Black House
Encyclopedia
Black House is a Stoker Award
winning novel by horror writers Stephen King
and Peter Straub
. Published in 2001, this is the sequel to The Talisman.
This is one of King's many mainstream novels, which also include Hearts in Atlantis
and Insomnia
, that tie in with the Dark Tower
series.
Straub is from Wisconsin, which may be why the story is set there rather than King's frequently used backdrop of Maine
. The town of "French Landing" is a fictionalized version of the town of Trempealeau
, Wisconsin. There you will find "Chase Street", "Sumner Street", King Street (instead of "Queen Street") and the famous "Sand Bar." Also, "Centralia" is named after the small town of Centerville, Wisconsin, 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
."
. 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, and he moves 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 break 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 simple pedophile/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 all existence.
Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel
The Bram Stoker Award for Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing for novels.-Winners and nominees:The following are the nominees and winners.* 1987: Misery by Stephen King...
winning novel by horror writers Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
and Peter Straub
Peter Straub
Peter Francis Straub is an American author and poet, most famous for his work in the horror genre. His horror fiction has received numerous literary honors such as the Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, and International Horror Guild Award, placing him among the most-honored horror authors in...
. Published in 2001, this is the sequel to The Talisman.
This is one of King's many mainstream novels, which also include Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King, all connected to one another by recurring characters and taking place in roughly chronological order....
and Insomnia
Insomnia (novel)
Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. Like It and Dreamcatcher, its setting is the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The original hardcover edition was issued with dust jackets in two complementary designs...
, that tie in with the Dark Tower
The Dark Tower (series)
The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
series.
Straub is from Wisconsin, which may be why the story is set there rather than King's frequently used backdrop of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. The town of "French Landing" is a fictionalized version of the town of Trempealeau
Trempealeau, Wisconsin
Trempealeau is a village in Trempealeau County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,529 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Trempealeau.-Geography:Trempealeau is located at ....
, Wisconsin. There you will find "Chase Street", "Sumner Street", King Street (instead of "Queen Street") and the famous "Sand Bar." Also, "Centralia" is named after the small town of Centerville, Wisconsin, located at the intersection of Hwy 93 and Hwy 35.
A chapter of the book is written around Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's poem "The Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
."
Plot summary
A series of murders has begun to plague the town of French Landing, WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. The murderer is dubbed "The Fisherman
Charles Burnside
Charles Burnside, né Carl Bierstone, is a fictional character within the pages of the Stephen King and Peter Straub collaboration Black House, itself a sequel to their first joint effort, The Talisman....
", due to a conscious effort by the killer to emulate the methods
Copycat crimes
A copycat crime is a criminal act that is modelled or inspired by a previous crime that has been reported in the media or described in fiction.-Copycat effect:...
of serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Albert Fish
Albert Fish
Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish was an American serial killer. He was also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac and The Boogey Man. A child rapist and cannibal, he boasted that he "had children in every state," and at one time put the figure at...
. Like Fish, French Landing's killer targets children and indulges in cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
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
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
, 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
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, certain aspects of the crime scene threaten to revive his repressed memories. He subsequently resigns from the LAPD, and he moves 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 break 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 simple pedophile/killer. In fact, he is an agent of the Crimson King
Crimson King
The Crimson King, also commonly known as Los', is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He is the antagonist in the novel Insomnia the main villain due to a plot twist in Black House and one of the main villains in the latter half of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.-Fictional...
, and his task is to find children with the potential to serve as Breakers
Breakers (Stephen King)
Breakers are humans from various parallel worlds in Stephen King's multiverse who have various psychic powers. For example, a breaker named Dinky Earnshaw, from both King's Everything's Eventual and the Dark Tower series, has an ability "from some promise" to kill anything he chooses, although he...
. 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
The Dark Tower (series)
The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
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 all existence.
Terms
- Abbalah: The Crimson KingCrimson KingThe Crimson King, also commonly known as Los', is a fictional character created by Stephen King. He is the antagonist in the novel Insomnia the main villain due to a plot twist in Black House and one of the main villains in the latter half of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.-Fictional...
. - Coppiceman: A word which Jack uses to refer to policemen, most notably himself. The word was taken from Wolf's erroneous pronunciation of policeman in the previous book, The Talisman.
- D'Yamba: A magic word Jack uses that invokes the power of good.
- Opopanax: Jack is almost haunted by the word opopanax at the beginning of the story. Its meaning is given as: "describing a word that cannot be found in the dictionary." It is also the name of the feather in Wolves of the CallaWolves of the CallaWolves of the Calla is the fifth book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. This book continues the story of Roland Deschain, Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, Jake Chambers, and Oy as they make their way toward the Dark Tower...
that is used to summon the Calla folken to a palaver - and also passed to anyone desiring to speak during the palaver. - Twinner: A twinner is a person's counterpart or double in another world. In Jack's mind this conjures up the image of two strings "a finger touch away".