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nigellicus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
5.0
Tim Underhill's sister-in-law takes her own life, and shortly afterwards his nephew goes missing. Yiug boys are disappearing in the locality and it seems almost certain that Mark has met with very foul play. But in the weeks running up to his mother's death and his disappearance, Mark had developed a strange obsession with a deserted house in his neighbourhood. Tim tries to follow events as they unfolded and understand the Mark's fascination with a truly terrible and evil place.
magicacat's review against another edition
2.0
I think I need to accept that I just don't like Straub's writing style.
This is an oddly disjointed mix of horror and crime and mystery that I honestly plodded through because it mostly failed to hold my interest.
Tim Underhill might be a master storyteller, unfortunately, in my opinion, Peter Straub just... isn't.
Nevertheless, two stars for a decent story - but the presentation needs work.
This is an oddly disjointed mix of horror and crime and mystery that I honestly plodded through because it mostly failed to hold my interest.
Tim Underhill might be a master storyteller, unfortunately, in my opinion, Peter Straub just... isn't.
Nevertheless, two stars for a decent story - but the presentation needs work.
fwog19's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this was a pretty good book, but the ending stunk. Tim Underhill is a very interesting character and it was a nice surprise to see Tom Pasmore pop up again. I would have liked to see a bit more back story on the characters, but given the length of the book, it would have only made it unnecessarily long. Looking forward to reading the next book.
majo_15's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
amryden's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
sweet_tea_and_arsenic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bibliophile24's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite Peter Straub yet! I'm told In the Night Room is a companion novel, so I'm reading it next.
This was such a great haunted house story! I haven't scared easily in a long time, and parts of this book actually gave me the creeps. Loved it!
This was such a great haunted house story! I haven't scared easily in a long time, and parts of this book actually gave me the creeps. Loved it!
tjr's review against another edition
3.0
Peter Straub once again dazzles with this horror novel. Indeed, Straub has returned to the style that made him famous.
Anyway, this is a very complex literary novel, the type that begs for a second reading. Although this might throw some readers off, it is the literary complexity that draws me to Straub. The protagonist, Tim Underhill, we’ve met before. If you’re a fan, then you’ve also encountered Tom Pasmore, and the city of Millhaven; in lost boy lost girl we meet them all again.
The thing I find most intriguing is the point of view from which this novel is narrated: a reader can’t trust it. At some points within the text, the reader is being reading words that Tim Underhill has written. At other times, it is not really known who is narrating. It is also not known whether or not one can really trust what is being narrated.
Anyway, this is a very complex literary novel, the type that begs for a second reading. Although this might throw some readers off, it is the literary complexity that draws me to Straub. The protagonist, Tim Underhill, we’ve met before. If you’re a fan, then you’ve also encountered Tom Pasmore, and the city of Millhaven; in lost boy lost girl we meet them all again.
The thing I find most intriguing is the point of view from which this novel is narrated: a reader can’t trust it. At some points within the text, the reader is being reading words that Tim Underhill has written. At other times, it is not really known who is narrating. It is also not known whether or not one can really trust what is being narrated.