The Talisman

Stephen King · Peter Straub

Nov 2012 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Frank Muller

About this audiobook

Soon to be a Netflix series! 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.

Ratings and reviews

Although Richard whined too much throughout the book for my liking. Otherwise, a gripping yarn of fantasy written by two highly accomplished authors. Muller did an excellent job (as always) in production and performance. Hopefully, he will be back to doing so soon as he is master narrarist who certainly brings these epic works to life. Overall: a highly recommended experience.

I READ THIS IN MY MID 20'S AND IT BECAME MY FAVORITE BOOK, READING A HALF DOZEN TIMES MORE AT LEAST . NOW AT 53 I MISSED ITS COMPANY. THIS READING WAS DONE BEAUTIFULLY! NONE OF THE GREAT MAGIC WAS LOST. THANK YOU TO THE READER, YOU ARE A GEM . MEADOW.

A generous 2 stars. A lot of people love this book but coming in with no nostalgia for it does not help when reading this in 2022. THE AMMOUNT OF SLURS IS JUST CRAZY!! It is like getting hit in the face every few pages and in kings desier to make each person you meet a fully interesting character they become just caricatures with no real personality but the stereotypes they are given. It also really suffers from not having any idea who this book is for. at times it is written like a ya novel adventure but then you are shunted right into an extreamly sexual or adult situation and you never really get a chance to settle into one or the other. Jack is TWELVE not even a teen yet and we are /constantly/ told of the sexual harassment he has delt with and has to deal with on the road. If the book had a decisive target audience it wouldn’t be so hard to get through. but as it is it's hours of punishment before you get to good parts that are too short to be worth the pain.

About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Peter Straub (1943–2022) was the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including A Dark Matter, The Talisman, and Black House, which he cowrote with Stephen King. He has won the Bram Stoker Award for his novels Lost Boy Lost Girl and In the Night Room, as well as for his collection 5 Stories. Straub was the editor of the two-volume Library of American anthology The American Fantastic Tale.