11-25-2002, 04:37 AM
Two Journey’s, One Adventure
Recently, I read two books that surprised me with how good they were. The collaboration between Stephen King and Peter Straub has produced two excellent novels, “The Talisman” and “Black House”.
I’ve read several of King’s novels. The “Dark Tower” series is one of my all time favorite books. But, we’ll come back to that later. On the other hand, I’ve found the endings of many of his novels to be a little anti-climatic, even disappointing. This fault is entirely missing in these two novels, possibly do to the talented input of Peter Straub.
“The Talisman” can best be described as a modern, darker, and mystical version of “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn”. It’s the story of a 12 year old boy named Jack Sawyer and his b-movie star mother hiding in New Hampshire and the cross-country quest Jack must undertake to save the life of his mother and much more. It’s a story that captures the magic of a child’s imagination, the cruel reality of the world we live in and the loss of innocence that comes inevitably to us all.
“Black House” is the much anticipated sequel to “The Talisman”. Enough back story is given, that a person can read it without first reading “The Talisman”, but a lot of flavor and attachment to the characters would be lost. “Black House” reunites us with Jack, now in his early 30’s and a retired Los Angeles homicide detective living in small town middle America. A small town called La Riviere, on the shores of the Mississippi, is plagued by a child killer…and something even darker. It’s hard to tell you what this story is about without ruining the surprises.
Now, I promised I’d explain why I mentioned the “Dark Tower” series above. Well, it’s because the last half of “Black House” ties in directly with the “Dark Tower” series. Once again, you don’t have to read the “Dark Tower” to enjoy “Black House”, but the references and very unexpected revelations will leave fans of the series with chills. While, I’m sure these revelations will be mentioned again in the next, eagerly anticipated installments of the “Dark Tower” series, this story is a must read for fans of the series.
I can’t say much more without spoiling the stories for you, but for those who have already read them, I’d be happy to join you for a discussion.
Recently, I read two books that surprised me with how good they were. The collaboration between Stephen King and Peter Straub has produced two excellent novels, “The Talisman” and “Black House”.
I’ve read several of King’s novels. The “Dark Tower” series is one of my all time favorite books. But, we’ll come back to that later. On the other hand, I’ve found the endings of many of his novels to be a little anti-climatic, even disappointing. This fault is entirely missing in these two novels, possibly do to the talented input of Peter Straub.
“The Talisman” can best be described as a modern, darker, and mystical version of “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn”. It’s the story of a 12 year old boy named Jack Sawyer and his b-movie star mother hiding in New Hampshire and the cross-country quest Jack must undertake to save the life of his mother and much more. It’s a story that captures the magic of a child’s imagination, the cruel reality of the world we live in and the loss of innocence that comes inevitably to us all.
“Black House” is the much anticipated sequel to “The Talisman”. Enough back story is given, that a person can read it without first reading “The Talisman”, but a lot of flavor and attachment to the characters would be lost. “Black House” reunites us with Jack, now in his early 30’s and a retired Los Angeles homicide detective living in small town middle America. A small town called La Riviere, on the shores of the Mississippi, is plagued by a child killer…and something even darker. It’s hard to tell you what this story is about without ruining the surprises.
Now, I promised I’d explain why I mentioned the “Dark Tower” series above. Well, it’s because the last half of “Black House” ties in directly with the “Dark Tower” series. Once again, you don’t have to read the “Dark Tower” to enjoy “Black House”, but the references and very unexpected revelations will leave fans of the series with chills. While, I’m sure these revelations will be mentioned again in the next, eagerly anticipated installments of the “Dark Tower” series, this story is a must read for fans of the series.
I can’t say much more without spoiling the stories for you, but for those who have already read them, I’d be happy to join you for a discussion.