The Talisman: A Novel

This book was exactly what I needed. I was trying to find a good fantasy novel and was let down by Eragon, couldn’t get into Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiars, and decided to hold off on Dragonlance Chronicles until winter. This book was an incredible fantasy/road trip/sci fi story with Medieval and horror elements that captivated me from the beginning. As a long time King fan I always toyed with the idea of reading this novel but (admittedly) never did until I found out the creators of Stranger Things were developing it into a series. You can definitely see that those guys took a lot of inspiration from King, and in this book in particular in regards to the upside down. Personally, having read at least 40 King novels in my life, I could tell the difference between the Straub chapters and the King chapters. Straub seems to have a penchant for long, sometimes overly so, details of landscapes and surroundings. King’s trademark dialogue and grimy characters show through more than ever within this contrast. It got a little sluggish around pages 450 to 600 or so but then it picks right back up and doesn’t let off. Wolf is also one of the greatest literary characters of all time, right here and now. Can’t wait to read Black House to find out how Jack forgot all of this incredible journey. Those looking for ties to the Dark Tower may find a few fun Easter eggs here and there but some may go over the heads of those who didn’t complete the journey to the beam.

Love it. Read through and you’ll see all the sly references to the DT series. Most from a new perspective for me. I was totally sucked into the story and the idea of the territories and the ability to move from here to there.

I’m a novice reader but, this book was the longest book I’ve ever read. This is my 4th King book. Try to stay away from books that are movies. I was just proud that I got through 900 plus pages but there were rich moments.The main character goes through a lot of turmoil to get to his end goal while traveling in another world. He meets a lot of different characters some good and a lot bad. Great meaning behind it as well.I’d say for me it was too long for my taste, great moments.

The book was in excellent condition and arrived quickly. The perfect addition to my SK collection.

This was the first book of Stephen King's I read that has been a complete fantasy book. I won't give anything away here or going to details I'm sure that there are probably other reviews on here about that. I definitely say for sure that I'll be reading the sequel after this one. The book is extremely big so keep that in mind when you bring a Stephen King book and it's very well detailed so once again if you can't handle big books or detailed books I would probably listen to this then on audiobook. Don't pass up Stephen King books just because they're big if it's too intimidating you can always just listen to it with a audible account from Amazon. Sometimes I just listen to a book anyway with audible because quite frankly some of these book new readers can add you bring death and characterization to what they're reading. Still trying to figure out if this book connects to The Dark Tower series or not I guess once I get into the sequel book maybe you'll give me more insight.Keep in mind if you had a load one that had cancer just might affect you emotionally because Stephen King does a lot of detail when it comes to people who have either illnesses or disabilities and it could be quite sentimental to people who are not used to reading his books. The way this happens is that he can give good insights in a very human realistic way about the way people act and behave which reflects the real rolled in it can really hit home sometimes.

Purchased this for my son. He is a huge fan of King novels. He said this book was all over the place, a slow read, and disappointing.

I found this book along time ago. My Mom had cancer and I needed a big book to escape into. Imagine, It's about a young boy that is on the run from his deceased fathers evil business partner with his mother, a "washed up" B movie actress, that is what? Dying of cancer! Not the best choice for my situation in life. But, I dug in and this book took me to places that I have never been.Jackie and His Mom, Lily are on the run from Morgan Sloat.. His fathers partner, seems Jackie is the only thing standing in the way of Morgan gaining control of the company Jackie's father and Morgan started. We find Jackie wandering the streets, lonely for his old home back in California,mourning his father and worried about his Mom. He comes across an old black fella (Scatman Crothers was my choice) that tells him about another place and about a sick queen that is dying there.. He gives Jackie a vile tasting liquid and it makes him "flip" into the Territories. Jackie walks a bit seeing a few things and when he flips back, finds that although he has walked a short distance there, he is miles away from the place He left "Speedy Parker" his new friend. He finds out that there are people in that world that are the same in this one and that things in this world are not the same in the Territories. He also finds out that his Mother Lily has a twinner in the Territories, that She is the queen there and she too is dying. And in order for the queen to live,, Jackie has to save her and in turn, save his mother. But, alas, Morgan Sloat the evil man in this world is even worse in the Territories. His weapon of choice is a skate key in this world, but a,lightning rod/ thrower in the other. Jackie quickly makes a wonderful friend while over in the Territories, Wolf. He is a teen boy most of the time, but when there is a full moon, well, you can sort of get the idea. Wolf journeys with Jackie to get back to the west coast and along the way are forced by Morgan to flip together back into this world. It is terrifying to Wolf. His sense of smell is on par with most canids and he has a few break downs..They both get picked up and have to spend time at Sunlight Gardner's home for wayward boys and each step of the way gets worse than the next. You can't seem to close the book as you follow along with Jackie's challenges and you find yourself gritting your teeth and laughing as the baby boy that was begging "Sit yap!" pees on Jackie's lap. YOu want the story to never end, but, as it reads in the end, the original story is that of a boy. He's grown up at the end, and THAT is a different story..A fairy tail for grown ups.. My copy is worn and dog eared and smells like a beloved old book store. BUt, I bought it for my Kindle, so I can take it with me where ever I go. Oh, BTW, my Mom beat cancer and lived many years later.. I kind of felt the Talisman may have had something to do with that.

I have read this book 3 times over the past 30 years. It is a long saga filled with amazing characters and wonderful, richly-drawn settings. This is not a horror story, but rather a story of love and redemption set in a magical parallel world, but one that we can easily relate to. The characters leap off of the page - bad guys, good guys, lovable creatures - they are all so memorable. All this wrapped up with a happy ending! Who could ask for more from Stephen King?

Arrived quickly, in perfect condition. No hesitation in buy from this seller again.

Riletto dopo anni per ricordare alcuni passi e richiami nel suo ultimo libro, sempre un grande

I read this years ago but had to replace it because my dog chewed it up! This and The Stand are my favorite Stephen King books.

good book and in perfect condition, keep up the good service as I expect nothing less