Customer Reviews

The False House

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is an absolute gem. The characters are incredibly delightful and very likable replete with all sorts of odd quirks in their personalities. The setting, The High House (Evenmere) and the multiple brilliant and varied countries within the White Circle, and the False House, a bizarre ordered counterpart to Evenmere,were absolutely fascinating! I was riveted by the details of my(imaginary)surroundings and found this book as full of charm and quaintness as its predecessor, The High House. Yet James Stoddard has outdone himself. While I found the first book vastly original and entertaining, this second one is evidently superior, with a wider cast of lovable main characters(I adore Carter's wife, Sarah)and a plot more driven and un-put-down-able! This is an irresistable book, and that's "a scientific fact, like osmosis and steam engines" to quote my fave character! So read this book for it is well worth it, and buy this book for it is much deserved, and I don't doubt that you will enjoy it quite as much as I did.

James Stoddard is fast becoming one of my all time favorite fantasy writers. He is also an inspiration to new writers such as myself. His first book, the High House, had such rich characters and wonderful imagery that I was disappointed when it ended. It is difficult to believe that this was his first novel.

The False House is every bit as enchanting, but has an even better plot. I hope that Mr. Stoddard will do another book in this setting, and encourage him to set up a website so that he can update his fans about future works.

Stoddard's second novel establishes him as the best contemporary writer of high fantasy (a subgenre that normally fails to attract writers of this caliber). In this sequel, Evenmere is once again threatened by the Anarchists, but Stoddard is able to spend his time fleshing out his characters, and his writing is much more powerful than in his earlier novel; when his bad guys threaten a young kidnap victim, it's hard not to hate them and feel her fear and anger. Sarah Carter is given a much more significant role than in the previous novel, and the rest supporting cast is a delight! This is the best novel I've read this year, and a series I hope will continue.

"The False House" is a little bit disappointing, because it doesn't have much of the amazing creativity and beautiful descriptions that filled Stoddard's earlier work, "The High House". However, it is still a well-written and tightly-plotted book, much better than most of the formulaic nonsense that passes for fantasy literature these days. The author avoids spending large amounts of time explaining events from the original work, and he doesn't have the characters dwell excessively on things that happened earlier.

My biggest complaint about "The False House" is that it has almost exactly the same plot as "The High House". The Society of Anarchists has once again stolen some magic object from Evenmere. In this case, it's the cornerstone from underneath Innman Tor, and they plan to use it to build a new house in the outer darkness, an empty wasteland that lies beyond the borders of the high house. Once again, Carter Anderson must go marching off to bring it back in order to protect Evenmere and all of creation from evil. I would have hoped for a little bit of variation, but the sequence of events proceeds with remarkable predictability.

Other than that, there aren't any really glaring flaws in "The False House". The cast of characters remains strong. Stoddard brings back all the important people from "The High House" and also adds some colorful newcomers, although none of them have a background quite as original as Enoch and Chant. As one other reviewer mentioned, there are a couple of female characters who are positively displayed in this volume, which corrects one minor annoyance from the previous work. There are also a few of Stoddard's amazing visual descriptions of rooms and other locations, although not as many as there were in "The High House". All in all, a solid and entertaining read, though slightly inferior to the original.

Mr. Stoddard returns triumphantly to the vast halls of Evenmere with a mind boggling imagination and attention to detail. I absolutely loved entering his world again! The story picks up a short few months after The High House with young Mr. Carter Anderson fully entrenched in his role as Master of Evenmere. The climax of the novel is masterfully set up, weaving through the lives of our old favorites and some new friends. Please, please Mr. Stoddard: allow us all the Tolkienesque pleasure of another jaunt down the gabled halls of Evenmere!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has been out for a while, and I bought it when it was first published, but it is one of very few books that I can break out every couple of years and read again and find it to be just as enjoyable as the first reading. I have read this book (and the first one) to my early teen children and they enjoyed it a great deal. We eagerly await the third in the series.

I loved this book just as much as the first in the high house series. It is a grand and human stories with a fascinating setting and characters that I have grown to love. If you like fantasy and adventure and the classics, this series is sure to satisfy. I would buy the next installment in this series in a heartbeat!

Excellent book, especially as the sequel to the High House. Can't wait until the third book is published, entitled "The Winking"

I enjoyed the False House immensely. I think the original, the High House, was slightly better, but still loved this one almost as much.

I would say this a must read for fantasy readers. Well worth the time and money investment. My only complaint is that I cannot seem to find it in hardback, like I did the first.

Overall, it felt a bit uneven and lacked some of the charm of the previous book. Then again, The High House is something of a hard act to follow. "The False House" is still a good read and does present some memorable scenes and images. If you liked the first one, do not hesitate to read this one as well.