The Talisman (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), Peter Straub (Author) "On September 15th, 1981, a boy named Jack Sawyer stood where the water and land come together, hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking..." (more)
Key Phrases: gimme hallelujah, great pavillion, fushing feef, Sunlight Gardener, Morgan Sloat, Jack Sawyer (more...)

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 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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
-- Review

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st THUS edition (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345444884
• ISBN-13: 978-0345444882
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (361 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,906 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #7 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Straub, Peter
  #11 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( K ) > King, Stephen
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant, December 19, 1999

By	pheonix419 (Illinois, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Talisman (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+

40 of 46 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 (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Talisman (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".

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collaboration, October 25, 2001

By	Michele Eggen (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Talisman (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.