The Talisman

Rating:
Summary: Okay...
Review: The problem with this book: Peter Straub shows too much. He may write 'complex' and 'high-tech' sentances and such, but let's face it: his writing style is boring and most of all, confusing. The book picks up around page 300. Before that, it's all boring and worthless writing. Even after that point, it never is totally clear of what's going on. I could not pay full attention to what I was reading. The ending drags on for too long, another major problem of the book. I would recommend this book to experienced Stephen King readers, but not to someone who is new to him, especially anyone new to the genre (which is much more horror then fantasy).

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: A totally awesome book.
An excellent blend of fantasy and macabre. Jack i thought was a little cardboard, and I thought he didn't have much personality,
But Wolf and all the others were very well thought out and written. I like Wolf, and pitied Richard, all in all it was an excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing book
Review: This is a great book. I can compare it with Homer's 'Oddesey' or Tolkein's 'The Lord Of The Rings'. This is a really good book, and you will fall in love with the characters. I also reccomend 'Black House' which is by King and Straub and is a continuation of 'The Talisman'

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Review: I've never been a huge King fan, and haven't had much exposure to Straub, until now. This book, in a word, is great! I'm a huge horror fan and this book delievers in that area, also encompassing fantasy, drama, etc. The characters are vivid, the descriptions so real that you can picture yourself in the Territories. I found myself looking forward to sitting down with this book to see what happens to Traveling Jack next. Excellent read! I really can't say enough about this book. I am looking forward to reading The Black House next! Run out and get this, you won't be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile read
Review: I did enjoy this book, although it did get confusing at times, and maybe reached out there at other times, not knowing where it was going when it was being written, but eventually it does all work together.

Jack is certainly amazing character and I loved his "god pounding" friend Wolf. I did enjoy the theory of "twinners" in other worlds. It is simply a book of good versus evil. With a bizarre and somewhat strange ending. For being such a "big" book it does go fairly quickly.

Rating:
Summary: One of King's Best
Review: I read this book for the first time in the 9th grade and the images have been with me ever since. At first glance, the book looks too thick to keep you interested, but rest assured that the words go fast and absolutely suck you into the story.

This is not a horror story. It is a story of good triumphing over evil and a boy becoming more than he ever imagined he would. King and Straub managed to combine fantasy with a true streak of reality in this story.

Rating:
Summary: 12-Year Journey to Complete a 12-Year-Old-Boy's Journey
Review: I bought this book back in 1986 when I was in high school. The pages were so fascinating that I wanted to reach the last page. This desire came about during a time when I did not particularly like reading but yet wanted to develop a passion for exploring authors' adventures and works of creativity.

The chapters of Jack's travels between two universes and the encounters he faces are both numerous and memorable. Despite the several pages, I thought that this might be a quick read. However, as I continued further into the book, several personal obstacles would come in the way of my finishing it up. I would later fear that if I delayed my reading long enough, then I would forget not only where I left off but also where I started from.

This worry was to be unfounded. Despite the items that would come months and years later, such as: SAT preparations, college courses that were time consuming, the dedication required to obtaining my college degrees, lengthy job pursuits, and other personal goals that would leave me sidetracked, I could pick The Talisman back up after putting it away several months prior and then easily continue with the flow.

The delays to finishing up became longer, but the adventures of Travellin' Jack were so fascinating that they could stick fresh in my mind for a very long time. In 1998, almost 12 years later, I finally finished the book, and I found that my levels of involvement and enthusiasm were just as intense as they were at the very beginning.

I highly recommend this book. If you like the Lord of the Rings, then you will definitely appreciate this fantasy by King and Straub, and may you not have to take so long to finish it up as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Good read, but occasionally slow...
Review: This book is definitely different from most King books I've read, but that's not exactly a bad thing. It is more fantasy, which is good, but sometimes it is extremely slow and uninteresting, which is bad. Fortunately, the slow parts are few and far between. The story is amazing, dealing with other dimensions and extra-dimensional travel. I can see where many stories and even games could have possibly been developed from the ideas in this book (think "Crono Cross"). Again, I enjoyed this book, it just seemed that I got through it much slower than other King books ("It", "The Stand", "The Tommyknockers", etc.) Don't get me wrong, the scene with Wolf on a rampage was more intense than many scenes in any book I can remember, but not all scenes are like that. All in all a great read, just don't expect a fright fest or a fast-paced thriller through the whole book, but instead expect a great story that is a lot of fun with some thrills along the way. It really was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to "Black House".

Rating:
Summary: UGH!
Review: A friend of mine bought this for me for Christmas, and I tried to read this, for her sake. I spent three months on it, and now I give up!
I'm halfway through it and usually I'm a fast reader. The plots great, but he just didn't write it in a way I enjoyed. I do know a lot of people who really really liked it, so don't take my word for it, I would check it out of a library before buying it, though

Rating:
Summary: interesting...
Review: i love stephen king, and i've read only one peter straub novel (which i couldn't even finish!), so i embarked on this journey with an open (if skeptical) mind. i was slightly disappointed. you can tell where one left off and the other began, and this, to me, is the mark of a somewhat mediocre book.

it's not king's best book by a long shot (if you want something really good, i recommend "the stand", "misery" and "the green mile"), and i have nothing to compare straub to, so i won't.

i'm looking forward to reading the sequel, "black house", despite the fact that i was less than impressed with this novel.