Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4:  Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I have not yet received this product
  • My daughter loves these books
  • Great for 1st-3rd Graders
  • my son loves these books!
  • Good starter book series
Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. Magic Tree House Boxed Set 2, Books 5-8:  Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon Magic Tree House Boxed Set 2, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon
  2. Magic Tree House Boxed Set of 4, Books 9-12:  Dolphins at Daybreak, Ghost Town at Sundown, Lions at Lunchtime, and Polar Bears Past Bedtime Magic Tree House Boxed Set of 4, Books 9-12: Dolphins at Daybreak, Ghost Town at Sundown, Lions at Lunchtime, and Polar Bears Past Bedtime
  3. Vacation Under The Volcano (Magic Tree House 13, paper) Vacation Under The Volcano (Magic Tree House 13, paper)
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ASIN: 0375813659
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Book Description

Get ready for a world of adventure with the first four titles in the beloved Magic Tree House series!

Jack and his little sister Annie are just two regular kids from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Then they discover a mysterious tree house packed with all sorts of books...and their lives are never the same! Soon they are traveling through time and space in the magic tree house and having amazing adventures. Whether it's watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure readers won't want to miss a single story!

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars I have not yet received this product.......2007-09-23

I was accidently sent another book in my mailing package. I sent that one back with a note that it was the wrong product. i have not yet received the Magic Tree House book set.

5 out of 5 stars My daughter loves these books.......2007-08-09

My daugther just could not put down these books after she had received them. She finished 12 books in less than a week! I am going to get the rest of this series for her soon.

5 out of 5 stars Great for 1st-3rd Graders.......2007-07-28

While the writing isn't great, the stories are certainly entertaining, and are great reading for 1st-3rd Graders. The stories follow two siblings, Jack and Annie, who are magically transported to various places, and the various settings set the stage for some very fascinating, to the young reader, tales they will come to treasure.

5 out of 5 stars my son loves these books!.......2007-07-07

I've been reading to my son since he was two weeks old. He just had his fourth birthday, and I gave him this Magic Tree House box set. I thought he'd get bored pretty quick since there aren't illustrations on every page, but I was wrong. We read the first book in an afternoon, and he wanted to move straight on to the next one. We've since finished the first four and I've ordered the next box set, and while we wait we're re-reading the first four. Fantastic books!

4 out of 5 stars Good starter book series.......2007-05-12

Good books to help me and my grandchildren communicate. We started a book discussion club. Great quality time.
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
  • Pants on fire?
  • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
  • Very Interesting
  • History as Science Fiction
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Pathetic Drivel
  • Amazing coincidence
  • Hillary-mania : A wonderful thing!
  • Great book about a big liar
  • Swing and a miss, a good article expanded to a book
Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House
R. Emmett Tyrrell
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0895260670

Book Description

First-hand reporting and revelations of recent behind the scenes maneuverings that shows the reality between her carefully crafted image.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Pathetic Drivel.......2007-05-31

I was hoping for some intelligent insight into Hillary Clinton when I bought this book. Clearly, much can be said on both sides of this subject. I am trying to listen carefully to both and then make up my mind about her.

This is the equivalent to a rant from a right-wing Rosie O'Donnell. Don't waste your money on this rehash of old news.

4 out of 5 stars Amazing coincidence.......2007-05-17

It is quite an amazing co-incidence that at least in some ways this book presented as "fact" seems to mirror a book presented as "fiction" which is entitled The Empress Project. Both books tell of an American woman of boundless and unbridled ambition seeking ruthlessly to become president of the United States. Author Tyrrell calls Hillary "Madame Hillary", while Dr. Little, author of the other book, writes a story of political intrigue about a CHICOM plot to make an evil American woman Empress of America. Are the similarities of these two books merely coincidental ?The Empress Project

1 out of 5 stars Hillary-mania : A wonderful thing!.......2005-06-30

Whatever Hillary Clinton says and does is perfectly alright with me! If Hillary says it, then it's the truth. Hillary is perfect in every way! I love Hillary so very much!

5 out of 5 stars Great book about a big liar.......2005-02-06

R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. should be given a lot of thanks for exposing the liar named Hillary Rodham.

Thank you R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.!!!!!

2 out of 5 stars Swing and a miss, a good article expanded to a book.......2004-08-19

Plainly stated, I was disappointed with this book. I am certainly part of the target audience for this book, being pretty disgusted with the Clinton duo. However, what I hoped for was a factual tome of the flaws, failings, and deceit of the junior senator from NY. What I got was a repetetive, smarmy, and poorly constructed screed against her that offered little new information and was so partisan in tone that it became untrustworthy even as a source of dirt. Authors on both sides of the political debate need to realize that too snippy a tone tends to turn off the average reader.

In more detail, the book is full of allegations of radical beliefs, wretched interpersonal skills, and bald-faced deceit but precious few illustrations of same. Don't tell me that Senator Clinton is a horrid person to work for with no sense of two-way loyalty, give me examples. Don't quote the radicals who supposedly influenced her beliefs, show me examples of her demonstrating those beliefs.

In short, while there is some interesting information in this book, it misses the mark. It could have been an exhaustive record of the senator's changing of beliefs, opportunism, and political deceit. Intead, we get an annoyingly repetetive and shrill attack without a great deal of substance. For anyone but those who simply want to nod and agree without learning anything new, this book is a wash.
Dark Moon Defender (A Novel of the Twelve Houses)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Disappointing romance
  • Shinn's New Series
  • Best of the Saga of the Twelve Houses so far
  • Excellent!
  • Emotionally strong fantasy adventure
Dark Moon Defender (A Novel of the Twelve Houses)
Sharon Shinn
Manufacturer: Ace Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0441014305

Book Description

In this story of hidden magic and forbidden love, the King's Rider Justin befriends Ellynor, a young novice at a convent-only to discover that she is a mystic being manipulated by the fanatical Daughters of the Pale Moon into hunting down and killing other mystics.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Disappointing romance.......2007-06-08

I was reluctant to pick up this installment after reading reviews that little of the main storyline significantly progressed, and especially knowing that the six main characters would be separated. Fortunately, Shinn provided enough tidbits on the doings of our favorite characters, notably concerning Senneth and Tayse that my curiosity on their lives was satisfied. However, as much I've always harbored a soft spot for Justin, I just couldn't care too much about his romance with Ellynor. I cannot even say I disliked her character; in fact reading her portions I found her a sympathetic, lively personality. I didn't even think she was overly feminine. I simply found their relationship completely uninteresting and boring. Maybe it was overly predictable and their "suspicions" of one another's secrets didn't seem all that long lasting to me. Their romance was not only unlikely but it didn't convince me the way the previous novels had. As I said, I was pretty disappointed since Justin was my favorite barring Cammon. I just hope that Cammon's turn at forbidden romance brings something fresh. But I would keep reading just to see how the war turns out.

5 out of 5 stars Shinn's New Series.......2007-05-13

All three books are good, altho' I liked the first and the third more than the second. The third books lets us see the growth of one of the characters and the expansion of his relationship with his world and the people he meets. I really liked it and am anxiously awaiting the next volume of this extended adventure of the small group of comrades.

5 out of 5 stars Best of the Saga of the Twelve Houses so far.......2007-05-03

Dark Moon Defender is the third book in the Saga of the Twelve Houses. The second book in the Saga, The Thirteenth House, was such a disappointment to me that I've been anxious for the next installment to redeem the series. After months of waiting for the local library system to get the third book, it finally arrived. Like a chug of hearty soup after taking a swig of milk gone bad, the bad taste left by the last book was washed away and replaced with something truly satisfying. In short, I liked it.

Justin has been sent to spy on the Lumanen Convent, the stronghold of a group of religious fanatics bent on overthrowing the government of Gillengaria and eradicating all those endowed with magical abilities, the mystics. While performing his clandestine duties he falls in love with Ellynor, a convent novice who could only love him in return if she abandoned religious and family bonds. The situation is further complicated when Ellynor is exposed as a mystic and must fight for her life.

Once again, Ms. Shinn successfully weaves deeper themes into the story without allowing them to dominate the story. This episode emphasizes the true self, the essence of who we are regardless of our setting or our position in life. Neither Justin nor Ellynor are living as their heart would lead them - Justin is cloaked in his clandestine role, while Ellynor's path in life has been chosen for her. In spite of the apparent incompatibility of their stations, and even though they both know the other is keeping secrets, they come to trust each other. Each senses who the other is at the core. Their confidence in each other's true character is what allows their relationship to blossom and eventually grow into complete devotion.

It's interesting to me that I liked this book so much. It has so many of the same characteristics I didn't appreciate in the previous book. Like episode two, the main story line is an undercover romance between two people that would be wise to avoid a relationship. Not only that, but the one thing that saved the second book is nearly absent in this one, namely the advancement of the overall saga (well, that's not quite true - there are some potentially significant alliances forged between various groups, but you can only guess at the future importance of those alliances). With so much in common with the previous book you might expect a similar reading experience, yet in this case I really liked the result.

Can't wait for book four...

5 out of 5 stars Excellent!.......2007-03-16

The book was in excellent condition and it got here quickly. It was also cheaper than I could find in stores, even with shipping!

4 out of 5 stars Emotionally strong fantasy adventure.......2007-01-22

Fanatic followers of the moon goddess are actively hunting down and murdering mystics, and the King and his Riders can do little to stop them. The people have no particular use for mystics and the priestess of the moon goddess has been preaching against them convincingly. King's rider Justin is sent to investigate the monastery where the Daughters of the Pale Mother are headquartered. Still, actually getting information about the cult will be difficult.

Ellynor dreams of finding a middle way between the constraining rules of her culture and independence. When her cousin falls for an inappropriate man, Ellynor joins her in becoming novices with the Daughters of the Pale Mother. But while Ellynor has plenty of respect for all goddesses, her primary faith centers on another goddess, the Black Mother, Goddess of Night. When she is accosted by a drunk nobleman, Justin rescues her--and the two begin a relationship that is forbidden both by the rules of the Daughters and even more by the rules of Ellynor's culture and family. Since Justin is not from her people, her relatives are bound to rescue her, whether she wants it or not. And they won't stop until either they, or Justin, are dead. For Ellynor, who loves her family, neither is acceptable.

Author Sharon Shinn creates a compelling fantasy world. Aside from his loyal Riders, the King is weak and has no male heir. The nobles are restless and looking for an excuse to rebel--and the King's support for the hated mystics gives them just that. Conflict with Ellynor's clan just might be the final blow to the hopes of the mystics and of the King.

Shinn does a nice job describing the magic. Ellynor's powers, in particular, and the mythology of the Black Mother, are compelling and emotionally strong, as is Ellynor's impossible dilemma of falling for the wrong man.

I would have liked DARK MOON DEFENDER to have taken a bit higher-level look at the political situation and the ramifications of Justin's and Ellynor's decisions. Making the King's opponents a bit more three-dimensional and sympathetic would have helped, I think, make the story even stronger. From a romance perspective, I thought that the resolution to Ellynor's dilemma was telegraphed too obviously, and delivered with almost anti-climactic ease. That said, however, DARM MOON DEFENDER is a hard book to put down, delivers both exciting action and a high emotional charge, and is set in a wonderfully strong world. Shinn's writing sucked me into the story and made me care about the characters.

DARK MOON DEFENDER is a fantasy story, but it will appeal very strongly to romance readers as well as the romance plays at the very center of this novel.
Dinosaurs Before Dark  (Magic Tree House #1)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • So-So at Best
  • Great Chapter Read Aloud...
  • Dinosaurs before Dark
  • Dinosaur Days With Jack and Annie
  • the first dinosaurs understanding
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1)
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679824111
Release Date: 1992-07-28

Book Description

Illus. in black-and-white. "With an entertaining blend of fact, farce, and fantasy, Osborne tells the story of Jack and his sister, Annie, who take a trip in a magic tree house and land in a time 65 million years ago. They find dinosaurs and volcanoes and adventure. Veteran storyteller Osborne builds the power of reading into the story: it's the books in the tree house that give the kids the magic to travel and see far, far away."--Booklist.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars So-So at Best.......2007-08-09

My son is a very advanced reader for his age (a 7 yo consistently reading at a 4-5 grade level) and I was looking for a series of books to challenge him and get him interested in reading chapter books. My son prefers non-fiction over fiction, so I thought this would be a good series since it weaves factual learning into the fictional storyline. However, I must say that I am extremely disappointed. This book did not hold my son's attention at all, and it was extremely boring to read out loud together. Most disappointing to me was the horrible writing style. The book is full of short, even fragmented sentences. I feel this sets a terrible example for children just learning to read and write. An example from page 19:

"Jack stepped forward. He put out his arm. Very cautiously. He brushed his hand down the creature's neck."

Another example from page 22:

"The creature fixed his eyes on Annie. His long jaws were opening and closing. Like a giant pair of scissors."

I mean, come on. Why couldn't the author just combine the last 2 sentences into one grammatically correct sentence?

I do agree with other reviews that this series may attract those children who are reluctant to read. If you are looking for books with substance that will be cherished for years to come, this may not be the best choice.

5 out of 5 stars Great Chapter Read Aloud..........2007-07-02

My children 5 and 3 love this series. They are so excited to hear what happens next in Jack and Annie's adventure. The book is simple enough for young listeners to follow along. However, be prepared to add your OWN drama with voice intonations and expression. We truly enjoyed Dinosaurs Before Dark so much that we have bought the next 2 books in the series. Also, check out the research companions for each book. This has brought non-fiction excitement into our read alouds as well.

5 out of 5 stars Dinosaurs before Dark.......2007-05-26

I gave the book 5 stars.I liked the book very much. I liked the characters and adventure.Second graders would like this book.Girls and boys and people who like dinouars.Before Jack and Annie can find out,the mysterious treehouse takes them back to figure out how to get home.

5 out of 5 stars Dinosaur Days With Jack and Annie.......2007-04-20

Dinosaurs Before Dark was written by Mary Pope Osborne. The text copyright date is 1992. The book is found in most book stores.
Jack and Annie found a magic tree house. They climbed in and it took them back to the time of the dinosaur. In the land of the dinosaurs they find friend, foe, and gold! Something gets in the way of Jack going home. To find out Jack's problem read the book!

5 out of 5 stars the first dinosaurs understanding .......2007-04-06

In this book Dinosaurs Before Dark Jack and Annie go to the time of the dinosaurs and Jack finds the gold madalen! one of the four things he has to find to set morgan the librarion free from the spell that she is under!When they go to dinosaur land they see a huge t-rex and when he gose to open his mouth there was FEET hanging out of the his mouth and Jack and Annie were scared to death almost so they want to get out of the dinosaurs time before they got eaten! the t-rex was blocking the way to the tree house so that they could not leave!
In a Dark House (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Revenge that backfires
  • an entertaining but forgettable mystery novel..
  • good, better, best!
  • Hard to imagine it could be any better
  • Excellent mystery...
In a Dark House (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels)
Deborah Crombie
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060525266
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Book Description

An abandoned Southwark warehouse burns next door to a women's shelter for victims of spousal abuse. Within it lies the charred corpse of a female body burned beyond all recognition. At the same time, workers at Guy's Hospital anxiously discuss the disappearance of a hospital administrator -- a beautiful, emotionally fragile young woman who's vanished without a trace.

And in an old, dark, rambling London house, nine-year-old
Harriet's awful fears won't be silenced -- as she worries about her
feuding parents, her schoolwork . . . and the strange woman who
is her only companion in this scary, unfamiliar place.

Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid -- lovers and former partners -- have their own pressing concerns. But they must put aside private matters to investigate these disturbing cases. Yet neither Gemma nor Duncan realize how closely the cases are connected -- or how important their resolutions will be for an abducted young child who is frightened, alone . . . and in serious peril.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Revenge that backfires.......2007-07-17

We came into this series from the back end. Then purchase preceding works to catch up on the story line as the characters were compelling enough to warrant further reading. Deborah Crombie's Inspector's Kincard and James is such a pair. Their personal lives intermingle with their cases. As readers, we root for each installment. Her stories are keepers as we weed our shelves to make room for new favorites.
With "In a Dark House," Ms. Crombie apply demonstrates her ability to rank with Martha Grimes in creating the stark and brutal side of human relations. Knowing how the personal issues evolve, we concentrated on the deftly plotted case and the steps taken to reconstruct the crime from almost non-existent clues in this great police procedural.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

4 out of 5 stars an entertaining but forgettable mystery novel.........2007-05-29

'In a Dark House' is my first foray into the world of Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James and, mostly likely, it will be my last ... which is strange because the book has all the hallmarks of a good detective/mystery series. The author has obviously done her research on the story's setting (Southwark section of London) and criminal investigation procedures. And the story, an interwoven affair involving arson and murder, has surprising yet plausible plot twists. But why is "In a Dark House" so forgettable?

Well it strikes me that the characterizations, especially of our investigative duo of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, are just a bit too manufactured. It felt something out of EastEnders (a UK soap opera) rather than anything realistic. I also felt the author, who is obviously a talented writer, played too safe in her narrative. I wanted high drama, conflict, and the tangible feeling of suspense ... and I didn't find any of it.


Bottom line: a competent mystery perfect for the beach but certainly the sort of book you won't want to keep on your bookshelf afterwards.

5 out of 5 stars good, better, best!.......2006-09-11

Deborah Crombie's James & Kincaid series just gets better and better. Here the setting is Southwark, not a usual venue for London-loving writers. As always, Crombie provides a physical map with her text, although her descriptions of place are so excellent that it's ironically unnecessary. The aged warehouses oozing toward oblivion in the Thames, the aggressive marks of gentrification (for an even better take on this hot topic, see _Kissed a Sad Goodbye_) mingle with the tang of traditional cheeses from the open market by the cathedral and the wacky/wonky lives of the fringe business people who flourish in spaces between the run-down and the rave restaurant review.

Crombie's characters are equally vivid, not only the series stars, but also the agoraphobic in her doll's house and the oddly honest self-made politician. The characters are given dead-on details that call them to mind for the reader, even after an absence of many chapters. Yet Crombie never falls into the grey-page plague of prose. She uses her omniscient narrator's voice and swaths of unforced dialogue to convey both news and nuance. Her skill at plotting really shines here, as she moves among three sets of self-absorbed characters and the police, never once making the reader feel that "now for something completely different" sense of dislocation.

This is a mystery worthy of a re-read - first class!

5 out of 5 stars Hard to imagine it could be any better.......2006-09-06

Deborah Crombie continues to deliver a series worth reading and rereading...this entry is no exception. Balancing jurisdictional disputes, personal life distractions, and a strong sense of historical detail, In a Dark House is another superb example of Crombie's sensitive portrayal of character, place and pitch-perfect plot. If you haven't read her work yet, get them all and be prepared to enter a world you won't want to leave.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent mystery..........2006-08-14

I thought that the two books previous to this in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series were slight disappointments. Kincaid seemed relegated to a side character with Gemma taking the lead. IN A DARK HOUSE is an excellent mystery that brings the two back to equal ground and re-establishes them as one of the best partnerships in mystery fiction.
Full Dark House (Bryant & May Mysteries)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Clever on the surface, yes, but deep as a well....
  • Slow, pedantic and pseudo-everything
  • Good characters
  • 3 and 1/2 stars for the engaging (sort of) time shifting
  • Full Dark House
Full Dark House (Bryant & May Mysteries)
Christopher Fowler
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553587145
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

Edgy, suspenseful, and darkly comic, here is the first novel in a riveting new mystery series starring two cranky but brilliant old detectives whose lifelong friendship was forged solving crimes for the London Police Department's Peculiar Crimes Unit. In Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler tells the story of both their first and last case—and how along the way the unlikely pair of crime fighters changed the face of detection.

A present-day bombing rips through London and claims the life of eighty-year-old detective Arthur Bryant. For his partner John May, it means the end of a partnership that lasted over half-a-century and an eerie echo back to the Blitz of World War II when they first met. Desperately searching for clues to the killer's identity, May finds his old friend's notes of their very first case and becomes convinced that the past has returned...with a killing vengeance.

It begins when a dancer in a risque new production of Orpheus in Hell is found without her feet. Suddenly, the young detectives are plunged in a bizarre gothic mystery that will push them to their limits—and beyond. For in a city shaken by war, a faceless killer is stalking London's theaters, creating his own kind of sinister drama. And it will take Arthur Bryant's unorthodox techniques and John May's dogged police work to catch a criminal whose ability to escape detection seems almost supernatural--a murderer who even decades later seems to have claimed the life of one of them...and is ready to claim the other.

Filled with startling twists, unforgettable characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing, Full Dark House is a witty, heartbreaking, and all-too-human thriller about the hunt for an inhuman killer.


From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Edgy, suspenseful, and darkly comic, here is the first novel in a riveting new mystery series starring two cranky but brilliant old detectives whose lifelong friendship was forged solving crimes for the London Police Department's Peculiar Crimes Unit. In Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler tells the story of both their first and last case—and how along the way the unlikely pair of crime fighters changed the face of detection.

A present-day bombing rips through London and claims the life of eighty-year-old detective Arthur Bryant. For his partner John May, it means the end of a partnership that lasted over half-a-century and an eerie echo back to the Blitz of World War II when they first met. Desperately searching for clues to the killer's identity, May finds his old friend's notes of their very first case and becomes convinced that the past has returned...with a killing vengeance.

It begins when a dancer in a risque new production of Orpheus in Hell is found without her feet. Suddenly, the young detectives are plunged in a bizarre gothic mystery that will push them to their limits—and beyond. For in a city shaken by war, a faceless killer is stalking London's theaters, creating his own kind of sinister drama. And it will take Arthur Bryant's unorthodox techniques and John May's dogged police work to catch a criminal whose ability to escape detection seems almost supernatural—a murderer who even decades later seems to have claimed the life of one of them...and is ready to claim the other.

Filled with startling twists, unforgettable characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing, Full Dark House is a witty, heartbreaking, and all-too-human thriller about the hunt for an inhuman killer.


"Atmospheric, hugely beguiling and as filled with tricks and sleights of hand as a magician's sleeve...it is English gothic at its eccentric best; a combination of Ealing comedy and grand opera: witty, charismatic, occasionally touching and with a genuine power to thrill."
    JOANNE HARRIS, AUTHOR OF CHOCOLAT

"A first class thriller, but don't expect any sleep."
   SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"The writing is as ever fluid and pacey, the characterization deft and the plot fresh and ingenious."
   INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY


Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Clever on the surface, yes, but deep as a well...........2007-02-17

This is a detective story of sorts, but don't read this book expecting the usual type of mystery story. Of course there are crimes to be solved, and an investigation to be carried out, with lots of plot twists and all the usual trappings of detective fiction. There is an ensemble of odd characters, eccentric heroes and twisted villains. There is also a very atmospheric evocation of life during the air raids on London during World War II. I thought that all of this was very well-done and interesting. But what really hooked me into this book was the obvious love the author (and his characters) have for the deep history and diverse people of London. Every bit of the book is alive with strange and fascinating London lore, and fortunately for the readers of this series, that is an inexaustable well of material that even the finest fiction can't match.

This book is not for everyone, but if you like quirky fiction that operates according to its own laws, and takes you to places you might never find on your own,you may enjoy this book (and series) as much as I did.

1 out of 5 stars Slow, pedantic and pseudo-everything.......2007-02-13

If you don't mind "new age" pseudo-religious, pseudo-scientific and pseudo-historical fad "intellectualism" and you don't mind skipping pages and pages of slow moving empty dialogue, knock yourself out. If you prefer fast-paced "London" based mysteries try Will Thomas' new books instead.

4 out of 5 stars Good characters.......2006-10-11

The plot is a trifle filled with chapters that end in 'come on there isn't a moment to lose' sort of artificial suspense, but the enjoyable partnership of the somewhat otherworldly Bryant and the down to Earth May, a much more plausible Holmes and Watson, with more wit as well more than makes up for it.

3 out of 5 stars 3 and 1/2 stars for the engaging (sort of) time shifting.......2006-09-19

Setting his mystery in blitz-ravaged London and evoking its atmosphere of night bombing raids and their aftermath in the city streets, along with a risque operatic production trying to make its opening night, Fowler concocted a tanatlizing background for a mystery. He stirs into this already promising mix a stretch of 60 years, a span that presents a boyish pair of detectives during wartime London, and later at the end of their careers (octogenarian detectives?!?! there's a novel twist) in the multicultural London of the 21st century. Back and forth we go between then and now, and not always with the greatest clarity.

The plot involves a "peculiar crimes unit" headed up by the disheveled and eccentric Bryant. He's a well-drawn character and the dialogue between him and May, as well as the out-of-sorts authoritarian Biddle, is enjoyable. But in the end, the various plot elements that are meant to sustain the "peculiar crimes unit" don't really add up. Fowler didn't seem to have the nerve to have the seances and clairvoyants (beloved of Bryant) actually lead us into the realm of the uncanny - throwing the reader (not to mention May and Biddle) into uneasy terrain. He pulls back. May's encounter with a clairvoyant's summoning up of a "deceased personage" could've been a presence or a poltergeist, but - naw - it's just a kitchen accident caused by a nearby train. Even the accident's meaning lacks motivation from the summoned spirit.

A lot of late 20th century British humor, especially in film, seems to hope that if your mise-en-scene accumulates enough eccentric caricatures in the narrative, and go through a routine in a ripe, slightly surreal atmosphere (Fowler's decaying London theatre), you've done your job. Well not quite, old chap.

The Bryant & May series has continued, I see, and I hope that Fowler will take a clue from a British detective fiction writer like P.D. James. She is the same age as the characters Bryant and May, and is a master at convincingly weaving (not just stirring in along the way) character, dialogue, motivation, locale on the way to a compelling denouement/conclusion. Blend that approach with the spot on humor found in the American Anglophile mysteries of Martha Grimes and Fowler's promising ideas and authorial voice will find its mark.

5 out of 5 stars Full Dark House.......2006-08-26

Wow! This was fun! The combination of the theater, Greek myth and the Blitz all at once makes for a cracking, good read. The several main characters are appealing - you root for their success against the forces of darkness...
House of Dark Delights
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Erotica at its finest!
  • One of the few times I'll ever give a book 5 stars!!!!
  • Gets off to a good start
  • FINALLY!
  • erotica at its best!
House of Dark Delights
Louisa Burton
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0553384120
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Book Description

In this extraordinary debut, Louisa Burton extends an irresistible invitation to an erotic adventure that is quite literally out of this world. You’re hereby invited to spend a night you’ll never forget in the . . . House of Dark Delights

Nestled deep in the French countryside, hidden from prying eyes, stands an infamous castle that for centuries has lured guests with its whispered promise to make any erotic dream come true. Inside its walls you’ll discover a world of sensuality, magic, and mystery, courtesy of the château’s residents—beautiful and reclusive immortals who strive to fulfill their guests’ most secret desires even as they pursue their own insatiable gratification. You’ll meet a tall, seductive elf who can morph from male to female, a bewitching goddess from ancient Babylonia, a playfully lusty satyr, a djinni obligated to satisfy the unspoken appetites of any human he touches, and a vampire as sexually rapacious as he is bloodthirsty.

Within these pages are related the House’s most scintillating encounters, past and present. A pair of modern lovers find themselves captivated—and transformed—by the carnal demands of their hosts. An adventuress visiting with the notorious Hellfire Club stumbles from a black mass into a dungeon fitted out for restraint and discipline, where a brooding stranger turns her darkest longings into reality. A virginal female scientist is awakened by an invisible lover to the pleasures of the flesh. A young couple, forbidden to wed by an ancient taboo, finds hope in a sensual threesome. A journey into the realm of sexual love and erotic passion, House of Dark Delights is sure to leave you feeling enthralled, seduced . . . and utterly ravished.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Erotica at its finest!.......2007-10-07

Wow--I will be watching for more from this author! This is erotica as it should be: hot and steamy and with an interesting premise that contributes to the storyline--recurring characters set in different time periods.

This is not a romance and has no happily ever after if that is what you are looking for. It is instead a very intelligent and well written work and I can't wait for the sequels.

5 out of 5 stars One of the few times I'll ever give a book 5 stars!!!!.......2007-03-09

This was one of the best books I've read in quite a while. Actually, it's the best book I've read . . . ever!

This is a book of intense eroticism but there is so much more to it than that. There is a very well-written storyline with well-developed characters set before an historical backdrop.

This book was about having your deepest fantasies come to life, but, thankfully, not just in the sexual context. There was an academic wish-come-true as well as an emotional dream fulfilled. Among others.

This book had it all and I am very impatiently awaiting the sequel, due out this fall. What an incredible debut from a truly gifted author! I will shout her praises from the rooftops. Brava, Ms Burton!!

3 out of 5 stars Gets off to a good start.......2007-03-02

Burton creates an enticing bit of erotica, juicy and hot, and with an enjoyable edge of the supernatural. This book includes three stories, all set in the same remote villa, a discreet place where selected wealthy guests come to be indiscreet. The best of this story comes from its characters. There's Darius, the djinn whose nature forces him to accede to the desires the human to whom he is bound - whether or not that human consciously acknowledges those desires. There's Lili, too, with her otherworldly capacity for carnality. Elic/Elle also joins the band, with magical transformations between male and female, sort of a time-shared hermaphrodite. The first and longest story in this book gives generally enjoyable descriptions of these players and their dalliances among humankind. The characters give every indication of longevity (in the story-telling sense, not just in their calendar ages). I can imagine many exciting sequels based around these characters, and around the others of their varied kind.

The book's second story runs to only a third the length of the first. Although it has its steamy moments, this first-time author seemed unable to sustain the energy of the collection's first offering. Continuing the downhill trend, I found the third story utterly forgettable.

What's good here is very good, despite some S&M that I found excessive. It just isn't very consistent, though. Burton has found her voice (or started to), but hasn't shown that she can sustain it. If she does, she'll be a significant contributor to mainstream erotica.

//wiredweird

5 out of 5 stars FINALLY!.......2007-02-06

This is the erotica I've been waiting for my entire adult life: a fabulously exciting backdrop populated by the most outrageously sexy and original characters you could possibly imagine, doing, well, everything you could imagine and a whole lot more. How that library reviewer could have called HOUSE OF DARK DELIGHTS "mildly stimulating" is beyond me. All I have to say to her is, sweetheart, if you know of anything sexier than this, don't hold back! I myself can't imagine a hotter read, and believe me, I know my erotica. Louisa Burton knows precisely which buttons to push, and she pushes them with the skill of a master. My favorite character is Elic, the shapeshifting incubus. I'd kill for an hour alone with that bad boy. HOUSE OF DARK DELIGHTS is smarter and better written than Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy, with a delicious dose of wit. And it's the first of a series! I've already cleared the shelf space.

5 out of 5 stars erotica at its best!.......2007-02-03

i truly enjoy erotica, but most of it (1) is not well written, (2) does not have a real plot, and (3) is not terribly exciting. louisa burton's debut novel is none of those. it is obvious that the author did a lot of research so the book feels historically accurate. this is literary erotica and i think it's hot. when you read it - and you must - don't hide this book behind a plain brown cover. display it proudly! give it to all your friends! i can't wait until the next book in the series...
FT-DARK GODS #5 (The Secret of the Unicorn Queen, Book 5)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • I'm going to get these books back in print! Can you help?
  • Fabulous!
  • If you know where to get this book...
  • Wonderful For All Ages!
  • Great Series
FT-DARK GODS #5 (The Secret of the Unicorn Queen, Book 5)
Random House
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0449903591
Release Date: 1989-04-22

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I'm going to get these books back in print! Can you help?.......2002-03-07

I'm launching a letter campaign to get these books back. It is ridiculous what people are spending for a book that should be available to young girls and old alike. Libraries can't keep these books in stock! If you want to help me this is what I'm doing: I will mail a letter a day to the Ballantine/Fawcet press asking that they publish The Secret of the Unicorn Queen Series. I will say that there is a genuine need for these books and that they will sell. In order to prove the high demand for these books it would be great to have other people send in letters too. Anyone who is interested can e-mail me (it's a hotmail account with my name) or just write and mail a letter. This shouldn't be a herculean labor, these books are marketable and will sell, the publisher can't go wrong. (I love the cover art too-Rowena is brilliant!)

5 out of 5 stars Fabulous!.......2000-06-30

I read these books over and over until I was in middle school. They're great! I was a dummy and donated them to my school library of the time and they're long gone. That was over 10 years ago and I'm still kicking myself.

5 out of 5 stars If you know where to get this book..........1999-04-12

I read "Swept Away" years ago, and when I went to the library to check it out again, it was gone. Disappeared. I cried. If any kind soul reads this and knows where I can get a copy of ANY of the "Unicorn Queen" books, I would be eternally greatfull if you would write to me and tell me where. Thank You!

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful For All Ages!.......1999-03-06

I got the series from a friend and just keep readng them over and over! I love them! I just can't put them down! I woiuld recommend this series to ANY lover of fantasy! And the cover work is beautiful!

5 out of 5 stars Great Series.......1999-02-26

I read this series in third grade and I can still sit down and read it over and over. The six books are one of my treasured series that I will never get rid of, and it fueled many stories of my own!
Black House
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • As good as The Talisman.
  • Fantastic
  • An amazing novel
  • What a SLOOOWWW start!
  • Welcome back to The Territories
Black House
Stephen King , and Peter Straub
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Similar Items:
  1. The Talisman The Talisman
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  4. Desperation Desperation
  5. Insomnia Insomnia

ASIN: 0739300105
Release Date: 2001-09-15

Amazon.com

In the seemingly paradisal Wisconsin town of French Landing, small distortions disturb the beauty: a talking crow, an old man obeying strange internal marching orders, a house that is both there and not quite there. And roaming the town is a terrible fiend nicknamed the Fisherman, who is abducting and murdering small children and eating their flesh. The sheriff desperately wants the help of a retired Los Angeles cop, who once collared another serial killer in a neighboring town.

Of course, this is no ordinary policeman, but Jack Sawyer, hero of Stephen King and Peter Straub's 1984 fantasy The Talisman. At the end of that book, the 13-year-old Jack had completed a grueling journey through an alternate realm called the Territories, found a mysterious talisman, killed a terrible enemy, and saved the life of his mother and her counterpart in the Territories. Now in his 30s, Jack remembers nothing of the Talisman, but he also hasn't entirely forgotten:

When these faces rise or those voices mutter, he has until now told himself the old lie, that once there was a frightened boy who caught his mother's neurotic terror like a cold and made up a story, a grand fantasy with good old Mom-saving Jack Sawyer at its center. None of it was real, and it was forgotten by the time he was sixteen. By then he was calm. Just as he's calm now, running across his north field like a lunatic, leaving that dark track and those clouds of startled moths behind him, but doing it calmly.
Jack is abruptly pulled into the case--and back into the Territories--by the Fisherman himself, who sends Jack a child's shoe, foot still attached. As Jack flips back and forth between French Landing and the Territories, aided by his 20-years-forgotten friend Speedy Parker and a host of other oddballs (including a blind disk jockey, the beautiful mother of one of the missing children, and a motorcycle gang calling itself the "Hegelian Scum"), he tracks both the Fisherman and a much bigger fish: the abbalah, the Crimson King who seeks to destroy the axle of worlds.

While The Talisman was a straightforward myth in 1980s packaging, Black House is richer and more complex, a fantasy wrapped in a horror story inside a mystery, sporting a clever tangle of references to Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, jazz, baseball, and King's own Dark Tower saga. Talisman fans will find the sure-footed Jack has worn well--as has the King/Straub writing style, which is much improved with the passage of two decades. --Barrie Trinkle

Book Description

Read by
15 cassettes/approx. 23 hours

The long-awaited sequel to the #1 bestseller The Talisman, to be published on September 15, 2001, the twentieth anniversary of the day The Talisman begins.

Twenty years ago, a boy named Jack Sawyer traveled to a parallel universe called the Territories to save his mother and her Territories "twinner" from a premature and agonizing death that would have brought cataclysm to the other world. Now Jack is a retired Los Angeles homicide detective living in the nearly nonexistant hamlet of Tamarick, Wisconsin. He has no recollection of his adventures in the Territories and was compelled to leave the police force when an odd, happenstance event threatened to awaken those memories.

When a series of gruesome murders occur in western Wisconsin that are reminiscent of those committed several decades earlier by a real-life madman named Albert Fish, the killer is dubbed "The Fisherman" and Jack's buddy, the local chief of police, begs Jack to help his inexperienced force find him. But is this merely the work of a disturbed individual, or has a mysterious and malign force been unleashed in this quiet town? What causes Jack's inexplicable waking dreams, if that is what they are, of robins' eggs and red feathers? It's almost as if someone is trying to tell him something. As that message becomes increasingly impossible to ignore, Jack is drawn back to the Territories and to his own hidden past, where he must find the soul-strength to enter a terrifying house at the end of a deserted track of forest, there to encounter the obscene and ferocious evils sheltered within it.

Download Description

In the long-awaited sequel to The Talisman, retired homicide detective Jack Sawyer is drawn back to a parallel universe called the Territories, where he must find the soul-strength to enter a terrifying house at the end of a deserted track of forest, there to encounter the obscene and ferocious evils sheltered within it.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars As good as The Talisman........2007-09-03

I finished this book last night and I must say, it was very good. I liked it every bit as good as the first entry, The Talisman. I say again: Stephen King and Peter Straub work together with very good results. I recommend this along with The Talisman to all fans of Stephen King and Peter Straub.

P.S. I suggest you stop at page 639 (this paperback edition has 659 pages) in the book and draw your own conclusions about what happens next. The last 20 pages are really not worth reading.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic .......2007-08-03

I loved it. I read it in 3 days. :) Highly recommended piece of literature.

4 out of 5 stars An amazing novel.......2007-07-03

This was one of the most suspenseful novels I have read in a while. I love the way Stephen King writes characters and develops them. He describes them and then uses their dialogue and thoughts to reveal more about them. I enjoy that the characters in his novels are children as well as adults. Having said that, I thought Tyler Marshall had some deep thoughts for 10 year old. And of course, King is able to create another villain seeped in wickedness.

This novel is the sequel to the Talisman (where we first meet Jack Sawyer). In Black House, Jack Sawyer has forgotten his past, but moves to a location that is close to the Territories where he had his childhood adventure. It is in this Wisconsin town that a serial killer begins killing children and befuddles the local cops. They call on Jack, now a retired ace detective, to help them. However, since this novel is by King, we know the villian is more than a villian. The plot is good, but it is the characters along the way that make the novel so enjoyable. Henry Leyden is a blind man who is the epitome of cool. Dale is a good, but overmatched police officer. I think one of the reasons I like King's novels is that characters grow as the plot grows. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed the Talisman.

3 out of 5 stars What a SLOOOWWW start!.......2007-05-24

I had a very hard time getting past the first 100 pages. I'm not sure that it's up to the level of the Tallisman, but it's still a good read.

5 out of 5 stars Welcome back to The Territories.......2007-04-24

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Twenty years after Jack Sawyer saved his mother and her Territories "twinner" from death he has no memory of the amazing events that unfolded the year he was twelve. But now a rash of cannibalistic murders of children of Farmer's Landing threatens to bring everything back.

Jack recently retired from the LAPD, escaped to Farmer's Landing, believing the idyllic setting would do wonders to help him overcome the strange feeling he experienced on his last case before retiring. When his good friend, the sheriff in town requests Jack's help in finding the murderer known as "the Fisherman, Jack resists at first. But strange events, beginning with the arrival of a "gift" - a child's shoe with the foot still in it - and leading up to the disappearance of Ty Marshall, one of the local children, drag Jack in to the middle of things. Now no matter how hard he tries to deny it, Jack's memories are coming back as he realizes his knowledge of the Territories may be crucial in saving Ty.

With the help of friends, old and new, Jack must find the key that will unlock the doors to his memories and lead him once again in to that other world where things are strangely different yet similar. Now he must confront the Fisherman and the mysterious Abbalah, otherwise known as the Crimson King, on their turf, and face the biggest battle of his life before everything in both worlds, and infinite others, is destroyed forever.

I read The Talisman for the first time several years ago and ever since then have been eager for more adventures in the Territories. I finally got my wish when Black House was released several years ago. But it got put on the back burner for other stories, not the least of which were the remaining books in the Dark Tower series. Ever since the conclusion of that all time favorite collection of mine, I've been dying for a chance to return to that world. I finally decided it was time to revisit the Territories, first by rereading The Talisman then continuing with Black House.

Make no mistake, the references to the Dark Tower saga abound here, most obvious in the form of the Crimson King. We don't get to see Roland here, as this is truly Jack's story but a passing mention of this favorite "hero" of mine and his ka-tet made me smile. Even some of the places Jack visits, avid Roland fans will recognize. King has been known for years to tie numerous books of his to that alternate world but Black House probably has the strongest references. You'll definitely want to read this book for its own hero's quest, but you'll get the added pleasure of seeing all the connections to the Tower as well.

There are many different storylines combining here to make the wonder that is Black House. Even I got confused a time or two with what exactly was happening and I am already familiar with this universe. So newcomers to the land of the Territories may find themselves a little lost time and again. Have no fear though everything is tied up beautifully and when mysteries are revealed and secrets uncovered, everything falls into place perfectly.

Along his journey to find answers and solve a serial murder case, Jack is assisted by all manner of people. There is Ty's beautiful but disturbed mother (and her twinner) who knows what needs to be done, even if she can't do it herself. We meet Henry, Jack's dearest friend, a blind local radio DJ who has so many personalities he pulls out for his work that you can't help but wonder what he will do next. He also offers a unique perspective to the case of the Fisherman and is probably the one person who won't find Jack crazy when his link to the territories is revealed. Then there are the eclectic members of the local biker gang who have their own personal stakes in the tracking of a murderer. Of course you can't forget Ty, who unfortunately is at the center of everything now happening in Farmer's Landing. And what of the talking crow, Gorg, and his evil master?

I was most definitely not disappointed in Black House, though the slow start to the book had me worrying it wouldn't live up to my expectations. After taking a long time of introductions to all the characters by an omniscient narrator, events unfold at a rapid pace, keeping me engrossed through the end. The mood is suitably twisted and eerie, guaranteed to appeal to fans of horror and dark fantasy. Whether a fan of Stephen King, or Peter Straub, or both, you can't help but be sucked in to a world where roads vanish if aren't careful, demons haunt the days and nights in disguise, and one unusual Black House is a doorway to another world.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2007. All rights reserved.

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