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The Talisman: A Novel Hardcover – November 6, 2012

by Stephen King (Author), Peter Straub (Author)

4.6 8,362 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Talisman

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The iconic, “extraordinary” (The Washington Post) collaboration between bestselling authors Stephen King and Peter Straub—an epic thriller about a young boy’s quest to save his mother’s life.

Jack Sawyer, twelve years old, is about to begin a most fantastic journey, an exalting, terrifying quest for the mystical Talisman—the only thing that can save Jack’s dying mother. But to reach his goal, Jack must make his way not only across the breadth of the United States but also through the wondrous and menacing parallel world of the Territories.

In the Territories, Jack finds another realm, where the air is so sweet and clear a man can smell a radish being pulled from the ground a mile away—and a life can be snuffed out instantly in the continuing struggle between good and evil. Here Jack discovers “Twinners,” reflections of the people he knows on earth—most notably Queen Laura, the Twinner of Jack’s own imperiled mother. As Jack “flips” between worlds, making his way westward toward the redemptive Talisman, a sequence of heart-stopping encounters challenges him at every step.

An unforgettable epic of adventure and resounding triumph, The Talisman is one of the most influential and highly praised works of fantasy ever written.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rare and dazzling…A journey to rival the greatest adventure stories ever told.”—New York Daily News

“Extraordinary…makes your hair stand on end.”—Washington Post

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. Peter Straub is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, most recently A Dark Matter. He has three times won the Bram Stoker Award. He lives in New York City.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Reissue edition (November 6, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 784 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451694911
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451694918
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.65 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,523,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #114,048 in Horror Literature & Fiction
- #187,141 in American Literature (Books)
- #264,453 in Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 8,362 ratings

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Stephen King
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Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.
King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.
King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.
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Peter Straub
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Peter Straub is the author of seventeen novels, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. They include Ghost Story, Koko, Mr. X, In the Night Room, and two collaborations with Stephen King, The Talisman and Black House. He has written two volumes of poetry and two collections of short fiction, and he edited the Library of America’s edition of H. P. Lovecraft’s Tales and the forthcoming Library of America’s 2-volume anthology, American Fantastic Tales. He has won the British Fantasy Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, two International Horror Guild Awards, and three World Fantasy Awards. In 1998, he was named Grand Master at the World Horror Convention. In 2006, he was given the HWA’s Life Achievement Award. In 2008, he was given the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award by Poets & Writers. At the World Fantasy Convention in 2010, he was given the WFC’s Life Achievement Award.
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

8,362 global ratings

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Emma hall

Came perfect

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024

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Can’t wait to start this one! You always have to re-up before finishing what you’ve got 😂:).

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Dan use

One of my favorite King novels

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

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Love how Jack flips through the territories. I plan on re reading this every couple of years!

One person found this helpful

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Steven

Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024

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Stephen King and Peter Straub wrote an outstanding book. This book grabs you and doesn't let go. It is a fantastic adventure and horror story in one. The follow-up "Black House" isn't quite as good it kind of heads in Stephen King gunslinger world. Good reads nonetheless.

One person found this helpful

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Diana Schultz

I loved this book!

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

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Loved it! Completely recommend this book.

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024

Good read

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024

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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.

2 people found this helpful

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Holly Borah

Awesome, just like I remembered it!

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2023

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Reading King for most of my life, (I started at the tender age of 12 thanks to my mother whom is also a huge fan, or maybe it all started when a 7 yr old girl watched another young girl who had no choice but to set her world on fire) it was like coming home from a long journey. I don't think I can pick a favorite book, I luv them all for all different reasons. Some scary, some fantastical and inspiring, some mysterious or even cruel, that's where this book lands, at a happy medium. Thank you Steve, you have taken me on many, many journeys to many, many places without leaving at all or have made me forget about my problems while having one of your books in my hand!

4 people found this helpful

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L. Balog

The best book EVER!!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2012

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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.

44 people found this helpful

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