Dave's Quick Judgement -

\\n  THE DEFENSE\\n

The book is extremely cohesive. It gives the impression that it was penned by a single author rather than two. The seamless blend of horror and fantasy elements is truly remarkable. The story is astonishingly original and unpredictable, constantly keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. The prose is lush and magical, painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind. The events, especially the climax, are very exciting and engaging.

\\n  THE PROSECUTION\\n

However, the gruesome moments might not be suitable for more gentle readers. Of course, it's likely that gentle readers would avoid any book with the words "STEPHEN KING" on the cover anyway. Additionally, there are some plot inconsistencies that can be frustrating at times.

\\n  THE VERDICT\\n

"The Talisman" never failed to amaze, surprise, or excite me! It is a truly breathtaking book! A full review will be coming soon.

As I delved into this book, my mind constantly drifted towards The Dark Tower series. There were numerous resemblances.

It seems that horror writers have a penchant for using old hotels and fairgrounds as settings. King masterfully employs both in The Talisman, achieving great results.

I truly relished this book, yet it was a labor of love to read. At times, it became overly verbose and, on occasion, even a touch excessive. There was an abundance of gruesome content, which eventually made the reader somewhat indifferent.

I was fond of the main character, Jack, especially when he joined forces with Wolf and later with Richard. The humor in their dialogue served to lighten the horror periodically.

The climax of the book was gratifying, albeit a bit drawn out, leaving me with the impression that it merited a solid four stars.

4.0 stars.

Stephen King is truly a master at storytelling, and this work serves as yet another excellent illustration of his remarkable talent for world-building and intricate plotting. After reading this, it's astonishing to think that this story wasn't initially meant to be part of the "Dark Tower" universe. Throughout most of the narrative, the tie-ins are so blatant that they're almost "in your face."

As a die-hard fan of the Dark Tower series, one of the few reasons I didn't enjoy this story even more is that it wasn't explicitly connected to that larger overarching story. Instead, it felt a bit like a watered-down version of the Dark Tower, or "Dark Tower Lite" if you will. However, despite this minor complaint, this is still a great read. I'm eagerly looking forward to delving into the sequel, Black House. I've heard that it "retroactively" establishes the connection of this story to the Dark Tower, which makes me even more excited. Highly recommended!!!

Nominee: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel

Nominee: Locus Award for Best Dark Fantasy/Horror Novel

I defy you to find me a greater, more perfectly attuned, collaborative duo than Stephen King and Peter Straub.

Seriously.

Go.

I'll wait.

See! You couldn't do it!

These are two men who traffic in the dark. Authors who have spent their careers crafting nightmares. One, Stephen King, prefers the harder stuff, brutal, bloody, with lots of cursing and (for some reason) more references to shit and farting than have ever made me entirely comfortable. (Anyone else remember the book about people shitting out aliens? "Dreamcatcher" anyone?) The endings aren't always happy.

The other, Peter Straub, has more of a poet's soul. His nightmares are ones you have a better chance of waking up from, though dear god those memories will haunt you. He tempers the violence with a softer, kinder voice. There will always be light in his darkness.

When they write together, what sweet music they make.

"The Talisman" is the first of a duology. It's a story about a boy, Jack, on a quest for a cure for his sick mother. He's tasked with traveling from his own reality to the Territories, a fantastical version of earth populated with alternate versions of everyone he knows from his own world. There, the "twinner" of his mother is a dying queen and her scheming advisor is the double of the man responsible for his father's death. With the help of a mysterious old man and a dim but devoted wolf, he must travel back and forth between realities and find the mythical Talisman if he wants to save his mother and thwart evil in both worlds.

Honestly, it's an astounding tale of dark magic, evil, and heroism to rival any of the great masters of high fantasy. It is epic in every sense of the word. The worlds are vast and steeped in ancient magic, the deepest, darkest kind of world-ending evil, and the truest, noblest warriors for the light.

I read this book years and years ago, but it's another of those rare stories that will never leave and that I will probably never revisit. Though its sequel, the arguably darker and far more violent "Blackhouse," is one I've read more than once.

I think it's because, for all its fantastical adventure and grand storytelling, it reminds me too much of my own childhood. It's as if Stephen King and Peter Straub were channeling all of the desperate pain and yearning of that final walk from childhood and innocence to the dark, unknown vastness of adulthood into one story.

There's just so much pain in this book. The aching sadness and fear of losing a beloved parent, the helplessness that comes with realizing that life sometimes simply isn't fair, bad things happen to the truly kind and undeserving, and sometimes horrible people win. Sure, they're cloaked in evil wizards and gentle wolf-boy companions and noble, dying queens, but it's all too easy to see their twinners. I hate those reminders. Young Jack's journey is so very hard and so very dark and drowning in sorrow and loss. Even in the kinder moments, his friendship with Wolf, his deep love for his mother, there's just too much for my poor, tender heart to handle.

Still, don't confuse my refusal to visit it again as dislike for the Territories. I loved the time I spent there. I love anything that brings me back to midworld and my gunslingers and worlds moving on. Okay, maybe "loved" is the wrong word. It's a bit hard to love the evangelical madman Sunlight Gardener (best name for a villain in the history of literature) who sinks his claws into Jack in one particularly horrifying point in the story, and restricting most of sweet Wolf's dialogue to the word "Wolf!" shouted at varying levels of enthusiasm gets to be kind of... a lot after awhile.

But as fairy tales go? Well, to paraphrase one of these great men, it is one upon which all others hereafter shall be judged and found wanting.

Well written? Yes.

Good story line? Yes.

Creative? Yes.

Worth reading? No.

The issue I have with this book, as well as many of the Stephen King books I've tried to read, is that everything within it is depicted as mean, petty, twisted, angry, and cruel.

When I read, I'm prepared to endure sad, oppressive, and heart-wrenching difficulties along with the main characters if needed. However, ultimately, I read fiction with the hope that it will make me feel better about life, help me forget my troubles, and forget how terrible we can be to one another. This book takes all the worst aspects of humanity and forcefully shoves them in your face.

Finally, I simply couldn't bear the idea of picking up the book to be brutalized by Stephen King's and Peter Staub's writing once again. So I didn't. I'm extremely glad this was a library book rather than a purchased one.

I believe that while some readers may enjoy this dark and gritty style, it's not for everyone. There are plenty of other works of fiction that can provide entertainment and a more positive outlook without being so overwhelmingly negative.

Perhaps in the future, I'll be more cautious when choosing books by these authors and look for ones that offer a bit more light and hope.

‘Everything has consequences, and some of those consequences might be on the uncomfortable side.’ This statement holds true even when it comes to reading a book.

I finally managed to finish that enormous book. I'm usually all for big books, but this one really didn't need to be that long. Some parts were extremely exciting and full of high tension, which kept me on the edge of my seat. However, other parts moved at a snail's pace, and I found myself drifting off into other realms of my mind.

I constantly told myself that this wasn't a Dark Tower book, but I just couldn't help it. There were indeed a lot of similarities with the Dark Tower series, but in my opinion, the latter is far superior. I had high hopes for this one, and there are definitely many aspects that one can enjoy. However, I can see that someone who hasn't read the Dark Tower series yet might enjoy this one a great deal more than I did. Overall, I would rate it 3.5/5.

I managed to do things a little bit backwards with this book.

Black House was one of the first King books I read back when I started my King journey 15 or so years ago. I hadn’t read The Talisman yet and didn’t get to it for years.

It’s my second time reading it and I still feel like reading them out of order kind of spoiled this book for me. Don’t get me wrong, I do love it and it’s a fantastic story!

But knowing what’s coming kind of made this book drag a bit for me. I kept wanting to skip ahead and get to Black House. But that’s on me, not the book really.

What I really loved, and what made me love this book was the characters. I think Wolf might be one of my favourite King characters yet.

And Jack reminded me so much of Jake Chambers that I couldn’t help but fall in love with him as well.

I also really loved how seamless this collaboration was, you couldn’t tell when it was King and when it was Straub, it really just flowed so well.

The story itself is filled with mystery and adventure. The world-building is top-notch, creating a vivid and engaging setting.

The plot twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat, eager to find out what will happen next.

Despite my initial misstep in reading order, I still highly recommend this book to any Stephen King fan or anyone who enjoys a great supernatural thriller.

What. The cocaine-fuelled fuck. Was that.

I've read a vast amount of Stephen King's works. In fact, I've read most of what he's ever written, with just a few exceptions that I'm currently getting to during my own Great Stephen King Reread. I've rarely had a strong dislike for 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 devolved into a Scooby-Doo episode. So here we are, with The Talisman, or as I affectionately call it, The MacGuffin.

It's not just that the titular talisman is the ultimate MacGuffin. Everyone desires it, and it can do whatever one could possibly imagine. It heals people, teaches boys about the female anatomy, blows up those who have been unkind, unlocks the multiverse, and more. What's worse is that multiple other MacGuffins drive the plot as well. The main character needs a token to prove his trustworthiness? Give him a fancy guitar pick that just so happens to be a shark tooth in the other world. Use a special coin to repel monsters? Sure. The bad guy needs a device to shoot out lightning and create a snowstorm? Why not have him instinctively know that an antique toy's wind-up key is a special interdimensional tool, for no apparent reason? Replace each item in the book with "item A/B" and it wouldn't change a thing. This reminds me of something I despise in some middle grade fantasy stories, where the kid acquires a random item and then uses it to solve a random problem later, in a way that makes it clear that the item was planted solely for that purpose by the author. It's like Percy turning into an animal and then solving the problem by chewing on some magic vitamins that a Greek god gave him for no specific reason. Anyway, King has frequently used the "character just senses the power of this totem" trope over the years, but here it felt really sloppy and overdone. The story was far too reliant on all of this to maintain interest.

Speaking of "interesting", this book was anything but for long stretches. It was a real slog to get through. The page count varies by edition, but it sure felt like 1000 pages while I was reading. It was very uneven; there were some energetic and exciting parts, but there was also a lot of dullness. It took multiple library loans and a great deal of concentrated willpower to finish it. There was very little tension. Anytime the main character was in danger, he could simply shift worlds to escape. Even after he ran out of world-shifting juice, it was obvious that he would be able to do it on his own. 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 the other world. So that just leaves the journey, and it wasn't an interesting one.

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 electrifying King energy that I love. That's where the cocaine energy was appropriately fuelled. In other places, however, I've never disliked King's writing per se, but as this book progressed, I found it more and more unhinged. There were poor word choices, weird and cringy descriptions, and just overall poor decisions.

I suppose Straub may also be responsible, but I don't know how this collaboration worked. This is something that bothers me about a lot of co-authored books; I want to understand who did what, who has the final say in any given area, and how it could possibly work out between two talented authors. I'd like to think that King wrote some parts and Straub wrote others 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 excitement and energetic climax, the next part of the book was a letdown. It was a drag.

Most of that particular drag was because of the addition of Richard to the story. Richard was a drag. He was an unbelieving drag, then a only partially conscious drag, then a physical drag. He added nothing to the story, he didn't help the quest for the Talisman at all, and in fact, he was a huge hindrance. I suppose he was meant to offer some sort of parallel; he and the main character (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. But is there any payoff to having the villain's son as a co-hero? There isn't. 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. But he doesn't. 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 constantly 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, by the way. 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.

Classic! Epic! Timeless! These are the words that come to mind when I think of two of my all-time favourite authors. Their works have stood the test of time and continue to inspire generations of readers.

One of these authors is known for his masterful storytelling and ability to create vivid characters that leap off the page. His novels are filled with adventure, romance, and drama, and always leave me on the edge of my seat.

The other author is a true literary genius. Her writing is elegant, profound, and often thought-provoking. Her works explore the human condition in ways that few others can, and always leave me with a new perspective on life.

Together, these two authors have created some of the most unforgettable works of literature in history. Their books are not just entertainment, but also a source of inspiration and wisdom. I feel truly privileged to have discovered their works, and I will continue to cherish them for a lifetime.

In 2019, I have decided to go back and review the King books that I love and cherish but have never fully reviewed for Goodreads. This is 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 all-time favorite authors, Straub & King, combined their unique storytelling voices to pen this dark fantasy, which is one of my favorites of all time. I first read this book on a family vacation to Dillon Beach, CA. We rented a house called "Wit's End", which was the perfect setting for this story about a young boy who lives with his mother in a seaside town.

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. However, 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 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. This just goes to show 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.

I 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 resemblance 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, but 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.

I have reread this for the some-teenth time since I was 12 years old.

It's truly amazing how this novel has the power to draw me in again and again.

Each time I pick it up, I find myself completely immersed in its world, getting to know the characters on a deeper level.

The story is so engaging and well-written that it never gets old.

I still love it with all my heart and it remains one of my top favorite novels.

In fact, it might even be THE top novel for me.

There's something about its charm and magic that keeps me coming back for more.

I can't wait to see what new discoveries and emotions I'll experience with each future reread.

It's a book that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Alrighty, well, this is going to be a short and sweet review.

You see, I've read this book a whopping 73 times! Can you believe it? And I've already reviewed it twice on Goodreads previously.

Today, however, I'm feeling rather review-lazy. I just don't have the energy to write a long and detailed review like I usually do.

If you're interested in checking out either of those previous reviews, here are the links for you.

The first one was from my 2010 read and can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

The second one was from my 2016 read and the link is https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

That is all. :)