Meme Comment #2
Mar. 13th, 2008 08:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psubratFrom ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cathyteach2:
How about posting about the best book you ever read? Or, if that's too hard to narrow down, how about *one* of your favorites?
I have so many favorite books and authors that this is really hard. When I find authors or books that I like, I tend to read them over and over. It's a thing.
Gosh, this is so hard. I could give a dozen or so different answers since I read books that are parts of series. For example, I love Stephen King, but the majority of his books that I adore are his fantasy stories which are all related. The Dark Tower series is probably my all time favorite -- hands down. But, at the same time, the other books that are tied into it are also excellent. In fact, The Talisman (King wrote it with Peter Straub) was one of my absolute favorites as a teenager. It's a rather large book and I read it in less than 48 hours. I was so immersed in the story that my parents wondered what happened to me because I only ventured out of my room to eat and use the bathroom.
For those who are unfamiliar with The Talisman, it's about a boy who travels between the present day US and a medieval parallel universe (I wasn't sure exactly how to explain it so I went to King's site). What struck me most about the story was Jack's journey -- how each time he popped over to the "Territories" he was wearing the clothing of the period and using words from that dimension. In the years since I read this book, I still remember that a sandwich in the Territories was known as a popkin. I don't know why that struck me as strange, but it did and has stayed with me ever since.
I also think that the reason I've had this book burned into my memory was because it was the very first fantasy book I ever read. I remember thinking that King and Straub got me, like they wrote it just for me. It was so easy to get involved in the plot, to empathize with the character of Jack and his quest to find a cure for his mother. Perhaps that was because my own mother had almost died when I was eight (long story and probably best for another post all together) or maybe I was a year older than the character. For whatever reason, I felt like Jack's journey was my own and I grew along with him as the story progressed.
In 2001, I was beyond thrilled when King and Straub put out a sequel called Black House. Jack had aged in correlation to the time that had passed between Talisman and Black House. He was wiser, harder and had absolutely no memories of the time he traveled to the Territories so again, the reader went on a journey with the character -- it was as if we were slowly regaining our memories as well. This time the bad guy was from End World which tied into The Gunslinger's universe. I am a sucker for stories that tie in with other stories that I love. And I am in awe of writers who do it -- especially those that pay attention to their own continuity and storylines. King left clues in every fantasy book about Roland's (the main character from the Dark Tower series) world and his destiny. They were subtle enough that only fans of that series would understand...that way if you picked up Hearts In Atlantis you could read it without knowing anything about Roland and his travels. This is why I think I have such a huge crush on Russell T. Davies. Nice segue, huh? Seriously though, I adore Rusty because of the hints he left in Torchwood series 1 for Doctor Who series 3.
So, to answer the question directly, The Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, is one of my favorite books of all time. Yeah, I know, it's not a history book. It's shocking to me too. *g*
cathyteach2:How about posting about the best book you ever read? Or, if that's too hard to narrow down, how about *one* of your favorites?
I have so many favorite books and authors that this is really hard. When I find authors or books that I like, I tend to read them over and over. It's a thing.
Gosh, this is so hard. I could give a dozen or so different answers since I read books that are parts of series. For example, I love Stephen King, but the majority of his books that I adore are his fantasy stories which are all related. The Dark Tower series is probably my all time favorite -- hands down. But, at the same time, the other books that are tied into it are also excellent. In fact, The Talisman (King wrote it with Peter Straub) was one of my absolute favorites as a teenager. It's a rather large book and I read it in less than 48 hours. I was so immersed in the story that my parents wondered what happened to me because I only ventured out of my room to eat and use the bathroom.
For those who are unfamiliar with The Talisman, it's about a boy who travels between the present day US and a medieval parallel universe (I wasn't sure exactly how to explain it so I went to King's site). What struck me most about the story was Jack's journey -- how each time he popped over to the "Territories" he was wearing the clothing of the period and using words from that dimension. In the years since I read this book, I still remember that a sandwich in the Territories was known as a popkin. I don't know why that struck me as strange, but it did and has stayed with me ever since.
I also think that the reason I've had this book burned into my memory was because it was the very first fantasy book I ever read. I remember thinking that King and Straub got me, like they wrote it just for me. It was so easy to get involved in the plot, to empathize with the character of Jack and his quest to find a cure for his mother. Perhaps that was because my own mother had almost died when I was eight (long story and probably best for another post all together) or maybe I was a year older than the character. For whatever reason, I felt like Jack's journey was my own and I grew along with him as the story progressed.
In 2001, I was beyond thrilled when King and Straub put out a sequel called Black House. Jack had aged in correlation to the time that had passed between Talisman and Black House. He was wiser, harder and had absolutely no memories of the time he traveled to the Territories so again, the reader went on a journey with the character -- it was as if we were slowly regaining our memories as well. This time the bad guy was from End World which tied into The Gunslinger's universe. I am a sucker for stories that tie in with other stories that I love. And I am in awe of writers who do it -- especially those that pay attention to their own continuity and storylines. King left clues in every fantasy book about Roland's (the main character from the Dark Tower series) world and his destiny. They were subtle enough that only fans of that series would understand...that way if you picked up Hearts In Atlantis you could read it without knowing anything about Roland and his travels. This is why I think I have such a huge crush on Russell T. Davies. Nice segue, huh? Seriously though, I adore Rusty because of the hints he left in Torchwood series 1 for Doctor Who series 3.
So, to answer the question directly, The Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, is one of my favorite books of all time. Yeah, I know, it's not a history book. It's shocking to me too. *g*
