MR. X [Import] [Hardcover]

PETER STRAUB (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: HARPERCOLLINS; First Edition edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002261421
• ISBN-13: 978-0002261425
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,565,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that makes you think, March 31, 2007

By 

Sir George Martini "Verbalosity" (Fromage, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. X (Mass Market Paperback)

I've always liked Lovecraft stories, but Poe's poetry has always seemed slightly boring to me. Somehow Straub has melded the two and I think Mr. X is a masterpiece. After reading all of the Tim Underhill and Tom Passmore related books, I decided it was time to read Mr. X and I was not disappointed.

I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished it. Ned Dunstan has an odd assortment of relatives that range from a homicidal maniac to deformed cripples with birth defects to kleptomaniacs with enhanced mental powers. It's hard to figure out if the narrator is Ned or his "brother". He may possibly have a split personality. I plan on reading it again to see if I missed a few clues.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it, July 22, 2000

By 

Alexia (Northern NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mr. X (Mass Market Paperback)

I like thrillers. I like mysteries. I like almost anything so long as it is well-written and interesting. I did not like this book.

After reading this novel, I was left with several unanswered questions and a feeling of dissatisfied confusion. Were Ned's family the descendants of former gods and demons, or just your average psychic inbreeders? Did he have a twin brother? Who and what exactly is Mr. X? Should I care?

From reading the other posted reviews, I'm guessing that this is a book you either love or hate. I didn't care for this story, but that doesn't mean I prefer "book candy" and wouldn't know a good book if it bit me in the a**. I prefer a story with a good plot that grabs your attention and won't let go, not a story that is laid out in a confusing manner, jumps back and forth, and then abruptly ends.

My opinion is that Peter Straub needs to stop being so impressed with his talent as a writer and get back to basics. Maybe a new editor to gently coax him back into telling good stories instead of showing off. Just my two cents, but this book is not worth wasting your time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Self-important & pretentious, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mr. X (Hardcover)

It pains me to say anything bad about a Peter Straub book. I have been a fan for nearly 20 years. Koko still rates as one of my all time favorite reads, bar none. Mystery & The Throat were sorely disappointing, but Hellfire Club promised a return to form. A return to the horror genre by my favorite author...well, what more could I ask for? Much, in retrospect. Mr X contains more ponderous, pretentious prose than any Straub novel to date. Descriptions of places, persons, and situations drag on ad nauseum. Even the names of characters are distractingly silly. Do yourself a favor, skip this palid, self- important attempt at a modern addition to Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, and read the original.