I read this book like AGES ago. Okay that’s not true, just kidding. But I did read this back in April and I was like, well, maybe I’ll just review it later or something…So here it is!

Title: The Talisman

Authors: Peter Straub, Stephen King

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: November, 1984

Jack Sawyer is a boy of 12 years old. He lives with his mother, Lily Cavanaugh, a very famous actress who is suffering from cancer.

To Jack, life seems quite slow-paced since his mother and he have just recently moved to New Hampshire in a hotel called Alhambra. All there is to do is to stroll on the beach and watch the seagulls flying above the sea.

This is the place where Jack makes his second best-friend, Speedy and old black man who works as a janitor in an old amusement park. Jack and Speedy become very good friends that it looks like they have been friends for years.

One day, Speedy brings Jack to his office and apart from all the pictures of nude girls cut from men’s magazines, only one stands out, a picture of a place that sorta looks like Africa. Speedy tells Jack about this place, which he calls the Territories and Jack tells Speedy about his Daydreams. The Territories as Speedy describes is a place is a world parallel to our world but relatively smaller in size. Speedy tells Jack about what Twinners are and Lily Cavanaugh’s Twinner, Laura DeLoessian, the Queen of the Territories. Speedy tells Jack about a crystal, The Talisman which he will have to try to get in order to save his mother and if he does, well, the Queen will be saved too and all will be well. Jack knows that this task isn’t chocolate cake and it will be very difficult as he will have to go West… probably come face to face with Morgan of Orris himself, the ruler of the Outposts, cross the Blasted Lands and well if he ever got out of there alive maybe he will be able to get to the Talisman somehow.

My ratings: 4/7

The fact that you can actually feel in the place of the characters makes it amazing. All the characters are well developed so you can picture them clearly. It is really amazing somehow how people can make a story so long, interesting and so magical with just a simple theme like a journey to save my mother! It is a must-read. I would recommend it to all people who love fantasy, strange worlds, daring adventures and of course magic.

I also learned that there is a sequel to this book, it is called Black House and still by Stephen King and Peter Straub. I would definitely read it someday!

Have you ever read this book? What do you think of it? Make sure to tell me in the comments below!

~Hermione🤍