The Talisman [Mass Market Paperback]

Stephen King (Author), Peter Straub (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 31, 2001

On a brisk autumn day, a thirteen-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: his father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America–and into another realm.

One of the most influential and heralded works of fantasy ever written, The Talisman is an extraordinary novel of loyalty, awakening, terror, and mystery. Jack Sawyer, on a desperate quest to save his mother’s life, must search for a prize across an epic landscape of innocents and monsters, of incredible dangers and even more incredible truths. The prize is essential, but the journey means even more. Let the quest
begin. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The first (1984) collaboration between horror/fantasy writers King and Straub, this book has been reissued in multiple formats to coincide with the publication of its sequel, Black House. In The Talisman, 12-year-old Jack Sawyer takes on a quest in this and a parallel world, the "Territories," to acquire a mystical talisman that will save the life of his dying mother and her "twinner," the Queen of the Territories. Jack "flips" back and forth between worlds during his journey, finding his way through and past representatives of good and evil in both. Award-winning reader Frank Muller continues his long string of superlative performances. This program will generate lots of demand a must for current fiction collections. Also available in the newer, highly compressed MP3-CD format, which requires a CD player that is MP3-compatible or a computer with CD-ROM drive and MP3 player software loaded. Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“EXTRAORDINARY . . . MAKES YOUR HAIR STAND ON END.”
–The Washington Post

“A CLASSIC . . . RARE AND DAZZLING . . . A JOURNEY TO RIVAL THE GREATEST ADVENTURE STORIES EVER TOLD.”
–New York Daily News

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780345444882
• ISBN-13: 978-0345444882
• ASIN: 0345444884
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.3 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (459 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#9 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#3 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#8 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#9 in Books > Literature & Fiction

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#3 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#8 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#9 in Books > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collaboration October 25, 2001

By Michele Eggen

Format:Hardcover

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

84 of 97 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant December 19, 1999

By pheonix419

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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

57 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Greatest Novels Ever August 2, 2005

By Stephen B. O'Blenis

Format:Hardcover

A little while ago I did a writeup for Clive Barker's "Weaveworld" and said it may be the best blend of the horror novel and the fantasy novel ever. While I stand by that 'may be' it occurs to me now that I should have also mentioned "The Talisman" as a voraciously strong contender for that title.

It's about a lot of things, including the existance of paralell realities overlaying one another and what happens in one of them also affecting what happens in the other (or others?) but perhaps the best way to describe the slice in space and time in this stunningly realized Universe (Multiverse?) we're taken to in "The Talisman" is to say that it's about a young boy named Jack who's mother is dying, and to save her he has to go on a journey to obtain a mystical artifact (the title 'Talisman'), and his mother's counterpart is also dying. And she's the Queen of one of Earth's parralell selves. This may sound like the basis for a 'Y.A.' novel a la "Harry Potter" or "Abarat" but it's not, this novel is graphic and brutal through much of its run. It also contains some of the very best of the worlds of charm and whimsey and wonder at other times. Jack is possessed of the ability to 'flip' from one world to the other, and the novel spends time in each. Items from one world, as well as people, have their counterparts in the other world as well, but in different forms. What is a house in one world could well be a hut or a castle or a tent in another. Magic is far stronger on the 'other' world, technology more prevelant in 'ours', but each exist in both.... One of the characters encountered by Jack during his time in the other world (aka The Territories) is Wolf, a member of a race of non-evil werewolves, and this is one of the most instantly engaging and lovable characters the world of storytelling has ever brought to us.

Sometimes, in between the time when I first read a book and the time I may eventually re-read it again years later, I like to refamilirize myself with old favorites as I rearrange them on their shelves, flipping through the pages here and there, occasionally reading a couple of paragraphs, and bringing the memories coming back. This is a book that it's hard to do just that with, because perusing just a few lines can compel you to go on for pages and pages. It reminds me of when I was first getting into novels bigtime, and this book defined 'Impossible To Put Down', keeping me going for hours past midnight, by far the longest I'd ever read in one sitting at that point. For several chapters straight the suspense was just so unbelievable it was unthinkable to stop, all leading up to a climax (in the middle of the book; this tale has not one but several climaxes) that still stands as one of the most earthshaking in history.

Complete in itself but tying into other tales (and directly sequelized in the equally awesome "Black House"), this is just incredible, one of the very best for either author certainly. As a gratuitous plug, I'd also just like to say this: probably many times more readers came to this book through their familiarity with Stephen King than Peter Straub (I was one of them). If you've read lots of King but your only Straubs are these colloborations deny yourself no longer: his best solo books are every bit as good as King's best solos, and the very best stand of either stand up with "Talisman" and "Black House". Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another of my favorite books August 1, 2001

By Mrs. Roni Hermony

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Two masters of horror join forces on a fantasy novel! November 15, 2001

By DanD VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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