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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
So the Talisman was my jam when I was a kid. I read it twice, once when I was 14, and again a couple years later.
I liked it because it was sprawling and adventurous. Things moved and happened because it was basically a roadtrip book. And then there were the territories, which added a new dimension, something different, with different creatures and types of people. I liked, no loved The Talisman because I felt like I was part of the story in a way.
This is not that. It’s just really a Stephen King novel with all the Stephen King cliches. It’s just ordinary and other than a few, very short forays into the Territories, it doesn’t leave the small town in which it’s based. Boring.
Sure, I could make out the vague markings of Peter Straub who’s far more inventive and poetic. You could see his influence in the actual Black House scenes and places therein, but it’s mostly King doing his tired, sadistic, overly cruel Stephen King things. I get it, you got the whole murder-torture thing down.
This book was okay, but it’s mostly held up by what I assume are Straub’s more imaginative contributions than King’s plodding pace and overwrought writing.
I liked it because it was sprawling and adventurous. Things moved and happened because it was basically a roadtrip book. And then there were the territories, which added a new dimension, something different, with different creatures and types of people. I liked, no loved The Talisman because I felt like I was part of the story in a way.
This is not that. It’s just really a Stephen King novel with all the Stephen King cliches. It’s just ordinary and other than a few, very short forays into the Territories, it doesn’t leave the small town in which it’s based. Boring.
Sure, I could make out the vague markings of Peter Straub who’s far more inventive and poetic. You could see his influence in the actual Black House scenes and places therein, but it’s mostly King doing his tired, sadistic, overly cruel Stephen King things. I get it, you got the whole murder-torture thing down.
This book was okay, but it’s mostly held up by what I assume are Straub’s more imaginative contributions than King’s plodding pace and overwrought writing.
Absolutely hated the sentient, floating POV. And just about everything else.
Straub’s (I can only assume it’s his influence given the nature of this book and its predecessor) prose is painfully dry and absurdly slow, overflowing with description but so rarely making an observation worth noticing.
Like The Talisman, I finished this only out of a sense of obligation. Unlike The Talisman, though, there’s a good story buried in here somewhere, albeit mired in overstuffed prose and misplaced worldbuilding. No thanks!
1.5 out of 5
Bright-red Pennywise Clown Noses
Straub’s (I can only assume it’s his influence given the nature of this book and its predecessor) prose is painfully dry and absurdly slow, overflowing with description but so rarely making an observation worth noticing.
Like The Talisman, I finished this only out of a sense of obligation. Unlike The Talisman, though, there’s a good story buried in here somewhere, albeit mired in overstuffed prose and misplaced worldbuilding. No thanks!
1.5 out of 5
Bright-red Pennywise Clown Noses
I do believe that Peter Straub had a very sensitive sense of smell and perhaps had a fragrance collection.
At first I was torn, because it was nothing like its predecessor. Gone was the epic fantasy adventure story and in its place was a murder mystery. It was a slow slog through the first hundred pages or so as I tried to wrap my mind around the shift in tone and setting, but once
I actually grew to love the fact that it was not like The Talisman, that it stood on its own as a novel, while at the same time giving homage to its antecedent (not sure if that word quite works in this sense, but I did not want to use predecessor again).
Spoiler
Ty was takenSpoiler
, I was hooked.I actually grew to love the fact that it was not like The Talisman, that it stood on its own as a novel, while at the same time giving homage to its antecedent (not sure if that word quite works in this sense, but I did not want to use predecessor again).
Spoiler
One thing I wonder is how much of a role did Peter Straub have in writing this novel. The call backs, references, and how much it interrelates to The Dark Tower give it a 100% feel of being all Stephen King.Spoiler
I haven't yet read a Stephen King book I didn't like. This joint effort did not dissapoint. I love the depth of the characters in this book.
Update: I recently listed to the NYT Books podcast interviewing King about [b:Holly|65916344|Holly (Holly Gibney, #3)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674418461l/65916344._SY75_.jpg|106237905], and in the course of the interview King indicated he is interested in completing this series on his own with the third Jack Sawyer book that he and Straub had originally planned for. Fingers crossed that plan comes to fruition
Wow. This book was so good!
I liked [b:The Talisman|59219|The Talisman (The Talisman, #1)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1170530286l/59219._SX50_.jpg|3324421], although it had a bit of a slow/awkward start for me. Black House is just something else entirely. Instead of a quest/portal fantasy centred on a 12 year old boy, we get Jack Sawyer 20 years older and involuntarily involved in a kind of supernatural procedural (with a small side of quest, of course). I loved the connections with The Dark Tower series, which were tantalizing yet inscrutable.
I’m so sad that there won’t ever be another book to follow this. There are characters and threads I’m finding it hard to let go of.
My first favourite of 2023.
Wow. This book was so good!
I liked [b:The Talisman|59219|The Talisman (The Talisman, #1)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1170530286l/59219._SX50_.jpg|3324421], although it had a bit of a slow/awkward start for me. Black House is just something else entirely. Instead of a quest/portal fantasy centred on a 12 year old boy, we get Jack Sawyer 20 years older and involuntarily involved in a kind of supernatural procedural (with a small side of quest, of course). I loved the connections with The Dark Tower series, which were tantalizing yet inscrutable.
I’m so sad that there won’t ever be another book to follow this. There are characters and threads I’m finding it hard to let go of.
My first favourite of 2023.
I enjoyed both books in this series and now I'm starting The Dark Tower series.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy hell was that better than The Talisman. Darker story with a much sharper focus that kept me intrigued. Present tense narration was an interesting and different stylistic choice. It did a good job of both tying into and adding to the Dark Tower universe.