Jack Sawyer's mother is dying of cancer. And running from her late husband's business partner, though it's unclear why. An old carney named Speedy sends Jack on a quest to an alternate world known as the Territories, a Narnia-esque place where evil is not nearly so pristine as new fallen snow, to retrieve a magical talisman that can save his Mom. Of course he also discovers why they're running.
I've been meaning to read this book since high school. My Dad was a Stephen King fan and at some point had the book sitting around. I read fantasy novels, so it seemed like a good overlap. I'm not sure why I never got around to it ... but I saw it in the library a few weeks ago and grabbed it.
It was well written. I liked the characters. The story was kind of predictable. The themes and imagery seemed liked they were just a rehashing of stories that have been told before. I didn't impress me enough that I'm convinced to read Blackhouse, their follow up to Talisman, but I finished the book. I've read both better and worse, but at least the writing was well crafted. I enjoyed reading it.
3 days ago
I've read most of Stephen King's novels (including "Talisman" and "Blackhouse"), and am a fan of his. I generally like Stephen King's writing, even if the stories themselves don't live up to their potential or fall apart at the end. I think my favorite Stephen King novel has to be "Hearts in Atlantis". If you have read his "Gunslinger" series, there is an extra layer of resonance which added to the story.
ReplyDeleteAnd, to refer to your previous "Book Report", "SeveNeves" by Neal Stephenson is next on my list. It's been on my radar for a while and heard great things about it. I am finally getting around to it. I read "Anathem", "Snow Crash", and "Cryptonomicon" from Stephenson. All were great.
Oh, and being a child of the Eighties, if you haven't read "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline, then I will have suggest you get thee to a library and move that up your reading list. :-)
Ready Player One. I'll put that on the list. Right after I've finished my current book, Neal Stephenson's REAMDE.
ReplyDelete