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Throat

Throat

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bring on the mystery
Review: "The Throat" is by far my favorite Peter Straub novel. It is actually the third in a loose trilogy dubbed Blue Rose. The other novels include "Koko" and "Mystery". The protagonist of the novel is Tim Underhill, a Vietnam vet turned author who is obbsessed with the childhood murder of his sister. Now, in the present, the murderer seems to have come back from the dead and is killing people according to the Blue Rose murders of the past. His ally in the case is Tom Pasmore, a modern day Sherlock Holms. The cast of charaters is very rich and well thought out. I thought all the people (not characters) from Tim Underhill and Tom Pasmore all the way to the most periferal folks seem very real and three dementional. The action and details are so authentic and seemed so realistic that at time I had to wonder if it was real or not. I would love to explain about the killer, but I would hate to accidentally give away who the killer is. All I can say is that the killer is one of the most realistic villian in moderen literature, second only to Stephen King's Pennywise from "It". The novel is very deep, it works on many levels; literal, mental, even on a mystical plain. I loved this book, it had no flaws. It is a mystery, a horror novel, a sharp satire on the media, a look at mob psychology, and a look at the fractured psyche of Vietnam vets.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bring on the mystery
Review: "The Throat" is by far my favorite Peter Straub novel. It is actually the third in a loose trilogy dubbed Blue Rose. The other novels include "Koko" and "Mystery". The protagonist of the novel is Tim Underhill, a Vietnam vet turned author who is obbsessed with the childhood murder of his sister. Now, in the present, the murderer seems to have come back from the dead and is killing people according to the Blue Rose murders of the past. His ally in the case is Tom Pasmore, a modern day Sherlock Holms. The cast of charaters is very rich and well thought out. I thought all the people (not characters) from Tim Underhill and Tom Pasmore all the way to the most periferal folks seem very real and three dementional. The action and details are so authentic and seemed so realistic that at time I had to wonder if it was real or not. I would love to explain about the killer, but I would hate to accidentally give away who the killer is. All I can say is that the killer is one of the most realistic villian in moderen literature, second only to Stephen King's Pennywise from "It". The novel is very deep, it works on many levels; literal, mental, even on a mystical plain. I loved this book, it had no flaws. It is a mystery, a horror novel, a sharp satire on the media, a look at mob psychology, and a look at the fractured psyche of Vietnam vets.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: A much more interesting read than other books I've attempted in this genre (and, for that matter, than Straub's Ghost Story). I usually don't like mystery/horror novels, but picked up a copy on a lark, and found it spellbinding. The story was tight, had believable twists throughout, and featured characters that kept you vacillating between loving 'em and hating 'em. Not gory at all, just well-choreographed and clever. If his other books read like The Throat, I plan on picking up more Straub in the future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Could have been better
Review: Does have its moments, but where is the author who gave us "Ghost Story"?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Straub's Best is One of Suspense Fiction's Best
Review: Don't be put off by the description of The Throat as part of a trilogy; it does have ties with Koko and Mystery, but you don't need to read those to understand and thoroughly enjoy this book. The Throat presents a terrific mystery/suspense novelist at the absolute apex of his form; it's every bit as good as Harris' Silence of the Lambs -- in fact, it's better. Read The Throat, or stop calling yourself a suspense fan...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The Throat by Peter Straub
Review: DON'T LISTEN TO THESE OTHER REVIEWS. Because I did. After achingly sitting through "Koko" and "Mystery," I questioned whether I should read The Throat. I looked it up on here, and it got good reviews. Definitely not worth the time. I'm at the point where I've given this author all I can, and I might give up on him. Straub weaves too much events, information, and characters for you to even care about what's going on. The "killer" could be anyone in the story, or perhaps, how's this: nobody in the story. Booooring... and this was the LONGEST of the trilogy. Most of the action happens "off-screen" so to say, and your entire time reading is spent trying to piece informatin together. Try an author like Stephen King or Dean Koontz, who can be intellectual but also ENTERTAIN. The only book I've read by Straub so far that was bearable was the one he wrote with Stephen King.. "The Talisman." (a great book--one of the best)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The agony...
Review: I endured as I tried to give this book a "fair shake". I only made it to page 80 and had to stop. For me the book was a bit dis-jointed and I found the author's style not to my liking. Perhaps, I will try to give it a second chance some other time but for now, I am moving on to folks like Koontz and Saul whose style, in my opinion, exceed that of this author.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Review: I have just started reading Peter Straub, and must say, I thoroughly enjoyed The Throat. I have only read Mr. X and Magic Terror, and was excited to discover that the character of Fee Bandolier, whom I was first introduced to in "Bunny Is Good Bread", appears in this novel. I had some ideas about who Fee was in The Throat, but was left guessing until the end of the book. I would have given this story five stars, but I was a little disappointed by the ending, kind of a letdown. All in all, this book has a very satisfying plot and good characters, but I felt the character of Tim Underhill was a little vague. I suppose I will read "Koko" and "Mystery", so that I can get to know him and Tom Pasmore a little better.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Just couldn't get into it
Review: I have owned this book in hardcover for a year or so and never got around to reading it. I had just finished the "Rama" series by Arthur C. Clarke then "Moon" by James Herbert and started on "The Throat".

I struggled to get comfortable with Peter Straub's writing style - it is good, but I just couldn't get into it. I managed about 1/3 of the book and finally had to put it back on the shel. I'm sure I will try again at a later date, but the style just doesn't agree with me right now for some (unfortunate) reason.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: so much more rewarding than king or koontz
Review: I often see reviews that compare the writing of Peter Straub to that of Stephen King (for obvious reasons) and of Dean Koontz (purely because of the horror genre as far as I am aware). But to me they are illogical comparisons. If you want a contrived plot where man meets woman and they both find salvation from their past horrors through love for each other, read Koontz. If you want to slip into reading something that feels as comfortable as an old slipper, beacuse you've read the same story 10 times before, only in different guises, read King.

However, if you want to read intelligent novels with characters that you care for and who develop over the course of the trilogy, read Koko, Mystery and the Throat - All completely different to each other, yet interlinked beautifully.

I am the first to admit that sometimes Straub's writing can be difficult to get into - it took me 3 attempts over a few years before I was able to finish Mystery for the first time, but now i regularly re read all of Straub's novels (apart from If you could see me now, which is the only one I've not yet been able to get into) and look forward to doing so - to entering the worlds that he creates (even though I am left cold by the constant jazz references!).

Basically, if you're tiring of King and Koontz, finding them too simplistic - read Straub.


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