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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
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10,113
  • 4 Stars
    3,628
  • 3 Stars
    1,517
  • 2 Stars
    500
  • 1 Stars
    360
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,327
  • 4 Stars
    2,247
  • 3 Stars
    833
  • 2 Stars
    295
  • 1 Stars
    340
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,487
  • 4 Stars
    2,693
  • 3 Stars
    1,191
  • 2 Stars
    406
  • 1 Stars
    225

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

Can't stand to listen to this narrator....

I read this book many, many years ago and really enjoyed it. I wanted to listen this time and was looking forward to enjoying it again but I just cannot stand this man's voice. I have made it to Chapter 8 but I think I'm going to have to try to return it.
I will watch out for Mr. Muller's name and not have to go through this again. Listening to him and the strange way he ends sentences with that breathy sound is more than annoying. I don't see why he ruins some great books. Ugh!! Very disappointed!!

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Overly narrated...

The story is enough without the breathy sibilants and monotonous cadence of the narrator. We know the narrative is weird and surreal (it's King after all) without the obvious 'voice from the darkness' vibe created by the reader. It was frankly annoying and detracted from the listening experience. Ideally the narrator 'disappears' into the background and the characters move front and centre.
Disappointing.

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14 people found this helpful

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

Narrator sounded tired.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Narrators whispery voice.

What did you like best about this story?

Easy to follow. (for an SK book)

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frank Muller?

Craig Wassor

Any additional comments?

Slow start and the guys voice didn't make it easy to get thru the first chapter. But of course for Stephan King I endured it.

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13 people found this helpful

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

Narration is too much

I almost never quit on an audio book but this narration is dreadful. He reads every sentence like he’s an auctioneer or calling a horse race. It’s over dramatic and completely takes away from the story and I couldn’t keep listening:(

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12 people found this helpful

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

A Narnia-esque tale with Stephen King approach

What I really enjoyed about this book was the author's approach to the Narnia-type tale. I say Narnia because that's the first thing that spring's to mind, but many stories have navigated those same waters, from 'Alice in Wonderland' to the film 'Labyrinth'. King takes that literary trope and paints an alternate world setting that makes for a great adventure.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars only because Stephen King's style and outlook don't quite resonate with me. That's not unique to this novel though. I've read many of this other works while I think he's quite talented, I don't get that resonance I feel with my favorite authors.

That's just a matter of preference however. I admire Stephen King; he is so prolific and consistently produces quality craftsmanship.

If you're a fan of Stephen King and the kind of story I've described, you'll no doubt give this 5 stars. If, like me, you're a fair-weather Stephen King reader and like the premise of this book, I' still recommend it even though you may like it a shade less than folks with that King connection.

In either case, you're in for something nice, and the 28 hour length makes it well worth a credit.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A classic

This was one of my favorite books as a teenager, and so I was very happy to see that there was a spoken-word version available. I am surprised to see some negative reviews here. I don't think that the review calling the book full of stereotypes is accurate at all. If this book offends you, I'd hate to see how you'd react to some of the harder-edged fiction out there. And please, don't give a book a 1 star review after only listening to the first few hours! I also don't understand the criticism of the narrator, Frank Muller. I've listened to a lot of audio books, and he is one of my favorite readers. It is true that he tends to be a bit more of an "actor" than many reader (he has distinctive voices for all the main characters) but he does them all very well, in my opinion.

As for the book itself, it is an exciting adventure that is not to be missed. It's not quite as dark as much of Stephen King's works (perhaps the influence of his collaborator Peter Straub) but it's well written and fun to read, despite its considerable length. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy.

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11 people found this helpful

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

Subpar and long

Not bad, but not good either. Very long winded it was only saved by the guy reading it who did a excellent job.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book!

I think this by far one of Stephen King's greatest books. Teamed with Peter Straub,Stepen King wrote a story that grabbed at the begining and never let you go.I was sorry to see it end!The hero of the story was couragous,likeable,andwell rounded.The villians were hatefull and their descriptions were fanstatic. I reccommend this book to everyone!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterpiece

This audio production of The Talisman is a work of art. The book is excellent in it's own right and Frank Muller did a masterful job of narrating. He doesn't read it, he performs it!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Book, Irritating Narration

The story itself was 5 stars but the narration was annoying to say the least. Frank Muller sounds as if he's doing his best overdramatic mockery of bad theater. With over-zealous annunciation and horribly mistimed dramatic pauses, its a good thing the book was gripping. I probably would not have gotten thru it otherwise.

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10 people found this helpful