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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really, REALLY liked the characters and the story, and many parts of it gave me chills, made me laugh, or made me cry. It felt a bit too long, though, which is why I'm giving 4 instead of 5 stars. I will definitely be picking up Black House in the future!
I really don’t know what to say about this book. I love King’s multiverse, the idea of the thin spots between worlds, the idea of ‘flipping’, they’re cool concepts and great storytelling devices. I think where The Talisman falls the most flat for me, is it spends too much time in ‘our world.’ I kept wanting to see more of the Territories. There are scenes in this book which would work really well in other novels, or even stand alone stories, like the whole section in the Sunlight House — probably the best part of the whole novel. Unfortunately, considering all the options King and Straub could have chosen with a story like this, the places we come to in this story, the events that take place, seem like they belong in another another world.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Brilliant! This book was absolutely brilliant. I read it on someone else's recommendation and I am glad I did. I have never been a Stephen King reader (due to reading Pet Semetary as a child and never being right in the head again) but now I get he isn't just horror. This book read like dark fantasy, which I love , not horror. I wasn't familiar with Peter Straub before but I think his writing style is genius, he uses a lot of alliteration and creates a mood in a clever way. The story itself meanders and is slow for a long time but because I enjoyed the writing style so much, I was ok with it. The descriptions and back stories were so vivid and real that Jack Sawyer became a live human being to me.
This is an epic hero's journey, but across parallel worlds, and with obstacles that I don't dare describe as to not spoil it for someone else. I wanted Jack to 'win' above all and while it is suspenseful because there are unanswered questions and looming horrors, the length of this book meant that they could take their time and not rush a thing. It is dense with information on other characters and backstories and descriptions but in a deliciously vivid way, not in a tedious way. I wasn't bored for a moment.
The last 100 pages were a masterpiece to me. The Territories were similar to many fantasy novels I've read but the flipping back and forth between the realities was unique . (It did remind me a bit of Clive Barker's Imajica and Weaveworld)
I loved Wolf. Does EVERYONE who reads this book love Wolf? The smells! The smells!
Overall, not a book I would recommend to everyone because it's long and that scares people and it is complicated and I know a lot of people prefer "easy reads" but for those who like to dive in and become part of another world, who want deep , multi layered characters and heavy writing, SWOON.
This is an epic hero's journey, but across parallel worlds, and with obstacles that I don't dare describe as to not spoil it for someone else. I wanted Jack to 'win' above all and while it is suspenseful because there are unanswered questions and looming horrors, the length of this book meant that they could take their time and not rush a thing. It is dense with information on other characters and backstories and descriptions but in a deliciously vivid way, not in a tedious way. I wasn't bored for a moment.
The last 100 pages were a masterpiece to me. The Territories were similar to many fantasy novels I've read but the flipping back and forth between the realities was unique . (It did remind me a bit of Clive Barker's Imajica and Weaveworld)
I loved Wolf. Does EVERYONE who reads this book love Wolf? The smells! The smells!
Overall, not a book I would recommend to everyone because it's long and that scares people and it is complicated and I know a lot of people prefer "easy reads" but for those who like to dive in and become part of another world, who want deep , multi layered characters and heavy writing, SWOON.