This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(April 2017) |
Author | Stephen King, Peter Straub |
---|---|
Cover artist | Mary Steinbacher |
Language | English |
Series | Jack Sawyer Trilogy |
Genre | Horror |
Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | September 15, 2001 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 625 |
ISBN | 978-0-375-50439-6 |
Preceded by | The Talisman |
Followed by | Talisman 3 (working title) |
Black House is a horror (collaborative) novel by American writers Stephen King and Peter Straub. Published in 2001, it is the sequel to The Talisman . This is one of King's numerous novels, such as Hearts in Atlantis and Insomnia , which tie in with the Dark Tower series. Black House was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel. [1]
The novel is set in Straub's homeland of Wisconsin, rather than in King's frequently used backdrop of Maine. The town of "French Landing" is a fictionalized version of Trempealeau, Wisconsin. Many nearby areas are mentioned, such as Onalaska, Sparta, and Madison, or fictionalized, such as La Riviere for La Crosse, Arden for Arcadia, and Centralia, named for nearby Centerville, located at the intersection of Hwy 93 and Hwy 35. A chapter of the book is written around Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven".
In 2023, King has expressed the possibility of finally writing the third installment of The Talisman series despite the passing of Peter Straub, saying: "Before he died, Peter sent me this long letter and said we oughta do the third one, and he gave me a really cool idea and I had some ideas of my own." [2] Later, in January 2025, King confirmed he had started writing the third book, tentatively titled Talisman 3 . [3]
A series of murders has begun to plague the town of French Landing, Wisconsin. The murderer is dubbed "The Fisherman," due to a conscious effort by the killer to emulate the methods of serial killer Albert Fish. Like Fish, French Landing's killer targets children and indulges in cannibalism of the bodies. Two victims have already been discovered as the story opens, with a third awaiting discovery. The nature of the crimes, and the local police's inability to capture the killer, have led people all over the region to become more anxious with each passing day, and certain elements of the local media exacerbate the situation with inflammatory and provocative coverage.
After the events of The Talisman , Jack Sawyer has repressed the memories of his adventures in "The Territories" and his hunt for the Talisman as a twelve-year-old boy, though the residue of these events has served to subtly affect his life even after he has forgotten them. Jack grew up to become a lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department, where his professionalism and uncanny talent have helped him establish a nearly legendary reputation. When a series of murders in Los Angeles are traced to a farm insurance salesman from French Landing, Wisconsin, Jack cooperates with the French Landing police to capture the killer. While in Wisconsin, Jack is irresistibly enraptured by the natural beauty of the Coulee Country, echoing his reaction to The Territories as a child. When he later intrudes upon a homicide investigation in Santa Monica, certain aspects of the crime scene threaten to revive his repressed memories. He subsequently resigns from the LAPD, moving to French Landing to enjoy his early retirement.
When the Fisherman begins to terrorize French Landing, the police all but beg "Hollywood" Jack Sawyer for his assistance and are surprised when he flatly refuses. Memories of the Santa Monica event threaten to overwhelm Jack, and he fears that involving himself in the investigation may affect his sanity. When a fourth child is taken by the Fisherman, events no longer allow Jack to remain aloof. It quickly becomes apparent to him that the Fisherman is much more than a serial killer. In fact, he is an agent of the Crimson King, and his task is to find children with the potential to serve as Breakers. The fourth victim, Tyler Marshall, is one of the most powerful Breakers there has ever been, and he may be all the Crimson King needs to break the remaining beams of the Dark Tower and bring an end to all worlds. As the Fisherman also proves capable of "flipping" into The Territories, Jack Sawyer is the only hope of not just French Landing, but of all existence.
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Peter Francis Straub was an American novelist and poet. He had success with several horror and supernatural fiction novels, among them Julia (1975), Ghost Story (1979) and The Talisman (1984), the latter co-written with Stephen King. He explored the mystery genre with the Blue Rose trilogy, consisting of Koko (1988), Mystery (1990) and The Throat (1993). He fused the supernatural with crime fiction in Lost Boy, Lost Girl (2003) and the related In the Night Room (2004). For the Library of America, he edited the volume H. P. Lovecraft: Tales and the anthology American Fantastic Tales. Straub received such literary honors as the Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, and International Horror Guild Award.
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The Talisman is a 1984 fantasy novel by American writers Stephen King and Peter Straub. The plot is not related to that of Walter Scott's 1825 novel of the same name, although there is one oblique reference to "a Sir Walter Scott novel." The Talisman was nominated for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards in 1985. King and Straub followed up with a sequel, Black House (2001), that picks up with a now-adult Jack as a retired Los Angeles homicide detective trying to solve a series of murders in the small town of French Landing, Wisconsin. A third novel was confirmed to be in the works in January 2025.
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