The High House (Aspect Fantasy) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ James Stoddard (Author) "The High House, Evenmere, that lifts its gabled roofs among tall hills overlooking a country of ivy and hawthorn and blackberries sweet but small as..." (more)
Key Phrases: man can sail, transverse corridor, other anarchists, Thin Man, Lord Anderson, Room of Horrors (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Once upon a time, the term high fantasy did not refer to interchangeable novels about motley crews of sword-swinging, spell-slinging adventurers on interminable quests to defeat evil wizards. In olden days, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was unique--yet part of an established literary tradition with the works of Lord Dunsany, C.S. Lewis, William Morris, and many others. The modern armies of Tolkien clones have vanquished the diversity of high fantasy, with few exceptions: Little, Big by John Crowley, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, Clouds End by Sean Stewart--and now The High House, an astonishingly imaginative, individual, and assured first novel by James Stoddard. It's no surprise that this is only the second novel chosen in two years for Warner's New Aspect program for extraordinary new novelists.

The High House, Evenmere, is an unusual place. There are monsters in the cellar and a dragon in the attic; many of the rooms are entire worlds, strange, wondrous, often nightmarish; and the High House's existence may ensure the survival of Creation itself. But a powerful enemy has risen against Evenmere, and the Master of the High House has disappeared in an unknown world. Carter Anderson, his long-exiled son, must return to defend the manor and the universe from destruction. But Carter has lost the keys to the doors of other worlds. One of his few allies may be a traitor. And the enemy who assails Evenmere from every world, and even from within dreams, knows the High House better than Carter and may hold all the keys. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly

In this fantastic adventure, Carter Anderson returns to Evenmere, the High House, after years of exile, only to find Ashton, his father and the master of the house, missing and the Society of Anarchists launching a massive assault to take possession of the house and the power it holds in keeping the universe running smoothly. Carter blames himself for the predicament, as it was his own childhood deed that gave the evil society the keys to gain control of the High House. Knowing that it's his responsibility to restore the master of High House, Carter braves a terrifying journey, with the assistance of his half brother Duskin, to find his father. In his first novel, Stoddard tells a thrilling story that features not only a unique and powerful family but a magnificent edifice filled with mysterious doors and passageways that link kingdoms and unite the universe.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Aspect; Warner Books Ed edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446606790
• ISBN-13: 978-0446606790
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #657,703 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My father's house has many rooms, July 14, 2002

By	E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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"The hidden room in man's house where God sits all the year, /The secret window whence the world looks small and very dear" (from "Lepanto" by G.K. Chesterton).

Every good fantasy is allegorical of some view of the universe. "The High House" concerns itself with the battle between the created Universe and Chaos. I use 'created' in the religious sense of the word. This book is filled with robust, old-fashioned Victorian religion--"Onward, Christian Soldiers" and all that--in which God and Newton ordered the heavens and our world.

The Master of High House (also called Evenmere) has been given the task of balancing the forces of chaos against those of the created universe. In High House, which seems to have an infinity of corridors and rooms, certain lamps must always be lit against nightfall, and certain clocks must always be kept wound.

Leviathan lives in the attic, and the dark river of Entropy is kept behind a locked door in the cellar.

There is also a Room of Horrors in the cellar where the Master's little son, Carter is imprisoned by the Forces of Chaos, whose representative is a faceless English Bobby. His father rescues him, but Chaos steals the master keys to the hidden rooms of High House. After the faceless Bobby catches Carter again and throws him down a well, the Master of High House decides to foster Carter out to friends, who live in safe, sane Victorian England.

Fourteen years pass before Carter returns to Evenmere and sees it as an adult:

"For the first time he realized it was a truly beautiful pile of building, all masonry, oak, and deep golden brick, a unique blend of styles--Elizabethan and Jacobean fused with Baroque...Upon the balustrades and turrets stood carved lions, knights, gnomes, and pinecones; iron crows faced outward at the four corners. The Elizabethan entrance, the centerpiece of the manor, was framed by gargantuan gate piers and pavilions, combining Baroque outlines with Jacobean ornamentation...At the main entrance stood the tall, gray marble sculpture of a figure dressed in the robe of a monk, his hood thrown back from his face, his long locks rippling over his shoulders, eyes to the sky, his muscled arms held before him as if he faced a great northern storm, more like a god of thunder, despite the cross hanging from his neck, than a pious pilgrim."

Carter's father, the Master of High House has disappeared down one of the House's hidden corridors to the Land of the Rainbow Sea. In his absence, the Forces of Chaos erupt into the House, and Carter must do battle with them, as he learns the awesome secret of High House and discovers how he might rescue his missing father.

"The High House" is a unique venture into fantasy. I had to keep checking the publication date (1998) to convince myself it was actually written in the twentieth, not the nineteenth century. The House itself is lovingly described in all of its beauty and horror. Unfortunately the characters are not as well delineated--the only two who stood out for me were Enoch, who might have been an Old Testament prophet (he had long talks with God) and is now the clock-winder in High House; and Leviathan, the shadowy, omniscient monster in the attic. The female characters were pretty two-dimensional (another Victorian conceit?). There is the standard wicked step-mother. Anina, the goddess of Order, and a Porcelain Duchess play minor roles, along with a gaggle of faceless maids. The book rises above the standard, male-bonding, fantasy quest only through the grandly imagined eccentricities and unique byways of the House itself.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, November 26, 1999

By	Howard D. Fisher "kahohito" (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm not an avid fantasy fan, but I had a chance to meet Mr. Stoddard and get an autographed copy so I read the book. Wow! I was very impressed! HIGH HOUSE is written with an older style, emphasizing the characters and the description more than the action--although there is still plenty of action!

The bad guy, the Bobby, was an excellent character--even though, yes, he was <gasp!> an anarchist! (Look it up, guys, and you'll find that Webster defines the term just like James Stoddard uses it with his characters--lawlessness and disorder.)

I highly recommend this book, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delight, January 3, 1999

By A Customer

Stoddard's account of the High House Evenmere and young Carter Anderson's maturation into power as its master is a superb and original first novel. This book features a house which is the mechanism that runs the universe, the Biblical character Enoch on the household staff, suitably scary villains, and ethical dilemmas (gasp!) which complement rather than drown the story.

Above all, Stoddard can write. His prose is skillful and never excessive. Mood and atmosphere are wonderfully maintained throughout, and Stoddard's story never flags or disappoints. I read the book in one single late-night page-turning frenzy, and it was worth every yawn the next day.

This is not a tired rehash of worn-out fantasy cliches, although Stoddard has obviously read the classics in the field and pays witty in-joke homage to MacDonald, Peake, Morrison, and others; instead it is a refreshingly unique, deceptively simple, and powerful tale. The book is a delight, and Stoddard is a name to watch for.