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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Let me start by saying that I first read The Talisman when I was young and it went straight to the top of my "favorites" list. And, in fact, I recently reread it in preparation to read this book. The reread only solidified my love for the book.
Now, onto Black House... A solid read; a reat story; chalk full of wonderfully deep character development. I'm happy to have read the book.
But...
Merging there story with the Dark Tower series? No. I didn't appreciate that at all. Maybe I'm just being naive -- maybe that was always the plan -- but Jack and Speedy and Wolf and... They are in their own special world for me; set apart from any other. I was so taken aback that I almost stopped reading.
Even more annoying was the general writing style: an overly-present author/narrator presence, nearly all in the present-tense... I felt like there book was a terribly long into to a very short epilogue.
But anyway... I live the characters and story and that kept me going. The ending was worth it. But even with a 4-star rating, this one will never hold the survival place in my heart that The Talisman does.
Now, onto Black House... A solid read; a reat story; chalk full of wonderfully deep character development. I'm happy to have read the book.
But...
Merging there story with the Dark Tower series? No. I didn't appreciate that at all. Maybe I'm just being naive -- maybe that was always the plan -- but Jack and Speedy and Wolf and... They are in their own special world for me; set apart from any other. I was so taken aback that I almost stopped reading.
Even more annoying was the general writing style: an overly-present author/narrator presence, nearly all in the present-tense... I felt like there book was a terribly long into to a very short epilogue.
But anyway... I live the characters and story and that kept me going. The ending was worth it. But even with a 4-star rating, this one will never hold the survival place in my heart that The Talisman does.
According to a bookmark I used in my physical copy of the book (a $5 off coupon for a prom tuxedo), I first tried reading this about 13 or 14 years ago. I stopped 92 pages in, because it felt like a long introduction that was going nowhere. Thanks to audiobooks and 1.5x speed, I was able to cruise past that part and the rest of the book after part 1 was fantastic. I appreciate re-visiting tales of the Dark Tower series and I wish I had stuck it out longer when I was in HS. Now, I can officially say that I've read all of Stephen King's novels, instead of making a small white lie.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not my favorite, and I really had to struggle to get through the book. The opening scene was very well written and dragged me in, but couldn't hold my attention for the rest of the book. Only two stars, fairly disappointed.
This is a sequel to The Talisman, though I would say you could get by without having read that one first despite how often it is referenced. If you do plan to read both, read them in order though, because like most sequels, this one would spoil you on the first book.
If you are a Dark Tower fan, I suggest reading them both because they do tie in quite heavily. They are not required reading by any stretch, but worth the time if you need a fix without rereading the series.
I liked this story much more than the Talisman (a 2* rating from me). The story felt less meandering and the writing seems tighter. It wasn't as easy to differentiate the input from the two authors, which was a distraction in the first.
The extended cast were enjoyable. I particularly liked Henry. He's easily on my list of favourite King characters.
In my quest to read/reread King's back catalogue in publishing order, I've found myself grading them against one another. This one just isn't as strong as some of his other works for me and that's why it sits at a 3.5.
If you are a Dark Tower fan, I suggest reading them both because they do tie in quite heavily. They are not required reading by any stretch, but worth the time if you need a fix without rereading the series.
I liked this story much more than the Talisman (a 2* rating from me). The story felt less meandering and the writing seems tighter. It wasn't as easy to differentiate the input from the two authors, which was a distraction in the first.
The extended cast were enjoyable. I particularly liked Henry. He's easily on my list of favourite King characters.
In my quest to read/reread King's back catalogue in publishing order, I've found myself grading them against one another. This one just isn't as strong as some of his other works for me and that's why it sits at a 3.5.