The Talisman
£2.95
Certainly not his best - I am a big fan of Stephen King and so being one of the few I haven t read by him I decided to read the Talisman. To put it in one word its DISAPPOINTING. The story is of young Jack Sawyer who sets out on a quest to find the talisman (which you don t know what it is until the end) which can save his dying mother. He travels across the USA and also delves into another world called the Territories where he makes some friends who help him along the way whether it be in the territories or in the real world. The story is interesting but at times I felt it really dragged on and could have been condensed. At times the story really starts to move at snail s pace and I had to force myself to go on to finish the book. Although the pace picks up near the end where everything is coming to a head, it also becomes quite confusing and at times I had to read back to follow what was going on. This book is a good read but if you are a King fan you may be a little disappointed. One thing good in all King books is that he keeps the characters simple and keeps the number of characters low so it is easier to follow the book and he has again done so here, however, I did at times find it difficult to follow who was whose twinner in the book, a twinner being the territories version of the person in the real world. All in all, 3 out of 5 stars for this one. A better read would be Desperation or Salem s Lot if you are into your horror/ fantasy reading.
Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow! - The Talisman by Stephen King is an incredible journey, in which 12 year old Jack Sawyer wanders through the Territories in search of a way to save his dying mother.Jack is a fantastic protagonist for the story. Brave and witty he shows maturity well beyond his years as he faces things that would only appear in another world. The other world is called The Territories and Jack can get there by flipping. Stephen King really lets your imagination run wild with this idea of other worlds, and every time Jack arrives somewhere else, King describes it in such great detail, it always feels new and exciting, and in the Talisman s plot, you never know what is around the corner.The Talisman is a very special book in every way. The characters, the settings, and the magic of Jack s adventure. It is completely absorbing, and you will feel sad when the book ends that it is over, but The Talisman is certainly a journey that won t be forgotton by anyone that reads it.
One of my favourite horror fantasy books - I have read this book several times and I still find it enjoyable every time. I also find this book very funny (the character of Wolf is hilarious, adorable and a tad scary), gripping and exciting. I would say this is one of the best fantasy horror books I have ever read.
The Talisman - There is plenty to enjoy in The Talisman, but there is also much that annoys, with much of the narrative being built around a seemingly set-in-stone destiny for the young hero. The majority of the book takes the form of a travelogue across the USA and a paralell world called The Territories, though the reason given why our hero has to travel by foot and car rather than just take a train and be at his destination in a day is tenuous at best. I m not generally a fan of this sort of quest fantasy, as the characters are such slaves to the plot - mysterious characters give the hero various magical items, tell the hero what to do, send him on his way, the hero uses the magical items, wins the day - there is very little drama in this aspect of the story, and Jack s final challenge against a ghostly knight to claim the Talisman is particularly dissapointing.Where there is fun to be had is along the journey, with Jack s teaming up with a friendly werewolf and their subsequent imprisonment in a evangelist workhouse being a particular highlight.Some momentary thrills along the way, but the bolted on nature of the heroic destiny plot, the thinly drawn villains, and the rather generic mediavel nature of the Territories themselves means this isn t a particularly sucessful novel.
Worst Stephen King book ever - I have a collection of most of the Stephen King novels. Having read Black House which was also written by Stephen King and Peter Straub I was absolutely apalled by this book. It is completely rambling and could be condensed to a maximum of 50 pages.The plot is weak and the characters, usually a strength of King novels, are less than convincing. This is a shame as Black House was excellent.All in all the worst Stephen King it has been my misfortune to buy. No redeeming features.