A review by cjblandford
Shadowland by Peter Straub

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I would not consider the length of this book (about 500 pages) to be overly long, but this was a beast of a book. The scariest part of this book was the unreality of Shadowland. I never knew what was real and what was illusion. The imagery described in these parts was very vivid and colorful. The villain was terrifying and seemingly invincible. As the characters realize their plight, the reader really does feel the impossibility of the situation. The final performance scenes were really breathtaking and enjoyable. Those aspects were cleverly written and interesting and generally worked well. What did not work well was the pacing at the beginning. The prep school setting was not my favorite and the way the book was written, almost in vignettes, did not ground the characters or situation and it was hard to get hooked into their story. Once we reach Shadowland proper though, the book went off the rails and I'm glad I was along for the ride because it was truly weird. I don't think my knowledge of fairy tales was adequate to catch all the references and easter eggs that were thrown in. Perhaps my appreciation of this book was have been more profound had I been better versed in the history and lore of The Brothers Grimm. I feel like this book had a lot going on just beneath the surface that I was not smart enough to fully comprehend and that the bit of the iceberg I see and understand does not reveal the true depth and breadth of what happened in this book. On the surface, this is a story about a young person confronting a powerful being and coming of age as he is learning to control and master his abilities and temptations. I don't think it works as a young adult tale because there are way too many scenes that are written for adults that are grotesque, mature, and symbolic. But how many adults are going to read a book with teenage protagonists? So I'm not really sure who this book is for and its definitely not for all horror fans. The uneven pacing, lack of a strong hook, and almost simplistic characters can be a hard sell for this story, but if you're patient and are looking for a weird read, then you might check this one out.