The Talisman

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A READ!!
Review: I give The Talisman 5 stars. It is not only the 1st to the sequel: Black House, but assuming one is a Stephen King true reader, they are directly relating to The Dark Tower saga. Given, the 1st 150 or so pages are almost flat out boring (most likely due to Peter Straub's work), it definitely is xciting the rest of the way thru (Stephen King's work). It is a little different in Black House. It looks as Straub & King trade off every 50 or so pages. Either way, Straub is boring while King is xciting.

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: read it twice
Review: I first read this book about 10 years ago, when I was in high school. It was the first fantasy novel I ever read (although I had read a lot of King's horror genre novels). I loved it! When I saw the book at a friend's house recently, I wanted to see if I still liked it just as much now that I'm an adult as I did as a teenager; now that I read completely differnt books.

Indeed, I loved it just as much. I devoured it in a few days. I still think it's a wonderful introduction to fantasy novels. I enjoyed the main character Jack "flipping" back and forth between two worlds that were the same but different. How people existed as "twinners" in both worlds...kind of like alter egos. Great characters and relationships between characters and just a good all around story about traveling and adventure.

Rating:
Summary: a slow start, but then - wow!
Review: I purchased this book from an overstock bin many years ago, and read it not that long after... and promptly forgot about it. But now that the "Dark Tower" series is drawing to a close, I'm trying to read some of the related books, and I decided to re-read this before tackling "Black House." And am I ever glad I did!

The start of the book is slow going... I was concerned I'd set myself up for torture during the first 100 pages or so. But after that it really picks up and I had great difficulty putting it down. Jack's journey is enthralling, as are some of the not-so-subtle lessons he learns.

I've been told this is not a typical King book, and given that the horror elements are definitely downplayed (well... except for some fairly horrific people) I can understand that. But if you've enjoyed the "Dark Tower" books, I recommend this one. I'm very glad I re-read it!