I began The Talisman with no prior knowledge of its contents. However, a friend's mom highly regards it as her favorite Stephen King book (sorry Peter Straub lol). After reading approximately 100 pages, I started to have concerns. It reminded me of King's The Eyes of the Dragon and Fairytale, both of which failed to charm me.

There is something about King's fantasy worlds that doesn't resonate with me. I believe a significant part of his strength as a writer lies in his incisive understanding of human nature, which is largely influenced by aspects of our culture. This is what makes his bullies, abusers, and monsters so menacing. It particularly reflects American attitudes and norms. When he creates a fantasy world from scratch, this commentary disappears from his storytelling. Additionally, his worldbuilding is somewhat lacking. What remains are shallow characters - mere archetypes, really - moving through a world with equally little depth.

On the other hand, he worked a special kind of magic when writing The Stand, my all-time favorite book. In it, he transformed the USA into a high fantasy landscape, both familiar and strange, and infused it with its own unique magic system based on real-world religion. I not only consider The Stand to be high fantasy but also my favorite work of high fantasy ever written. And King didn't even have to create an entirely new world for it.

With all this in mind, despite my initial doubts, I didn't end up despising The Talisman. It wasn't outstanding, but I did like it. I realized that to enjoy The Talisman, I had to view it episodically, similar to how Tolkien's The Hobbit was intended to be read in installments each night to his children. Not everything that happens to Jack on his journey is crucial to the story - he makes and loses friends, takes on odd jobs, gets into trouble, and hops between worlds. Some parts are undoubtedly more interesting than others, just like in Bilbo's adventures.

What I liked most was that this story didn't solely take place in the Territories - again, because King's fantasy worldbuilding is just okay. I loved how Jack could switch back and forth between it and the real world. It was a useful device to help him out of difficult situations, but it had limitations on how often he could use it. I was also really curious to see where in America he would end up when he returned, as every location (and person) in our world had a corresponding one in the Territories.

The weak points, aside from the Territories' worldbuilding, would be Jack. He behaved with the maturity and sense of humor of a 50-year-old man rather than a 12-year-old child. His friend Richard was introduced too late in the story for a character so important to the plot. Morgan Sloat was just a one-dimensional evil villain; he would have been more complex if he had genuine love and concern for his son.

And this book mentions "Twinners" countless times. Every single time it did, I thought of these queens:

A re-read, and I believe it's my third time delving into this captivating work. This time, I experienced it via audio, which added a whole new dimension to the story. Frank Muller, the narrator, is truly wonderful. He has an uncanny ability to bring home this tale that is a unique mash-up of fantasy, horror, and bildungsroman.

It's a story of a young boy who loves his mother deeply and is willing to do whatever it takes to save her. It's also a story of friendships, perhaps even a bromance. (Can anyone write bromances better than King? Think of Red and Andy Dufresne, or Jack Sawyer and Richard Sloat.)

The story also takes us to the Territories and features a giant black hotel, which might be this world's equivalent of the dark tower.

There are indeed other worlds than these, and I thoroughly enjoy it when Stephen King takes us on these literary adventures. In this case, he did it in collaboration with Peter Straub, an extraordinary writer in his own right. May he rest in peace.

I give this book my highest recommendation! Keep an eye out for a Netflix show based on this book. (Hopefully, this time it will really come to fruition.)

*I was fortunate enough to download this audio for free from my local library. Libraries truly rule!

It is DONE.

The book that seems to have no end. Oh, my friends, this book just goes on and on and on and on and on. Had it not been for the book club, I would have given up on it very early and never thought about it again. But since it would be boring to attend a book club without having read the book, I persevered. I stuck with this boring, and for the sake of being hateful, nearly 700-page book. In case you couldn't tell, I did not enjoy it at all. I can't think of any redeeming qualities of this book. The parallel world had potential, but we never really get to see it fully, so we'll never know how great or not so great it is.

What's the point of having a magical parallel world if we never see it? The characters keep talking about its magic and how special it is, but are we just supposed to believe them? The only kind of magic we see is the changing of items between worlds, and twice we see Jack using things to banish monsters, but only after saying some sort of exorcism rite. In nearly 700 pages, we see magic only twice. The book is mostly focused on all the hardships Jack goes through on his journey. Okay, I understand that. The book is about Jack. It's about his quest to save his mother and how he grows from it. But the literal torture he endures is unnecessary. The racism, the homophobia, the fatphobia, it's all unnecessary. You can claim "that's how things were back then!" all you want, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it. It doesn't mean I can't deduct stars because this book hurt, and not in a good way.

I was hopeful when I read the reviews of this book before reading it. Everyone made it sound so good, but I wonder if people gave it high ratings because it was a well-known author. Did people enjoy it simply because they thought they were supposed to? Did they go "oh well this is Stephen King, of course it was good!" Have I fallen into that trap at some point? I haven't read many of his books, but I remember his writing to be slow. I expected that. It was written in the 80's, so I didn't expect it to be as diverse as the books I read today. But this hurt. It hurt to read because it was so slow that I found myself skimming sections to see when the plot would move along. It hurt to read slurs being thrown around left and right as if they were any other words. 80's or not, I know some of these words were never okay. The torture scenes were unnecessary, and the whole section of the boys' school was unnecessary if only for the heroic death of the only good character. Why spend all this time building up this other world and then never use it?

I really hope next month's book is better. I think this is the second in a row that I didn't like. This book felt like such a waste of time and such a chore to read. I need something fun to wash it away.

It took me a while to get through this one.

There were certain moments within it that truly kept me captivated, as if I was under a spell. The story seemed to unfold in a way that held my attention firmly.

However, there were also some parts where I would unfortunately lose a bit of interest. It was as if the narrative took a detour that didn't quite engage me as much.

Maybe it was a lull in the action or a section that didn't develop the characters or plot in a way that I found particularly exciting.

Nevertheless, overall, it was an experience that had its highs and lows in terms of my level of interest.

This is one of those rare moments when I bump a 4-star that I read many years ago up to 5-star. Usually, a book isn't quite as magical on the second read. However, with authors like King, the rating normally stays the same as before.

But here, I realize that I underestimated just what The Talisman did for me. More than once, I thought that it felt like Tolkien. I was often reminded of The Dark Tower (which I had not yet read during my first visit to the Territories). A Mark Twain boy's adventure even came to mind, blending with the Looking-Glass element of flipping back and forth between the pollution-infested, tired modern world and one of magical wonder.

Fans of Harry Potter should like this as well. Not because of any magical jumping candy frogs or a really awesome sounding name like "Hermione", but because this is where a young boy is set on the path to becoming a man. It's not just about aging and growing up, but learning about the important things in his life. Friends, loyalty, family, honor, integrity, and just flat out doing the right thing.

Jack Sawyer grows up a lot in this book, much like Huck Finn, Frodo Baggins, and Harry Potter before him. Yes, he goes on an adventure, like they did. But more importantly, he learns what it means to remain true to those that call you "friend".

Tricksy Review


There is an abundance of events that occur in this novel, and any attempt to encapsulate my thoughts within a single review will inevitably fall far short.


"Don't you sometimes think there's more to life than order? Don't you want just a little magic?"


Perhaps it is a fortunate thing to read this book three decades after its initial publication, distanced from the overwhelming hype that accompanied it. Comprising 50% Horror and 50% Dark Fantasy, with 50% Straub and 50% King, yet it is nothing one would have anticipated from either of them.


The quotes from Mark Twain that commence and conclude the story lead me to believe that Jack Sawyer's surname is not a coincidence. Although I surmise that The Talisman leans more towards Huckleberry Finn than Tom Sawyer.


"There was too much death, the world was half-made of death."


This novel demands a flexible mindset and is founded on the premise that other worlds exist just beneath the surface of the one we inhabit. Ordinarily, this sort of concept would only appeal to me in a strictly Science Fiction context, with its talk of "parallel worlds" and such. However, the authors manage to maintain a tight grip on the narrative and avoid excessive indulgence. It is a story of the fantastical, yet also a spine-chilling tale of fear and the macabre. This is definitely not Narnia.


"He went down the stairs on all fours, silent as oiled smoke, eyes as red as brake lights."


As is fitting for any excellent supernatural Horror story, there are some terrifying creatures to be discovered here. Not all of them are innately evil, though, and I suspect that anyone who reads this will have a soft spot for 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 executed with great skill. It represents one of the most palpable achievements in character development that I have ever encountered.


There were certain sequences that I felt did not have a positive impact on the overall atmosphere of the novel, but that is merely my personal perspective. Additionally, towards the end, things become a bit muddled; the final, climactic scenes are drawn out interminably for no obvious reason. This is the sole reason I am not awarding it five stars.


It is a story that will likely linger in my mind for some time, and I may have more to say on the matter, but not at this very moment.

\\n  2,5\\n

A Book with Positive Reviews but Failed to Convince Me

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\\"[...]No posees una cosa, si no puedes renunciar a ella[...]\\"

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The Talisman takes us to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. There, the protagonist, Jack Sawyer, is contemplating the landscape, thinking about his seriously ill mother and feeling powerless. At 12 years old, he refuses to accept the idea of losing his mother. Near the hotel where he is staying with his mother, he meets a man named Speedy Parker. Speedy tells him that if he wants to save his mother, he must embark on a journey to another world called "The Territories" and find a Talisman.

The beginning of the book is very strange. We are shown what seem to be Jack's visions, which I sometimes confused with real situations. Also, it's strange that Jack trusts Speedy so quickly just because he called him "Traveling Jack" like his father. This wasn't very convincing to me.

This book has moments of very extensive descriptions and situations that drag on too long. These moments make the book very dense and make me not want to read it daily. I feel it's a book that requires patience.

Another problem is that the world of The Territories had a lot of potential, but in over 800 pages, I didn't understand how this world worked beyond a few details. The reason for this is that Jack's journey focuses very little on The Territories. At the first inconveniences, he goes back to the conventional world, which spoils the experience. This world seems more like a decoration for the plot rather than being as relevant as it could be.

What I liked most were the antagonists that Jack encounters on his journey. They are simply despicable characters that made me angry many times, and their motivations are well-founded. However, it's very rare to find a book by King where the character construction is weak. It's good to see the evolution of Jack, a boy who matures as the story progresses and turns his fears into strengths. Also, his friend Wolf was one of the best characters in the book.

Now, the ending is quite weak. I didn't feel it was very compact, and it made me feel that certain situations were left unresolved. I felt that as a reader, I had to guess many things that were happening. And certain characters didn't quite fit into the story for me.

I only hope that Black House is much better than this book and that certain things that were left unexplained here are resolved in that story.

Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer's mother is on the verge of losing her battle with cancer. The only hope for her salvation lies in The Talisman. But can Jack embark on a perilous journey across America and The Territories to claim it and save his mother?

I first delved into The Talisman while eagerly awaiting the publication of the last three Dark Tower books. As the years passed, the magic of forgetting took hold, and I retained only a meager 5% of the story. When the ebook unexpectedly landed in my lap, I seized the opportunity for a reread.

Brief Side Bar: This book came to me because Goodreads offered an ebook of my choice in exchange for sharing my notes and highlights. Initially, it seemed like a cumbersome task, but it proved to be quite useful when crafting my review. Moreover, it spared me from lugging around the hefty hardcover like a caveman.

The Talisman is not only a coming-of-age tale but also a thrilling quest story. Jack Sawyer's mother's life hangs in the balance, and the only thing that can save her is The Talisman, a mysterious object housed in a haunted hotel on the opposite side of the country. Fortunately, Jack has the ability to cross over into The Territories, a fantastical/pseudo-western realm that exists parallel to Earth. Are you still with me?

Co-written with Peter Straub in the early 1980s, The Talisman simultaneously feels like a precursor to the Dark Tower and a compilation of Stephen King's greatest hits up to that point. Jack's arduous journey across the country bears a resemblance to the ka-tet's pilgrimage to the Dark Tower, and the Talisman is repeatedly referred to as "the axle of all worlds," much like a certain Tower. King had explored the concept of twinners in other books, albeit not by that name. I firmly believe that Jack Sawyer is connected to Jake Chambers in some way. Perhaps King didn't envision ever completing the Dark Tower, so he incorporated as many of its ideas into The Talisman as possible.

The "greatest hits" concept I mentioned earlier? Certain scenes seemed almost lifted directly from other King books. The speech Speedy gives Jack closely resembles the one Danny Torrance receives from Scatman Cruthers (or whatever his name is) in The Shining. You also encounter King staples like the spooky tunnel. There were echoes of other, earlier King works that I've already forgotten. Not only that, but there were also hints of things to come. The Alhambra hotel, anyone? Additionally, numerous elements would be revisited throughout various installments of The Dark Tower.

So, where does Peter Straub fit into all this? Honestly, I can't say since I've never read any of his solo books. However, there are moments in the text where the writing lacks that distinct King flavor. I'll attribute those to Straub. There was also some backtracking that I didn't care for, which I'll also blame on him.

For a book of this length, there wasn't a whole lot in The Talisman that felt extraneous. It takes a significant amount of time to traverse America and The Territories, and Jack Sawyer endures several harrowing experiences along the way. Oatley and Sunlight Gardener's boys' home were the worst, in my opinion. I'd rather undertake a railroad trip through a radioactive wasteland than visit those two places.

A co-worker once told me that King is at his best when writing about kids. At the time, I didn't entirely agree, but as I delved deeper into this book, I could see his point. While I thought Jack, and later Richie, spoke more like seventeen-year-olds than twelve-year-olds, which twelve-year-old doesn't dream of going on an adventure? I, for one, would visit the Territories even now, as a forty-year-old "kid."

I empathized with Jack's companions at times, but I would also have been frustrated traveling with Wolf. More than once, I considered leaving Richie behind. When Jack finally reached the Agincourt, I had to put the book down and finish it at home rather than偷偷 reading the rest in my cubicle. The climactic showdown at the end reminded me a great deal of something that occurred in The Wastelands. I was also extremely pleased with how the ending turned out, especially considering the fresh memory of Cujo's conclusion.

The second time through The Talisman was just as enjoyable as the first, thanks to the magic of forgetting. Whether it's a trial run for the Dark Tower or not, The Talisman is an engaging epic and a tantalizing preview of what's to come from Stephen King. Four out of five stars.

“Everything goes away, Jack Sawyer, like the moon. Everything comes back, like the moon.”

This profound statement sets the tone for the unique journey that awaits within the pages of this book.







Book 16 in my project of reading/re-reading the whole Stephen King bibliography



When I initially embarked on reading this book, I was filled with uncertainty. From the very beginning, it had a distinct feel that set it apart from other works by King. It was like stepping into an unfamiliar world. However, as I delved deeper, it quickly grew on me. The story began to unfold in a way that was both captivating and unexpected. By the time I reached the end, I was truly stunned. This novel proved to be a hidden gem, unexpectedly beautiful, filled with thrilling action, and deeply moving. It also had those wonderful Dark Tower vibes that I absolutely adore. While I understand that this might not be to everyone's taste, for me, it was an unqualified success. It's a book that will stay with me for a long time, and I can't wait to explore more of King's works in the future.

IS THIS THE SAME GUY WHO WROTE THE DARK TOWER?!

I had a truly horrible experience with this book. In fact, I literally stopped reading it 3 chapters before the story even ended. I just couldn't bring myself to continue.

One of the major issues was the excessive use of unnecessary side characters and side 'quests'. Take, for example, the whole part of Jack Sawyer in the tavern. It felt completely useless and was so painful to read. It seemed to just drag on and on, adding nothing of real value to the main story.

Moreover, the transitions between certain scenes were often unclear in many cases. One minute someone would be completely well, and then on the next page, they would suddenly be sick and dying. This lack of smooth flow really disrupted my reading experience. I didn't feel like the story was progressing in a seamless manner.

Stephen King is undoubtedly a genius, but unfortunately, it really didn't show in this particular work. It was a disappointment, to say the least.

"Talisman" is written by the combined efforts of Peter Straub and Stephen King. Both are labeled as horror writers, although they make much more use of suspense and creating an atmosphere of anticipation, with the infusion of horror motifs. This story is exactly like that, with a journey into the unknown and the incredible.

Jack Sawyer is thirteen years old and believes he is a completely ordinary teenager. At the moment when he and his mother are moving away from his father's business partner, he realizes that he is facing a challenge that extends across several worlds. On his journey, Jack encounters incredible people and beings, while the images from the past and the memory of his deceased father and sick mother motivate him to continue. The ultimate goal is to find the talisman and discover the power it possesses. Jack hopes that it holds the secret to curing his mother, while Morgan Sloat, Jack's father's business partner, believes that within him lies an inexhaustible power that will make him the most powerful man in all the worlds.

The fantastic thing about this book is that it provides a much better insight and understanding of how the worlds function in King's most famous series, "The Dark Tower", while the portrayal of religious fanaticism is rather realistically described. The only criticism I have is of the way some of the passages are written and how the story ends. When reading the mentioned passages, a clear association with "The Lord of the Rings" came to my mind, and I could not get rid of that comparison. As for the ending, I cannot say that it is a typical bad King ending out of respect for Straub, but it was rather weak.

What I am inexhaustibly happy about is the sequel, "Black House", mostly because of the impressive setting of the black hotel in which the plot unfolds in "Talisman". Whether the black hotel and Black House are connected and if so, how, is what interests me the most.

Review Talisman

There is an ongoing debate among King fans about whether the early Stephen King books (first published in the 70s and 80s) are superior to the post-millennium modern King. As with all such discussions, there is no definitive answer as it is completely subjective. Among his post-2000 books, I have only read 11/22/63, which I think is very good, but it didn't leave as deep an impression as his "classic" works like The Stand and The Shining. The Talisman (first published in 1984) is King's first collaboration with Peter Straub, and I consider it to be among his very best works. I first read it over 20 years ago, and yet parts of it were still firmly implanted in my memory when I started rereading it just a few weeks ago.

The Talisman is a dark fantasy with a YA feel, mainly because the protagonist, Jack Sawyer, is twelve years old. Jack Sawyer is the only son of former actress Lily Cavanaugh Sawyer. As the book begins, Jack is staying with his mother in a hotel resort. Lily is slowly dying of cancer but refuses to talk about it with her son. One day, Jack meets a homeless man named Speedy Parker (a "magical negro", one of King's early 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 thus Jack's incredible adventures in the Territories (and also in our own world) begin.

This is one of my favorite King novels. It has an interesting plotline, great world-building, a well-paced narrative, and very well-developed characters (both good and evil). It's difficult to say which parts of the story were written by King and which by Straub, as I'm very familiar with King's works but not as much with Straub's. Reading The Talisman feels like reading a solo work by King; stylistically, it just has that very King-ish feel, without any of Straub's pretentious prose as seen in Ghost Story. This leads to the question: Is King better with Straub? I would say no, not necessarily worse, but not really better either. The Talisman is excellent, but so are The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, It, and most of the Dark Tower books. Still, kudos to Peter Straub for helping to write such a fine book. I wish I knew which parts he wrote so I could 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 hadn't been written decades before YA became a thing. While King and Straub's prose style is very different from Bradbury's, both novels place a great deal of emphasis on friendship, with the protagonist doing most of the heavy lifting but the best friend still having a crucial role to play. The Talisman, however, features two friendships, both involving Jack Sawyer. I'm particularly fond of Jack's friendship with "Wolf", who is the best werewolf character I've ever seen in fiction (both in print and on screen). Wolf is odd, interesting, kind, loyal, completely badass, and even scary at times. The authors have done a wonderful job of modifying and adding to the werewolf mythos.

Jack's human best friend, 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 love to visit (even with the dangerous monstrosities). The climax is thrilling, and the ending doesn't 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 side. It's also worth mentioning that Jack's adventures don't take place entirely in the Territories; about half of the narrative occurs in our world. The more grounded parts of the story are also quite engaging and, at times, harrowing. I would rank 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.

Note: I have a copy of Black House, King and Straub's sequel to The Talisman, and I hope to (re)read it soon.