaking of Wolf... I really hated how he was read for the audio of this book. I loved, LOVED Frank Muller's reading for the first three Dark Tower books, but this one was just all wrong. Everything was so gruff and growly, and Wolf was even more so. It just had the complete wrong feel for me. I'm glad that I only listened to a little bit of the book on audio.
Anyway - overall... love this book. Totally recommend it. It's awesome. Go read it. :D
I have loved this book for a long time. It's a quest, it's a great story with great characters, but more than that, it's almost like a prototype of where The Dark Tower series would eventually go... An alt universe mini microcosm of Roland's quest for the Tower.
There's so much to love in this book - except Peter Straub's involvement anyway, which is something that I usually try to forget. It is no secret that I'm not a fan of Straub's writing. I've tried, and failed miserably, at reading two of his books now, and I've decided that his writing is just not for me. Whatever his involvement was in these books, Stephen King made it palatable to me. He blurred the lines and blended the edges so that it seems seamless and painless for me to read.
Anyway. This read through I loved it just as much as the last time I read it, but I also felt like I had a better understanding of some of the characters. Jack has always been one of my favorite characters, but this time through, I felt much more empathy toward Richard. This poor kid has gotten the shit end of the stick from life. His father is a dick, he has no mother (took off? dead? Nobody knows. She's not even mentioned.), and his only protection from the insanity of the life his father imagines for him is to delude himself into complete, 10000000%, no exceptions Reality with a capital R. The poor kid doesn't even like fantasy books.
Yet, he and Jack had very similar experiences. Both have fathers who could travel to the Territories, and both boys watched their fathers disappear and reappear in very different areas than where they left. The only difference is that while Jack's father left him and went to experience and learn from The Territories, Richard's father went to exploit it. And so their kids' individual experiences of the Territories they couldn't understand were miles apart in terms of experience, and it's all down to their fathers' ideas of what the Territories should be.
He had fantasy related PTSD before he could even read. That's got to be traumatizing.
I loved Richard's growth though. Even though he refuted and rejected every possibility of what was happening for 90% of his time in the story, the way that he eventually came to terms and acceptance was impressive. I don't know many 12 year olds who could create those kinds of life-changing coping mechanisms, and then break them down in a matter of days. So the fact that he started to forget what happened is either massively unfair to him, to work through everything for nothing, or incredibly just and compassionate. If you were to ask Richard, I think he'd choose the latter.
I also felt slightly that Jack was a bit cruel and selfish this time through. His treatment of Wolf and Richard at times was thoughtless for their needs, and it really broke my heart at times. I get that in the greater scheme of the quest and its goals, sometimes one must do things that are cruel, and make hard decisions... But it was the little things, like Jack thinking that Wolf would enjoy a double-feature in a movie theater when he knows that loud noises scare him, and he's never even heard of a movie in his life. Can you imagine how terrifying that would be? Poor Wolf. It's just a small example of how twelve year olds just haven't developed their full sense of empathy yet.
Speaking of Wolf... I really hated how he was read for the audio of this book. I loved, LOVED Frank Muller's reading for the first three Dark Tower books, but this one was just all wrong. Everything was so gruff and growly, and Wolf was even more so. It just had the complete wrong feel for me. I'm glad that I only listened to a little bit of the book on audio.
Anyway - overall... love this book. Totally recommend it. It's awesome. Go read it. :D
July 22, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this! I thought it was pretty good. It was my first time reading it so I had no idea what to expect. Basically, it's the story of Jack who is 12 years old. He has to go on an epic quest across the country so he can try to save his mom from dying of cancer. I've always thought King writes from the point of view of children really well. This story is no exception. While there are a few horror elements, I wouldn't necessarily call this a horror story. I'd call it more of an adventure/fantasy/sci-fi story. I wanted to read this because of the Dark Tower connections. I thought the connections were subtle but they were there. I look forward to reading Black House at some point in the future. I wish there was a way to distinguish which parts King wrote from the parts Peter Straub wrote. Overall I thought this was a good story about a heroic quest. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy story.
February 14, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️
I really want to love The Talisman. So much so that this is my second time trying to read it, thinking that maybe a new set of circumstances in my life might mean I experience the story differently. But, I still don’t like it. I mean, I really don’t like it.
It only feels like King in the standout, weird, ethereal parts. The Straub voice comes through much louder, and quite honestly, I just find it boring. This book is so boring.
I am fascinate by its premise. I want it to enhance my eternal journey to the Dark Tower, but although it feels adjacent, it feels comparatively lifeless. Jack is such a bad character that following him for nearly 1,000 pages is tortuously arduous.
I felt the same way about Black House the first time I read it. I guess this series just isn’t for me, which is unfortunate given the third one is coming out later this year. Who knows? Maybe I’ll try to make a third run at it.
I really want to love The Talisman. So much so that this is my second time trying to read it, thinking that maybe a new set of circumstances in my life might mean I experience the story differently. But, I still don’t like it. I mean, I really don’t like it.
It only feels like King in the standout, weird, ethereal parts. The Straub voice comes through much louder, and quite honestly, I just find it boring. This book is so boring.
I am fascinate by its premise. I want it to enhance my eternal journey to the Dark Tower, but although it feels adjacent, it feels comparatively lifeless. Jack is such a bad character that following him for nearly 1,000 pages is tortuously arduous.
I felt the same way about Black House the first time I read it. I guess this series just isn’t for me, which is unfortunate given the third one is coming out later this year. Who knows? Maybe I’ll try to make a third run at it.
April 8, 2026
(2026 Reread)
The first time I read this novel, even being a massive Stephen King fan (and apologist), I found it rambling and couldn’t see what everyone loved about it. I don’t really know what was kicking around in my life at that time, because this re-read didn’t feel that way at all. Yes, on occasion it feels like both King and Straub wanted to say the same thing and instead of editing it down they just both said it, so on occasion the narrative feels drawn out. But those instances are brief, and they always have poignant character moments nestled within them, and they are usually buttressed with emotional action scenes on either side. This is fantasy 101 in some ways, a young boy, special though he doesn’t know it, facing against all difficulties as he goes on the journey into adulthood to try and save the world, or, at least, his world. The foes against him are numerous and faceless, from the senseless and uncompromising misery of cancer and illness to individuals so corrupted by greed that they are willing to use any means and sacrifice anything and everyone to accumulate wealth and power. Yes, the authors play into typical fantasy tropes, but they do it so well, with a type of honest dedication to the inner world of the story and the characters that it is easy to fall into the narrative and be carried away by it.
Both authors are great at creating atmosphere and at having moments of horror and shock, and they sprinkle those through this book, mixed with some great action set pieces at well, that make this fantasy dark, exciting, and fulfilling. Look, it isn’t a perfect novel. It is a little shaggy around the edges, a few scenes run a little longer than they need to, and it gleefully leans into fantasy tropes that may seem a little worn-out 40+ years later. Plus, it has a very magical-negro, as well as some questionable representation of people with physical and mental disabilities. But with all of that said this story is a ton of fun. It is an intimate exploration of a young boy learning how to navigate grief and loss, going through the trials and tribulations that will shape him into a man, and it really nails that emotional arc perfectly.
The first time I read this novel, even being a massive Stephen King fan (and apologist), I found it rambling and couldn’t see what everyone loved about it. I don’t really know what was kicking around in my life at that time, because this re-read didn’t feel that way at all. Yes, on occasion it feels like both King and Straub wanted to say the same thing and instead of editing it down they just both said it, so on occasion the narrative feels drawn out. But those instances are brief, and they always have poignant character moments nestled within them, and they are usually buttressed with emotional action scenes on either side. This is fantasy 101 in some ways, a young boy, special though he doesn’t know it, facing against all difficulties as he goes on the journey into adulthood to try and save the world, or, at least, his world. The foes against him are numerous and faceless, from the senseless and uncompromising misery of cancer and illness to individuals so corrupted by greed that they are willing to use any means and sacrifice anything and everyone to accumulate wealth and power. Yes, the authors play into typical fantasy tropes, but they do it so well, with a type of honest dedication to the inner world of the story and the characters that it is easy to fall into the narrative and be carried away by it.
Both authors are great at creating atmosphere and at having moments of horror and shock, and they sprinkle those through this book, mixed with some great action set pieces at well, that make this fantasy dark, exciting, and fulfilling. Look, it isn’t a perfect novel. It is a little shaggy around the edges, a few scenes run a little longer than they need to, and it gleefully leans into fantasy tropes that may seem a little worn-out 40+ years later. Plus, it has a very magical-negro, as well as some questionable representation of people with physical and mental disabilities. But with all of that said this story is a ton of fun. It is an intimate exploration of a young boy learning how to navigate grief and loss, going through the trials and tribulations that will shape him into a man, and it really nails that emotional arc perfectly.
March 30, 2019
In 2019 I'm going to go back and review the King books I love and cherished but never fully reviewed for Goodreads because Goodreads wasn't a thing when I was reading King's work in the 90s. You can follow along on Instagram #ReviewKing2019
The Talisman is my favorite author collaboration. Two of my favorite authors, Straub & King, combined their unique storytelling voices to pen one of my all time favorite, dark fantasies.
I first read this on a family vacation to Dillon Beach, CA. We rented a house called, "Wit's End". It was the perfect setting for this story about a young boy who lives with his mother in a seaside town, I'll tell you that much.
I remember being a little confused by the storyline as soon as Jack Swayer enters "The Territories". I've never been good at that sort of parallel universe thing. But King and Straub did some amazing world building here and I do remember enjoying the journey Jack goes on and all the different characters that were introduced--most memorably, Wolf.
I decided to pull this book down off the shelf and revisit portions of the story to refresh my memory. I re-read PART I: Jack Lights Out (pages 1-68) and I fell in love all over again with Jack and his mentor, Speedy Parker. There are SO MANY connections to the Dark Tower in this book that I totally missed the first time around because I hadn't even finished the series back then. Which just belabors the point that someday, I'm going to have to re-read everything just to get the full scope of the Stephen King universe. I read everything out of order and all the special Easter eggs and tie-ins would never be discovered like that, you know?
So Speedy is actually a gunslinger. In Jack's world-our world, he's just an old man that teaches Jack how to "flip" back and forth between worlds but in The Territories, Speedy Parker is a GUNSLINGER named Parkus! WHOA! Mind blown.
Also re-read portions of PART II: The Road of Trials-especially the parts with Wolf. I love Wolf. Both Straub and King (but more so King) have a real zest for writing animals, kids and friendships.
There's a quote in the beginning of the book by Mark Twain from Huckleberry Finn and I think the relationship between Jack & Wolf was very Huckleberry-ish.
Also, I had forgotten all about Richard Sloat and now that I have remembered him again, I can safely say that Jake and Richard are one of my favorite friendships.
Do ya ken?
And here's the part that really blows my mind: Jack Sawyer reminds me SO MUCH of that little boy in THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE! So I looked it up!
That protagonist in KEYHOLE was named Tim Ross and on a DARK TOWER Wiki site, I saw lots of people drawing the same conclusions--could Tim Ross be a "Twinner" of Jack? We are told that Jack had a Twinner named Jason but he died and it almost killed Jack, right?
But read this from the Wiki site:
"Both characters bear major resmbelence in appearance, age and character traits, as well as the circumstances of how their stories play out. Both characters must go on a great quest in order to find a magical artifact that will heal their mothers from serious ailments; The father of each character was murdered by their own step father; Jack and Tim are accompanied by a Wolf and a Tyger on their respective quests; it is told that Tim grew up to be a Gunslinger known as Tim Stoutheart and it is revealed in "Black House" that Jack grew up to be a Police Officer. Roland often mistakes Police Officers for Gunslingers."
I dunno, I just thought it was cool and I could see myself getting way too sucked into Wiki-Fandom theories about Dark Tower connections and Twinners and I just can't do it, guys!!
Anyways, I loved reading portions of this book so much that I really will do a re-read of this and BLACK HOUSE someday.
I'm not changing my score. This is still a five star read for me.
The Talisman is my favorite author collaboration. Two of my favorite authors, Straub & King, combined their unique storytelling voices to pen one of my all time favorite, dark fantasies.
I first read this on a family vacation to Dillon Beach, CA. We rented a house called, "Wit's End". It was the perfect setting for this story about a young boy who lives with his mother in a seaside town, I'll tell you that much.
I remember being a little confused by the storyline as soon as Jack Swayer enters "The Territories". I've never been good at that sort of parallel universe thing. But King and Straub did some amazing world building here and I do remember enjoying the journey Jack goes on and all the different characters that were introduced--most memorably, Wolf.
I decided to pull this book down off the shelf and revisit portions of the story to refresh my memory. I re-read PART I: Jack Lights Out (pages 1-68) and I fell in love all over again with Jack and his mentor, Speedy Parker. There are SO MANY connections to the Dark Tower in this book that I totally missed the first time around because I hadn't even finished the series back then. Which just belabors the point that someday, I'm going to have to re-read everything just to get the full scope of the Stephen King universe. I read everything out of order and all the special Easter eggs and tie-ins would never be discovered like that, you know?
So Speedy is actually a gunslinger. In Jack's world-our world, he's just an old man that teaches Jack how to "flip" back and forth between worlds but in The Territories, Speedy Parker is a GUNSLINGER named Parkus! WHOA! Mind blown.
Also re-read portions of PART II: The Road of Trials-especially the parts with Wolf. I love Wolf. Both Straub and King (but more so King) have a real zest for writing animals, kids and friendships.
There's a quote in the beginning of the book by Mark Twain from Huckleberry Finn and I think the relationship between Jack & Wolf was very Huckleberry-ish.
Also, I had forgotten all about Richard Sloat and now that I have remembered him again, I can safely say that Jake and Richard are one of my favorite friendships.
Do ya ken?
And here's the part that really blows my mind: Jack Sawyer reminds me SO MUCH of that little boy in THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE! So I looked it up!
That protagonist in KEYHOLE was named Tim Ross and on a DARK TOWER Wiki site, I saw lots of people drawing the same conclusions--could Tim Ross be a "Twinner" of Jack? We are told that Jack had a Twinner named Jason but he died and it almost killed Jack, right?
But read this from the Wiki site:
"Both characters bear major resmbelence in appearance, age and character traits, as well as the circumstances of how their stories play out. Both characters must go on a great quest in order to find a magical artifact that will heal their mothers from serious ailments; The father of each character was murdered by their own step father; Jack and Tim are accompanied by a Wolf and a Tyger on their respective quests; it is told that Tim grew up to be a Gunslinger known as Tim Stoutheart and it is revealed in "Black House" that Jack grew up to be a Police Officer. Roland often mistakes Police Officers for Gunslingers."
I dunno, I just thought it was cool and I could see myself getting way too sucked into Wiki-Fandom theories about Dark Tower connections and Twinners and I just can't do it, guys!!
Anyways, I loved reading portions of this book so much that I really will do a re-read of this and BLACK HOUSE someday.
I'm not changing my score. This is still a five star read for me.
March 15, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Fantasy + Horror
Jack Sawyer is a twelve years old boy who has to go on a long journey to find a crystal called The Talisman. He needs it to save his mother who is dying from cancer. Through this journey, he faces some hardships and enemies. He also makes some friends who will support him on his mission. This fantasy story is set in parallel worlds. The other world is called Territories and the parallel individuals there are called Twinners. These Twinners can migrate to the other world as well.
I’m usually not a big fan of stories that revolve around a kid. I always think that such stories are hard to take seriously especially when the narration is in a first-person style. Thankfully, the POV here was told in a third-person style which helped in making the atmosphere darker. The characters and their parallels were outstanding. Wolf and Richard were two fantastic characters that I will remember from this story. This is a collaboration between Stephen King and Peter Straub, however, we don’t know how much each author has contributed to the story. The book has King’s atmosphere to it but at the same time, it does feel different than his own books. My only complaint here is that this story could’ve benefited more if it was a little shorter. The edition I have read is 981 pages. I feel it could’ve been easily two hundred pages shorter without affecting the story much.
I’m still not sure what is the exact connection between this book and the Dark Tower series. I assume it could be to understand the parallel worlds concept which is a main feature of the Tower series. Regardless, this was a very charming fantasy story.
Note: The Talisman is a part of my reading of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. This is Book No.5 of 24 books I am going to read for this series.
Genre: Fantasy + Horror
Jack Sawyer is a twelve years old boy who has to go on a long journey to find a crystal called The Talisman. He needs it to save his mother who is dying from cancer. Through this journey, he faces some hardships and enemies. He also makes some friends who will support him on his mission. This fantasy story is set in parallel worlds. The other world is called Territories and the parallel individuals there are called Twinners. These Twinners can migrate to the other world as well.
I’m usually not a big fan of stories that revolve around a kid. I always think that such stories are hard to take seriously especially when the narration is in a first-person style. Thankfully, the POV here was told in a third-person style which helped in making the atmosphere darker. The characters and their parallels were outstanding. Wolf and Richard were two fantastic characters that I will remember from this story. This is a collaboration between Stephen King and Peter Straub, however, we don’t know how much each author has contributed to the story. The book has King’s atmosphere to it but at the same time, it does feel different than his own books. My only complaint here is that this story could’ve benefited more if it was a little shorter. The edition I have read is 981 pages. I feel it could’ve been easily two hundred pages shorter without affecting the story much.
I’m still not sure what is the exact connection between this book and the Dark Tower series. I assume it could be to understand the parallel worlds concept which is a main feature of the Tower series. Regardless, this was a very charming fantasy story.
Note: The Talisman is a part of my reading of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. This is Book No.5 of 24 books I am going to read for this series.
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