Black House

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Summary: Black House
Review: I have been waiting for this book to come out for years. Finally, Jack is back! This book starts out extremely slow, but once it "picked up", I had trouble putting it down. I also had a few heart pounding dreams while reading this, which good King books tend to do to people. Buy the book, it is worth the money and don't forget to reread "The Talisman" first!

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Summary: Dark sequel to The Talisman
Review: Black House is the sequel to the authors' much earlier collaboration The Talisman. In the latest entry Jack Sawyer is in his early 30s and a retired policemen living in Wisconsin. However, there is a serial killer in the woods who is modeled after real life serial killer Albert Fish. Jack must be lured back from retirement to solve the crimes, which are linked to trouble in the Territories. The problems within the Territories fit within the framework of the Dark Tower series. Unlike the Talisman, Black House is a must read for fans of King's Dark Tower series.

Readers who devoured The Talisman over the last 17 years will want to read Black House to follow the progression of "Traveling Jack". The Talisman reader had every right to expect great things from Sawyer as an adult and will be initially disappointed to find that, after a meteoric rise in police work, he is retired and trying to hide in the back woods of Wisconsin. It appears that Jack has forgotten all his travels from 20 years before and needs to be jolted to remember the Territories. So the novel progresses as he reluctantly helps the local police to track down the serial killer and at the same time must recover his past memories. Both solutions are needed for much bigger reasons related to the Dark Tower.

Much of the tone of Black House is playful, the authors doing a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink with the readers. It can be a bit annoying as one could get the impression that the authors aren't taking it seriously. On the other hand they could be taking the Somerset Maugham approach, here's a really good story so you sit back and enjoy it.
Whatever the intent Black House carries more of Straub's voice than The Talisman did. The Talisman is dominated by King's style, so much so that one struggles to find any of Straub in it. However, Straub's style is stronger in Black House. Perhaps this is due to Straub's solo success since The Talisman or perhaps it's due to King's recent injury. Whatever the cause Black House seems more the work of equals than the master/apprentice relationship of The Talisman.

Black House is a first rate novel but not without some problems. First, the idea of Jack forgetting his travels doesn't fit with the earlier novel. Jack's father and Morgan Sloat routinely traveled between our world and the Territories. It isn't reasonable to expect Jack who was the most powerful of all the characters to forget them. Repressed memory syndrome has been discredited for several years and while it made for some good stories at the time it's just not a viable device. Second, the denouement is contrived to gild the lily of an otherwise great story. The third problem I have is that everybody in both The Talisman and Black House who claims to be a practicing Christian is a fake or phony and/or evil. Considering that some 60% of Americans attend church services regularly, the authors are slamming a large portion of they're potential readership. King has obviously done a flip since the heroes of Desperation said the Lord's Prayer before heading off to fight the forces of evil. Fourth, the Tyler Marshall character assumes greater importance as the novel goes on and has powers in the same way that Jack had in The Talisman. However, this is the same kid who at the start of the novel is hanging around with bullies and dolts. Why would the remarkable son of a remarkable mother hang around with the losers that he is at the start of the novel? Fifth, the novel is too long with a lot of filler passages intended to create atmosphere or round out characters who really aren't important. Stick to the basics guys.

The above complaints are relatively minor as the novel is quite good overall. Some of the characters are excellent especially Henry Leyden, Jack's blind friend. The Fisherman is a monster modeled after real life killer Albert Fish. He is without a redeeming characteristic- truly sick. The atmosphere is well described and there are some passages one would not want to read while alone in the house. There are also some good insights into human nature. One passage that was particularly touching was a reflection on all the things we should say to the people who are close to us while we are alive; things we often don't say and wish we had after they are gone. That passage might be the pearl of great value in Black House.

All in all it's a must read for those of us waiting for the next installment of the Dark Tower series. For King's legion of horror fans, there's plenty of horror to go round. Straub's fans will enjoy the atmosphere. It's a worthy entry into the canon of both authors.

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Summary: Black House, a gripping and moving collaboration
Review: This book has had mixed reviews from other reviewers but I wonder why some people knocked it so bad. The only reason I gave the book 4 stars is because the beginning was slow and the ending seemed slightly underdeveloped. The rest of the book was incredibly suspenseful. While you don't need to read The Talisman in order to understand Black House, I found it helpful. King and Straub make numerous references to Jack Sawyer's previous adventures and the characters who helped him along. Jack flips less often to the Territories in this book; most of the story takes place in French Landing, Wisconsin. Jack, a retired police detective, has come out of retirement to help solve the case of a serial killer, dubbed The Fisherman. The fisherman's crimes are greusome and he remains elusive to the French Landing police department. King and Straub tie in characters and events from King's Dark Tower Series as well. We are left wondering if Jack Sawyer will make an appearance in the next Dark Tower installment. Overall, this book was well worth reading. I definitely recommend Black House.

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Summary: THIS is what a Stephen King book should be!
Review: Yes, I know, Peter Straub wrote it too, but I'm not familiar with his work (other than The Talisman), and Black House FEELS like such a King book that I completely forgot about Straub.

Things don't really get moving for a while in Black House, which may give some readers pause (as it did me), but hang in there. After a VERY long introduction section, in which basically every building and every resident of French Landing, Wisconsin, is visited, we finally meet up again with Jack Sawyer, hero of The Talisman, and things start to pick up.

This book has all the things that King's Dreamcatcher (which I hated hated HATED) did not, most important of which are characters who feel real, who are fully developed and interesting, who make you care about them, who MATTER. Even the Thunder Five, the bad-[guy] intellectual motorcycle gang, were appealing to me, though they definitely ride the border of being ridiculous. Henry, Jack's blind radio DJ friend, was an especially fascinating character. And Jack Sawyer -- it felt like meeting up with an old friend, even though I barely remembered him from The Talisman, which I haven't read again since it first came out.

I was thrilled and absorbed by the search for the missing child, Tyler Marshall. I was fascinated by Jack's interaction with Judy Marshall, the boy's mother. I was delighted by Jack's meeting with Sophie, in the Territories. I felt for Dale Gilbertson, the in-over-his-head police chief. I was sucked into the world that King (and, yes, Straub) created and, unlike some of King's 600+ page books, I didn't want it to end.

I do have some quibbles with the book. Like that LONG intro section, which I already mentioned. I also didn't like the conceit in which the author's voice speaks directly to the reader, and acts as a tour guide throughout the book, saying things such as, "...we float away and out of the ready room and back into the sky...", "...we do the sensible thing and float out into the lobby..." etc. It got old very fast, and it never stopped. Also, while it personally thrills me that King is tying some of his new books into the Dark Tower universe (Black House and Hearts in Atlantis), I can see how those readers who aren't fans of the Dark Tower would feel cheated. And finally -- the book lacks a certain "epic" quality. I feel there should have been more travel through the Territories, I feel the scope of the novel should have expanded much farther beyond French Landing than it did.

BUT -- I did love Black House. Not King's best, but definitely closer to the top than some of his other recent efforts. It felt great to find myself still awake at 3 AM, unable to put the book down and go to sleep without finding out what happens next, and then what happens after THAT, just like I used to do with King's books.

One last note: if you want to learn more about the "Little Sisters," the vampires of the other world, check out King's excellent Dark Tower story in the "Legends" anthology.

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Summary: Liked beginning and end, but middle was blah!
Review: I've been a King fan (on-and-off again) since I was in Jr. High and I've liked most of his books overall (but there were some bad ones). But my favorite book of all time from King was Talisman. That's why I was so eager to read Black House when it came out. Well, the beginning reeled me in, the middle dragged, but the end actually picked up and changed my overall feeling of the book. The part that kind of made me wanna just finish the book were some of the characters. They just seemed unbelievable, esp. the biker gang. Even Jack was overly revered throughout the book and made him appear flawless which we know he was not by those who read Talisman. I did like the Henry Leyden character though and Speedy whom I liked in Talisman. I also wish the Territories were used more in this book but it was only a bit here and there. As an overall review, I'd say it was okay but for those who loved Talisman as much as I did, don't expect the same for Black House. That's my humble opinion!

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Summary: An Entertaining Read
Review: The cover of this book claims that it is written by Peter Straub and Stephen King. While I'm not that familiar with Mr. Straub's work it seems to me that this book belongs to Mr. King.

This story catches our hero from the Talisman, Jack Sawyer, living in French Landing, Wisconsin, during a crime wave caused by a serial killer called The Fisherman. Mr. Fisherman's crimes bear a pronounced similarity with those of Albert Fish, hence the nickname.

As you can probably guess, Sawyer manages to save the day while once again having bizarre and somewhat disturbing adventures into The Territories, or Faraway, as another character calls it.

This book ties in closely with King's Dark Tower Series and it is in fact another important chapter in that series. If you're not familiar with The Dark Tower Series you may get a little bit lost towards the end of this book.

I gave this book a lower rating because its kind of slow paced. It never really picks up until right at the end when Sawyer and company saves the day. It was entertaining, however, because of the Dark Tower references which makes me wonder even more, what was Straub's involvement with this? Did he check the spelling or name the characters? Who knows, but I would imagine that it would be easy to get lost in the shadow cast by Stephen King.

If you were to read this book for no other reason than the fact that it was written by Stephen King, you wouldn't be disappointed. While not his best book, it has substantial entertainment value. Really, what else can you expect from a book?

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Summary: Should be called "The Dark Tower, Book 4.5"
Review: Having never previously read "The Talisman", I decided to hold off on writing a review of "Black House" until I had read its prequel. Having now done so, it would appear that the two books share little other than their main character and the existence of the alternate universe known as the Territories. As a fan of King's Dark Tower series I appreciated "Black House" for its references to characters and storylines from that series, but I felt that this element overshadowed "Black House"'s relevance to the events and themes of "The Talisman".

(In fact, the Talisman itself isn't even referenced in "Black House", probably to avoid confusion with the Dark Tower since both are supposed to be the "axle upon which all worlds turn". One wonders whether Talisman and Tower are one and the same)

Of particular annoyance is the use of the first-person-plural POV ("We look into the room and see Bob. Bob doesn't look so happy, does he? Let's move on to Jim.") which then arbitrarily switches back to regular third-person POV. It can seriously disrupt the flow and pacing of the narrative. Other quibbles include the somewhat rushed and disjoint conclusion and the time spent on unnecessary development of incidental or minor characters.

In summation: this book works fairly well as a standalone part of the "Dark Tower" continuity, and on that basis I recommend it to fans of that series, but it's an incomplete sequel to "The Talisman".

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Summary: After the first hundred pages....
Review: ... it was a great read! I thorougly enjoyed the characterizations, and it completely got me anticipating the next Dark Tower book, for there were plenty of references to it in this story. But it was very far from the magical adventure that the Talisman was. The story being told in the present tense was also very difficult at first. I had figured that they were only using this tense for the prologue, but it continued throughout the book, and it was hard to digest in the beginning. But as the story progressed, I started to forget about it.

The ending was a bit of a bummer too, and I didn't feel like a lot of the questions I had were answered. I particularly remember in the Stephen King book the Tommyknockers, the main character in that book met up with who we all know is the teenage version of Jack Sawyer on Arcadia Beach. That Jack told how his mother was killed in a drunken car accident. In Black House, we learn that Lilly Sawyer succumbed to cancer- to for all you die hard King fans who have read both books, did you notice this incontinuity?

Other than this- I did very much enjoy the story as a seperate entity. I don't feel it is an apt sequel, for it doesn't really seem to connect. I had a hard time associating this adult Jack Sawyer with the young Jack of the first story. Nonetheless, I do recommend the book for die hard King fans, and for those who are greatly anticipating the next Dark Tower book!

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Summary: A seamless masterpiece
Review: Where does King leave off and Straub begin, or vice versa? This is an eloquent piece of work, a tale so chilling you might find yourself holding your breath in anticipation of the next horror. I read THE TALISMAN when it was published, but had forgotten the premise and even the main character. Not to worry. I still found this tale of slaughtered children and a form-changing sadist to be perfectly written, fully told, easy to follow and even better than expected. The authors are each at the top of their form.

For those of us who are DARK TOWER fans, we have the titillation of glimpsing perhaps the next in the series? (Please, please Mr. King).

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Summary: A definitely positive rebound from DREAMCATCHER
Review: After being disappointed with DREAMCATCHER, I was very, very hopeful that Stephen King's second collaboration with Peter Straub would be an enjoyable read. Thankfully, my hopes were fulfilled. While it isn't the best, BLACK HOUSE is a return to the things most King readers enjoy most - a good, spooky story, fully realized characters in whom the reader can believe, and a pace that makes the reader wonder how in the world they ever read the book so quickly.

Like many King readers (Constant Readers, as King himself likes to call us), I typically devour new books when they arrive, then return for a second, more savory reading at a later date. At this point, I've only accomplished the former, but I'm looking forward to the latter. BLACK HOUSE is a truly enjoyable read. Those who have read its predecessor, THE TALISMAN, will enjoy finding themselves wrapped up in the world of Jack Sawyer again, but even new readers should find that BLACK HOUSE isn't an insider's novel - elements from THE TALISMAN are brought into BLACK HOUSE in such a way that the reader understands what's happening even if this is their first King novel.

Jack Sawyer is one of King's most enjoyable characters, but in BLACK HOUSE he faces a dilemma that is new for King readers - a moral question that isn't simply good versus evil. Jack is intensely attracted to a married woman who holds the key to the mystery in this story, and his struggle with that attraction is one of the most wonderful elements of BLACK HOUSE. Henry Leyden, Jack's blind, immensely talented friend, is another character most readers will enjoy quite a lot. His humor, as King fans have come to expect, skates the very fine line between tastefully honest and downright vulgar, resulting in some truly funny moments. But Leyden is also a compassionate character as well, making us care about him and his relationship with Jack.

All said, this is good writing, especially since it is very difficult to tell where Straub or King is telling the tale. I've not read anything by Peter Straub, but being a King fan, I can definitely say that BLACK HOUSE is worth your while, regardless if this is your first encounter with Stephen King or if you are, like me, a Constant Reader.