Scan barcode
thebestmark's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Let me preface by saying I don't like this book's prequel, The Talisman. I find The Talisman needlessly long, heavily reliant on surface-level character tropes, and unimaginative as a fantasy novel. More than anything, what I hate about it is its narrator. King and Straub adopt this sneering, glib, ironically detached narratorial style in that novel that I found profoundly annoying.
Black House triples down on the detached narratorial voice of its progenitor, which I absolutely hate, but in all other respects its the better novel. While Black House still has one foot in fantasy-land and (unfortunately) a big commitment to King's Dark Tower mythology, a significant amount of The Talisman's high fantasy has been thrown away, replaced instead with this semi-Lynchian, Twin Peaks-y serial killer story. Despite the fact that I pretty much hated the storytelling, I can at least admit that I found some novelty in how deeply attached places like, say, the local drive-time radio station or the senior citizens' home are to the brutal killings which occur throughout the novel.
Still, Black House features basically everything I hated about The Talisman, just transposed from the fantasy genre into the murder mystery genre. For me, that makes Black House nominally better. The serial killer in this is way more interesting as an antagonist than the local business tycoon who murders from the original novel, for example. There's an incredibly weird reference to George Hegel and Jacques Derrida in there. A clumsy and bizarre relationship is drawn between this novel and Charles Dickson's Bleak House. I dunno. There's some stuff in there. But I still feel like this project was purely an excuse for King and Straub to try out-prosing one another in a post-modernist writing competition, and I really don't have a lot of interest in what they're accomplishing doing that.
Black House triples down on the detached narratorial voice of its progenitor, which I absolutely hate, but in all other respects its the better novel. While Black House still has one foot in fantasy-land and (unfortunately) a big commitment to King's Dark Tower mythology, a significant amount of The Talisman's high fantasy has been thrown away, replaced instead with this semi-Lynchian, Twin Peaks-y serial killer story. Despite the fact that I pretty much hated the storytelling, I can at least admit that I found some novelty in how deeply attached places like, say, the local drive-time radio station or the senior citizens' home are to the brutal killings which occur throughout the novel.
Still, Black House features basically everything I hated about The Talisman, just transposed from the fantasy genre into the murder mystery genre. For me, that makes Black House nominally better. The serial killer in this is way more interesting as an antagonist than the local business tycoon who murders from the original novel, for example. There's an incredibly weird reference to George Hegel and Jacques Derrida in there. A clumsy and bizarre relationship is drawn between this novel and Charles Dickson's Bleak House. I dunno. There's some stuff in there. But I still feel like this project was purely an excuse for King and Straub to try out-prosing one another in a post-modernist writing competition, and I really don't have a lot of interest in what they're accomplishing doing that.
midici's review
4.0
Every time I read the prequel to Black House (The Talisman), I intend to read Black House immediately afterwards. This has yet to happen. Instead I pick up Black House months later, when the sharp details of the Territories and Jack's childhood adventures there have begun to fade. Like Jack, I slowly start to get back into the rhythm, remembering the magical nature of the other realm Jack is connected to.
In Black House the murder and cannibalism of young children is a symptom of a much worse horror, hidden just to the side of our own world. The Crimson King is trying to break free of his prison and plans to make the ultimate weapon through the use of a young boy, Tyler Marshall - the latest child to go missing.
Jack, now a much older retired cop, with barely any memory of his time in the Territories, has to rediscover his traveling abilities if he hopes to save Tyler, and by extension, the realms that are intertwined with his own.
In Black House the murder and cannibalism of young children is a symptom of a much worse horror, hidden just to the side of our own world. The Crimson King is trying to break free of his prison and plans to make the ultimate weapon through the use of a young boy, Tyler Marshall - the latest child to go missing.
Jack, now a much older retired cop, with barely any memory of his time in the Territories, has to rediscover his traveling abilities if he hopes to save Tyler, and by extension, the realms that are intertwined with his own.
davesroka's review against another edition
2.0
This was neither King's nor Straub's best writing. It was far too obvious where they handed off writing duties to each other, and ultimately, it was a slog to get through. The parts that tied into the Dark Tower were definitely interesting and informative, but I'll be glad to get back to the DT series as a whole.
hidden_one's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
songwind's review
2.0
[b:Black House|10607|Black House|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166254279s/10607.jpg|1738813] is the sequel to King & Straub's earlier work, [b:The Talisman|5364|Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2)|Diana Gabaldon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266449004s/5364.jpg|2866304]. Unfortunately, it is not as good.
In typical fashion, the authors created a host of well realized and interesting characters, both main and secondary. However, the book falls down in its use of deus ex machina and "chosen one" tropes in the resolution.
I found the tight linking of the Territories to King's Dark Tower series to be quite flat as well.
In typical fashion, the authors created a host of well realized and interesting characters, both main and secondary. However, the book falls down in its use of deus ex machina and "chosen one" tropes in the resolution.
I found the tight linking of the Territories to King's Dark Tower series to be quite flat as well.
lizziwhy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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? No
2.0
The talisman was so good that this just doesn’t compare but I will re read soon
stephanieanneauthor's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Given how much I enjoyed The Talisman, I had high expectations for Black House. Unfortunately, this sequel just didn't do it for me. There were good moments and loveable characters, but this book was a bit of a slog to get through. Personally, I found it tough to get through Part one because the good stuff didn't start happening until Part 2. And there was so much focus on the mystery/thriller so early on in the story that adding in the fantasy elements later on was jarring. Overall, I thought it was just okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Vomit, and Murder