Shadowland

I read this book forever ago in middle school. I thought it was just the most amazing thing I had ever read at that time. I re-read it recently. Boy have I grown up! It's a good read, but not as good as I originally thought!

Long before Harry Potter caused the genre to explode, young characters have been lured from their banal lives and into the magical world. Written for adults, this is a dark coming-of-age story like MacCammon's "Boy's Life" or Lansdale's "The Bottoms" ... this one with a wizard and an enchanted estate!

hands down, one of my favorite books ever. hands down favorite!

Peter Straub is the consummate master of mind-fuckery, and nowhere does he exhibit this skill as in this book. There are no coincidences. No detail is insignifcant. Nothing is ever as it seems. And yet, for all that, it's also a brilliant, disturbingly dark fantasy and coming of age story simultaneously. This book is an ode, an allegory to the schism teenagers live in, the dichtomies in all...more

Peter Straub is the consummate master of mind-fuckery, and nowhere does he exhibit this skill as in this book. There are no coincidences. No detail is insignifcant. Nothing is ever as it seems. And yet, for all that, it's also a brilliant, disturbingly dark fantasy and coming of age story simultaneously. This book is an ode, an allegory to the schism teenagers live in, the dichtomies in all of our lives, what is expected of us and what must be. Who we are and who we are in the eyes of others. What defines us versus how we define ourselves.   hide

Dark, twisted and poetically written. I listened to it on audio book, however, and did not devote enough attention to the wonderfully twisted fairytale prose. Must try and track down the book!

bit of a strange book if u ask me.the power of magic doesnt interest ne!i think he spicked them with magic mushrooms|

Read it a bunch of times; usually read it at least once a year. Rereading it now, in fact! A dark fairy tale and coming-of-age tale. This is one to curl up with on a chilly night and read over and over again.

great read...it will change your perception of what is real and what is not.

This is the first Straub book I have read and I was very impressed with his technical skills. He possesses a well developed storytelling ability that reminds me of Stephen King. In fact I had to keep reminding myself that is wasn't a King novel. Still I think the novel falls a way short of its potential and the last quarter of the book fails to deliver what the first three quarters promised, a...more

This is the first Straub book I have read and I was very impressed with his technical skills. He possesses a well developed storytelling ability that reminds me of Stephen King. In fact I had to keep reminding myself that is wasn't a King novel. Still I think the novel falls a way short of its potential and the last quarter of the book fails to deliver what the first three quarters promised, a problem King exhibits too:). Still, it certainly wont be the last Straub book I hunt down.   hide