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Black House [Hardcover]

Stephen King , Peter Straub
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)

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Book Description

15 Sep 2001

Two of the greatest storytellers of our time join forces to create an epic thriller of unsurpassed power; a twisting, compelling story of a small American town held in the grip of evil beyond all reason.

French Landing, Wisconsin. A comfortable, solid middle-American town inhabited by comfortable, solid middle-Americans… and a serial killer.

Three children have been lost – taken by a monster with a taste for child’s flesh nicknamed ‘The Fisherman’ after a legendary murderer. It’s all way beyond the experience of the local police, whose only hope lies with ex-detective Jack Sawyer, the man who cracked their last case for them. But, plagued by visions of another world, Jack has retired to this rural retreat precisely to avoid such horrors – and, having recognized the touch of madness on this case, he’s keeping well away.

Soon, he’ll have no choice. Young Tyler Marshall, left behind one afternoon by his bullying friends, pedals past the local old folks’ home and is accosted by a crow. ‘Gorg,’ it caws, and ‘Ty.’ What ten-year-old could resist a bird that speaks his name? Not Ty, that’s for sure. And as he follows the mysterious crow, he’s grabbed by the neck and dragged into a hedge.

The Fisherman has made another catch…


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Product details

  • Hardcover: 576 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st ed 1st printg edition (15 Sep 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007100426
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007100422
  • Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.4 x 5.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 147,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon Review

Black House is the second collaboration by Stephen King and Peter Straub, two of the most important writers in genre fiction, and the expectations of their first team-up were considerable. But despite its impressive sales, many were disappointed by The Talisman. Rather than a truly chilling epic, what we got was a rather derivative and by-the-numbers fantasy saga. So fans were reluctant to be too hopeful about their second collaboration... but we needn't have worried. Black House is much more like it, although even here King and Straub have not quite delivered the ultimate horror marathon--this is a psycho-thriller in the vein of Thomas Harris, but none the worse for that. And there are supernatural elements.

This is the tale of a small American town held in the grip of evil. Three children have vanished, abducted by a monster called The Fisherman (after a legendary murderer) with a craving for children's flesh. Ex-detective Jack Sawyer, dealing with his own personal problems (in which he is tormented by visions of another world), is keen to stay away from the horrors of this case, recognising how bad involvement will be for him. But--guess what?--Sawyer is soon supping full on the horrors, and the reader is in for an exhilarating (and highly disturbing) experience. Jack is a powerfully realised protagonist, and his journey into the dark world of The Fisherman is genuinely unsettling. Although more of King's fingerprints are on this one than Straub's (notably the conflicted hero, struggling with his own demons), the co-authors' individual styles merge indivisibly in this highly impressive chiller. --Barry Forshaw

Review

‘One of the most brilliant and chilling thrillers of modern times. Black House is a thrill-a-minute ghost train ride of a novel, filled with astonishingly vivid characters. Reading it is like holding on to a live electric wire. You may want to put it down, but you find that you can’t.’
DAILY MAIL

‘Fabulous… It’s the best of the best. No argument… The ultimate in storytelling by two masters of the craft.’
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

‘A new horror epic… impossible to put down once you’ve started.’
SUNDAY EXPRESS


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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One for the constant reader 22 Oct 2004
By Figs
Format:Paperback
I am a fan of King novels and have read and enjoyed Ghost Story by Straub. I read The Talisman and enjoyed it for the descriptive journey and the identifiable characters but found it lacking in any depth of story.
In my opinion, Black House is a bombastic powerhouse of descriptive content and lovable characters, as was The Talisman, but this sequel delivers a much appreciated bonus with its exciting storyline and laterally shifting narration.

I had no trouble following the unusual style of story-telling found in this book unlike some of these other readers and I feel for those that were unable to enjoy the book because of this [refreshing] change.

I am sad to say that the final confrontation was a little disappointing (in my opinion King has never been able to finish a story as well as he begins) and I got the familiar feeling of a head-on collision ending a long pleasant drive. I didn't think the ending was poor enough to subtract a whole point from the 5 stars I am giving it though.

In conclusion I would heartily recommend this book to all King fans (if they are able to tear their hairy talons and blood-shot eyes from the horror section and snap their necks over into fantasy a little).
I also recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-told story with a few thorns in its spine. You would do well to read The Talisman first (and some Dark Tower if you have a couple of months to spare).

I am now just beginning the final book of The Dark Tower series... all my fingers are crossed in hope that the end justifies the means this time.

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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars "Out of this world !" 28 Sep 2001
Format:Hardcover
From page one, through to the final sentence, this book had me enthralled.

"Black House" is the second collaboration between King and Straub, and is the sequel to their first novel, "The Talisman".

If you've read "Talisman" and if you're one of King's "Constant Readers", "Black House" answers lots of questions ("what happened next to the Talisman's characters ?" ; "who or what is the Crimson King ?") and it also, tantilisingly, raises lots of new ones, primarily relating to King's Dark Tower series.

However, if you're new to Stephen King, don't despair ! "Black House" is also rewarding in its own right, perhaps best described as a supernatural thriller, which keeps the reader turning pages as ex-cop Jack Sawyer races to find a young boy kidnapped by a serial killer. Sawyer must fight his personal demons, work with the town's residents and challenge a few bad guys (from this world and others), if he is to save the victim (turns out there could be a bit more at stake too...)

Set in a small Winsconsin town, the novel features some superb characterisation and truly great narration - with this latter perhaps originating from the pen of Mr Straub.

As a sequel, I believe "Black House" is superior to its predecessor (it's roots are not as firmly set in the fantasy genre). As a "stand alone" novel, the book has a great plot and fast paced storyline. As a Dark Tower book, King will have all his readers desperate for more - roll on Dark Tower V.....

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"The Talisman", to which "Black House" is a sequel, was a classic of excitement and imagination. It left me anxious for more. I received the news of its impending sequel with huge anticipation, and could barely contain myself to get my hands on "Black House" immediately following its publication. The resulting disappointment I felt in reading "Black House" then ran so deep. "Black House" is not, for me, the sequel that "The Talisman" merited. Long, tedious passages are only marginally relieved by flashes of inspiration. The respective styles of the co-authors have made a conflicting marriage in this case. I finished the book out of a sense of duty to Stephen King, but was not unhappy to get there.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Superb dark fantasy tale 19 Sep 2001
Format:Hardcover
A welcome return to the fantasy world visited in the Talisman and Dark Tower series, because make no mistake these two tales are interwoven. The book shows Stephen King and Peter Straub's talent for writing in tandem (the seems are even harder to detect than in Talisman)and they produce a book that is impossible to put down. The story itself is disturbing and revealing of the ongoing saga of Dark Tower and the insights into the back ground of the aforementioned story, but this is not at the sacrfice of telling a horror story. The characters are superb, and I have no doubt that most people will fall in love with Jack Sawyer's innocence and determination (one of the heroes of the piece). I would fully recommend this to anyone whether they have read Talisman or not, it is a captivating tale in its own right. And to those who have read not only Talisman but the Dark Tower series this is the book for you, a lot of background information is divulged and the picture gets a lot clearer no doubt paving the way for another Dark Tower book.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hurray! The magic of the Territories is evoked again in "Black House".
Beware! Jack Sawyer has grown up; his perception of their magic has changed, is coloured by the violent world he inhabits.

Stephen King and Peter Straub first return us, in a cacophany of transition and bewidered arrival reminiscent of Thomas Covenant's to Illearth, to the tattered vestige of a Territories hospital. In this book the Territories are a more cynical mirror to this world than in the Talisman, and it is just that they be so: this world's hero has lost - has hidden? - the innocence of childhood. He is no pallid re-vamp on fast-forward. The authors bring Jack Sawyer to maturity with a congruity that avoids the disappointment so often felt in such instances. This, one feels, is how he would have grown.

Yet still in the maze of all possible worlds the unearthly beauty of the Territories sings louder than the harsh cawing of hideous reality. Still the escape route beckons. Now, however, it seems the more real for its fragility, for the responsibilities it asks of its refugees.

A serial child-killer, catalyst in this world for Jack's re-discovery of the Territories, is a symptom of that fragility. The whole structure of the web of worlds was changed by the flowering of the Talisman "when Jacky was twelve". Its integrity is under threat. Its Beams are being broken. The Breakers are a by-product of this sick earth we inhabit.

King and Straub have matured their initial concept flawlessly and succeed in disturbing our dreams of escape disturbingly well. If the surface story is a little loosely woven it is easily forgiveable. The strength of almost all the character portrayal and the complexities of mood the authors bring us more than compensate.

More good news?... Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Books to enjoy
Read this book years ago, enjoyed it then and still have, but make sure you have read the talisman first/
happy reading
Published 1 month ago by Robert Jamieson
1.0 out of 5 stars A bit boring.
I like books I can 'get my teeth into'. I found Black House didn't meet this. I will keep reading, hoping it will meet my expectations.
Published 3 months ago by eileen parrott
5.0 out of 5 stars Black House
Black House brings back Jack Sawyer from The Talisman.
Jack is now an adult and a detective in L.A. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Elaine
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite
So far this has been my favourite book that I've downloaded. Anyone who has read the dark tower series will enjoy this
Published 5 months ago by Lauren Gavin
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Dark Tower side novel
This can't be read as a stand alone novel, read The Talisman first, also it helps if you have read King's Dark Tower series as well. The novel is steeped in King's cosmology. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jonathan
5.0 out of 5 stars One to re-read
I've read this book four times now, and it's without doubt my favourite by Stephen King (and Peter Straub). Read more
Published 11 months ago by Pinkystan
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing mediocre
The Talisman is one of the few books I have read several times and it is still as good as ever (but vanished for the Kindle between me starting and finishing this book-and before I... Read more
Published 12 months ago by C. Kimmings
2.0 out of 5 stars chesterite
I was not impressed with this book Had read reviews and obviously other people had written good reports but I myself did n ot care for it
Published 14 months ago by Mrs. S. Lamble
5.0 out of 5 stars Black House
Brilliant Read, Have read the other 2 books in this series and enjoyed them all, Strongley recommend it.
I'm a big Stephen King Fan but have also read books by Peter Straub. Read more
Published 14 months ago by P. Dunne
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Fabulous storytelling by the Master himself. Great storyline, grabs you from the first sentence -the characters are well drawn... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Sue'sViews
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