Customer Reviews

Shadowland

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Shadowland, by Peter Straub, is a piece of really excellent high-end horror. The book begins in a private prep school for boys. In this school, Del and Tom, two freshmen boys fascinated by magic, find each other and form a strong friendship. Together, they learn card tricks, try to figure out why the whole school is having nightmares, dodge the crazy headmaster of the school, and do the sort of pal-around that only boys of a certain age can do. Their school year culminates with a big talent show in which Del and Tom plan to perform a magical exhibition. Circumstances in the story keep this from happening and the boys retire for the summer to the estate of Del's uncle, Shadowland.

Del's uncle is a half-crazy, alcoholic, retired magician. He sets about teaching the boys magic. His magic, though, consists of more than tricking the eye with a slight of hand. At Shadowland, nothing is as it seems. An hour can feel like all day. The sun can set at 11am. You can find yourself suddenly half-way across a continent, just to find that you haven't moved from your spot at all. There are others living at Shadowland that are unseen, and whose existence is denied. There are rules that are made in the hopes of being broken. As Del's uncle spends the summer recounting his life, in all it's horror, to the boys Tom realizes that the horror is only starting. As he sees things that can't be real, but are, and he sees the immediate horrors being committed at Shadowland, Tom realizes that he has to leave, and Del must come with him. Unfortunately, for Tom and Del, Uncle Collins has realized something about Tom that even Tom doesn't yet know - and he wants it for himself.

In Shadowland, Peter Straub has written a brilliant piece of fiction. There are plots, subplots, and subplots within those. Nothing in this book is without purpose to the story. Straub's writing, which has a definite British bent, despite the story being set in the United States, is very literary and rich. More complex than Stephen King, Straub is still very readable, especially to those who like a thicker story. No one who enjoys literary horror will be disappointed for having read this book.

I first read this in 1984 at a christian youthcamp 'retreat' with compulsory 'outdoor activities' in subzero weather. It was there that I got hooked on quote marks and phonics. It was there that I began to see that adults could be as clueless as children.

I return to this book at Christmas when the weather looks bleak. As a coming of age novel, it speaks more clearly to me than some classics I could name.

One caution

The first pages confuse. Mr. Straub likes to spin you around before telling you a story. It breaks you out of your world and preps you for his. I'm lucky to find such a great story teller.

Straub burst into fame with his previous book "Ghost Story" but this book has always been my favorite. It has stories within stories, details in one part that take on ominous meanings later in the story, and a weird meshing of magic and Grimm fairy tales. What is real and what is not is a constant question and never fully answered. It does lead to a very stunning though violent ending. It is also a coming of age book but so different from many others of that type. Truly unique which may be why it confused people at first because it fit no clear cut category. With its stunning deatil and visual images, I am amazed no one ever made this book into a movie.

Tom Flanagan and his more affluent friend, Del Nightingale, receive an invitation from Del's uncle, Coleman Collins, to spend the summer with him. Collins is perhaps the greatest stage magician in the world, and both of the boys love magic. Collins promises to teach them both some new tricks. In fact, he promises to pass all his secrets on to the worthier of the two, which couldn't please Del more, since he wants to be the greatest living magician. Of course, one should always be careful what one wishes for...

This is an extraordinary book, something that might come from Walt Disney, if Disney was capable of coming up with anything either adult or horrific. It is best described as a nightmarish fairy-tale, full of magic - but mostly from the dark side.

As is typical of Straub, the story is constructed in convoluted and highly complicated form, all of which builds nicely to the conclusion of the main story at hand. The action begins in an Arizona boys' prep school, moves to an isolated mansion in Vermont, and includes numerous stories of Collins' highly checkered past throughout war-torn Europe, each tale of which increasingly fuels a mounting sense of dread - for Coleman Collins is much more than he seems; much more, and much worse.

I'm amazed no one ever attempted to make a movie of Shadowland, for it is highly cinematic in style. It isn't as good as Straub's preceding masterpiece, Ghost Story, but is still a worthy successor and a great, involving read. The characters are well-realized, the action intriguing, and the atmosphere and actual magic of the piece are striking.

This is a classic book by Straub, one of his best! The structure is great breaking the book up into sensible categories and the voice of the book is outstanding.

The best parts of the book is the stories within the stories. I particularly love the times in the book when the "now" adults are reunited and the times spent at Carson. But the greatest parts are the fables told. Straub really flexes his creative muscle during these parts of the book.

Why 4 stars? Because the book almost fell apart near the end. I think the novel may have been written about 100 pages too long. But the whole time I read this book I was very curious to how it really ends.

Rates in my top five all-time favorite books. This one delivers it all. Caught somewhere between a fever dream and the cool, longing whisper of a childhood memory, this book does what so few can: creates a narrative that is truly unique. As a film director, I have watched and read--"absorbed"--so many stories, that it is impossible not to see lazy "cookie-cutter" storytelling in almost everything. How often have I picked up a book or watched a movie with an interesting premise only to find that it is just like every other book or movie. Not so with Shadowland, which kept me forever off balance--but not enough to lose me. I was lost and riveted at the same time.

With absolute precision, Straub brings to life the adolescent's journey into manhood; how even everyday life can be a wonderous, terrifying mystery. By reframing this subtext within the confines of Shadowland itself--the magician's mansion--Straub creates a level of uncertainty and terror that you will feel lingering with you long after you've closed the book.

I can't imagine that this book will suit everyone's taste; but for anyone who likes their fiction to remain elusive, revealing, suprising, this is a book that will haunt you for years to come.

What a work. I originally read it a decade ago as a kid, I recently picked it up again, and wow, it's even better this time around. Another reviewer noted that it's a shame this book doesn't get more attention among the works of Peter Straub - that reviewer is absolutely dead on. I'd still have to rank it, among Straub's books, a close second - how can you top "Ghost Story?" Well, "Shadowland" comes very, very close to doing just that.

I imagine this is the kind of book that, as a writer, after you finish it, you kind of lean back in your chair, smile, and say, "Ah, I really am that damn good." It has incredible settings. The prep school in Arizona pulls off as interesting dichotomy: it feels, for a large part, like a true-to-life coming of age story, rich in detail and characterization, that you would expect from the era it is set in. But it also has that dark, supernatural twist, and that aura of "something is terribly wrong" that makes it such a delicious read that brings to mind Graham Joyce in his element.

And Shadowland itself! Shadowland, that great estate! Shadowland equals and, dare I say, surpasses in places, masters like Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker in fashioning and sculpting a truly gripping and fantastic world. The sights, sounds, spectacles, and characters of Shadowland are fantastic.

I'm not going to outline the plot in any real depth, it's been done on here already. The book is one of the greatest of the "horror bildungsromans" in existence. It is told in a narrative form that flashes between the past and "present," which I did not find confusing at all. I think it seemed like a natural and rich way to get at the story.

The main characters are Del and the protagonist Tom. Both are marvelously fleshed out. Coleman Collins is a great character, a man who seems to be a gregarious if somewhat somewhat rough-around-the-edges and mysterious magician. Early in the book he comes off sort of as a hard-drinking, "black-sheep-uncle-of-the-family" with some sordid elements. He tells the boys (and the readers) great stories, takes them to wondrous places in their minds, and puts on grand shows and illusions in his elaborate and huge house of tricks. Later however, it appears he may be far more sinister and calculating than expected. The mysterious and lovely Rose is another fascinating character, whose introduction into the story adds a major wrinkle to the plot. Skeleton Ridpath is an effective villain whose later appearance is a surprise once it is understood, and horrifying.

I could go on and on, but the point should be clear by now - this is a great book, a work of art in my opinion. Do not be put off by other reviews that compare it to Harry Potter (Shadowland came first by more than a decade and is more complex, darker, and more intelligent) or reviews that complain about the book because it does not have a straight arrow, linear narrative style. This is a satisfying read that has a lot of treasures to offer up. I would recommend it to anyone.

With the publication of Shadowland in 1981, Peter Straub enhanced his already impressive reputation as a modern master of the horror/dark fantasy genre. Although more subtle than its predecessor, the modern classic Ghost Story, the book's exquisite pacing was more effective in pulling readers into Straub's surreal fantasy world, making them wonder if such a place might not exist after all.

The novel is the story of the friendship between two young men and their encounter with a sorceror supreme. The magician, one Coleman Collins, exposes the two boys to a variety of bizarre and perilous situations, all designed to test, but also prepare them, for the time when one of them will inherit Collins' mantle of king of the magicians. The story moves quickly, as Tom Flanagan and Del Nightengale make the acquaintance of the strange denizens of the magician's mansion, Shadowland. There, they meet the charming Brothers Grimm, as well as Collins' warped servants, who go by the unlikely names of Mr. Peet, Roof, Rock and Seed. They also must deal with the evil "Collector," a mirror that steals souls.

The boys struggle with the malevolent forces which surround them and confront the dark side of their own personalities to prove themselves worthy. But Collins proves to be jealous of his power, causing a challenging summer of wonderment to climax in unspeakable tragedy. Pupil faces teacher in a final, bloody confrontation, winner take all.

The phrases "I couldn't put it down" and "Read this one with the lights on" are overused in describing horror stories, but in this case they are a perfect fit, as Straub succeeds admirably in his professional goal "To take the classic elements of the horror novel as far as they could go." Enter Shadowland, and explore the boundaries of your own imagination.

I completely agree with a previous comment about this novel making a great film. I would love to see some of those fantastic scenes played out on the big screen.

It does jump around a bit, but I think that this is SUPPOSED to confuse us a little to add to the general feeling of "what is real, and what is not----where am I?". I finished the novel in 2 days and was left with the sense of delicious gloom that made me want more---and I confess that thoughts of "The Collector" disturbed my sleep just a little.

An innovatively written tale spreading across the territory of horror and dark fantasy, Shadowland is equally driven by concept and by characters, and is an indispensible addition to the library of any devotee of the fantastic or just excellent novels in general.

The style in which the book is narrated is unique, something I've never encountered elsewhere. It's written by a character - now an author - who played a small role in the events during his youth, and who has, years later, gathered the rest of the story through extensive talks - sort of half-interviews, half-conversations - with another character, Tom Flannagan, who played a more direct role in the events being recounted; a lesser role is played by further talks with other characters who were more or less peripheral to the big events. The fact that the author character is never identified by name lends an additional dose of eerie authenticity to the tale.

It starts out - after a pair of prologues touching on dreams of ancient wizards, and on the world of stage magic where some of the acts may not be 100% illusion - in 1950s Arizona and the start of the school year at a private school, an institution very austere and unforgiving even for the era, where the teaching staff is mostly unpleasant and many of the older students arrogant thugs, and a hard year is set for Flannagan and Del Nightingale, the two main players of this part of the novel. The novel's narrator is present for the events of this section, and plays a fairly signifigant side role, as he, Flannagan, Nightingale, and several other first-year students at the Carson Upper School form friendships and try to make it through the year, which includes not only the familiar, worldly difficulties, not other, more exotic, troubles lurking in the background. One of the interests Tom is introduced to early in the school year is magic, which is Del's passion, and something he practices most of the time he's not in school, achieving a high level of skill at. Uncannily high, in fact...

After many threads have woven together and subplots have beun to meld, we find ourselves ready for the next act, as summer dawns and Del invites Tom to come along with him for his annual trip to his Uncle Cole's estate in New England. Coleman Collins is a rich recluse, at one time a world-famous stage magician, and now mentor to Del during the summer months. It's here that the main thrust of the novel takes place. Tom meets, for the first time, the array of people Del's come to know during his consecutive summers at the estate: Collins's small band of roughish - servants? friends? lackeys? - Tom isn't quite sure; a forlorn and beautiful young girl named Rose; and the mysterious Coleman Collins himself. Many characters aren't necessarily what they seem, and during the school year and, especially, during that fateful summer that follows where Del and Tom co-apprentice under Collins, we encounter wonderous beauty, riveting tension, the telling of fantastic fables within the larger story, and a character who's slowly revealed to be one of the most believably and disturbing evil characters in horror history. The twists and turns are many: some bring unexpected brightness to the tale, some are very dark (one in particular hits like a sledgehammer right to the heart). Some aspects of the book - the true motivations of certain characters; the spiritual/theological meaning behind certain revelations - are wide open to individual interpretation, and that can actually be a good thing: sometimes things are better off not spelled right out, but left for the reader to make up their own mind on (the identity of the 'dream wizard' early on, for example). Some may think the first section of the book - the school year, which is largely a 'lead-up' phase - occupies too much page space, but I like the time the book took in establishing its characters and in letting the more mystical elemets seep in gradually.

You feel like you know the characters deeply in this book, and come to truly care about their fates; the magical elements feel real, and sometimes it seems that the weirder the magic gets, the more genuine it feels. As I said earlier, this is a must for fans of horror or dark fantasy (maybe of fantasy in general), and also recommended for fans outside of those fields. The only caveat for readers not into horror or dark fantasy is that when Shadowland gets dark, it gets DARK. There are some frightening and wrenching moments in here, but in the end all the book's elements blend together for a tale that's haunting in more ways than one.