Rating: 
Summary: Co-Authors: Two Names, One Writer
Review: I am an unabashed and unapologetic devotee of both Stephen King and Peter Straub; while King is perhaps the most energetic, fearless and in-your-face writer of his time, Straub is all complexity, finesse and subtle textures. Both are to be savored, but their collaboration seems at first blush unlikely. Despite the remarkable artistic, critical and commercial success of "The Talisman," these two stylists have little in common (I for one would welcome a book from these two detailing the nature of their collaboration)."Black House," the sequel to "The Talisman," strongly confirms the suspicion that these two excellent writers are best left to their separate efforts. "Black House" is clearly King's book; it is impossible to discern Straub's contribution, but it might be argued that the shortcomings of the novel are a result of the teaming of the two authors. Might the book be more successful had King been unfettered? It is a challenge to review the novel in terms of "stars." Much of the book is mediocre (at best), but when it is good (say, the final two hundred pages), it is very good indeed. However, to reach that promised land, the reader must endure careless and lazy writing, a bushelfull of cliches and a narrative conceit that is among the most clumsy and intrusive in memory ("Let us now go..."). To shamelessly employ that same device, let us now leave Mr. Straub and visit Mr. King. As King's body of work grows and becomes ever more rich, it becomes apparent that one can fully enjoy any one of his books only by reading all (or most all) of his books, novellas and stories. Beginning with the cross-currents between "Dolores Claibourne" and "Gerald's Game," King has more and more explicitly viewed and delivered his individual pieces as parts of a larger saga. While there are many examples of this, none is more emphatic than what King himself describes as his "magnum opus": The Dark Tower series. Jack Sawyer, hero of "The Talisman" and "Black House," is clearly a player in the environs of The Territories and will likely play an additional role (given the ending of "Black House") in the yet to be completed seven-volume Tower epic. And then there are the little pleasures of additional reading: The vampiric Little Sisters referred to in "Black House" are the chilling subject of King's "The Little Sisters of Eluria" (published in "Everything's Eventual"). And there is, overarching, Roland Deschain of Gilead: The Gunslinger. None of this is to suggest that "Black House" (or any of King's works, for that matter) does not or should not stand or fall on its own. The closing two hundred pages are vintage King (is it any surprise that most of them occur in a world that borders The Territories? It is in that surreal world that King now seems most comfortable and most...enthused). Here there are characters sharply sketched, suspense in full supply and -- of course -- sheer horror. The ending, while inconclusive, is completely satisfying. Of all our major writers (I include ALL writers), King is to be most forgiven for carelessness (he is impatient to finish his tasks) and for failure (his tightrope tolerates no net beneath it). Relish this novel for what is good and do not dismiss it for what is bad. King at his less than best remains better than just about anyone else. And do not ignore the talents of Peter Straub: in his own fictional world, he is a master. You could do worse than begin with "Ghost Story."
Rating: 
Summary: So, this is going to get good, WHEN?
Review: First off I'd like to say, I've never read The Talisman. And I never want to because of what I've read in this book! I never had to stop reading a Stephen King novel in my life before this! What Happened? SK (Stephen King) is one of the most well know authors in the world. He's written some of the best literature ever known to man. How did this profanity ever get released into the public? At this point you'd expect me to go on and on about the so called "plot" of this utter piece of [garbage]. But I'm not. Mostly because it was so boring it made me beat myself over the head with a spiked lead pipe drenched in salt water. Sure, there were those occasional creepy and disturbing parts that made SK famous (The liver part gave me chills down my spine for a couple days), but they were spaced out in a couple hundred pages. So, in conclusion, I'm going to have to say don't get it. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING IT! You know what, try staying 20 yards away from it at all times! I'm giving this book a 1, because they don't have a half here. Grade: 1
+ Occasional creepy parts...
- ...Spaced out in about 500 pages
- Boring
- Dumb
- I think I have a concussion
- Zzzzzzzzz
Rating:
Summary: Readable, but not nearly as good as the Talisman
Review: I would like to say that I found The Black House to be somewhat dissapointing. It did not nearly involve the territories enough and I liked jack better as a boy. However, I liked how King tied in his other stories to the book such as The Dark Tower. I found that to be a very interesting angle. Characters such as Beezer, Doc, and Speedy were well done in this book. I would say read it because of the Talisman and wanting closure, but that is about it.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad story, just not what I expected
Review: I picked up Black House thinking that it was going to be a lot like The Talisman, and I was somewhat disappointed that it was so different. I enjoyed the story line about the killer, the fisherman, and I thought that the idea of Jack being a Police Officer was a good one, I just wish that more time were spent in the territories. All in all, if you like Stephen King, then this might work for you, just don't expect a story like the Talisman.
Rating: 
Summary: This book gets off to a slow start, but gets a lot better
Review: The first 50-60 pages of the book are rather disjointed, but the rest of the book flows well. It's a decent sequel to The Talisman, but has a different feel. It's a good purchase for any Stephen King fan.
Rating: 
Summary: He never disappoints, does he?
Review: Ever really looked forward to a book and then when you finally read it, it let you down? Ever had that happen with a King book? I doubt it. His excellence is consistent, you have to give him that :) This is the sequel to Talisman, written by King and Straub ages ago. I think it was one of the first King books I ever read, and I really didn't remember much about it except thinking that it was pretty cool, but as I read Black House, it came back to me in bits and pieces, enough to make me want to go back and read it again (if only I could remember where I put it!). Jack Sawyer, our hero, has grown up and forgotten (supressed) his memories of The Terratories. Events necessitate that he bring these memories to the surface in order to find a missing boy, catch a Dahmer-type serial killer, and (of course) save our world as well as all of those connected to it. These books take place in the same realm as the Gunslinger books and are guaranteed to please any fan of that series. Will there be another sequel in this line? There is certainly room for it. Personally, I hope that there will be and that we won't have to wait quite so long this time! In a nutshell, Stephen King proves himself not only the King of Horror, but of Fantasy as well. Plenty of each to please both types of customers. Check it out and get ready for a couple of all-nighters :)
Rating: 
Summary: Certainly not King's best work
Review: After reading The Talisman and Black House, the only obvious conclusion is that the King/Straub collaboration is not a particularly effective one. Neither book grabs the imagination; both are tedious and overly drawn out. The narrative style of Black House is particularly annoying and constitutes the book's major weakness. I can't recall another King work that uses it (thankfully). Severe editing would have made this a much better read. The first third of the book is almost unreadable; however, the last 150 pages or so are much more enjoyable and offer an interesting glimpse into the Dark Tower's Territories. Your reading time would be better spent elsewhere unless you are a big fan of the Dark Tower series and must read every available word about it.
Rating:
Summary: The whole is not greater than the parts
Review: Stephen King is the number one writer of horror today, as he has been for over two decades; Peter Straub is probably number five or so. Combining these two talents should be a good thing - and at one time, with the Talisman, it was - but in this case, the pair have come up with a book that is more flawed than most of their standalone material. In this novel, Jack Sawyer, the hero of the Talisman who is now grown up, is a retired homicide detective living the peaceful life outside a small Wisconsin town. This peace is interrupted by the presence of a particularly sadistic child killer. This is not a murder mystery however: the killer is revealed relatively early to the reader. The dangers lie in the supernatural forces that the killer has allied himself with that threaten not only the town but the whole world. Although there are distinct bits of Straub in the novel, this is actually a King novel. Except for the use of present tense (unusual in King's books), this reads a lot like most of King's books. Also, this story fits into a mythology that King has already developed and uses in the Dark Tower books and Hearts in Atlantis (among others). Although not as bad as Dreamcatcher (one of the lower points in King's books), this novel is a mix of the very interesting and stretches of tediousness. I doubt I will discourage many from reading this book, and certainly for many horror and fantasy fans, there is a lot of good stuff here. For people expecting something of the same high-quality of the Talisman, however, there may be at least a bit of disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Ever been REALLY disappointed?
Review: First off, if you haven't read The Talisman - don't even bother with
Black House. Much of it will go right past you. But if you're still with me... ...remember The Talisman? The magic? The absolute wonder of that amazing parallel land? The JOY??? Not one whit of it remains in Black House. None. The cutesy POV the authors have taken is irritating at best. The attempts at tying in other King works - most notably the Gunslinger series - seem pale and contrived. The whole thing stinks of profit-motive versus art-motive, as if it was written from formula and not from the heart. I say this as one to whom The Taslisman is an all time favorite... Shame on you guys - you can do better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but King definitely has produced better work
Review: The Talisman is easily one of my favorite Stephen King books, but Black House is only a mediocre sequel in my opinion. It's worth adding to a Stephen King collection though.
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