dark fantasy

At first I picked up this book because there are so many news about the sequel, Black House, so I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. And it turned out to be one of the best book I've read ever!! I'm not a big and loyal fan of Stephen King although I do own and read few of his books. I don't have the Dark Tower series ... I do have Hearts of Atlantis, which I think was great except for the 2nd story (boring).

I agree with one of the reviewer that the first 150 pages are a little bit slow. Well, actually, not until the chapter where Jack met Wolf that I started to tune in with the book. And after that I finished the whole story in just 6 - 7 hours.

This is such a wonderful book about a journey of a 12-year-old kid named Jack Sawyer to find the Talisman in order to save his beloved mother. And what a long and hard journey it had been for him... Friends lost, friends found, hopes lost, hopes found. It was beautiful. And there was a lot of times that I felt my heart squeezed 'cause I felt what Jack felt. I think I'll continue with Black House ...

Ever since I was twelve years old I have been a Stephen King fan. The first novel I ever read by "the master" was a novel he wrote in conjunction with another writer ny the name of Peter Straub. The Talisman hooked me from page one, I identified with the character of Jack Sawyer unlike any other character in the history of mainstream fiction. This novel, from it's fascinating beginning to it's terrifying conclusion, is everything any horror or fantasy or just fiction fan could want. Jack's strange and terrible journey across the Territories and 1980's America makes for wonderful storytelling. King and Straub(arguably the greatest writer in horror fiction) blend seamlessly together in a wonderfully hopeful and awe-inspiring tale. If you enjoy top-notch storytelling and believable characters (from Wolf to Sunlight Gardener) then this book is everything you could hope for.

Of all of King's books, including the Dark Tower series, this one is my favorite. Once I got through the first few chapters, I was captivated. Something about the mythic atmosphere of this book, and the beautiful eeriness of the Territories world, did something to me. Jack Sawyer is half Tom Sawyer and half Frodo Baggins, a boy traveling across America because he must, even though he's afraid. My favorite character in this story was Wolf, an innocent and simple-minded teenage werewolf who accompanies Jack on part of his journey, and who is symbolic of what our world is capable of doing to the good world that we have left behind.
This book is good for everyone. Even if you are not a big King (or Straub) fan, I am sure that many people will consider this to be the exception.