The Talisman

By: Stephen King, Peter Straub

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 28 hrs

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)

i really didn't want to be disappointed I swear

KMN!!! holly mother of sweet baby Jesus I was bored!! I read good things about the narrator, I listened to the sample, I gave it a whirl, and I was bored as hell! he reads way to fast I want someone to tell me a story not read it. I guess reading the reviews and not really seeing any negative ones should have been my first red flag. I imagined the territories before I started the book to be a magical place, an escape from reality and I was like a 3rd world country back in the Renaissance times.. I am sorry stephen and Peter I'm not buying it! I had never heard of the other author but I could tell you stephen king is vastly superior to this clown! he doesn't have a good enough imagination to collaborate with such a legend

Resonant characters, thrilling adventures.

I pretty much said it all in the heading, read the book., you will like it.

one of my favorites

amazing adventure story of a 12 year old boy trying to save his mother as he discovers many dark secrets of his family's history. I had a hard time putting it down. I found the narrator a little hard to listen to at the beginning but once I got used to his style I was able to sit back and enjoy the story.

Amazing Story...Terrible Narration

It's one of my all time favorites but Muller is too breathie at the end of every sentence. It's too much. I wish i would have previewed it first. I loved Muller's narration of The Dark Tower series but this is not his best work.

talisman?

the narrator had an annoying way of dropping his voice at the end of every sentence. it is as though he felt every phrase was intended to be a whisper. Very distracting. Stop trying to whisper!

Great story to be read every few years

Listened to it again over the last week. Still a great story.

Sure miss the late, great Frank Muller. Nobody read like Frank.

Wild!

As always, Stephen King keeps you on the edge of your seat! The Talisman is a roller coaster ride whipping through multiple worlds and a back again. Exploring and exposing the nasty truths of hitching hiking, the abusive nature of those who prey on the weak and the justice served on those who are so bad (It's axiomatic) are just a some of the things that await new readers. Enjoy, I know I did!

Good listen, but not his best

I picked this up after listening to all the Dark Tower books and becoming almost addicted to listening to King's works. The detailed imagery he uses in his writings is exquisite.

The story starts out slow, but speeds up about halfway through. The use of cruelty to a 12-year-old boy might offend some, but I think it shows how much of the cruel world Jack must endure to complete his journey. After all, the point of the journey is to steel him for the final showdown. Two negatives were the lack of story in the Blasted Lands and the rather predictable ending. Ok, so when the main character is on a specific quest, and it becomes evident that he will succeed in his quest, it makes the ending somewhat predictable, but it lacked the usual King twist at the end.

To sum it up, it was an enjoyable listen, but not as good as King's other works.

Another Great King Story

I loved this book. I dont know how he does it, but Stephen King creates such strong, interesting characters. He really makes you want to know more and more about them. Plus, if you are a frequent King reader, you will start to see his little easter eggs that he drops into his stories that crisscross into other books. I love that part of his personality. It just shows how much fun he has creating his wonderful stories for all of us to love. Frank Muller, as always, is such a great narrator. He always hits the nail on the head with his accents and character differences. It really makes a difference when first starting a King book, especially those with many characters thrown at you so early.

Highly Recommended****

its all about the voice in my head

Great novel, I have read it many times. I decided to try the audiobook version to add depth to the experience. So storywise I recommend this novel to all those looking to step out of their shoes and into anothers, but...

If you have read my reviews before you will know my biggest pet peeve is poor reading. When you pick up a novel the text is what matters, although the cover art help initialize the visual it really is about the story. A good narrator can manipulate your favorite action book and turn it into a dead drooler.

....This is what happened here. I mean I am glad to see that it is the same narrator as The Black House. Having 1 reading for a book series make the jouny seamless. But this guy....his voice is a roller coaster in every sentence. It is eQuaLly saTuRaTed with eMoTion reGarDleSs of tHe siTuaTion. Way over dramatic! I wouold suggest listening to a sample of this one before buying and ask yourself could you hear this voice for 6 hours and get lost in the sory