The Talisman

The Talisman Series - Book 1

The Talisman

By Stephen King, and Peter Straub
Unabridged
100% overall 1 rating. Go to reviews
$15.96 $19.95
Save 20.0%
Quantity:
Add to wishlist
Monthly Membership

Monthly Membership

$12.99
  • Cancel anytime!
  • Memberships will renew every month
  • One credit every month on renewal
  • You can spend 1 credit every month to get an audiobook
window.theme = window.theme || {}; window.theme.preorder_products_on_page = window.theme.preorder_products_on_page || [];

“Extraordinary…Makes your hair stand on end.”

Washington Post

On a brisk autumn day, a twelve-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.

Ratings & Reviews

Review guidelines

100% of listeners recommend it of readers recommend it

Overall 100%

Based on 1 rating

Listened to this one? Read this one?

Share what you thought and help others decide.

Sign in to write a review

2 reviews

  1. GIJoeHole
    Verified listener

    If you can get through the first 20 hours it's not bad

    If you revere Stephen King please stop reading here. This book was really descriptive, really descriptive to the point of boring the crap out of me. The first 20 hours are overly descriptive making fairly interesting interactions tedious and unnecessary. [Edited for content.] Finally with 7 hours left it gets into the fun and exciting portion which is still overly descriptive but much more enjoyable. Overall its a long investment, but if you can trudge through the first two thirds of the book it's decent enough. I expected better though.

    Helpful Report
  2. CourtneyKay
    Overall Liked it
    Verified listener

    Great book for a committed listener

    I read The Talisman when I was younger, maybe in middle school or early high school, and I remembered liking it, so I thought I'd give it a listen. The narrator is perfect. He gives voice to the characters in just the way I imagine they would sound. Sometimes I hate the fact that I can listen to a book in one or two days, which is why i tend to enjoy a good series over a single novel. This is much longer, so you have time to really get invested in the characters. As far as story goes, I disagree with the previous reviewer on his opinion that it's too descriptive. When I think “really descriptive to the point of boring," I think of something like Tale of Two Cities, in which Dickens spends two pages describing a bookcase (a bad memory from high school English class, and that's coming from someone who was to become an English major). This is no Tale of Two Cities. I have been reading Stephen King since I could read, as my mother is an avid fan and that's what we had around the house, and while it definitely departs in ways from his typical style, there are still many signature moments, supernatural elements, and unique characters fans expect from his work. Very enjoyable.

    Helpful Report