The Talisman: Volume 1: The Road of Trials [Hardcover]

In the vast and eerie world of Stephen King's multiverse, "The Talisman" is something special -- a boy's quest to save his mother, and his journey into another world where magic reigns.

And that magic begins to bloom like a black rose in "The Talisman: Road of Trials," the first comic book collection adapted from King and Peter Straub's epic fantasy. Vivid, shadowy and hauntingly visceral, this story gives an eerie, dark edge to the everyday world. The first part is kind of fragmented, but it does an excellent job of introducing Jack (and readers) to the Territories.

Jack and his mother Lily are on the run, driving from place to place so they can get away from a sinister man known only as Uncle Morgan. When they stop at a deserted beach resort, Jack befriends a kindly old man named Speedy -- and not only does Speedy know about Jack's "daydreams," but he also knows the true reason Lily is dying.

To save his mother, Jack has to go on a journey into a strange otherworld knows as the Territories, populated by "twinners" (sort of a other-world doppelganger who lives and dies alongside the person in our world). Jack manages to "flip" into the Territories and begins his journey to recover the Talisman, but he soon discovers that horrendous enemies are following him -- both in the Territories, and in our world....

The first volume of "The Talisman Road of Trials" is all about setting up the story -- plot threads are set up, characters are introduced, and the preteen hero begins his quest. It's a bit fragmented in plot, but when Speedy and Jack start talking by the broken carousel the story really begins to take focus.

Robin Furth does an excellent job adapting King and Straub's prose into fast pared-down dialogue, rife with creepy moments ("It's so fresh it hardly knows it's dead!"), some gruesome carnage, and a feeling of urgency that builds throughout the story, getting stronger all the time. While it's not terribly horrific yet, there's some creepy moments as well (Jack getting assaulted by goat-men or snarling trees).

Tony Shasteen and Nei Ruffino paint the story in lots of neglected houses and shops, pale sandy shades, stark shadows and bleak light... except in the "twinner" world, which is bright and colorful. Think an opal sun, glowing golden beds, sunlit green fields and blackberry vines.

Jack is a preteen hero that you don't often see, especially in a book intended for adults -- he's mature and intelligent without seeming like a mini-adult. He's quietly desperate to save his mom, and haunted by weird voices and strange occurrences. Speedy is a pretty intriguing figure, and in the prequel we see more about Jack's father -- not only could he flip, but he was deeply entwined in the Territories.

"The Talisman: Road of Trials" is blessed with shadowy, vivid artwork, and a powerful story that touches on one of the deepest human fears -- losing the people we love.

I was an on-again, off-again Stephen King fan back in my twenties. I loved Dead Zone and `Salem's Lot, enjoyed Christine and Firestarter okay, but got turned off by some of his later books. While I was working at a fast food company and trying to get my own writing off the ground, I ended up swapping books with one of the cooks that read a lot. I turned him on to Robert B. Parker, and he lent me a copy of The Talisman. I have to admit, I got swept up in Jack Sawyer's world and read the novel at a blistering pace. I was really disappointed when a sequel wasn't immediately in the offing. Then, later, I was even more disappointed in the sequel. I hear there's a third book coming, and I hope it measures up to this first book.

When I first heard about The Talisman being adapted into graphic novels, I didn't know how it would go. Comics readers seemed to welcome The Stand and The Dark Tower as graphic novels. I saw The Talisman at my local library and picked it up. It has been years since I read the novel, but my memory of the story is as strong as ever.

I love the idea of the real world and the Territories, of a fantasy realm where everybody had Twinners, duplicates that essentially were the same person in both worlds. Except for Jack Sawyer, whose Twinner was the prince of the realm and the threat to the villain, his evil uncle Morgan.

The name Jack is given at the beginning of the book, Travellin Jack, is just awesome in its simplicity. In the audio book, fans get treated to a sequel of sorts. We get to see Jack's dad, Philip, in action before Jack gets involved in trying to find a way to save his mom from her sickness. In the Territories, the Queen lies dying as well.

I liked the way the old characters from the novel are presented visually. Tony Shasteen's are is gripping and evocative, shifting easily from the real world to the fantasy realm of the Territories. The colors are bright and vibrant and feel like movie stills as I flipped through the pages.

The way the novel and the graphic novel open at the amusement park is just brilliant. There, in those faded gaudy colors, you know that everything was once possible, and - after a miracle, a coat of paint - might be again. That's true of both Jack's worlds.

The action and story is broken down really well across the pages. I don't know if we have the writer (Robin Furth) for the spacing or if that's just Shasteen. In either case, it wouldn't work if writer and artist weren't on the same page. Literally.

I'm looking forward to more installments of the story. The tale of Travellin Jack out to save his mother and stay one step ahead of a murderous uncle is just prime storytelling. The generation that loves Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would probably embrace Travellin Jack just as heartily. All of these characters are cut from the same cloth, and all of them have to find the strength to fight the greatest of battles that are in worlds removed from our own.

I give 5 stars for the comic adaptation. The artwork is wonderful and refreshing and the story is very well adapted from the source material. Where I would give this a 1 star is that it ends here. For some reason, Marvel comics decided not to continue the series and ended it very abruptly with Jack's first meeting of Wolf. This was the point where the story got really good and they decided to pull the plug on it. Why do so many networks and publishers decide to cancel their best stuff before it even gets off the ground? I hope they will return someday to finish the adaptation of this story just like the illustrators of Dracula did. We had to wait 30 years to get the complete version of Dracula. Let's hope that we don't have to wait that long for the completion of the Talisman.

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