The Talisman feels like fantasy with the edges darkened. Jack Sawyer is only twelve when he sets out on a journey that takes him between our world and the Territories, and that alone gives the story a different feel from most fantasy I’ve read.
I liked Speedy Parker and the way he helps guide Jack, although I’m not sure he’s exactly the role model I’d choose for a twelve-year-old kid whose mother is dying. Wolf was probably the relationship that stood out most to me. Jack is afraid of him at first, but that fear slowly turns into trust. What I liked was that they genuinely needed each other. Wolf could protect Jack in ways Jack couldn’t protect himself, but once Wolf was in Jack’s world, he needed Jack just as much. Without each other, I don’t think either one gets very far.
Nothing really bothered me about the book. King is good at building a story without making me feel like I’m just waiting for something to happen, and that darker edge is part of what makes this one stand out. People tend to automatically connect Stephen King with horror, but I wouldn’t call The Talisman a horror novel. It’s fantasy—just fantasy willing to go into darker places than a lot of the genre does.
I’d recommend it to someone who wants to step outside the regular fantasy realm and head in a different direction. You still get another world, strange creatures, friendship, danger, and a journey, but it doesn’t feel like the same fantasy story you’ve already read ten times.
— Cory Lane