donn@utah-gr.UUCP (Donn Seeley) (11/08/84)
[This is re-posted from the ARPA sf-lovers list since net.sf-lovers apparently didn't see it...] THE TALISMAN. Stephen King and Peter Straub. Viking, 1984 (hardcover). Non-spoiler review: A good read but not the best work of either author. Micro-spoiler review: This is a fantasy novel written by two horror authors. While the fantasy setting is interesting, more loving attention is given to grue than to developing the background or the characters, which is a pity. The story revolves around a boy of 12 named Jack Sawyer, who discovers that his late father's mysterious disappearances had a reason: he could transfer himself into a parallel universe called the Territories, which contains analogues of people and events in our universe but works by different, magical principles. Jack is drawn into the Territories on a quest to recover the Talisman, a magical object of terrible power and significance. In places the book is tender and funny, but unfortunately it dwells too long on situations that are meant to be frightening but don't advance the plot or even fill in the setting. The book creates some stiff competition for itself by making analogies to THE LORD OF THE RINGS, TOM SAWYER and HUCKLEBERRY FINN, and perhaps Zelazny's Amber series, and I don't think it lives up to its promise. The collaboration between King and Straub is seamless, as far as the prose is concerned; only the occasional parenthetical remark in italics (King) or a Lovecraftian horror (Straub) reminds you that two people wrote this book. Mini-spoiler review: Although the two universes themselves are a bit sketchy, King and Straub do have a lot of fun with the interface between the worlds. The 'sympathy' between the universes brings constant surprises, and a number of curious consequences are worked out; the most interesting is the idea that the frightening and unexplainable events that are the usual subject of horror novels are in fact the result of the interpenetration of our universe with the Territories. (The reverse may also be true, of course: scary things in the Territories may be the result of invasions from our universe!) For example, Jack meets a friend in the Territories who is good-natured, not too bright, and has animal characteristics (paws for feet, thick body hair, etc.); on introduction to our universe, the friend turns out to be a werewolf... The contrast between the universes also makes for some very funny scenes. There should be a word for this technique (like anachronism but referring to different cultures) but I can't think of it... I won't give these away, you'll have to discover them for yourself. King's touch for characters is evident in a number of places, too, and this makes for some nicely realistic situations. Some of the scary scenes are really scary, and the climax (although it lacks some coherence) is exciting. But the book as a whole seems flat and occasionally a bit staged. Some of the flatness comes from the feeling that this is exclusively a boys' book; the curious family arrangements of the main characters are present in order to make a simplistic thematic statement. While simplicity is not always bad (and can be popular: witness Spielberg's movies (I hear that Spielberg has optioned THE TALISMAN)), I think this novel could have been more interesting if it had followed up some of its complications. For example, the idea is mentioned that the Territories have their own parallel universe behind them, but this is never really followed up. And despite the references to TOM SAWYER and HUCKLEBERRY FINN, THE TALISMAN lacks the depth of these novels -- Twain's works are not merely boys' novels, they are satirical reflections of the world of adults in the actions of children. I don't mean to say that THE TALISMAN is necessarily a bad novel, it's just that I'm disappointed by the missed opportunities in it. Both authors have done much better. Don't pay $18.95 for it... Donn Seeley University of Utah CS Dept donn@utah-cs.arpa 40 46' 6"N 111 50' 34"W (801) 581-5668 decvax!utah-cs!donn