Shadowland

Rating:
Summary: The Key To The Treasure
Review: Peter Straub's Shadowland is one of the pinnacles of the horror/ fantasy genre, a symbolic, unsettling, expertly-written journey into the country of magic, a coming-of-age story that surprises, enlightens, and terrifies -- sometimes all at once. It follows the journey of two boys, Tom Flanagan and Del Nightingale, first in their experiences at school, discovering that magic is far more than the art of illusion...and then their travails at the house of Del's uncle, the legendary (and dangerous) Coleman Collins, aka Herbie Butter. Much of the story is revealed in flashback form, and sometimes in flashbacks within flashbacks, a literary device Straub loves to employ, and uses to great effect here, choosing just the right moment to provide a little illumination, a little atmosphere, or a little terror. As I noted above, the story is about magic (magic here being symbolic of manhood to Straub's young protagonists), about its discovery and its uses...as well as its perversions. Indeed the entire novel is largely a work of symbolism and allegory, echoing the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm (who even make an appearance in the story) and, to a lesser degree, Hans Christian Anderssen. Straub loves to drop such literary allusions all over his novels, and in Shadowland he does it very well indeed, using his mythic backgrounds to echo and inform the story, providing color and shading much as a painter does. Often a fairy tale that has just been related will happen again as part of Tom's experiences, or the opposite will happen; sometimes the fairy tales are part of a tableau, staged by Coleman Collins for Tom and Del's benefit. Sometimes they become literal events, as they do in the case of Rose, about whom I will reveal nothing save to say that the revelation of who (or what) she really is will shock you down to your toes. This is a novel, as I also said, about comings-of-age and awakenings, both sexual and otherwise, with magic used as metaphor for this to a large degree (the sequences where Tom lifts the tree and flies being key examples of what I mean; his exhaustion afterwards is almost a sexual one), though there is a true sexual awakening for Tom in Shadowland that is just as telling in its way, and just as revealing about Rose's character, as all of the allegorical goings-on that I've been going on about (at some length) above. It is a dangerous moment for both of them, and Straub pulls it off beautifully, missing not a beat as he relates what could have been a clumsy passage in other hands. And speaking of danger, the villains in the story, from the enigmatic and menacing Collins to the troll-like Wandering Boys, to the ugly and utterly evil character of Spider (surely one of the best villans in all of fantastic literature) are portrayed to perfection, adding not just menace to the story but outright moments of terror; there are also three encounters with a mysterious character known only as M., whose confrontations with Tom echo certain elements of the New Testament, and which give the reader one of the clearest indications where Straub is going. Of course it's also worth noting that not all of the story is quite so serious and grim; there are moments of fine, if twisted, humor, as there are in all of Straub's novels. In one memorable sequence, during a hallucinatory magical revue put on by Collins in his Herbie Butter incarnation, Del and Tom meet up with Bugs Bunny, Jesus, and the Apostles (who sing a rousing rendition of -- of all things -- "Fish For Supper"!), all within a few pages. I could go on and on -- I haven't even touched on the novel's more hallucinatory aspects, or the wonderful depiction of life at a boys' school in the novel's early stages, surely one of the best, most realistic descriptions of such an experience I've ever read. There is also Collins' amazing tale of his days as a surgeon in World War I, and how he discovered magic under the tutelage of Speckle John, which will amaze and startle you as much as anything in the book. To sum up, Shadowland is essential reading for anyone interested in the horror/fantasy genre. I read it as a teeneager, and as I've grown older it's gained more and more resonance with each successive reading; I have no doubt that it'll do the same for you.

Rating:
Summary: High-end horror
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: High-end horror
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Scariest book I ever read
Review: This got me started on Peter Straub. I read Ghost Story, Koko, Mystery, and If you could see me now all because of Shadowland. I could not put this book down. It is easily the most unsettling book I have ever read and I don't think Straub has reached this level of intensity ever again.

Rating:
Summary: Before Harry Potter there was...
Review: This was a favorite book of mine when it came out (I was in junior high when it came out in paperback the first time). It is creepy, full of magic & menace, and quite well written. (As an adult, I did notice a glaring point of view problem in the first part of the book--see if you can find it). It's the story of two boys who become friends at a private school amidst strange goings on. They spend the summer together in New Hampshire with the uncle of one of the boys who happens to be the world's greatest (sinister) magician. This is one of Straub's best to date and probably one of his two or three least known books. Give it a try!