The Talisman, MP3-CD Edition

Rating:
Summary: Yawn
Review: This book is getting 3 stars from me because it was well told, And I liked the plot and all. But I was forcing myself to finish this book. It got really boring at times and felt like it wasnt going anywhere. This is my first King book I've read. I read lost boy lost girl by Straub. Ill just say im glad to be finally done with this book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Stephen King novels; magical
Review: This is among Stephen King's best books, which is a bit strange strange considering that he made the unusual decision to collaborate with an author who is less well known than himself, in a genre in which they both specialize.

But you can't argue with results, and The Talisman delivers in a big way. When 12 year old Jack finds himself on a sad, grey beach with his mother, a former movie star who is dying of cancer, it seems like his life can't get much worse. But he soon gets sucked into an adventure, in which he is sent on a quest to save his mother. Jack travels in two different worlds; the world that we live in, and another, fairy-tale world that mirrors our own in some ways. The fairy-tale world seems like something out of the Middle Ages, except that there are magical objects and creatures, some of which are very forbidding.

This is a masterful take on the somewhat common idea of a young person finding himself on an adventure in a magical land. By jerking Jack back and forth between the dangers of our world and the dangers of that other world, King and Straub bring both worlds into sharp focus. The dangers that Jack faces are very creative, including a sentence in a religious rehabilitation center for boys, and getting stuck in a dead-end job for a dangerous man.

This book is reminiscent of The Eyes of the Dragon, which is another King masterpiece, and yet it is slightly more slanted towards a realistic, and adult-oriented view. It also foreshadows the Gunslinger series in some respects, without being as abstract. At a hefty 768 pages, the sheer size of it might remind readers of King's name-making epics, such as The Stand. In short, this book has a lot of elements that have worked for King in the past (sad to say, I'm much less familiar with Straub's work, and so can't comment on comparisons to his other works, except to say that this is much better than Straub's "Ghost Story").

Even though some of the villains are somewhat cartoonish, Jack and his relationship with Wolf, a friend that he meets along the way, is particularly well-done and touching. We grow to love these characters, and this emotional hook keeps us interested beyond just knowing who lives and who dies. We want them to be happy, and are concerned every time their happiness is threatened.

Despite the size, this is a perfect book for someone just easing into King's work. It has elements of horror (these guys can't pass up a chance to detail the sound of a bone being crushed, for example), but is mostly centered on fantasy themes. I also highly recommend this book specifically to teenagers, who are looking for a book that is exciting, but which is more adult than the children's books that they've read to date.


Rating:
Summary: A genuine page turner
Review: This novel is a wonderful mix of fantasy, horror and myth. The story is about a twelve-year-old boy who starts on a quest for The Talisman, which is the only thing that can save his mother from the grips of cancer and the slow poisoning of evil; but he soon discovers saving his mother is but a part of his destiny. By saving his mother and defeating the forces that want her dead, he will save a world, two worlds, and an infinite number of worlds, all linked together in a chain of destiny.

Drawing from stories like Huckleberry Finn, Pinocchio, The Lord Of The Rings, a score of myths and legends, and being strongly intermixed with Stephen King's own Dark Tower saga, `Talisman' has a complex plot filled with meticulous detail and rich imagination. Had I read this book at age twelve, this would have been one of my favourite and influential books. Now, aged twenty-four, I still loved it to death, but I've read too many other books now. The beehive of my imagination has been filled with the nectar of too many other works. (I did however, read Stephen King's `Eyes Of The Dragon' at about that age, and if you like 'Talisman' I recommend you get a copy of that book as well.) Are you twelve yourself, and are you not afraid of violent and sometimes horrifying scenes, then pick this novel up now or regret it later- just like I regret it now.

Jack finds many obstacles on his road, some in our world and some in the other. You'll find no obstacles trying to finish this book, unless you're talking about turning the last page. But don't worry, there's a sequel: `Black House.'

This one gets four stars.

Bram Janssen,
The Netherlands

Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Fantasy
Review: What a great book, I did think however it was quite longer than it could have been with all the little obsticles Jack has to overcome, but I guess it just adds to his quest. It was a great story, check it out if you want something to keep u busy for a while and for a great book.