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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

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Quite the adventure.

Read the book when I was young and loved it. it was wonderful to be taken back in time and to go on this adventure again.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • 05-10-20

The shallow end of the character pool

This is one of King’s early stories, and having listened to it twice, I can say that it is probably my least favorite King work. I personally just didn’t get invested in the characters of this story. Wolf is the the annoying equivalent of JarJar Binx. The story drags on for me. I think if it were half the length I might enjoy it more. Sorry Stephen and Peter.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Reread

I read this book years ago (maybe 25 lol) and it, was just as good listening. This is my favorite Steven King book next to the Gunslinger series and all these years later the magic was not lost. The person who read this book was awesome.

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The Talisman

I feel at first it was a little slow but picked up quick and was very captivating after that.

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wow

great book best I've listened to so far on audible.. give it a shot and ignore the bad reviews

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Best book ever!!!!

My favorite book ever!!!! Wonderfully read. Cant wait to listen to it again and again.

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Another great story

The story was engaging and tense. The voice acting was fantastic. Another great production. I recommend it.

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my new favorite book

I can not believe I waited till 40 to read this book. simply amazing.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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3rd times a charm

The first couple of times I tried listening to this book, I found the narrator very difficult to listen to, and was unable to get very far into the book. However, when I tried for a third time, several months later, I found myself enjoying the narrator quite a bit. I'm not sure what changed, but I am glad it did because this book is great.

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Stick with it!

The narrator’s cadence is hard to get used to but after a little while it seems like the only way this story can be read.

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