Rating: 
Summary: Definitely won't disappoint you!
Review: This book is absolutely great. For years, I never read the talisman, but I broke down and read it first, so I could enjoy the Black House even more. Great! Great! Great! I can't believe the imagination that went into this. One of his best ones! You won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: The Hammett and Chandler of Horror fiction deliver a winner!
Review: In 1981, twelve year old Jack Sawyer had a series of fantastic adventures in a parallel reality known as the Territories, adventures chronicled in King and Straub's 1984 collaborative effort, The Talisman. Jack, however, has thoroughly repressed all memories of those events. Since that time, Jack has
become, to use his own word, a "coppiceman," an LAPD detective whose exploits have garnered considerable attention in the national press. Apparently, his success is largely related to his time spent in the Territories and his experiences with the Talisman.One of Jack's greatest professional triumphs occurred in the small town of French Landing, Wisconsin, where he apprehended a killer who had taken a life while visiting Los Angeles. Jack's visit to the Landing left a deep impression on him, so profound that he retired there shortly after closing the case. Jack had looked forward to a peaceful retirement, but that was not to be. French Landing is being terrorized by the Fisherman, a serial killer who dismembers and cannibalizes young children. Baffled by the complete absence of leads, the local sheriff asks Jack for assistance. Although initially reluctant to become involved, Jack decides to help, in part due to the prodding of his friend, blind DJ Henry Leydon who assumes the role as Jack's guide and mentor in the physical absence of The Talisman's Speedy Parker. Immersing himself in the case, Jack realizes that the killings are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the evil present in French Landing. He once again finds himself in the Territories, where the Fisherman, a servant of the evil entity known as the Crimson King, disappears with his victims. Jack's quest leads him to the mysterious Black House, a portal to the Territories, and a final, deadly confrontation with the Fisherman. Structurally, Black House is reminiscent of Insomnia, mainly due to its slow transition from stark reality to the realm of the fantastic, and in the fact that its characters, facing off against King's recurring major villain the Crimson King, are merely pawns in a much larger cosmic chess game. It differs from The Talisman in that the writing is more seamless--the authors went to great lengths to conceal their specific contributions to the text, and it shows. The book also has the obvious advantage
of being written by two more mature, more seasoned authors--King and Straub are seventeen years older and seventeen years wiser regarding their craft. Despite their widely acknowledged skill and considerable success, they continue to grow and evolve as writers. A good example of this is their use of the third person plural narration. Somewhat distracting at first, it turns out to be a wise choice, even providing the authors with a chance to engage in some self-deprecating humor. Although serial killers in Wisconsin are squarely in Straub "territory," it's clear that the book is set in the Stephen King universe. Besides the Crimson King, there are mentions of breakers and of Ted Brautigan, a concept and character from Hearts in Atlantis. Interestingly, a link is forged between
King's and Straub's realities when a relative of one of the characters from Ghost Story is mentioned in passing. Black House settles some questions about continuity in the Stephen King universe, but raises others. As the book's finale clearly leaves room for a sequel, more answers (and more questions) are probably forthcoming. If that sequel's half as good as Black House, readers have a considerable treat in store.
Rating: 
Summary: More like a DT preview novel than a sequel to Talisman
Review: I had put off reading Black House for more than a month. The reason being is that I knew that I would want to devour it in one sitting, which I did not have time to do. Finally, I just gave in and picked it up. This was more like a DT preview than a sequel to the Talisman, but it works. I was a little put off by the narration of the novel, but once you get used to that, the book reads fairly easy. Once again, we have our hero, Jack, now a retired LA homicide detective, living in the midwest. He gets sucked into another homicide case, particularly nasty 'cause the killer has fashioned himself after Albert Fish, a child serial killer. You find out the killer's identity fairly quickly, but the story is not about the killer, in a way. It's about the black house and evilness. All in all, a good read! Thanks for reading!
~Pandora
Rating: 
Summary: Read something else
Review: When I heard a sequel for The Talisman was in the works, my heart sank. The Talisman is a great book, combining the best parts of Stephen King and Peter Straub. The Black House, however, is better left on the shelf.
It contains none of the elements that made The Talisman such an enchanting story. If you're considering this book and haven't read the The Talisman, start there and ignore this disappointing sequel. And if you've read The Talisman, disregard The Black House and spend your money on something else.
Rating: 
Summary: A Complete Disappointment
Review: I don't know whether it is because I was so excited about the sequel to my favorite novel and ruined it for myself, but Blackhouse is a total disgrace and a bore to read, until around page 500. Even the ending is a disappointment by The Talisman's standards. Where it takes me less than a week to finish one of King's novels, this book took me 2 months! It was just out of pure respect for King that I finished this novel otherwise I would have returned it after the second chapter.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a very good sequel -- Very cheesy, but entertaining
Review: If you are a big fan of The Talisman, then you will probably be disappointed with this book. I know that I and many others (by the looks of this page) certainly were. The real magic of The Talisman was the fantasy aspect of the Territories, the people & creatures who dwelled there, how they acted in our world (and vice versa), and most of all, the quest for the Talisman. Black House, which is more or less a supernatural serial murder detective story, spends very little time linking this story to either the Territories or the story told in The Talisman. It actually has more to do with The Dark Tower story, which, in my opinion, is much less interesting than The Talisman. If you put all of that aside & just examine this as a unique story, you will almost certainly see that Black House is fairly weak, cheesy, but, as the same time, entertaining. Some of the writing is silly to the point of comedy. For example, the entity that infects Charles Burnside speaks in a ridiculous accent & insists on calling him "Burn Burn". On another occasion near the end of the book, Jack's thoughts about his blind friend Henry as Jack is going to visit him are unintentionally comical. Jack considers the source of Henry's fashion sense at such length that it could be the subject of a dissertation. Jack also fawns about how much he likes Henry (in a non-sexual way ... I think), at one point exclaiming mentally "I really adore Henry!". Some of this ridiculous dialouge may have been written by King (esp. the "dime, dime, Burn, Burn" parts), but I suspect that much of it was written by Straub. One can tell Straub's writing by the lack of clarity, pointless sub-stories, and obsession with all things related to jazz. Having read 2 of his so-called classic novels (Shadowlands, Ghost Story), his having churned out some of this drivel wouldn't surprise me. The story itself, while light on complexity, moves along at a pretty good pace & has some very good action along the way. If you're just looking for a diversion, then Black House is a good fit. If, however, you are looking for The Talisman Part 2, then you've come to the wrong House.
3 Stars for Entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: The Territories or Mid World?
Review: This book is unlike the Talisman in that it is not a "Quest" novel and doesn't really spend much time in the Territories that I loved so much in the Talisman. Nevertheless Black House is SK's (and Straub's) best book since I would say "IT" The characters are great, especially Henry. And the narration tool used is so "god pounding" great that I was really blown away! It was also interesting as this book had so much to do with the Dark Tower series, as I think most all future SK books will. So while a person can pick up "Black House" and enjoy it....please read "The Talisman," all four Dark Tower Books, and for that matter "Hearts in Atlantis" before you read this. Thankee Sai.
Rating:
Summary: Better than I thought
Review: After reading the Talisman (twice), it has remained on my list of favorite books since (usually in the #1 spot!). Black House is every bit as good. It's like talking with old friends again. I couldn't put it down. I read it in 4 days! I, however, can't imagine it would be as good for those who have not read The Talisman and the Dark Tower novels. After having read reviews written by others, I am not surprised to learn that most readers share similar opinions. I add my thanks to Mr. Straub and Mr. King...you're great. I highly recommend this book. I now look forward to learning the fate of Roland and his companions.
Rating:
Summary: Black House by Stephen King Is A Spine Tingling Kind've Read
Review: Black House is a spine tingling kind've of read as with most of Stephen King novels. This one however I liked a little better than his last effort. Once I started reading this story I had trouble putting the book down. A first for me when it comes to horror stories and books of this nature. I liked Black House. I liked it a lot!
Rating:
Summary: Writer's experiment in style?
Review: This King/Straub collaboration reads differently than a typical Stephen King novel. Some of the first half of the book does not flow well and you are drawn to writing style as much as the plot. (Wondering, which one wrote this chapter? And noticing at times that Stephen forgot to take his own advice in his recent book, On Writing. Such as slipping in needless adverbs, and some prose that doesn't advance the story much.) The subject matter of Black House is disturbing, which made the story emotionally difficult to read at first and I almost didn't make it past the first 100 pages or so. In the story, the "Fisherman" is responsible for the gruesome deaths of several children. For me, this is going too far, even if the book is in the horror genre. That being said, as the plot evolves, the suspense builds and there are many "real" characters. (Not that you would read a King/Straub book for realism, anyway.) You can definitely feel the pain and fear of the parents, and the different ways they react to the violence in their town. There are some interesting connections to the Dark Tower books - so a lot of this plot feels like a bridge to some future sequel that more firmly ties Talisman and Dark Tower. I found the second half of the book to be more of the classic page-turner that I expect from these world class authors.
|
