Discussion Group for April 16th- The Talisman (King/Straub) (SPOILERS)

[Doc Creed]

PART FOUR:


Welcome. If anyone would like to jump in with comments, please do so. I have enjoyed reading this again but I find my thoughts are jumping all over the place. It's not one of those books I can easily summarize. When Richard and Jack made it to Point Venuti and the Black Hotel, I got The Overlook vibes and when they were crossing The Blasted Lands I thought of The Wastelands and Blain the Pain.

 

[GNTLGNT]

PART FOUR:


Welcome. If anyone would like to jump in with comments, please do so. I have enjoyed reading this again but I find my thoughts are jumping all over the place. It's not one of those books I can easily summarize. When Richard and Jack made it to Point Venuti and the Black Hotel, I got The Overlook vibes and when they were crossing The Blasted Lands I thought of The Wastelands and Blain the Pain.

...lots of that "flavoring"...especially when one has been through all of King's canon....it's an amazing galaxy of strands that connect his works....and I often wonder how much of that was intentional on his part and how much of it bubbled up from the wellspring of genius without him even recognizing what was occurring....in other words, he was so accustomed to the process that the individual strings never tickled his consciousness.....

 

[Doc Creed]

When Jack falls through the floor of The Agincourt and he is eternally "flipping" through all the worlds at once (or he senses he has become all of the worlds themselves) and thought he'd go mad, I thought of the battle in IT when

Spoiler

Bill thought he'd go insane from looking in IT's deadlights and all of the things he was seeing in the Infinite. I think that book called it the macroverse?

Also, the Talisman itself was reminiscent of the crystal balls from the Dark Tower books. Sorry if these are obvious. I'm sure I'm not the first to point out some of these details.

 

[Doc Creed]

I think I'd rank this up there with King's top five endings.

 

[GNTLGNT]

I think I'd rank this up there with King's top five endings.

...no doubt, and you may be re-treading some ground, but I for one hadn't thought about some of the parallels you mention....

 

[Doc Creed]

I like how it took Richard a little while to accept what he was seeing as reality and not a dream. It would have been too easy to just have Richard go along with whatever is happening. Jack gets angry somewhat because he didn't believe him at first but overall I think he understood.

 

[Doc Creed]

I'm not sure why (because the book is seamless regarding who wrote which part) but I got the feeling Straub wrote the parts which dealt with Lily Cavanaugh's movie career and most of the backstory scenes dealing with Philip Sawyer and Morgan Sloat. From what I've read of Straub, these intricate scenes are more his style, I think. Do you know what I'm talking about?

 

[fljoe0]

I have my eyes closed to the other posts. I haven't quite finished yet so I'll be another day or two. I'm getting ready to read now and I may finish tonight but I'm not sure.

 

[Doc Creed]

I have my eyes closed to the other posts. I haven't quite finished yet so I'll be another day or two. I'm getting ready to read now and I may finish tonight but I'm not sure.

Gotcha. Make sure you leave a comment when you are finished.

 

[GNTLGNT]

...make sure the comment isn't fecally contaminated.....

 

[Spideyman]

I'm not sure why (because the book is seamless regarding who wrote which part) but I got the feeling Straub wrote the parts which dealt with Lily Cavanaugh's movie career and most of the backstory scenes dealing with Philip Sawyer and Morgan Sloat. From what I've read of Straub, these intricate scenes are more his style, I think. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Understand what you are talking about concerning Straub's writing style. There are parts that def. felt King.

 

[Doc Creed]

...make sure the comment isn't fecally contaminated.....

 

[fljoe0]

Gotcha. Make sure you leave a comment when you are finished.

I'm planning on going right to Black House when I'm done. Black House is one of maybe 3 or 4 SK books I have not read. I actually started Black House a few years back but couldn't get into it at the time for whatever reason. I think maybe so much time had passed since I read The Talisman was the problem. I'll be ready now.

 

[Doc Creed]

Understand what you are talking about concerning Straub's writing style. There are parts that def. felt King.

Good. Wondered if I was alone in thinking this. I saw Straub and King on a panel recently (Owen and Emma were present) and they talked about how they carefully blended their work so it wasn't obvious one writer wrote a chapter and the other writer picked up the strand. I believe it, but I am of the opinion that Straub wrote the Interludes and most of the backstory I mentioned. King surely helped but Straub's signature is all over it.

 

[Spideyman]

When Jack falls through the floor of The Agincourt and he is eternally "flipping" through all the worlds at once (or he senses he has become all of the worlds themselves) and thought he'd go mad, I thought of the battle in IT when

Spoiler

Bill thought he'd go insane from looking in IT's deadlights and all of the things he was seeing in the Infinite. I think that book called it the macroverse?

Also, the Talisman itself was reminiscent of the crystal balls from the Dark Tower books. Sorry if these are obvious. I'm sure I'm not the first to point out some of these details.

Absolutely about the orbs. I tend to think those "orbs" were floating withing Sai King's muse as he wrote The Talisman.

 

[Spideyman]

Good. Wondered if I was alone in thinking this. I saw Straub and King on a panel recently (Owen and Emma were present) and they talked about how they carefully blended their work so it wasn't obvious one writer wrote a chapter and the other writer picked up the strand. I believe it, but I am of the opinion that Straub wrote the Interludes and most of the backstory I mentioned. King surely helped but Straub's signature is all over it.

When a constant reader reads an authors work, and then they collaborate , you not so much know, but rather "feel" the style. The slightest choice of words, descriptions etc. I tend to read for enjoyment rather than pulling apart a work ( too many university course of what did the author mean)

 

[Spideyman]

I'm planning on going right to Black House when I'm done. Black House is one of maybe 3 or 4 SK books I have not read. I actually started Black House a few years back but couldn't get into it at the time for whatever reason. I think maybe so much time had passed since I read The Talisman was the problem. I'll be ready now.

I read Black House when first published and it didn't seem to hold the core for me. A true believer that different times in one's life makes a book different. So true with the re read. It brought me right back to The Talisman. Enjoy the book fljoe0

 

[Doc Creed]

One characteristic of King's handiwork (to me) is the villain or Evil Creature (fill in the blank) making jokes or being comical during the climax or moment before said villain is vanquished. Sloat and Gardener both were a mix of evil and insane hilarity. The ending of IT, for example.

 

[Doc Creed]

When a constant reader reads an authors work, and then they collaborate , you not so much know, but rather "feel" the style. The slightest choice of words, descriptions etc. I tend to read for enjoyment rather than pulling apart a work ( too many university course of what did the author mean)

Yeah, I agree. However, I am never completely rid of my inner English major. Ultimately, it's all in fun.

 

[Doc Creed]

I like the part when Anders is bowing to Lord Jason (Jack) and he is giving Richard and him supplies and guns and food for their journey on the train. Jack senses that he is in the land, or near the land, which is depicted on the picture hanging on Speedy Parker's office, the picture he sees before his original journey into The Territories.