Book: The Talisman

 Book: The Talisman

Author: Stephen King and Peter Straub

Pages: 784

This is my 43rd read for the year

This is the story of Jack Sawyer.  He and his dying mother have just moved away from everything he knows so she can die in peace.  However, Jack isn't ready to let her go. In order to save his mother, he must cross the United States between his world and a parallel world called the Territories.

In the parallel world - there is a struggle of good and evil and "Twinners" - people who look like the people he knows on earth.  This even includes his mother who, in the parallel world is known as Queen Laura.  As he journeys, he is constantly put to the test and hopes that he can reach his goal before his mother on earth dies.

This was not a great book.  I found it slow and dry.  IT was actually boring and I really struggled to read it each day.  This book is almost 40 years old, and it has not aged well.  I never really got into the story of Jack's travels.  This is a 12 year old boy that crosses the United States.  His mom knows he is doing it and he just lets him go?  What?  It really goes off the rails about 3/4 of the way through the book to the point that I should have just stopped reading.  

I don't know who to blame for this one - King or Straub.  There is a sequel to this book, but I think I will skip it.

Stars: 2