Rating: 
Summary: A Dark Tower Spinoff, but still great
Review: ...don't listen to the naysayers. Black House was a terrific book. The only thing to watch out for: If you're not familiar with King's "Dark Tower" saga, you'll be lost. Does this hurt the book? Not for me, but I am a big fan of "The Dark Tower" and I loved the way they tied this book in. Don't be afraid, especially if you liked the first one.
Rating: 
Summary: What if...
Review: ...Tolkein had written a fourth Lord of the Rings book, but instead of going off on some grand, continent-spanning adventure, Frodo and the gang had just puttered around Hobbiton and solved serial killings? I think that's my biggest problem with this so-called sequel to The Talisman: there's no granduer! The epic, mythic, wonderous quality of the first book has been lost, and all we're left with is a fairly standard crime novel with a few muddled supernatural overtones. Jack Sawyer is DULL now! Can you believe that? King has stated that he will complete the Dark Tower series and then retire, but I personally think he should have quit a few books back (as a longtime fan it truly pains me to say that, but it's true; the guy has been out of material for about five years now).Oh, by the way, for those who are looking for a third Talisman book, I think you can forget it; the world of the Talisman has now been sucked, like everything else King writes these days, into the universe of the Dark Tower. (I wonder how he convinced Straub to go for that?) Jack might make an appearance in a future Tower book, but I doubt he'll get another book of his own (and after reading Black House, I'm actually sort of *relieved* by that). One more thing: Mr. King, PLEASE stop trying to be literary and important! That's *not* why we read you! Quit with this Hearts in Atlantis and Bag of Bones stuff and write more stuff like Pet Semetary and the Talisman. When I read you, I want to be entertained! If I want literature, I'll take a class!
Rating: 
Summary: Into The Woods...
Review: I really enjoyed Black House. I know several people were disappointed in it because it was too gruesome and too confusing from a narrative stand-point. While that is completely true, I thought it was incredible from start to finish. I daresay I thought it was BETTER than the Talisman. It pulled me and captivated me more and more with each page I read. This book was a lot darker than The Talisman. The subject matter was quite intense (a madman is killing children and eating parts of their bodies) and graphic at times (the description of one of the dead children is painted far too realistically for reader's with vivid imaginations and weak stomachs), but that only adds to the dark theme of the story. Where The Talisman was essentially all about childhood and how everything seems wonderful, Black House is definitely about the adult experience and how hard life can get from time to time. What I enjoyed the most about this book was finding out what happened to all the characters from The Talisman. We are re-introduced to Jack Sawyer (the 13-year-old hero of The Talisman), now a 35-year-old retired L.A. cop living in Wisconsin. He has no memory of ever being in the territories. I really liked seeing Jack as an adult. As a kid he was disrespected by many of the central characters and it was great to see how intelligent and take charge he became. He was more compassionate and more friendly than he was as a child as well. We also discover what happened to the likes of Lily Cavanagh-Sawyer, Speedy Parker, and Richard Sloat. In addition to this we are introduced to some fantastic new characters, such as Henry Leyden (my personal favorite), a blind disc jockey with a ton of personalities; Breezer St. Pierre (the father of one of the murdered children) and his biker gang posse (all very intelligent college graduates); Dale Gilberson, the hard-working and disrespected chief of police; Judy Marshall, the beautiful and confident mother of on of the missing children; Ty Marshall, her brave and powerful missing son; Wendell Green, a smarmy news reporter who will stop at nothing to get his story; Gorg, the evil talking crow; and Charles Burnside, an insane old man who has a little bit of knowledge of the territories. And of course the Black House. An evil house that is the gateway between this world and the world of The Crimson King. The actual story does start a little slow. The reader is transported into the story via narration and we spend the first 70 pages meeting some of the central characters I just mentioned. I thought it was a good way to start the story because we knew who everyone was and there was no confusion as the story continued. Once Ty Marshall disappears the story really picks up. We journey with Jack as he interviews Ty's friends and his mother about his disappearence, as he re-enters the territories and meets the love of his life, Judy's twinner Sophie, and we are there as he tries to save Ty. We are also there to witness his horrifying ending, but it's not my place to give that away what happens. While there is some light humor in the story, it is very dark. There is a lot of blood and a lot of gore and not everyone survives to the end of the story. With several references to King's Dark Tower series and The Talisman, you will probably need to be a King fan to understand all the references. However, you don't have to read these stories to enjoy the richness of this story. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today! You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Not one of his finest...
Review: I have been reading Stephen King since I was a little kid, and have been really disappointed in his writing lately. However, when I saw Black House, I was intrigued. I became wrapped up in the story almost immediately. I fell in love with the vibrant characters and the unique narrative approach. Then I reached the final section of the book, and was soooo disappointed. The ending felt as if the authors were bored with the book and just wanted to finish writing it already. I felt cheated! The book was off to a great start, and is worth a read if you have already read other books in the series. Just be warned- the ending will leave you disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: M-O-O-N, that spells PONDEROUS
Review: I'm 75 pages into this book, and I can't take it any more. I tossed it aside once already because I was drowning in the stultifyingly dull, plotless prose, but then I decided to try again -- nope, I still can't slog through this. For people that want a cracking good story -- check out Richard Matheson instead. Even his new stuff moves along nicely. Stephen King doesn't know how to write good stories any more.
Rating: 
Summary: Of Missing Children .
Review: ...The genuine virtue of this creation is the attempt to touch , once again for King (recall "IT" for example) , one of America's most horrible problems of them all : the missing children . Unfortunately , this problem never ceases to be entwined in the everyday life of the American people . We have all heard about it on many occasions throughout our lives - the heart breaking pictures of lost children on milk cartons , the reports about the way parents are worried everyday when their young ones leave the house for school , the constant feelings of insecurity in some places and even the famous song "Runaway Train" that ended up with the pictures of absent American kids . In "Black House" the authors suggest a supernatural solution as for these children whereabouts : they may not be dead , but serving a hellish purpose that is unraveled during the reading . It is connected to King's "The Dark Tower" endless series , that , again , the reader doesn't have to know beforehand . In the novel there are some interesting supporting characters , that yet again are treated the same way the leading one is treated : not nearly enough sufficient development . For instance , there is an intriguing figure of a blind-man named Henry Leyden that conducts a satisfying life as a radio broadcaster and is considered a star . As readers , we get a glimpse of his everyday life - habits , problems , desires and points of view - but no more : no childhood background , almost no details referring to his life with his loved and adored late wife , etc . Another attention-grabbing personality is of the "hell angle" Beezer that leads a gang of Harley Davidsons' riders . His daughter had been murdered in the hands of the killer before the book started , but nothing is told about their relationship and connection prior to the terrible tragedy , nor they us about how became what he is...
Rating:
Summary: Not all sequels are bad. But this one is!
Review: You must be really ignorant to declare that Stephen King, or Peter Straub for that matter, do not know how to write some good prose. Sure, they know how to fill pages and pages... and that is exactly what they are happy to do in The Black House. So, if you read a 624 page book you might assume to have seen a complete story-line unfold before your eyes, not? A story-line with plots, subplots and interesting developments, of course? Guess again! Because sadly enough that's exactly what's missing here... To put it rather rude: at least 300 pages can be skipped without killing the suspense. I do not say that it is not an interesting read, but it surely could hurry up a bit. As a consequence the summary of the story doesn't take that long. A mysterious serial killer is on the loose. Children are the victims and that makes it even worse. The local police force is doing its best, but seems to be chasing its tail. But luckily Jack Sawyer, a retired police investigator, is in town. Although he doesn't want to get involved, some evil supernatural entities are dragging him into this mess. And his old adventures (described in The Talisman) are starting to get more important each day. The writing style is like you can expect from two experienced writers. But there are some remarkable flaws in this book. Flaws that can only be tolerated in a debut of an inexperienced author. You want some examples? How would you describe a person in distress? By showing that he is wearing his shoes on the wrong foot? Well, you might not believe it, but this seems to be no issue for King or Straub. Talking about unbelievable, listen to this: Wendell Green, a local journalist who constantly talks to himself saying that he really is the best reporter ever to walk on this earth, hides in a closet at a sanctuary to eavesdrop onto a private conversation and tape it with his pocket tape recorder. Really? I finished this book and am really glad that I managed it. The last 200 pages irritated me major league. All that bad stuff about the Dark Tower gives me a headache. Don't understand me wrong: I truly adore the Dark Tower series, but the artificial addition of Dark Tower stuff does not help this boring story at all. At the contrary: it ruins the already less than average story-line and makes it even extra mind numbing. Sorry, Jack Sawyer, you didn't convince me in The Talisman and in Black House you just sunk a bit lower. Skip this sequel and reread one of the older masterpieces of King: The Dark Tower, Misery, It or The Stand. Or a good old Straub: Ghost Story or If You Could See Me Now.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: There are incredibly awesome elements to this story - the premise is a good one, there are some very original and creative characters, concepts and scenes, and the narration is excellent. However, the story is not without its flaws. The first half of the book moves very, very s l o w l y; fifteen minutes spent describing every single detail of a street or town, passage upon passage in just a bit too flowery of language on elements that have little or nothing to do with forwarding the plot, et cetera. The rich characters are enough to make up for a lot of the superfluous material, though, and the story is compelling enough to keep my interest through most of the slower bits. There are some sections in which it's really clear which author is writing, and some in which it's not, but by and large, they are seamless transitions and seemingly easy collaboration. I listened to the 15 tapes mostly driving to and from a volunteer position two hours away, and it made the miles pass pretty quickly. The narrator's voice is very soothing, and he gives each character his or her own inflections and personalities. This isn't the best book by King or Straub I've read, but it's not bad. The ending is touching and magickal, and there are moments when I laughed out loud, had tears in my eyes, or a really goofy grin on my face - the story does reach into the reader frequently and pluck a string or two. I have not read the Dark Tower books yet, but they aren't a prerequisite for understanding this story - it stands out on its own just fine. A quick plot summary - strange things are afoot in a little town in Wisconsin called French Landing; there's an overwhelming feeling of..."slippage." A cannibalistic pedophile serial killer called The Fisherman is on a rampage, and children are going missing, only to turn up horribly dead. Fortunately for French Landing, a certain former L.A. homicide detective named Jack Sawyer now lives in town, and he's a crackerjack, a Copisman. Jack teams up with the local chief of police, and several unlikely characters - the Thunder Five, a ground of exceptionally well-educated, Harley-riding, rabble-rousing hooligans. Jack also has experience in certain supernatural adventuring, and it's a darned good thing, as the search for the latest kidnapping victim and the hunt for the Fisherman will lead the Sawyer gang into the strange world of the Crimson King and his multitudes of children slaves. That's just the tiniest, tiniest taste, though - a complete plot description would take pages upon pages, because there is truly an insane amount of thought and detail in this story. Most of it is enjoyable, some of it made me a bit impatient. Reading this book in hard copy might be a better option, as it would be easier to flip past the obviously slower material. You can see I'm flipping back and forth on my level of enthusiasm here, can't you? It's true, I can't really make up my mind, which speaks a bit unto itself. Ah well...
Rating:
Summary: GOOD BOOK - BAD SEQUEL
Review: To all those that have read the Talisman (and if you haven't, dont bother with Black House - Read the Talisman immediately), the news of a sequel was tremendously exciting. After reading Black House, however, I am so disappointed. The Talisman was an extraordinary adventure through the wonders of another place. To read it was to be transported to that place - you felt like you were traveling along with Jack on his quest. But Black House is nothing of the sort. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. I was quite engrossed in the book and I think it was very well written. But while The Talisman was more Fantasy than anything else, Black House is really just a horror story about worlds falling apart in the guise of some of the same characters as The Talisman. (There just seems to always be stuff oozing and bleeding etc.) If I remember correctly, only a very small portion of the book actually takes place in the Territories at all! Basically, the book is good, but dont read it if you are expecting The Talisman part 2.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: Don't let some reviewers scare you away from this story. If you're interested in the Dark Tower saga, then this is a must read. Some people have said that it drags in the beginning, but push on for about a hundred pages and it really turns into a great story. If you can't read a hundred pages, then you aren't the reader that King and Straub are looking for.
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