38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought Provoking, Makes You Reflect....., April 17, 2006
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.
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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The House That Jack Built, April 6, 2006
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.
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51 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Two authors, one exceptional story, February 9, 2006
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
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