Black House

Rating:
Summary: A must read for true Talisman fans.
Review: Have you ever taken a cruise? If not, you probably don't know that it takes about three hours to get processed before you can actually board the ship. The majority of your time is spent standing in a long line and getting jostled by the fat sweaty guy in the Grateful Dead t-shirt. Thank God I had this engaging book!

As a huge fan of "The Talisman" I was overjoyed when I realized that this was the sequel to a book I never thought would have one. Could the writing team of King & Straub pull another rabbit out of their collective hat? Oh yeah.

From page one I was hooked. I've noticed that others have complained that the story doesn't kick in until after at least 200 pages. Not so here. Every great story needs a firm foundation to build upon, and I found the overall structuring to be well done. I had often wondered about Jack, Speedy and other characters from the first book, and while Jack's having forgotten or dismissed the Territories was a bit unexpected, it actually worked well. The background of the Fisherman was equally engaging and kept me hooked. The tie-ins with the Dark Tower books was quite a surprise, and cleared up some of the questions I had about those books. Kudos, guys!

I don't remember much about the first day of the cruise, as I stayed in my cabin and kept my nose in this book. The day before I had just finished the disappointing "From A Buick 8," so it was a relief to see King back in form (with assistance from Straub, of course). I recommend the book, don't let a few naysayers disuade you.

Rating:
Summary: Must have been a contactual arrangement
Review: UGH! Rarely have I read a book which presents itself as an impossible-to-read book! The prose in the first section is atrocious...at first I thought I was reading a story treatment for a film! I have attempted to read this book three times previously...and last night, with nothing else on my shelves, I tried to do it again....I skimmed the first hundred or so pages (having been caught in that trap before!) and yes things did pick up...somewhat.

I loved the TALISMAN, with its easy to "see" imagery and flowing prose...I would lose myself for hours in that book...not so in this one. It seems to be a concious effort on the authors part to keep the reader distant! In an age when people DO NOT read, the last thing an author wants to do is distance them! Both of these men are known for drawing the audience in, so I have to ask, why did they not do so on this book.

Truly a wasted effort.

I amlooking forward to the Dark Tower books and Straub's new mystery...perhaps these guys can get back to their collective roots!

Rating:
Summary: Decent but the Talisman is better
Review: Now " the black house" is the sequal to the novel "talisman" and now when i 1st read the talisman i was blown away it was an amazing piece of literature and i was excited when i heard there was a sequal Now the black house is decent but far from King's and straub's best it was very hard to make a sequal to such a novel(talisman) and the black house just doesn't live up and its hard to get into but it gets better after the 200th page or so but i think they should have taken a different direction with this one.

Rating:
Summary: Redeemed itself beautifully.
Review: Upon first opening, I hated this book. It was difficult to read and enjoy because the prose was choppy, had no rhythm or sense of flow, and was needlessly descriptive and removed. I felt like I was reading a travel guide, and I set the book aside out of frustration.

Having nothing else to read, I picked the book up again, hoping it would get better. It was still painful, but more bearable, and I kept plugging along, hoping for a ray of light that would make my trouble worthwhile.

Even past 100 pages, I still wasn't having any fun, and I considered ditching the book, but I didn't because I couldn't believe the whole thing could be so terrible.

Well, it's not. I don't know if anybody else has noticed this, but the precise moment that Jack "comes back to his senses," the writing style changes, becomes more involving, present, and clear, and the book is immediately engaging.

Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part, but it seems almost as if the authors made the beginning of the book a hazy muddle to reflect Jack's state of being during that time period, because it's hard to believe that the compelling, tight writing that follows the exposition just HAPPENED to improve at some random point.

Whatever the case, if you enjoy King in general, or mystery/horror stories, I'd strongly suggest this book. The characters and plot grab the attention and one's affections, and the authors took it upon themselves to address us, the readers, which was kind of fun, and they surprised me a couple of times by telling me exactly what I had expected them (the authors) to do, then refusing to do so. Cheeky.

*SPOILER*
One small note, and this is a spoiler, so skip to the bottom if you haven't read the book:
When the Fisherman writes in blood on a certain character's wall, the room was dark. That's why the Fisherman couldn't see the character and finish him/her off. If it was too dark to see the character, how did the guy write on the wall? I dunno.
*SPOILER*

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I've read so much King that I admit I saw some scenes in the book coming from a mile away, but I still got a certain emotional satisfaction from them, regardless. This stuff isn't recycled, stock, or tired, and if you've read "The Talisman" do pick this up and give it a chance. It proved to be wholly enjoyable and worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Black House is a great read!
Review: It has been a long time since Stephen King wrote a novel that is as satisfying and thrilling as "Black House"! King and co-author Peter Straub revisit the character Jack Sawyer, originally introduced in their first collaboration, "The Talisman", twenty years after his first adventure. Unlike some of King's other recent novels, "Black House" manages to weave multiple threads into one complex and fascinating story. This is easily his best work since "Pet Sematary".

Rating:
Summary: Almost a Dark Tower book
Review: It's hard to sum up Black House in a single sentence. First off, it is very different than its predecessor, The Talisman, despite the many linkages between them. Certainly, though, you'll enjoy Black House a lot more if you read (or re-read!) The Talisman first. [As just one example among many: the beer produced by the Thunder Five's microbrewery shares its name with a very different brew in The Talisman.]

Likewise, this book is intimately related to the books in King's Dark Tower series: there is one scene about two-thirds of the way through which will make absolutely no sense unless you've read the first three Dark Tower books (The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, and The Waste Lands). Likewise, the ending of this book suggests possibilities of what may come in the final Dark Tower books (to be published in 2004).

All of that said, Black House is still an excellent book: it moves from humor to horror, longing to mourning, action to reflection seamlessly. I read this book a while ago, and there are still plenty of scenes that I read over and over again.

So: read The Talisman, and the Dark Tower books, then read Black House.

Rating:
Summary: Expected more
Review: When I heard that King/Straub had written a sequel to the Talisman, I was ecstatic! Nay! Not just ecstatic. I felt like how Jack Sawyer must have felt when he first breathed the air in the Territories-rapturous! I couldn't wait to get hold of the book.

I just finished reading it and the book has left me feeling disappointed. This book is nowhere near Talisman. The book takes too long to start and the ending is too short. The references it offers to the Dark Tower series is good, but not really required. Why tie this to that series? The Territories is a world all by itself.

Jack Sawyer also came across as an omnipotent kind of guy--far different from the troubled Jack we knew in Talisman.

Rating:
Summary: One of kings best
Review: I loved this book. The narrative of this book was extremely easy to read and it drew me back into the world of the Talisman. It had been a long time since I had read the precursor to this book but it brought back a lot of memories. This book functions just as much as a standalone as a sequel which is part of the draw of it for me. In a time of lengthy series' it is nice to see a book that can stand on its own not to mention the allusions to Roland and the Dark Tower. I also like to see king return to some of his older stories which he never seems to do except in the Dark Tower books which I also love. Overall I loved the book and read from start to finish over the course of 24 hours. For me, a sign of a great book written by a great writer.

Rating:
Summary: A Disgrace of Both the Dark Tower and The Talisman
Review: I'm sorry, I just could not stand this book. I absolutely loved the Talisman and the dark Tower books thusfar (the only worthy books by Stephen King). I was looking for another fun adventure through the Terriritories suitibally after the Talisman ended (we all remember the very end of it). But so long after the last book...it doesn't wasn't a fun read. And does King have to insert the Dark Tower into EVERYTHING? Sure, the novelty was ok the first few times it appeared in his stories...but repeatedly? Over and over again?! Absolutley NOT! This shows he's running out of material fast. If you want to read king read his Dark Tower Series and The Talisman. If you have read those, wait for Wolves of the Calla, the 5th Dark Tower book and then wait for the rest.

Hopefully he keeps his promise of retiring after he has completed his Dark Tower Books. And hopefully he keeps his eyes on the real project and does not stray into other books like he has been doing.

Rating:
Summary: Required Dark Tower reading...
Review: If you are a follower of the Dark Tower series, I would recommend reading both the Talisman (first) then Black House before picking up the Dark Tower V this November.

If you are not a follower of Dark Tower, read the Talisman before picking up this book. It seems that both authors assume you have read it.

Overall, Black House is a very refreshing read. I loved the 1st person plural POV. Made me feel, in a way, like i was reading/watching a movie.

The plot is decent, characters well developed, the ending lacking. It seems to just be an important step into Dark Tower 5.

So, pick it up. It's a damn good book. King...with some editing by Straub (how much did straub ACTUALLY write here? I think he just gave King the 1st person plural idea, then edited) has created yet another entertaining, gripping, disturbing read!