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Summary: If you only read one book, make it this one!!!
Review: I can honestly say I have probably read 1000+ books in my life and this is my all-time favorite! I have read this book numerous times over the years and never tire of it! King and Straub did a wonderful job on this book! It is their best work, not just together but alone. The saying two heads are better than one definitely fits here. No single author could have created the characters and places like King and Straub. You can see where Straub's ability to create and describe places is present and King's awesome ability to create amazing characters and evilness. You can't go wrong with this one!
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Summary: I read the first time around
Review: Wow! They have republished it....Bravo. I read it at it's first debut and could not put it down. I love both writers but in this book you cannot tell were Peter stops writing and Stephen picks it up.....two brillant writers!!
Rating:
Summary: Not bad for a collaboration
Review: Okay, now, I'm giving this book five stars, but lets not rush to consider that Seiler's Official Mark of Flawlessness, because this book is far from flawless. I'm a pretty wide reader of Stephen King (I own every piece of fiction he ever sold bound, and I'm working through them chronologically right now), and I can tell you that you won't recognize a lot of the voice that you're familiar with in this piece. That's a result of the collaboration, I suppose, but Stephen King's storytelling style--his literary voice--is diluted and mixed with Straub's. That's not a bad thing, but just be prepared to read something that sounds a little more like Eyes of the Dragon than The Stand.Of greater concern is the fact that the plot of this book has alredy been done by King--this book is the short version of the Dark Tower, a quality which make's the upcoming Black House's address of the Crimson King and the Breakers all the more amusing. There are a LOT of parallels between the two works--more than I could really list here--but suffice it to say that I was impressed as I read with how little this felt like an original work for King, but only a reinterpretation of something he already had swimming around. That's not to say the book is bad--I am, after all, giving it five stars. The imagery is excellent and the story is interesting. The story does have a tendency to get bogged down in negative imagery, however--a crime that a novel this long should try to avoid. At points, I felt a little like I was reading Less Than Zero instead of a King/Straub book, a fact which was made all the more remarkable by the low attrition rate among major characters. All the same, be prepared for some heavy, bad atmosphere to hang around the book. This is a pretty good device, considering that one of the themes of the book is the desecration of the pristine or beautiful, but it is, perhaps, a little overused. The only other major complaint I could see anybody voicing would be regarding the characters themselves. Jack Sawyer and Richard Sloat aren't really very believable. For a twelve year old boy, Sawyer's psychology seems a little out of whack, and Sloat's own psychological profile seems a little charicatured. All the same, I didn't find it to be too much of a problem, myself, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. This isn't King's best ever, and I can only assume that it isn't Straub's either, since collaborative works tend to have that effect, but as a book on its own, it's still good enough to go in any collection, and should certainly be in any King enthusiast's library.
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Summary: The most SOULFUL book I have ever read!!!!
Review: A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ FOLKS!!!! I have read though at least 20+ different reviews and, so far, most of the reviews were pro-TALISMAN...although some unfortunate fools didn't believe this book was worth their time. But just between you, me and everyone else that loved this novel....the difference between OUR tastes in great literature and those who gave this book "a thumbs down" is that WE HAVE SOME (GOOD) TASTE!!!! But, of course, thats just my opinion. I was just annoyed with the "other" people who didn't care for this book and wrote very blande reviews about it. There are quite a few "colorful" discriptions I'd like to tell these people of how I felt when I read their {cough, cough....UGH!!!} reviews. But I don't think I'm allowed to do that on here, so I'll just tell you how much I loved this book. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! I feel guilty tho because some folks said they read this book like 20 times. I know I have read it more than once...maybe 3 or 4 times (and am planning on doing so again...I just bought the re-issue version of it). This book just takes you away!!! And I had no problem with the rich discriptions and detail that was put into this masterpiece...thats what made this story SO enchanting, thrilling, lively, entertaining and heartwrenching!!! My first read was very hard because I became so emotionally engrossed in this story. It just drew me right in from the get-go. Jack was very entertaining and I loved being his shadow, following him from one trial to another...Speedy Parker, Lily, Smokey Updike, Buddy Parkins, Wolf (ahhhh, Wolf....I fell in love with him!), Sunlight Gardner and all his hateful little crownies at the Sunlight home, Richard....it was like I was there too!!! This story was a great escape from my own life and I loved every moment of it!!! And now to learn that, 14 years later, Stephen King and Peter Straub are releasing a sequel to "The Talisman" in September....I was just floored!!!! I've already ordered my copy!!! I've read the intro to this new story and it seems interesting....I just hope it's as good (if not better) as "The Talisman" was!!! This novel was (and still is definitely)a keeper!!!
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Summary: A Great Epic By Two Masters
Review: Take Stephen King, the greatest novelist of our generation, and mix him with Peter Straub, the most underrated writer of our time, and what do you get? You get a great coming-of-age epic novel about one boy's discovery of adulthood. Jack is on a mission; he must find a hotel that holds a power source which will enable him to save his dying mother. But things aren't that simple; there are parallel worlds in the universe and Jack has to jump from one world to the next in order to reach the black hotel. In these worlds, he encounters friends as well as dangerous enemies. He will be face with horrible situations and he will be put on the verge of death many times. Furthermore, he must be careful to stay out of his uncle's way, the very man who is trying to catch him and kill him. The book is incredibly well thought, full of beautiful imagery and always compelling. This is a great fantasy/drama that is always surprising and never predictable. Straub and King have written one of the best novel of the 1900s. Let's just hope that the sequel will live up to our expectations!
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Summary: Another of my favorite books
Review: Together with It, The Stand and Weaveworld (Clive Barker) this has always been at the top of the list. I read this book over 15 years ago when it came out and since then I have read it at least eight more times. It is fantasy you can identfy with, the characters are so well drawn. I recommend it to "children of all ages", adults to, from 16 to 100 if they so wish, fantasy lovers and anyone who wants a really compelling read. I was thrilled to see the two authors have gotten together to do it again because I always wanted to know what happened when the young hero grew up. Enjoy.
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Summary: The Talisman
Review: It was with great excitement that I discovered that Stephen King and Peter Straub had teemed-up to write this book. The story and characters are absorbing and as you, and the main charater learn more of the story, it builds to the typical crescendo ending that is the hallmark of both authors. The good guys are good, and the bad guys are positievly evil. An odessey that no normal person would want to be caught up in, but that we love to experience vicariously. It is King and Straub at their unpredictable best. Thank God there is a sequal. I can hardly wait!
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Summary: Great Horror/Fantasy book
Review: I read this book when I was about 15 years old, and then re-read it when I was 25. It was even better the second time around. If you enjoy books that have edge-of-your-seat suspense and horror, or enjoy books that have an alternate reality story line, then this book is for you.
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Summary: Right on the Money
Review: I picked this book up several years ago and read the first two chapters right there in the bookstore. Since then I have read this story four times. The Talisman is without a doubt one of the most unnapreciated works ever published. It's real strength is in its marvelous characterization and outstanding storyline. It is a microcosm of King's own Dark Tower series as both the gunslinger and Jack Sawyer are heroes with a dark past who rise to an impossible challenge with a very personal stake in their quest. Captivating and touching, The Talisman is a good read for any experienced reader--it's very appealing to me to be to read through this book and clearly see the writing styles of both authors peeking through. The sequel Black House is due out in September so get on it quick so that you've got some time to really absorb the storyline and move right on into the sequel. This book will make you actually care for the characters and is a must read for anyone who wants an excellent Road of Trials--type story.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This book was written in Stephen King's usual confusing, drunken style. It luckily had some interceptions of normalacy, which I'm guessing were written by Straub, though i've never read any of his work. I thouroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and after a while the authors even had you believing the parts about the territories and Morgan's horrible deeds. The book was interesting, never a dull moment. Although, there was no good place to stop... besides the end which is, of course, the logical finish line. At times Jack seemed a lot older than 12. He accomplished a feat that even I, 2 years his senior, could never come close to achieving: the infamous Talisman. There were some gory and slightly creepy parts, but remember, this IS Stephen King, the master of horror, we're talking about. It is a diluted type of horror but good just the same. I reccomend this book to anyone that enjoys a good time with their books. It seems very long but it goes very fast. Overall, this book is wonderful beyond a mere mortals imagination ;)
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