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Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub

By RachelUndefined on March 3, 2008 • ( 0 )

Synopsis: Abandoned by his friends as they cycle through the Wisconsin town of French Landing, ten-year-old Ty Marshall spots a crow hopping towards him down the sidewalk. Then it calls his name. Fascinated, Ty gets off his bike for a closer look – and is dragged into the shadows.

Is Ty destined to become the fourth victim of the Fisherman, the serial killer who’s stalking this sleepy town? If so, only ex-detective Jack Sawyer may be able to save him. Jack left his old life behind precisely to avoid such madness, but lately he’s been visited by strange nightmares and visions. Could the doomed past he thought he escaped forever be reaching out to him…from the Black House?

Genre: Thriller/Horror
Rating: @@@@
Pages: 819
ISBN: 0-00-710044-2
Format: Paperback
Comments: Like a lot of Stephen King’s books, this book had a slow start but turned out to be a great read. Black House is the sequel to The Talisman but not having read the first book in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the second.

I have little experience with Peter Straub, but Stephen King always develops rich, believable characters, and this story is no exception. I especially love the radio host, Henry Leyden. He has got to be my favourite King character yet. He’s the kind of person I could see myself falling for in another life!

Black House is written with the flair and style typical of Stephen King, with a slightly different narrative style that I assume is the result of Straub’s influence. I picked this book up expecting to be impressed and I was not disappointed.

Stephen King-Inspiration Monday (wordwebbing.com)
Facebook newsfeed post by: Fans of Stephen King (thisishowitisnow.wordpress.com)
Stephen King on Doctor Sleep’s Origins, a Possible Movie Prequel to The Shining, His Legacy, and More (dreadcentral.com)
Stephen King’s Bestselling Kindle Single “Guns” Now Available as an Audio Download at Audible.com (firewireblog.com)
Stephen King on giving (christianpf.com)

‹ Father and Child Reunion by Warren Farrell

Old Bible (joke) ›

Categories: reviews

Tags: 4/5, Black House, fiction, Peter Straub, review, Serial killer, stephen king, Talisman, territories, thriller

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How do I rate my books?

½ Star: I disliked it to the point where I didn’t even finish it and I would actively discourage others from reading it. This will definitely be released.
1 Star: I almost didn’t finish this book, but I powered through. I strongly disliked it and I would actively discourage others from reading it. This will definitely be released.
1 ½ Stars: I read this book, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it and I wouldn’t recommend it. This book will be released.
2 Stars: I don’t really have an opinion on this book. I didn’t particularly like it, but I didn’t particularly dislike it either. I won’t read it again and probably wouldn’t recommend it. This book will be released.
2 ½ Stars: This book is alright, I guess. Other people might enjoy it, but it’s not for me. I might mention it in passing, but I won’t reread it. This book will be released.
3 Stars: This book is average. I enjoyed it, but I’ll probably forget it within a year. I might recommend it to fans of the genre, but I won’t be rereading it. This book will be released.
3 ½ Stars: This book is above average but unexceptional. I enjoyed it, and I would probably recommend it, but I doubt I’ll read it again. This book will be released.
4 Stars: This is an excellent book. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it to others. I may or may not reread it. This book might be kept, or it might be released.
4 ½ Stars: This book is fantastic. I absolutely loved it and I fully intend to read it again. I would definitely recommend it to others. This book will be kept.
5 Stars: This is an amazing book which I’ll reread multiple times. I quite likely sacrificed sleep or skipped meals for this book and will shamelessly promote it to all and sundry. This book will definitely be kept, and I’ll probably buy an extra copy just to release it.

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