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Title: The Talisman by Peter Straub, Stephen King ISBN: 0-345-44488-4 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 31 July, 2001 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (289 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good collaboration
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: King's and Straub's finest work
Comment: I found this book at a Walden Books a few years ago. I had just started reading Stephen King books, but I wasn't as big a fan as I am now. I was torn between this book and the plethora of other King books available at the store, but I finally decided on The Talisman, mostly because the vague description on the back of the book intrigued me. When I got home, I started reading it and I got as far as the first ten pages before I put it down. I didn't read it for another three months, and only then because I like to finish what I start. After that, I only stopped reading to eat, sleep, and perform various bodily functions.
The story centers around a young boy named Jack Sawyer and his sick (and possibly dying) mother, Lily Cavanaugh Sawyer. Jack's mother has taken him from their home in California, trying to get away from laywers with their urgent papers that must be signed and her dead husband's ambitious business partner, Morgan Sloat. They spend their days at the Alhambra Inn, where the days seem to bleed into one another as Jack agonizes over his mother's condition and Lily sleeps away her life, only waking up to get another smoke. Then, Jack meets an old black janitor named Speedy Parker who works at the local amusement park, and from then on, nothing is even remotely normal as Jack embarks on an epic cross-country trek across America and the world next door called The Territories to find the only thing that can save his mother and prevent an unimaginable catastrophe: The Talisman.
I won't say anymore; for me to even try would only ruin a great story. Just read the book, and try to be patient. Its well worth it.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good. But Loses Steam halfway through
Comment: Jack Sawyer is a precocious 12 year old who, while visiting a Coney-Island like resort town, meets an elderly African American janitor named (Speedy) who tells him of a fictional country called the territories. Speedy informs him that if he drinks a magic wine he can 'flip' into the territories, a fictional world where his mother is Queen.
Jack believes Speedy, and goes on a quest to save his mother from his father's evil ex-partner and the ravages of cancer.
I really enjoyed the first three-quarters of the Talisman. I liked the character of Wolf. But after awhile I found the writing became repetitive. I felt Jack was too mature to be 12. I also found his friend: Richard to be very annoying. Richard whines more than any character ever created by Anne Rice. Plus he was useless. Also, the ending was too surreal for me to find very interesting. I think the threat of Sloat could've been resolved in a different way.
Peeves? What's with all Phallic imagery? It seems like every rock and tree is described as looking like an erect (you know what). This was done WAY too much. Surely the author could come up with some other less Freudian adjective?
Overall, while this book started off well, it quickly lost steam. Would recommend for diehard fans.
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Title: Black House by Peter Straub, Stephen King ISBN: 0345441036 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 27 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, David Palladini ISBN: 0451166582 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 10 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King, Michael Whelan ISBN: 0670032549 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 23 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5) by Stephen King, Bernie Wrightson ISBN: 1880418568 Publisher: Donald M. Grant/Scribner Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Insomnia by Stephen King ISBN: 0451184963 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: September, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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