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The Talisman  By  cover art

The Talisman

By: Stephen King, Peter Straub
Narrated by: Frank Muller
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Publisher's summary

On a brisk autumn day, a 13-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: His father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America - and into another realm.

One of the most influential and heralded works of fantasy ever written, The Talisman is an extraordinary novel of loyalty, awakening, terror, and mystery. Jack Sawyer, on a desperate quest to save his mother's life, must search for a prize across an epic landscape of innocents and monsters, of incredible dangers and even more incredible truths. The prize is essential, but the journey means even more. Let the quest begin....

©2001 Simon & Schuster; 2001 Stephen King and Peter Straub

Critic reviews

Audie Award Winner, Fiction (unabridged), 2002
"A classic...rare and dazzling...a journey to rival the greatest adventure stories ever told." ( New York Daily News)
"Extraordinary...makes your hair stand on end." ( The Washington Post)

Featured Article: We're Your #1 Fans—A Stephen King Character Guide


With a mind-boggling portfolio of 62 novels and more than 200 short stories (and counting!), Stephen King undeniably reigns supreme over literary horror. From Danny Torrance to the dreaded Pennywise, check out some of his most iconic characters with this comprehensive look. (But beware: there are spoilers ahead! So, much like when you press play on a Stephen King audiobook, you should proceed with caution.)

What listeners say about The Talisman

Average customer ratings
Overall
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    3,647
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

WHY THE BAD REVIEWS??

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS YOU CAN'T STOP "READING". THE TALISMAN IS VERY ADDICITNG, AND I WAS TOTALLY DRAWN INTO THIS STORY, SO MUCH SO I WENT INTO WITHDRAWAL ON THE DAYS I DIDN'T COMMUTE TO WORK. I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I HAD VISITED SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN I LEFT THE CAR. ENJOY THE TALISMAN FOR WHAT IT IS, PURE FANTASY, AND DON'T LET THE BAD REVIEWS KEEP YOU AWAY.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Typical King

I don't know why so many readers criticize this novel. It is a good story and keeps you listening. A typical King novel. Can you dig it? Haha. Bring on book 2!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great tale, so-so ending

I found the story to be engaging. The narrator did a fantastic job in my opinion. Everything was fantastic until the last couple of chapters. I just wasn't happy with how things were wrapped up. Luckily this didn't transition into the follow up, Black House, which was excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply the Best Audio Book Available!!!

I've listened to hundreds of audio books, and the Talisman is without any doubt the best of them all. I've listened to this incredible story several times and it always amazes me and makes rush hour traffic almost something that you wish for in order to continue listening to this great story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good story, drags at points

overall, i liked it. the story drags at points. there were definitely a lot of other topics that could have been explored. i see this as being related to the dark tower series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent King!

This book and it's companion, Black House, are fantastic Stephen King novels. I don't read Straub much, but the two of them together are absolutely brilliant.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely loved it

Have you listened to any of Frank Muller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not yet. Will for sure.

Any additional comments?

This is the first Frank Muller's narrated book I've read, and I think, he is certainly one of the best narrators to date! Absolutely loved his job.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my old favorites

I originally read this book 20 years ago, and remembered that it was one of my favorites back then. So I came into this with the hopes that I hadn't outgrown this story. Well, I haven't. This story was great fun with the magic and mystery and excitement and caring for the characters. To me, this book didn't take as long as many other Stephen King books to get going. And once it was going, it was hard to turn off. I listened to this on my daily commutes and often found myself unable to turn off the car because I wanted to find out how a situation turned out.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

one of my favorites

I've read this book several times, it is one of my favorites. Frank Muller brought it to life acting out all of King and Straub's amazing imagery

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good listen.

This story is full of action, thrills, adventure, and fearful fantasy. Great story, and the sequel called Black House is just as good. Frank Muller is the best narrator, he really brings the characters to life.

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