Rating: 
Summary: Black House Another Book Fit For A King
Review: I was very pleased with Black House, although I really dont think it seemed like a sequel to The Talisman. The territories only made brief appearances throughout the book. Still, it was a great story all the same. Henry Layden has to be one of King's most memorable characters and thats why I was surprised..oh Ill give it away, sorry. Come to think of it, there are many surprises in Black House. Dont listen to all those other know it all reviewers who dissed the book. I think any Stephen King fan will enjoy it. Its quite a comeback from the disastrous Dreamcatcher.
Rating: 
Summary: Bleak and Black
Review: Stephen King and Peter Straub are back with The Black House which is the sequel to their earlier The Talisman. You don't have to have read the earlier novel to enjoy this one. Indeed in some ways it is perhaps better if you haven't read the earlier book for it was a routine fantasy quest and its very ordinariness may predispose you to think badly of The Black House, and that would be a shame for this new novel is a tour de force.The title is a pun, bringing to mind Charles Dickens' novel Bleak House. This is quite intentional. Stylistically the book owes a lot to the Dickens novel and even the convoluted plot has resonances with Dickens. The authors don't seek to disguise this relationship; the book is full of overt references to Bleak House and at one point one of the characters even spends some time reading that novel out loud to one of the other characters (who is blind). I love these little touches - it's only a game, but the game adds a depth and a freshness that I really enjoy. The story itself is set some twenty years after the events of The Talisman. Jack Sawyer is a retired Los Angeles detective living in the small town of Tamarack, Wisconsin. He has largely forgotten the adventures of his childhood. Tamarack is plagued by an odd series of gruesome murders of little children. They seem to parallel a similar series of killings that were committed several decades ago by a man called Albert Fish. Because of the resemblances, the new murderer is dubbed the Fisherman. The local chief of police begs Jack for help in solving the killings, but Jack is reluctant to be drawn in to the gruesome business. However the pressure becomes too much for him, particularly because he is getting flashbacks to his childhood adventures in the Territories. There may a relationship between the Fisherman killings and the Territories and Jack is the only link between them, the only man who perhaps can solve the problems that run in parallel on both sides of the veil that divides the two worlds. Much of the success of the novel can be traced to the superb characterisation. Jack in particular jumps alive from the page. At times the people almost degenerate into "caricaturisation", if I may coin a word; but though the book hovers on the brink, it never (quite) succumbs. I particularly liked the gang of motor cycle thugs who are all college graduates and who are the brains behind the success of the beer brewed in the local brewery. In between picking fights and doing drugs they are likely to be found talking about existentialism in the bar. At one point one of them discovers that the man he is about to hit in the face is a preacher, so he stops the fight in order to discuss a knotty problem of early Christian philosophy that has been worrying him for quite some time... Stephen King has a unifying plot thread that runs like a sub-text through many of his books. The image of the Dark Tower and the doings of Roland the Gunslinger are ideas that he picks at again and again; sometimes overtly as in the Dark Tower novels, sometimes less so as here in The Black House. The climax of this novel depends in part on the mythology of the Tower and certainly adds another thread of mystery to the theme (and illuminates others).
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Dissapointed
Review: Too much minutia! I kept reading hoping to reach some kind of plot but when I did it vaporized into a ridiculous fractured fairy tale. I usually enjoy both of these authors works but this one goes past horror into horrible.
Rating: 
Summary: Lovers of The Talisman beware
Review: Black House has about as much to do with The Talisman as the old Lou Grant drama series had to do with The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
As a huge fan of The Talisman, I almost flipped when I realized Black House was its sequel. When I opened it, I felt like a kid opening a new Harry Potter book. Unfortunately, by the time I was about 300 pages in, I realized this was just a long, rambling attempt to make money and throw a bone to fans waiting impatiently for the next Dark Tower novel.
Black House is long, tedious, boring and, worst of all, has no connection with The Talisman. The Territories are barely mentioned and there's absolutely none of the sense of wonder and adventure that made the first book such a magical read.
Jack Sawyer is unrecognizable, his retun to the Territories is rushed and disappointing and Henry Leyden, touted by many as one of King's most memorable characters, never comes close to realizing his potential.
The love story is so tacked on as to be ludicrous. It's a desperate attempt to make Jack seem more real -- more Talismanish -- than he does in the rest of the book.
There are many, many things wrong with Black House and I caution anyone looking for more of The Talisman to save their money. I almost wish I hadn't read BH -- at leat then I could have kept The Talisman unsullied in my memory.
Rating:
Summary: Artificial Style Overcomes Plot!
Review: Why do authors feel they have to interpose an artificial style between the readers and the story? Although the plot and characters were fascinating, the precious and condescending stylistic devices employed by the authors made this book almost unreadable. As a fairly enthusiastic fan of both authors, I anticipated another thrilling ride...but unfortunately the authors chose to tell their story in a highly obtrusive style in which the narrative voice takes on the persona of your 6th grade teacher, constantly reminding you that you are reading a book rather than experiencing a story. Too bad...it could have been really good.
Rating:
Summary: If you thought this was about the Black Hotel....it isn't...
Review: I remain firm that Talisman (prequel to this book) can and actually does stand on it's own. But Black House would be a dismal failure without the Talisman. I began this tale and immediately realized I had to read the Talisman first to get the most out of this book. There is one saving grace (actually two) for this book and if you are reading instead of listening, I honestly would chuck the written version and grab the unabridged audio. Frank Muller is a GENIUS - pure and simple. His character's voices are clear and distinct. Muller is what makes this book. Period. I had hoped that the black house was somehow tied to the black hotel in the Talisman, but alas, no. The second saving grace -- the times when we do get to return to the 'other world,' the Territories. Both King and Straub seem to be most comfortable there as well.
Rating:
Summary: Masters of their craft, yet again...
Review: It is startling to read so many bad reviews for such an incredibly written novel, but alas, to each their own. I was late in reading The Tailsman but fell in love with it as so many other people seem to have since it was first published so many years ago. When word came that a sequel was going to be written it simply could not be published fast enough to satisfy me. Yet, the wait was well worth it. I admit that at first the very unique style of writing was a bit off putting but as the book goes on you will get used to it. In a lot of respects as well you could consider this to be a sequel to The Tailsman as well as The Dark Tower Book 4 1/2. For all of you out there eagerly awaiting the fifth book in that series this one has enough elements from that world to keep you happy. If you are a King can its difficult to not give this one a read!
Rating:
Summary: From someone who's *not* a big King fan!
Review: I'd only read one previous King book, *Pet Sematary*, which I disliked. But when I saw a one-sentence description of this novel's plot in a newspaper listing of current bestsellers, it seemed like something I'd enjoy. And it was! I quickly realized it was a sequel to *The Talisman*, which I hadn't read; but the authors explained everything I needed to know. For me, the book's greatest strength is its characters--especially Henry Leyden. He alone makes it a worthwhile read.
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.
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