Rating: 
Summary: King an Innocent Bystander? 2.5 STARS, still
Review: The more I waded through the choppy and often pretentious prose, the more it seemed likely that Mr. King was phoning this one in. Present in only sadly insufficient quantities is the dark humor that leaves you (or at least me) chuckling for pages afterward. Also conspicious for its rarity is the flowing narrative that King seems able to effortlessly construct (probably even while watching Sox games and/or conversing with his family). This work shares the heavy hand of recent efforts by Peter Straub (Mr. X, specifically). Can't help but wonder if Straub is going downhill fast or maybe King has actually written all of Straub's (good) books in a brilliant strategy to reduce market saturation and offer a Stephen King alternative. Except now 'Peter Straub' has manifested himself for real in true 'Dark Half' fashion and is now writing books on his own (which will eventually lead to BIG trouble, of course). OK, scratch that, but once you slog through these 600 pages you'll understand where I am coming from. The ONLY thing that could have made this book shine (Dark Tower references were not enough) would have been a compelling confrontation with the Bad Guy. No such luck: it seems that little bit of story-telling was auctioned off to a class of 3rd graders from King's hometown.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow start, but in the end, a good read!
Review: This book pretty much sucked at first because the first 250 pages were boring. After that, however, the book seemed to speed up be on its way. I liked it a lot.
Rating:
Summary: When the book is good its awesome
Review: What can I say about this book, I just finished reading the book, and I have to say, that there are moments in this book that are just fantastic, which made the book a bookt hat I would recommend. However, the thing about this book which forced me to give it only 3 stars is that sometimes they go into way too much description. The first three chapters, I almost had to quit reading, again, which Im now glad I didn't cuz it makes much more sense to me now, but at first I didnt know what was going on, who was telling the story, or anything. Even once the story gets going, there are points where they go on and on describing something, which would be fine in a short little essay about whatever topic they are describing at the moment, but not in a story where pace is important. With that being said, the book is very exciting, suspensful, and the overall greatness of the story overides the effects of the other negatative stuff. I hope they continue this series, and also if you read this, might want to try the Dark Tower series, that is a good one as well and there are many elements of those books in this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Paying tribute to Talisman while pushing on toward the Tower
Review: This is the bridge that I so badly wanted it to be between the Talisman and the Dark Tower. The Fisherman is killing children in a small town in Wisconsin. But wouldn't you know it, Jack Sawyer, having all but forgotten every trace of the magical Territories, lives in this very town. And refusing to face his old demons, he neglects to pay attention to the murders until a phone call comes whirling through the night, the caller being a certain blues musician who once recruited a twelve year old Jack Sawyer to save the world as we know it. Because much, MUCH larger things are at stake here - such as a missing boy who may hold the fate of the world in his hands, and the Crimson King who longs to eat cake with the young man when they finally meet. But the Crimson King, and those who work under him - such as the psychotic killer dubbed The Fisherman - also know all about Jack and they are starting to believe it's far time to put an end to the threat he presents. And those old names will ring out: Roland, Wolf(Right here and Now, baby!), Speedy, Elroy, Blain Train, the gunslingers(of whom we learn a bit more). And ole Travelin Jack will make your face light up with joy when - well, I won't spoil it for you - but let's just say he and some of his old and new pals may yet have a part to play in this colossal saga. Yes, indeed, the names ring out and the dots are connected even more, leaving you anxiously craving the next piece to this puzzle. And onward we go, towards the Dark Tower and the Crimson King. This is a must for Talisman and Dark Tower fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Stand alone and serial both.
Review: How is that possible - well the book is good as stand alone and I am sure those who read DT will like it more. I did not read any DT [ I will read all 7 togather] but I understand enough to enjoy this book- from this book only! So you do not have to read any book to read this. This is not part 2 of Talisman. It is just like James Bond movie!- they are not related and you enjoy them as stand alone, but if you see more then you know 'Blofeld' and all. as in Talsiman, you can know who wrote what part of book, both are great authors so the book was good. I do nto know why people write bad about it? May be because they might be expecting Strictly Talisman -2.
Rating:
Summary: if you can get past the first part...
Review: I loved Talisman. I read it many years ago...and then again prior to reading Black House. If you loved Jack Sawyer during and after his first ordeal, you'll feel a special kinship with him during his latest venture. Possibly even enough to help you make it through the extremely awkward point-of-view that almost ruins the story during the first few chapters. I really almost had to put the book down. But I stuck with it and ended up thinking the book was excellent. As with the Talisman, I was so involved in the characters and story that I was genuinely sad to read the final page. All said...definitely worth reading. Especially if you are a Dark Tower fan...always scratching for a few more Dark Tower scraps to fill the void.
Rating:
Summary: Never read the Talisman
Review: I never read the Talisman, but plan to. I thought this book was good. At times a little long, but very interesting. I thought that the ending was a little weird though. Overall enjoyed this book. Usually don't read much from Steven King so I was surprised that I did like the book. I would recommend it to those who enjoy more sci-fi.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!!!
Review: I hadn't read a King book in way over a decade, but I received this one by King and Straub from my brother for Christmas last year (2002). It sat for 6 months and I finally decided to read it this last summer. It is absolutely a fantastic book. I couldn't put it down. My fiance gave me "The Talisman" for my birthday and I'm currently half way through this book. Both books are excellent, but if I had to pick between the two, I'd say "Black House" was much better. Both are difficult to put down. I'm looking forward to reading another sequal to "Black House" soon.
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!
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