Rating: 
Summary: The sheer brilliance of the authors overcomes weak pacing
Review: I had a hard time putting this book down. I would glance at the clock and think, "It's only 1 am; I'll just read a few more pages, until the end of the chapter," and then it would be 3 am. And I'm a fast reader. But the reason I kept going is because it took so long for anything to happen!! This must be the most leisurely-paced "edge of your seat" thriller I have ever read. There are a few scenes where the action moved so quickly that I had to reread them several times to figure out what was happening to whom, but otherwise business was conducted at a farmer's pace, not a city-slicker's. Until the end. Then I had the feeling that the authors said, "Oops. Our contract calls for XXX number of pages. We only have 50 pages to go, we gotta end this now." I haven't read the "Dark Tower" books and it didn't seem to make any difference to me. I did wonder who "Roland" was. I don't think they're a prerequisite. The content of the book is great, and I do highly recommend it if you liked "The Talisman." But it moves slower than "Talisman," and I didn't think that was possible.
Rating:
Summary: Folks, this is a nice ride. Gratefully NOT a rehash.
Review: Simply put, if you liked the ideas of multiple worlds in "The Talisman", then thius murder mystery with a twist is for you. That kind of statement usually sends me away, repelled, but it really fits here. Also soem great suprises for fans of The Dark Tower series and I beleive, also The Stand..... ( maybe i was reading to far into it.)
Rating: 
Summary: Great to see old friends
Review: Great story, the audio book read by Frank Muller is perfect. King proves AGAIN he is a master storyteller. King and Straub mix skills well. It's nice to hear from Jack Sayer again, along with a new cast of characters
Rating: 
Summary: Black House
Review: This was my first Stephen King book and I don't think that I would read another one. The 640 page book could have been condensed to about 150 pages. It was so descriptive - that the story/plot gets lost. I thought his books were suppose to be scary and thrilling - but I just wanted to tell him "WE GET THE POINT, NOW GET ON WITH IT!!" I guess if I was use to his writing, I would have thought it better; but I like the intense, non-stop thrilling, "OH MY GOD WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!" kind of books and Black House was not one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Damn nice book!!
Review: This was an excellent book consisting of a very interesting plot which i dont' want to reveal to anyone that havent read the book yet. Full of suspense and thrill u wouldn't want to miss this edition written by both authors using their superb writing techniques.
Rating: 
Summary: BLACK HOUSE is no Talisman
Review: As I started reading this, my first thought was, when is Jack
going to flip ?
If you have read the Talisman and are expecting more of the same, you are in for a letdown. Don't get me wrong Black House is
pretty good for a book on it's own, but it's no Talisman.
Most of the action takes place in our world, not enough in the territories.
Although, the reference to a certain gunslinger did peak my interest considerably.
Rating:
Summary: Makes "The Talisman" look like a fairy tale.
Review: This second collaboration from authors King and Straub takes us back to some of people and places we were introduced to in their first work together, 'The Talisman'. I'll skip the summary of the plot and get right down to my feelings about 'Black House': I thoroughly loved it! The story was engaging and reasonably fast-paced, holding my interest through the end. I often found it hard to put down. And I thought that the unusual "fly on the wall" or "floating camera" narrative style that others have complained about was not at all annoying. 'Black House' seems to me to be a darker, more mature, and more disturbing story than 'The Talisman'. Although 'Black House' is a King/Straub collaboration, the story takes place entirely in King's universe and ties in with quite a few of his other novels. The story can stand on it's own very well, but it can also be viewed as a companion novel to King's incredible Dark Tower series, much in the same way that 'Hearts In Atlantis' and 'Insomnia' tell different threads of King's Magnum Opus. Followers of the Dark Tower stories will find much deeper meaning here than will the occasional reader not familiar with the epic. This is not to say that the casual reader will not find 'Black House' entertaining. Far from it. But new readers who enjoy 'Black House' will probably want to read the aforementioned King stories to get the big picture, which is, I might add, still being painted; King has promised to finish the Dark Tower saga within the next few years. For those who anxiously await the next official Dark Tower installment, 'Black House' is the next best thing.
Rating:
Summary: I would have bought it anyway
Review: I only read the reviews after I read the book...and must say that I agree with one reviewer who stated that fans would buy the book despite any criticism from other reviewers. However, I was disappointed...there is no comparison to The Talisman beyond some of the characters. The sense of wonder Jack feels in the Territories; the feeling of being in on a frightening, amazing adventure; and for the most part, the character development are missing here. I stopped reading Stephen King's books when I felt they became more horrific than enjoyable, but immediately had to buy this, the sequel to one of my favorite novels of all time. Can't say I really regret it, because I'd have been wondering what I was missing, but still, paid too much money for this one.
Rating:
Summary: Coulda Been A Contenda
Review: This could have and should have been a great book. The Talisman concept was great, and King and Straub seem to have recaptured the magic of their early careers. However, this book was prevented from being five stars by a terrible ending and by too much reliance on one's knowledge of King's Dark Tower series, which it is unlikely most mystery lovers, as opposed to pure King lovers, have read. So, I give it five stars for everything up to the ending and 1 star for the ending, averaging out to three. I do hope, however, that the ending at least means we will be seeing more of Jack at some later date. One last thing, though. Since the Territories were involved here, how could there be no wolves, oh, pardon me, wolfs.
Rating:
Summary: The Talisman it ain't. Not by a longshot.
Review: OK, it IS Stephen King and Peter Straub and, compared to almost all other horror authors out there, whatever they write is bound to be superior. What was so disappointing to me is that it just is not up to the standards that we set for King & Straub. Or, I suppose, that they set for themselves. The Talisman was an edge-of-your-seat, highly suspenseful, often scary, frequently touching and always riveting kind of story. Black House is just boring. It takes at least 100 pages for King & Straub to get beyond describing the county Jack Sawyer now lives in. There is one scene that involves five characters, and King/Straub describe the scene from each different character's perspective--I'm talking SEPARATELY, so it goes on forever and ever and ever, even though the reader already knows the outcome on the first page of this excruciating discription of one incident. It was also poorly edited, which I for one find very annoying. There are many inconsistencies throughout the book, as though the authors simply weren't paying close attention to what they were writing. Really this should be OK--it's a pretty long work & these guys are there to be creative, not technically correct--but their editor (if they even have one) should have to pay back his salary. All in all, it's a decent read--as I set when I started, King & Straub are both fabulous writers, so even their most mediocre work is better than the best of most others--but it's not what I'd hoped for and expected, that's for sure.
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