Having Trouble With The Talisman (Some SPOILERS)

[cwalrus]

I started reading The Talisman months ago, but I'm only halfway through it. The first 200 pages or so were hard to get through because I honestly wasn't liking it very much. I see what King and Straub were trying to do which is sort of make a mini Lord of the Rings type adventure with the Territories serving as a quasi-Middle Earth and the main difference being that Jack and some other characters could go back in forth between parallel universes. It's also a coming of age story where he finds out the truth about his origins and his father and it's a rescue story because he's trying to save his mother's life. There's plenty of interesting things going on plotwise that should make me enjoy this book, but for some reason that wasn't the case with me. I recently re-read the Hobbit (which is one of my favorite stories) so I thought that would put me in the perfect mood to read this novel, but to be honest I just wasn't getting into it until just now. It didn't start holding my interest until Wolf came into the picture. The whole ordeal that Jack goes through after bringing Wolf back into this world was great reading, especially when Wolf starts to turn and he puts Jack in the shed. Right now I'm up to the part where they're both prisoners in the Sunlight Home, and now I'm finally getting into it. I'm finally JUST STARTING to like this book. So it just me?

The problem I have is that I feel like there are times when I miss something important as if I fell asleep during the middle of a movie and missed an important detail. There are things I'm still confused about such as the Earthquake that Jack supposedly caused. Did I miss something there? Why does Jack feel he started the Earthquake? Is it because he flipped back into this world when Morgan's diligence was too close by? I don't even undertsand how that came about. One minute he flips back into this world and the next he's referring to this newspaper telling us about this earthquake that he supposedly caused that killed some people, which Morgan later uses to call him a murder. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS.

The other thing that's somewhat minor is that Jack supposedly had a job in this other town before working at the Oatley Tap. the book makes references to experiences that I don't recall reading. maybe it's just me.

Anyway, as you can see I'm having some issues with this book, but now that I'm actually starting to enjoy it I feel like I need to go back and understand the stuff I missed. The Talisman is a long book but nowhere near as long as the Stand which I fully enjoyed from start to finish. I just don't know why I'm struggling with this book. Part of it too is that I have two jobs and a wife and baby at home so my reading time is mostly during my commute to and from work. I don't have the time to read any place else so maybe that's not very conducive to reading somethng like the The Talisman.

Anyway I really would apprecaite some help with this book if anyone out there cares.

[GNTLGNT]

Cw, I understand the family/work commitments and that makes for some very choppy reading, which as you correctly felt-is not conducive to getting into the flow of The Talisman, and there's nothing wrong about not being hooked right off-that what makes us all special, our own likes and dislikes and I think your analogy of Talisman as a type of Middle Earth construct/quest is admirable...as far as the earthquake goes-it's a graphic way of illustrating how seemingly inconsequential things in the Territories, can have massive impact in this one...also Jack picked up odd jobs in many places-Oatley just happens to be the one that King/Straub chose to flesh out the most...I'm a big fan of Wolf myself-puts me in mind of Tom Cullen from The Stand-just with a hirsuteness problem...hang in, you'll love it-and there's always time for a later re-read once the kids are grown, enjoy them now...

[jcadams]

Wish I could help, haven't read this one in almost a year. I can tell you that I loved this book, but had a hard time getting into it to begin with. I have read it so many times that it is falling apart, but I always have to flip back through and re-read parts as I go along.

[Spideyman]

please continue to read the book. Some felt the beginning was slow, but you are at the point of no return now- just keep reading. With a busy family life, the switching of territories might be catching you off guard. Parallel worlds are difficult to follow when interrupted with family life. Finish the book, and things will become clearer. If not- ask away and we'll try to clear things up.

[cwalrus]

Another question I had has to do with flipping and twinners. At one point Morgan is trying to strike Jack with a kind of lightning rod and that's when Jack drinks the rest of the magic juice to flip himself back to the regular world and thats when he ends up saving Wolf by taking Wolf with him. Why doesn't Morgan simply flip back over and continue to try kill Jack? I'm assuming Morgan must know that that's how Jack escaped. If you were a villain who can flip back and forth like Morgan and you saw the person you're trying to kill flip wouldn't you just flip along with him and continue to try and chase him down? I know there must be rules but it just looks like Morgan can flip back and forth whenever he wants while Jack needs the magic juice. I know Morgan becomes Morgan of Orris in the Territories, are these two separate identities that are not aware of each other? I remember Speedy mentioning that Jack's twinner died in childbirth or as an infant (forgot which), so that enables Jack to remain himself when he flips instead of becoming his twinner the way Morgan does but I thought events had an equal correlation so how could Jack's twinner die and not Jack? Does that mean that if Jack were to defeat and kill Morgan of Orris does that mean that Morgan Sloat would still remain alive and then have Jack's ability to remain himself when he flips over? Did Morgan have to kill both Phil Sawyer and Tom Woodbine twice in order for them both to be dead?

The Jerry Bledsoe affair also had me confused. Was Jerry someone's twinner that Morgan was trying to kill or was it truly an accident. I believe the explanation was that Morgan dropped something and that's what caused Jerry Bledsoe to get electrocuted. It just seems all very vague. I think get what King and Straub were trying to do by delving into the death of this character which is to let us know that someone can get killed as a direct result of flipping at the wrong time or place, but it just kind of threw me when i read it.

I appreciate all your responses and I pledge to keep reading. I'm already invested so I want to find out how things turn out for Jack (which is my actual name coincidentally). Thanks for your help.

[sam peebles]

When you flip, you go into your Twinner's body wherever they are located in that world. Jack is unique (and apparently Wolf, too, now that I think of it), in that his Twinner is dead, so that when he flips he just arrives in the corresponding point in the Territories. If Orris flips, however, he will land wherever Morgan's body is located on our side, and viceversa, if Morgan flips he is wherever Orris is in the Territories. They are aware of each other. So if Orris flips to chase Jack, it won't work, because he'll arrive in our world wherever Morgan is at that point in time, and not right by Jack.

It's pretty confusing, I know. Hope this helps.

[JohnDalglish]

Jack is unique (and apparently Wolf, too, now that I think of it),

It's pretty confusing, I know. Hope this helps.

Hi,

So they're both unique, eh?

Yeah, that clarified things no end, thanks Sam LOL

Just enjoy the story/journey (it's a great one!) and let the prose take you away.

Long days and pleasant nights

[wally wonder]

dunno what to say, jack. thought the story an incredible one. i loved it when jack yelled in that guy's face....what he say, I WAS GOING TO GO RIGHT BACK! HONEST TO GOD!...was rolling on the floor w/that one....fell in love w/the idea of flipping between territories, the whole shebang, and yeah, speedy helped pave the way and all your questions, seems like you're kind of answering them as you go along and if there's still some left unanswered, that's what rereads are for. people can say what they want, but i enjoy rereading the stories almost as much as the first time through.

seems like the sun dog has a ref. to...the oatley episode maybe...you know, i think i did a search engine look at the names of those killed, might have been to-do w/the earthquake....had a bunch of wisconsin hits....imagine that....made me wonder if....wonder if...who were they? robert, thomas, jerome, michael, bruce, arnold and theodore? who plays those changes?....these people live in a mystery. it's joy that holds them up. didn't jerry die as a result, too, of an earth tremor? just before he stuck his screwdriver back in the, or for the first time, in the socket, just before the whole thing blew up?

[JellybeanJay]

I am having issues with this book too. This is the first time I have attempted to read it. I am at the part where Jack is remembering what happened to Jerry Bledsoe. Up to this part I have not had any issues following Jack to the Territories and back. There is reference to an earthquake in this chapter but I am really not sure where this comes into play as this is the first earthquake reference. Please help!

[Tia]

Wish I could help, haven't read this one in almost a year. I can tell you that I loved this book, but had a hard time getting into it to begin with. I have read it so many times that it is falling apart, but I always have to flip back through and re-read parts as I go along.

God Bless You! I thought I was the only person out there who has read this book more than once! It was the first book I ever gave to my daughter and she has never been able to get into it. She reads everything else SK writes, and I am hoping its only a matter of time until she finally gets into The Talisman. She is hawking over me, waiting me to finish "under the dome"! The Talisman is , for sure, my all-time favorite.