I finished BH recently. The first try was years back and I had the same problem that the OP has had. But a CR friend told me to keep reading and I'm glad I did. It's a great book.
Trying Real Hard to Read This Book
- Thread starter FireGurl26
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I cherished every word of this book. My, my was Henry fine!
I loved The Talisman and Black House both. Read The Talisman first if you haven't then go back to Black House. Keep at it. It's well worth it.
The fist 90 or so pages are hard to get thru. After that it's a breeze...
I've tried to read this book three times now. I've given up every time about 20 pages in ... it's like my mind is not wired to understand what is going on! The Talisman was a great book, this one might be as well, but I guess I'll never know! I've bought it and sold it three times now, that's all I know.
I'm with the dude complaining about the last three Dark Tower books. 5 was a slog, but 6 and 7 were just as bad. Wizard and Glass was so awesome. Too tough an act to follow for me, I guess.
I'm with the dude complaining about the last three Dark Tower books. 5 was a slog, but 6 and 7 were just as bad. Wizard and Glass was so awesome. Too tough an act to follow for me, I guess.
You have to make it past about page 75 in Black House for it to start taking off, but man, when it does you gotta hold on tight!
The OP could be me! I may try again. Can someone at least tell me if we find out what Richard Sloat has been up to? 
Just finished the Talisman and soon as I put it down picked up Black House I'm only 40 pages in but I'm hooked just like any other SK novel
I started reading this thread in the hopes that everyone's comments would rekindle my memory of this book. Sorry to say, you all failed miserably, lol. All I remember is that it was as dark as it's title suggests.
Since I've recently left a brief but glowing critique of SK's writing in a different thread, I feel obligated to restore balance in my mind by chiming in on the "tough to read" topic. The Tommyknockers was the longest book I've ever slogged through. Much longer than it's considerable number of pages. And, (here's where I get controversial) the whole Dark Tower series after The Drawing of the Three was kind of a chore (with the exception of Wolves of the Calla and parts of Song of Susannah). I felt like King had this enormous, grand idea, but hadn't yet organized it into something worth publishing. Like maybe he couldn't quite follow his own Path of the Beam.
As for Straub and the difference between The Talisman and Black House... I really like Straub's stories, maybe even more than most of SK's...but I find his style hard to lose myself in. My ideal world is one where King writes Straub's story ideas (along with his own, of course). I still can't decide if Ghost Story would have been scarier in SK's voice, or if it needed that almost Gothic feel that Straub could give it (reminiscent of James' The Turn of the Screw). I always imagined that The Talisman was written primarily in King's style, where Black House was allowed to feel more like a Straub story.
One of my top 5 SK books. Keep slogging through the bird's eye view at the beginning and it'll pick up. That old fish guy was one scary guy!
Second time thru and have the same problem with the first 70 or so pages.
Like was said before, It really takes off from there!
I also contributed this to Pete's writing style.
Expanded answercurrently reading this)
I found myself" reading "the first 70 or so pages until I fell into the book.
With most SK books I just fall right in!
(I STILL miss Wolf!)
currently reading this)I found myself" reading "the first 70 or so pages until I fell into the book.
With most SK books I just fall right in!
(I STILL miss Wolf!)
I think DT 5 and DT 2 were the best of the series by far. Wizard and Glass was a slog to me the first time but it did grow on me the next time I read it.
I've read this one twice and right now couldn't tell you what the heck happens in the book. I have a vague memory of liking someone called 'Bear Girl', and something about a character in Joe Hill's NOS4A2 reminding me of someone in Black House. That's it. I'll attempt it again some day, likely, and maybe it will click. I do think that this book is more heavily influenced by Straub, and he's very hit and miss for me. I really only like Ghost Story by him, though a couple of others are okay.
I have big difficulties with Black House. Have read it but unlike most King have forgotten most. I consider it to be the Straub influence. Might be time for a reread.
very much worth reading, but to me the beginning felt smooth and easy, like relaxing in your perfect easy chair with smell of an autumn night all around you.
It was black house that started me on my obsession- it's where I started to get towerbent- DT is the bee's knees.Stick with it! After reading The Talisman I was kinda disappointed a bit when i started Black House. I missed the territories (and Wolf still
Havnt read any of the Dark Tower series yet.. but halfway through Black House I went to Waterstones and bought The Gunslinger
I think that when jack grew up he went through that critical loss of natural spiritual authority with the loss of childhood innocence, and the magical power we all lose there- even if he holds on to much purity and goodness and a little of the touch of the orb of forever( talisman)jack was forced to grow up, accept compromise and the way of the world- and the world has begun to move on, to darken. Our hero is no longer so purely in the right- he's Jonah running from the lord, he's the man who falls in love with a married woman- his character has become more complex
I was always under the impression the original POV for Black House was the crow... It's waaay darker than The Talisman, and I've never gotten through it with dry eyes. The beginning does take a while to heat up, sort of like an old car that's been sitting in the garage half the year. But once you get it warmed up and out on the road, it rides like a dream. Since this comment is waaaaay late, hope you got around to finishing it!! 
It's waaay darker than The Talisman, and I've never gotten through it with dry eyes. The beginning does take a while to heat up, sort of like an old car that's been sitting in the garage half the year. But once you get it warmed up and out on the road, it rides like a dream. Since this comment is waaaaay late, hope you got around to finishing it!!