Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I hope you’re all well! Today I’m back with my 11th novel in my Stephen King Project, a novel he cowrote with Peter Straub, The Talisman.

I read this from December 17, 2023 – March 21, 2024 (3 months)

The Book (1984)

• This has felt like a strange start to this book. We’re in the point of view of a 12-year-old boy, Jack, who may or may not be seeing things. Meanwhile, it seems like something is up with his mother. There’s a lot going on that the reader is intrigued to find out; even if the writing is just alright for now.
• The reader feels just as confused as our main character, Jack. He’s learning that his mother is probably dying and that his father was part of some business that led to a secret world called the Territories. It’s all interesting in theory, but this has felt like a slog to get through so far. Lots of exposition, plots feel disjointed and sporadic; we can only hope it will smooth out in part 2.
• We’re now in part 2 and it’s felt like a fever dream. We’re in this fantasy world, but we’re not really sure how it all fits together or what it means. It obviously has something to do with Jack’s mother dying, but we can’t quite piece it yet. The reader wants to like this, but they’re still not hooked yet.
• Jack is now on some sort of adventure? Quest? We’re not entirely sure, but there were moments that were interesting and then the plot would falter. We’ve left him at some sort of diner where he’s a 12-year-old working. We didn’t think he’d stay there long, but it looks like he will. On top of that some strange thing is following him which is leaving us with some sort of intrigue.
• As we continue on our quest to finding the Talisman that will help save Jack’s mother, we spend a lot of time in different worlds, which has kinda confused (& bored) the reader. What they did notice was how similar this is getting to the Dark Tower series that they wonder if this takes place in that world. We’ll read to find out.
• Things have really picked up since the last time we saw Jack on his quest. He’s come into contact with a werewolf named Wolf and it’s been so interesting and intriguing not only what will happen, but figuring out their dynamic; this has brought new life to this story. The reader hopes this sparks something for the rest of this book.
• Ever since the Wolf joined Jack on his journey, this book has taken off and become something enjoyable to read. The relationship between the two of them has grown and the reader really likes it and feels for it… but now they fear for Wolf’s life as flipping worlds looks like it did something to him. Jack’s torn between his mother’s life and Wolf’s. Stakes are getting higher.
• And now it looks like Wolf’s journey with Jack is over… of course right when the reader was getting to like it. These last few chapters felt like a chaotic mess – there was a lot happening, lots to follow along with that it was hard to focus. Plus, there were so many characters floating in and out. We’re curious what’s going to happen to Jack now, though.
• Jack is back on his journey alone, hitchhiking. These last few chapters really made Jack feel older than the 12 years he’s supposed to be. He felt like an old man most of the time. There’s a new character, Richard, who is kinda annoying, but we’re curious to see how his relationship with Jack evolves and what his purpose in all this is.
• Richard is still annoying; but we’re slowly learning that his father has a lot to do with Jack’s journey… kinda like he’s trying to stop Jack from achieving his end goal of curing his mother and learning of the world of his own father. Things are all over the place that nothing quite makes sense yet, but hopefully come the 4th part everything will come together.
• We’re getting closer to finding this talisman; Richard has been slightly more helpful now that he’s coming around to believing everything Jack has told him. These last 2 chapters have been very vivid in description, which can be great for visuals, but it’s slowing the plot down a bit. Really curious where things will go & come together.
• It’s only taken how many chapters for Richard to become somewhat likeable. Now that he’s starting to remember parts of his past he’s less insufferable. Again, the Talisman is close and it seems like Richard knows more now that he’s gained knowledge. These last few chapters were alright, a little slow, but invested to see how it’s all going to play out.
• Jack is close to the Talisman… so close it’s summoning him. It’s now become a closer battle of who’s going to win; will Jack get the Talisman in time or will Sloan kill him first. Things are starting to pick up because it was starting to drag a bit and the reader just wants to get to the end now. There are 5 chapters left, so hopefully the plot continues to pick up.
• The Talisman has been acquired and the race is on to the finish line. The pace is picking up, and it feels like we’re getting into some motion. Jack has been using the talisman, for what feels like preparation for the real thing, which has been interesting; it’s good to know how it works before really needing it. The reader appreciates this little extra bit of background. Now to see how it ends.
• The last few chapters really swept the reader away. They were emotionally invested in where these characters would end up, even Richard. By the end, the reader felt something for him, which was surprising. Wolf came back and that was a pleasant and beautiful surprise. The way this actually ended was ambiguous, which kinda left the reader deflated after a good lead up.

Final thoughts: This novel had a good plot but at times it could get tedious with how stretched out it felt. There could have been some parts that were cut out just to keep things moving. That’s what really dragged the reader down, the unnecessary parts that could have been summed up better. The way this led up to the end was very well written and had the reader emotionally invested in both the plot and the characters; how it actually ended, leaving it open to however the reader wanted to interpret it was kinda lame. It would have been so much more powerful had both these authors just picked a way for this to end instead of leaving it to their readers. The characters were really strong; the fact that by the end we felt for Richard was pretty impressive because the whole time, this reader was not invested in his story or cared about him, but right at the end there was something about the way the ending was written that compelled the reader to like him. Jack was a really strong character from the start; for a 12-year-old he had to be really brave to do all the things he did; and even in the middle of the book it didn’t feel like he was a kid any longer and that was interesting to read. Getting to watch him grow not only up, but as a character was really well done. Sloat was also an interesting antagonist; at times he was kinda boring, but when he needed to, he stepped up to really mess things up and really shake up the plot. In the end, this wasn’t the reader’s favourite King novel, but it was decent.

I also filmed my thoughts on the book if you’d like to check that out:

Up Next: Skeleton Crew