The Talisman

By: Stephen King, Peter Straub

Narrated by: Frank Muller

The iconic, “extraordinary” (The Washington Post) collaboration between bestselling authors Stephen King and Peter Straub—an epic #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy 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 DeLoessian, 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.

I have read this book, and listened to it.

This story is my all time favorite, I have read the book a few times and could not wait to listen to some one read it to me. This was my first audiostory ever and I would recommend it to anyone.

Listen to a sample of the narration first

The narrator did a good job of dialogue, but the rest of the time, he had a habit of ending his sentences with the exact same airy inflection. The repetition was distracting.

Good Story

Being an Over the road truck driver, I listen to audio books all the time. Tried to Read this book 3 times and never could get into the story. But listening to the book, I was able to get so engrossed in the story, I almost missed my turns several times. couldnt wait to get back on a good long run again to start listening to where I left off in the story.

Not a hit

Despite Frank Miller’s wonderful narration (always the best), the story is predictable, drags on and on, endlessly, finally boring. I am a great fan of The Dark Tower; this felt like an amateurish prelude. The only reason I listened to the end and actually gave it 2 rather than one star is out of respect for Stephen King. I honestly do not believe he was the actual writer. Do not recommend it.

Not what I expected from Stephen King

I strongly dislike stories about strange things that happen 'just because'. I like my storytelling to be fairly linear (stories shouldn't begin in the air and end nowhere, to quote Mark Twain) and logical (things shouldn't happen for no reason), thus, I'm not a prime candidate for a Stephen King fan. Surprisingly, I found this to be a good and gripping tale, with a magnificent reading by Frank Muller. My only complaint, and it's why I'm taking a pass on the followup book, The Black House, is that the ending is a bit of a 'things happening just because' letdown.