Jack Sawyer is a 12-year-old boy. His mother is on the verge of dying in a hotel located on the other side of the country from sunny California, where he comes from.

Then, he encounters Speedy Parker and is suddenly thrust into a mission and another world called the Territories, which is vastly different from his own. He has embarked on a journey to find the Talisman and must travel from one coast to another to bring it back, in order to save his mother and Queen Laura, his mother's "twinner", from death.

If you have read the Dark Tower series, I highly recommend taking a look at this. The similarities between the two are numerous. For instance, the Territories exist in both novels, just at different times. The concept of twinners is also present in both. Additionally, some of the settings, such as The Queen's pavilion, are the same. King and Straub have created some of the most menacing villains in this novel. Morgan Sloat/Morgan of Orris and Sunlight Gardner are truly terrifying. I found myself completely engrossed in this book at several points.

As I mentioned earlier, if you have ever read the Dark Tower series, definitely give this a try. However, if fantasy is not your cup of tea and you struggle to suspend your disbelief, it might be best to skip this and choose something a bit more realistic. Overall, I would rate this book 4.5 out of 5.

Believe it or not, this was the very first Stephen King book that I had ever laid my hands on. I recall purchasing it at a great bargain, and there it sat on my shelf. Naturally, being curious about his works, I decided to give it a go, and this is precisely where my journey with Stephen King began.

However, this book had a rather unexpected effect on me. It actually turned me off from Stephen King books for a significant number of years. Struggling to get through this book was an excruciating experience. It seemed as if he and Peter Straub, who I also developed a dislike for after this, were having a jolly good time writing it. They appeared to be sending each other the next chapter back and forth, deliberately trying to trip up the other writer. There were chapters that literally came to an abrupt end in the middle of a sentence. While this might have been entertaining for them, for me, it was nothing short of trash.

Thankfully, I eventually read "The Stand," which redeemed Stephen King in my eyes, and now I'm okay with his works. In fact, I'm even considering giving Peter Straub another chance.

(Yes, those chapters were truly like that.)

DNF score: five second raspberry.

I went back and forth for a while with my rating for this book.

Some sections were truly outstanding, worthy of a solid five-star rating. Others were also quite good, easily a solid four.

But then there was everything in between those. It sort of dragged on and on. There was just an excessive amount of journeying, so so so much of that on-the-road type of stuff.

I understand! It's just that kind of book, featuring a hero with a quest and obstacles along the way. I do like that aspect, as it's classic fantasy.

However, it just became too much. It seemed repetitive in many ways. The stops along the way were interesting enough, but the actual quest itself seemed to go on and on forever.

It really hindered my overall enjoyment of the book.

My biggest annoyance was that it took Jack about three-fourths of the book to cover what seemed to be a relatively short distance compared to the entirety of his journey.

And then, all of a sudden, wham bam, he completed the rest of the way in no time at all. It was just poorly balanced, in my opinion of course, and at times it left me wishing it would just get to the point already.

That being said, there was still a lot of good in the book. There were many great characters and interesting story lines.

It's just that it couldn't quite make up for the endless and monotonous journey that at points almost bored me to tears. Or rather, it made it so that I just couldn't bring myself to bump a three-star rating up to the four-star it probably deserved for most of the book.

Original review: 8-12-10

I've attempted to view this book from multiple perspectives in the hope of awarding it more than one star. However, the truth is that I began reading it nearly two years ago, got through approximately 600 pages, and never completed it. I simply struggled to develop any emotional connection with the main character or, for that matter, any of the characters. The story was passable, but the characters lacked believability. I still have around 150 pages left to finish, but I haven't touched the book in over a year, and I'm uncertain if I'll ever return to it. The book left me feeling completely apathetic. At this point, I truly don't care what occurs at the end. Maybe one day my opinion will change. So, I can't recommend it, either positively or negatively. You might give it a try and have a different experience.

11-8-14

Alright, let's wrap this up. There are only two days until Revival is released. You have three days with plenty of reading time. You have only 120 pages remaining. You recall the most significant plot points up to this stage and can likely pick up where you left off without too much difficulty. You have a goal of reading all of Stephen King's works. You're about 80% there. You can't cheat. Yes, I know it's \\"co-written\\" with Peter Straub; that's a minor detail. It's a Stephen King book, and I won't accept that as an excuse to skip it. You can do it!

I must say, it's rather disheartening when you have to give yourself a motivational speech to finish a book.

11-10-14

After looking at various reviews on Goodreads and trying to discover what makes this novel great, I realize I'm in the minority with my rating. But enjoying a book is a matter of personal opinion, and the biggest error I could make here is to disregard my own. I'm increasing my rating to two stars because the final showdown held promise, and I simply don't want to leave it at one star. That would place it in the same category as The Colorado Kid, and it definitely wasn't that bad.

So, what's my gripe? It's the characters. I just didn't care about them, and I thought they were all too one-dimensional. They're not the worst characters, but I expect much more from Stephen King because a significant 80 - 90% of his characters are outstanding. They're always complex. The complexities in these characters were minimal, leaving me disappointed. I guess that's what I get for having expectations.

Nevertheless, if you look at other reviews here, you'll find several people who disagree with my assessment. But I have to call it as I see it. I guess the only way to find out is to read it for yourself, but it doesn't receive my recommendation.

I will eventually read Black House. It was written in 2001, while this one was in 1984, and King has grown a great deal as a writer during that time. I suppose it's possible that Jack will also develop.

7/18/21 update:

I read Black House a couple of years ago, and I'm glad to report that it is infinitely better than The Talisman. Thank goodness for small blessings.