The Talisman

This is possibly one of the least well-known Stephen King books out there, and it is most definitely underrated. 

It’s the tale of Jack Sawyer, a twelve-year-old boy who must cross the country to find The Talisman; a magical artifact that has the power to save his mother’s life from the terminal cancer that is ravaging her body. 

But, Morgan Sloat is also chasing the Talisman, in the hopes that he can rule both our world, and the idyllic (and terrifying) Territories, where Jack is the born-again prince.

An all-encompassing portal, two-world fantasy adventure, this is a book that… show more.

Hands-down, this is Stephen King’s best novel to date, though it doesn’t get the same hype as his other books. Written with author Peter Straub, this magical story is one of the reasons I became a writer. Any fantasy reader will fall in love with the young male hero, along with all of the odd but fleshed-out characters. I have read it twice. And I just discovered it is now in production as a Netflix series!

Although this was not the first Stephen King book I fell in love with, it was the first that crossed fantasy, parallel universes, and horror, which put it at the top of my list.

I like things dark, but I also like things to be turned on their head, as Jack’s world is when he ‘flips’ into another time to a place called ‘the territories.’ King does this a lot in his writing, as well as developing his characters so fully you feel like you‘re really there with them, as I did with Jack and his companion, Wolf, a talking… show more.