Stephen King and Peter Straub
Il Talismano

1983 the famous King of Horror Stephen King co-authors the book "The Talisman" with colleague Peter Straub, translated by us as "Il Talismano".

The genre is classic Dark Fantasy, set within the U.S.A. and in the world of the Dark Tower (with many nods within), the story narrates the adventures of twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer who sets out in search of the legendary talisman, the only artifact to save his cancer-stricken mother. To retrieve it, Jack, known as the Traveler, must embark on a journey both within the States and through the Territories, a world parallel to ours but with many differences, all aided by a carnival ride attendant, and a wolf.

The story may seem trivial and not very adult, but as you turn the pages you become captivated by the prose, which immerses the reader in the described world. The distinct styles of the two authors are somewhat noticeable, especially if you are a King reader, you can tell when it is Straub writing, because the king is very detailed in his writing, unlike his colleague. The whole thing somewhat resembles the tales of Mark Twain, not by chance there are citations of his stories at the beginning and at the end of the book. 

It's on the road about the America of the '80s, about the despair that moves the hero, about "and they all lived happily ever after" (or so they make you believe), about friendship and sacrifice, values taken for granted but rare in today's world, a novel that every teenager and not should read because this is a novel that makes you dream.

Stylistically it is a classic of Fantasy, not by chance semantically, the structure of the story fully respects the classic guidelines already dictated by Propp, nothing innovative on that front, but what it does, it does with great mastery and at least it doesn't leave you with that déjà vu taste.