Customer Reviews

House

5 star:		(147)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(75)

 

 

The "House" reader is handed a seemingly unwinnable game with 4 main characters that almost everyone can identify with. The only problem is this is a very serious game, and for three of the characters to win, one of them must die. Otherwise, they all die. And the clock is ticking.

This is my first Ted Dekker novel, but it won't be the last. Dekker and Frank Peretti have woven a script which is a combination of film noir, and the horror movies of my childhood. It reminds me of Stephen King, with the exception that Dekker takes the high road when it comes to language and sexual situations. While some might say this makes the story less realistic, to me it makes the reader use his brain more. What happens, or doesn't happen between the lines is up to you.

I won't give away the ending, except to say no matter what your station in life, you will do some serious personal reflecting. I have a sneaking suspicion that is what Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti were aiming for all along.

I have been anticipating House for quite a while. I hadn't read any of Peretti's recent books, so while waiting for House to arrive, I read Monster in anticipation. I will have to review that one too. But it reminded me of Peretti's style enough to where I was able to pick out Perettisms and Dekkerisms in House. More on those later.

A lot of people may be surprised when I say that I enjoyed House even more than Showdown. Not that Showdown was bad, because it certainly wasn't, but to me, I related to House a lot better. I read the book in about 8 total hours. I couldn't put it down.

I have also read comments from people that didn't like the character development in House, but I loved it, though I would have liked to know a little more about Randy, the other three characters were developed quite well in my opinion.

As for the twist that one user said didn't exist, there was a twist, but maybe not the kind of twist one would come to expect. I have a feeling that the twist will likely be missed by some, as it requires a slight familiararity with other works by Dekker.

I also loved the explanation for the House and why it was the way it was. That was original.

Now, on originality...I must say, this was the most original book with unoriginal ideas I have ever read. No offence to Mr. Dekker or Mr. Peretti, but this book had elements of "Saw", "The Cube", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and some older Haunted House movies whose names elude me right now, but all dealt with living, breathing houses. However, I loved the way that Dekretti took these old, tired ideas and gave them a new coat of paint. Even the ending was "standard horror fare" but still made me smile because any other kind of ending wouldn't have fit.

All in all, I loved this book. I couldn't put it down.

Kill or be killed.

It was hardly the advice Jack and Stephanie Singleton were looking for to save their marriage. A road trip to a counselling session in Montgomery, Alabama goes drastically wrong and finds them lost in the backwoods. As night sets in, the "Wayside Inn" seems a godsend to the weary couple.

The Singletons' enter the genteel Inn, hoping to find help for their desperate situation. Instead they meet Randy Messarue and Lesley Taylor, who are also road trip causalities.

With no host in sight, the couples follow the instruction note attached to the front door and sign themselves in. As the foursome contemplate the dining table lavishly set for four, the lights flicker and die, leaving the guests in the dark. When the lights mysteriously come back on, the Inn's hosts also appear; Betty, Stewart, and Pete.

It soon becomes apparent that this is no ordinary Inn.

Welcome to White's house.

Barsidious White has three simple rules for his house:
1) God came to my house and I killed him.
2) I will kill anyone who comes to my house as I killed God.
3) Give me one dead body and I might let rule two slide.

Jack, Stephanie, Randy, and Lesley are soon caught up in a cruel game in a house that seems to know their every move.

But this is not your average haunted house story. When you combine the minds of two of the masters in the supernatural thriller genre, you expect something beyond typical. Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker deliver an edge-of-your-seat plot encapsulating a theme that will leave you reflecting on its ramifications for a long time after.

Peretti and Dekker refuse to whitewash the true nature of evil or their villains. In HOUSE, Barsidious White is the embodiment of evil. As far as White is concerned, the guilty must die, and everyone is guilty. In White's house, evil is pitched against evil.

HOUSE sets out to epitomise the human heart. Nothing we do can clean our hearts of the evil that resides within. So if the wages of sin is death, and we have all sinned, then why should we be allowed to live? This is the question Peretti and Dekker tackle in this enthralling novel that touches the very heart of its readers.

As a reader more familiar with Dekker's past work than Peretti's, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed with this collaboration. The writing is smooth, flawless in fact. The seamless continuity of this novel is testament to the two creative minds behind it and their commitment to a quality story.

Dekker fans will not be disappointed. HOUSE is tied into his current Project Showdown series by expanding on one of the characters from SHOWDOWN. Readers concerned about the violence depicted in SHOWDOWN shouldn't have a problem with HOUSE. The violence is still there, it's no less evil, but I found it more toned down.

Peretti and Dekker invite you to enter HOUSE, where losing your life could be the only way to win.

A mini interview with Ted Dekker can be found on my review site:
www.illuminatingfiction.com

I'm not a huge fan of things that go bump in the night. And this book sounded like it was full of more bumps and night than anything I'd ever read. I was afraid of it, but I read it anyway.

And it changed my life.

Right now, a monster more terrifying, more evil, and more devastating than anything I've ever encountered is devouring my marriage. The story of House helped me understand more clearly than any counseling session what needs to be done. And what I've done that does not matter.

I realized, after reading this book, that if I hurl myself at this monster with my fists flailing, attacking it with all MY strength, I have nothing to boast about. If I try to defeat this beastly devastation on my own, with my own wisdom and efforts, I will end up foolish, ineffective, and...dead. The only course of action worth anything is to throw myself to the floor in complete, utter humility, crying "Son of Man, have mercy on me a sinner."

Nothing-- not friends' advice, not my devotional reading, not my fervent prayers-- helped me see this with more clarity than the story of House.

If you take this book for its technical merit alone, then yes, there are some problems. Yes, the middle sagged a bit. Yes, some of the dialogue is repetitive. Yes, the ending left some strings untied. But come on, if flawed humans were able to create perfect things, who would need humility? Or God?

The reality is, Dekker and Peretti's story is a delivery vehicle for a metaphor so powerful, it could only be painted by the hand of God Himself. Rather than dissecting the book's mechanics, I challenge readers of House to see the story as a movie projector, and look for the vivid, vital message it projects.

Bottom line? For this broken-hearted girl who fears monsters and thrillers, Dekker and Peretti have just made a difference. (Again)

I have been waiting for this book for months and it finally came. It was not a letdown at all in fact it was better than I expected it to be. I don't see how people can think that this was a horrible boring book with no character development. It was the total opposite.

First let me give you my history of Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. I read three peretti books and they were all very good. His books are more blatantly christian (not a bad thing), his books are almost always supernatural thrillers. Other than that I could not get into any of his works. They were different and un-exiting. And his recent effort Monster was very disappointing in my opinion. Now Ted Dekker I love. Although I have only read two of his books but they have been really good. One thing I like about him is that if you are not a Christian you can read it like a good thriller, but as a Christian you can get a deeper meaning. Christianity is in undertones. Dekker writes more suspense thrillers like Dean Koontz.

So you can imagine the combination. While I heard because of personality differences they had a hard time writing it, the book turns out to a mix which makes an amazing unique story. The book is in the genre of horror. Weird cops, popped tires, creppy hotel owners including a perverted retarded boy, a demented serial killer, 4 people trapped inside a house, a catacomb basement, and having to kill someone to stay alive.

When everything is revealed everything makes more sense and I believe there were a couple twists. In some scenes you could tell if Peretti of Dekker wrote it. Each scene was either both put together or one of them.

Overall this book was great and very fast paced, while developing the characters. You become very attached to some of them, while others you hope will die. You slowly find out there pasts and sins which make them come alive even more. It is an exiting ride and I advise you to take it.

I still remember the first time I saw House being advertised. I was ecstatic! Now, post printing, I find that I was not dissapointed.

Story Premise:

2 couples are trapped within the Wayside Inn, a quaint little place where they hoped to rest for the night. Instead, they are forced to play the horrendous game of Barsidious White.

Three rules:
1) God came to my house, and I killed him.
2) I will kill anyone who comes to my house, as I killed God.
3) GIve me one dead body, and I might let rule 2 slide.
Game ends at dawn.


As an avid reader of both Peretti and Dekker, I had high expectations of this book. Thes expectations were completely fulfilled. The spiritual insight offered in this story is so profound, I still find myself thinking about it several months after my initial read. I did not find the "gross" factor of the book to be overwhelming either. In fact, I thought that it was quite less then some of Dekker's previous books. Just enough to keep the story going, and never more then necessary.

I would easily go back and re-read it again, because the spiritual significance is so well founded that, to me, it never grows old.

I highly recommend it.

This story is an incredible modern-day parable. Somewhere around the middle it started to seem like it was just dragging on, but then the plot started moving--no, racing--toward an amazing climax. The best part of the book is the very end, where everything starts to make sense and the spiritual dimensions are made clear. The ending is the best part! I spent a week reading this book, and that same week I happened to be studying John 1:5. Little did I know that the story was spun from this verse! For those who are not fainthearted, House could be excellent material for a Bible study group. Check out Westbow's Reader's Guide. I hope that Peretti & Dekker team up again soon!

I had no idea what to expect with this collaberation and I can't say how pleased I am. As a major Stephen King fan I LOVED this book. The twists were perfect and there's a huge reversal near the end that I didn't see coming. A fantastic look at the human heart because it's so daring and for that reason, refreshing. I read this novel in six straight hours.

I suppose if you're not into intense and at times somewhat disturbing fiction, you might find this book a little much, but I thought it hit the nail on the head. Kept me glued to the pages. Highly recommended!

I thought that this book was awesome!!! I didn't give it five stars only because it wansn't an epic or anyting, but I couldn't put it down. I am a busy woman and I read it in two days. It was great. Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker did a fantastic job collaborating on it. It left me hoping for another, perhaps in a series??? The characters were human and the villains were scary. The house itself was alive. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE??? I myself am turned back on to Frank Peretti. I never did read the Oath, loved the Visitation and the This Present Darkness Duo. I'll be catching up on some of Ted Dekker's stuff as well. Happy reading. I sure will be.

I just finished House. I have been a fan of Frank Peretti since his first book and this one didn't disappoint me. I finished at 2pm and have been writing a book review in my book journal ever since. At 6pm I'm still not finished. There was just much more than meets the eye. Two couples are introduced to us and yet we don't know all their secrets until later in the book. That was meant to be. Just as the House seems so beautiful and charming, it holds secrets. It was seemingly built upon a mass grave which symbolizes all the other people who have gone this way before.

Our hearts are deceitful above all things. "Home Is Where The Heart Is". This House is the heart and it constantly changes, with secret rooms, hidden passages, devious turns and secrets. The smell of sulfur, obscuring black smoke, mirrors that refuse to reflect, Dorian Gray portraits... But deep within is a guide. Only the couples can't seem to hear her, her messages get garbled. She can lead them out if they will follow her. At first it takes faith because they can't understand what she is trying to tell them. But the more they follow her the more clear she becomes. Slowly, as if coming out of a dream, they hear more and more of her message. But the forces of evil step up their attacks too.

The character development was perfect as far as I was concerned. The House went from being a gorgeous Inn where Stephanie wanted to bring her suitcase because "I want to stay here" to becoming a twisted, dead, dungeon full of evil. So the characters have on their shallow masks and we discover more and more of their secrets that make them resemble the twisted, dead, dungeon of the House. All of them have sins that they have covered up and denied. And it has turned their hearts into the House!

Will they escape the bondages that they have created for themselves? The murderous Tin Man demands a body but do they have to die? Will the death of someone really save the rest of them? Can the Law help them? Can they survive?

Symbolism is rampant! Please read House and see!