Product Description

In a terrifying trip across America young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73936 in Books
• Published on: 1996-06-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

Review
'Chilling horror story or fantastic journey through a strange world!the book works like!well, like magic' -- Mirror 'A classic!a journey to rival the greatest adventure stories ever told!rare and dazzling' -- New York Daily News

The quasi-cosmic, picaresque journey of twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer - across America on foot, "flipping" in and out of a parallel universe called the "Territories" - in quest of a magical talisman that will save his widowed mother (a former B-movie star) from dying of cancer. Jack's trek begins on the Atlantic coast, where an old black man at a seedy "Funworld" tells him about the Territories, The Talisman, and the "Twinners" (parallel-universe doppelgangers); and these first chapters recall the murky hoo-hah of Straub's opaque Shadowland - as Jack learns that his nemesis is his dead father's evil business partner Morgan Sloat, known in the Territories as "Morgan of Orris." Still, Jack plunges ahead - walking west but flipping into the Territories whenever Morgan's pursuit becomes lethal. . . and vice versa. In the real world his ordeals include: slave-labor at an upstate N.Y. tavern; harassment from pederasts; dreadful days in a neo-Diekensian "Home" for delinquent boys. In the semi-medieval Territories, he faces tree-monsters and assorted "thing" attackers - but also acquires a devoted, brave sidekick: a werewolf named Wolf, who travels with Jack into the real world. (This 150-page section, midway through, is prime alien-fiction a la King - funny, touching, complete with a Carrie-like outburst of retaliation from poor, sweet Wolf.) And eventually, after Wolf's noble demise, lack reaches the midwestern prep school of chum Richard Sloat (son of Morgan) - who'll reluctantly accompany him the rest of the paranoid-peril way: across the radioactive Blasted Lands on a magical train, then flipping into real-world California. . . where The Talisman awaits ("COME TO ME! COME NOW!") in a black hotel. Fans of King's horror, then, will probably be irritated by the pretentious, verbose, psycho-gothic/philosophical fantasy here - which involves coming-of-age, the Twinner gestalt, the sinful secrets of Jack's dead dad, and heavy good-vs.-evil breathing. (See King's The Stand as well as lesser Straub.) At the other extreme is a lot of King-style sentimentality and jokey vulgarity - with Jack's mind implausibly embracing four decades of pop-culture allusions. But, with some gripping sequences along the way and the double-whammy byline, this grandiose, meandering saga - echoing Oz, Alice, and Huck Finn - is sure to reach a massive audience. . . and satisfy about half of it. (Kirkus Reviews)

Review
'Chilling horror story or fantastic journey through a strange world…the book works like…well, like magic' (Mirror )

'A classic…a journey to rival the greatest adventure stories ever told…rare and dazzling' (New York Daily News )

Synopsis
In a terrifying trip across America young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape.

Customer Reviews

Certainly not his best
I am a big fan of Stephen King and so being one of the few I haven't read by him I decided to read the Talisman. To put it in one word its DISAPPOINTING. The story is of young Jack Sawyer who sets out on a quest to find "the talisman" (which you don't know what it is until the end) which can save his dying mother. He travels across the USA and also delves into another world called the "Territories" where he makes some friends who help him along the way whether it be in the territories or in the real world. The story is interesting but at times I felt it really dragged on and could have been condensed. At times the story really starts to move at snail's pace and I had to force myself to go on to finish the book. Although the pace picks up near the end where everything is coming to a head, it also becomes quite confusing and at times I had to read back to follow what was going on.

This book is a good read but if you are a King fan you may be a little disappointed. One thing good in all King books is that he keeps the characters simple and keeps the number of characters low so it is easier to follow the book and he has again done so here, however, I did at times find it difficult to follow who was whose "twinner" in the book, a "twinner" being the territories version of the person in the real world.

All in all, 3 out of 5 stars for this one. A better read would be "Desperation" or "Salem's Lot" if you are into your horror/ fantasy reading.

"Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!"
The Talisman by Stephen King is an incredible journey, in which 12 year old Jack Sawyer wanders through the Territories in search of a way to save his dying mother.

Jack is a fantastic protagonist for the story. Brave and witty he shows maturity well beyond his years as he faces things that would only appear in another world. The other world is called "The Territories" and Jack can get there by "flipping". Stephen King really lets your imagination run wild with this idea of other worlds, and every time Jack arrives somewhere else, King describes it in such great detail, it always feels new and exciting, and in the Talisman's plot, you never know what is around the corner.

The Talisman is a very special book in every way. The characters, the settings, and the magic of Jack's adventure. It is completely absorbing, and you will feel sad when the book ends that it is over, but The Talisman is certainly a journey that won't be forgotton by anyone that reads it.

One of my favourite horror fantasy books
I have read this book several times and I still find it enjoyable every time. I also find this book very funny (the character of Wolf is hilarious, adorable and a tad scary), gripping and exciting. I would say this is one of the best fantasy horror books I have ever read.