Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable dark fantasy; superb audio performance by Muller!
Review: It's hard to go wrong with a combination like King and Straub. This is a coming of age story in dark fantasy clothes...and it's great. Jack Sawyer is 12, and sets out on the adventure of his life in order to save his mother, who is dying of cancer. His adventures take him across the US, and through Territories beyond (REALLY beyond!). In his travels he encounters good and evil in many forms, and learns what is truly valuable (love, honor, friendship). King and Straub have created a fantastic tale, full of vivid characters who make us love or hate them.The audio version of the novel is superbly performed by the incomparable Frank Muller, who could read the phone book and make it sound good. Best wishes to Mr. Muller, who's talents will be greatly missed by audiophiles like me. I highly recommend any and all of his audio performances, particularly King's Dark Tower series.
Rating: 
Summary: Two masters of horror join forces on a fantasy novel!
Review: Yes, it sounds wierd, but Stephen King and Peter Straub got together in the eighties and wrote this fantasy novel. If you're familiar with either's work, you know that this is going ot be a great book. So, I guess I'll let you read the summary, as written by myself.
Jack Sawyer is only twelve, but he's about to go on the journey of a lifetime. His mother is dying, and what she needs to survive resides in California...But Jack is on the east coast. He must get there alone, by himself,and quickly, for not only his mother's life hangs in the balance, but that of a woman Jack doesn't know, a woman who is the queen of a land Jack has never heard of...The Territories.
Jack's father could travel to this strange land, buy simply wishing it to happen. Jack soon learns that he, too, can do it, and finds that traveling in the Territories covers much more land than in the real world. For instance...Say he "travels" to the Territories from one point, and walks half a mile. When Jack "travels" back, he finds he's walked two miles! Getting to California should be easy, right?
Wrong. For Jack's evil Uncle Morgan does not want Jack to succeed. He wants Jack's mother--and the Queen of the Territories--to die, for then Morgan's "Twinner" (the copy of yourself in the Territories) could take control of the strange land and spread his harshness.
So Jack's journey is two-fold: Save his mother (and the Queen) and stop Uncle Morgan from taking over the Territories. Since he can't do this alone, Jack makes several friends that help him along the way, and the entire story comes together in a conclusion that'll leave you on the edge of your seat.
Did you understand any of this? I hope not, for it should make you want to buy the book even more. Trust me, "The Talisman" is worth every penny you sink into it, for it is an adventure of the ages, filled with excitement, suspense, humor, horror, and the struggles of one boy on a desperate quest. Also, check out Stephen King and Peter Straub's sequel to this wonderful book: "Black House."
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: For those of you wanting a "Stephen King-y" book, you may be slightly disappointed. For those of you who might be turned off from the book because it might be "Stephem King-y", please read it. There is very little true horror/gore in this book, it is more fantastical. This is one of my FAVORITE BOOKS. And don't forget the sequel, "Black House". They are making this into a movie, (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE MOVIE "TALISMAN", which is not the same thing)...I'm praying they won't ruin it.
Rating:
Summary: Good collaboration
Review: 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:
Summary: Modern-Day Lord of the Rings
Review: Perhaps that is a blasphemous statement, considering how Tolkien fans (I am one, too) view "The Trilogy," but from the moment I began reading about Jack Sawyer's world, I was enthralled, captivated, I barely put it down to sleep or eat or go to class. I have read the book over and over again and have passed it along to many friends and relatives. It is a marvelous adventure story, yet also a story of great friendship, great love and heroism, making it clear that the most impressive form of bravery is taking action in spite of your fears. Wolf is an exceptionally endearing character, we should have had more of Wolf and Speedy Parker, but I guess that is one reason I read it again and again, to spend more time with them and Jack and all the other amazing characters. I am not a particular fan of King or Straub but love a great adventure and fantasy story, and this is one of the best. Thank you, SK and PS for my many many hours of pure pleasure reading your terrific tale. Will we ever see Jack and Richard again? Sequels are risky but may be worth it in this case.
Rating:
Summary: Who Plays these Changes?
Review: Of all of King's books, including the Dark Tower series, this one is my favorite. Once I got through the first few chapters, I was captivated. Something about the mythic atmosphere of this book, and the beautiful eeriness of the Territories world, did something to me. Jack Sawyer is half Tom Sawyer and half Frodo Baggins, a boy traveling across America because he must, even though he's afraid. My favorite character in this story was Wolf, an innocent and simple-minded teenage werewolf who accompanies Jack on part of his journey, and who is symbolic of what our world is capable of doing to the good world that we have left behind.
This book is good for everyone. Even if you are not a big King (or Straub) fan, I am sure that many people will consider this to be the exception.
Rating:
Summary: An awsome book for all
Review: I came across this book as I was looking for a good book for my English class, but all of the books that I had found were slow starting. I have nothing against these kinds of books but I am more into a book that catches my eye (this book really caught my eye). I really like this book and I think you would too. This book really twists and turns along the way (if you know what I mean). It's about a young child who is dragged across the world by his mother who seems to be running from something. As they settle down in a small town he hears news that his uncle has passed away. He begins to dream horrible things about his mother, as well as seeing horrifying things in broad daylight. He finds a friend in the town they moved to and he finally starts to feel like a human again. He eventually finds an item that takes him were he has never been before. Sorry, the rest is for you to read. This is one of the only books that I have been able to sit down and read without knowing how much time has passed by. One time I even forgot what day of the week it was. I was even so interested in this book I have begun to look into all of these authors' books.
Rating:
Summary: Good. But Loses Steam halfway through
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Stephen King fan
Review: I just keep trying but I just can't seem to like him. I always felt like his books could be good if they were edited down to about 1/3 their original length. I had just about given up when a friend recommended this to me. It does have some of that excess "stuff" that King writes, but for the most part, it is a highly engaging, richly rewarding, heartfelt story which did not fail to keep my interest. I won't review the plot since the Amazon review and many other reviewee's will give you trailer. I will only mention that the characters are filled out and believable, the plot is entertaining and suspenseful, and the overall book rocks just a little. Don't let the author's name fool you. If you've tried Stephen King and found him wanting, try this book. Both it, and it's sequel are well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Novel ever Written!!
Review: As you can see from the Rating and the Title for this review I thought this was a great book. Ok. This is a large 700 page epic that is somewhat like the Lord of The Rings but it is MUCH different than that. At first when I picked it up I was worried about if I would hate it or like it. A lot of people said to me that you might not like it because it is a fantasy story and a lot of other people did not like it.
This is not a horror story, but it is a fantasy story yet it has some horror elements because King wrote part of it. In the genre category I would say it is fantasy/horror/drama. As most epics it has some drama. What I loved about this novel is the interesting touch of Peter Straub's terrific writing, but also my favorite aspect of it is how there is cliffhanger after cliffhanger. Most would say that a 700 page epic must contain a lot talk and unneeded material. That is not true here. Talisman is just pure story after page 90 or so. Also by the final scene of this book I was so attached with the characters that I could not let them go. The ending was not really sad but it was "beautiful", so I nearly cried(It is hard to make me cry).
I will give a summary with as much detail as possible but with no spoilers. It starts off with a boy named Jack Sawyer. Jack's mom is dying from the "Black Death" or Cancer. To add to his troubles his Dad died a few years earlier, and, guess what?
Jack is only 12 years old. Poor kid. While Lily Cavanaugh(Jack's Mom), Queen of the B's is dying with Cancer in a New Hampshire Resort with her only son, Jack meets someone mysterious on the beach near an amusement park. His name is Speedy Parker. Jack eventually spills out that his mother is dying and that he obviously is very sad. Speedy one day takes Jack up to his office and tells Jack his destiny. There is a Talisman in the west on the Pacific Ocean. Jack must travel there to get the Talisman. Speedy also introduces Jack to the "Daydream-land" or The Territories. Jack's nemesis in Morgan Sloat who worked with his dad Phil Sawyer. Morgan Sloat's Twinner(your other being in the Territories) is Morgan of Orris. Morgan of O wants the queen dead and she is already sick with Cancer. The Queen happen's to be Lily Cavanaugh's Twinner in the Territories.
As Jack travels he learns more about himself and about the Territories. Jack also learns dark truths about his family and Sloat(Morgan). In a land full of monsters and encounters of Sloat Jack makes his journey.
The Prize is Essential, but the journey means even more. Let The Quest Begin.....
|
