SHADOWLAND - Buddy Read

[Char]

by Peter Straub.

Dave and I are hoping to start reading this around the 15th of this month.
Any and all are welcome to join! The more the scarier!

This was one of my favorite reads back in high school. I think this was the first book after I finished Ghost Story. I re-read Ghost Story last year for the first time and was happy to see that it stood the test of time. Now it's time to see if Shadowland will also stand that test.

[Char]

Bumping this up to see if anyone else wants to join us!

[Melanie]

I'm in! Thanks for the heads up Char. I've borrowed an old battered copy from my girl's 15 year old babysitter so should be fun.

[Char]

I have an beat up used copy that I purchased a month or two ago. I don't know what happened to my original?

Anyway, I put a hold on it at the library, I'm the next person in line. If I have to, I'll start with my copy and move to the library's copy when it comes in. I'm not sure if my PB will hold up to an actual reading!

[Jeff]

Read the book some years ago - not sure I ever understood the ending...sooo...someone care to explain it to me? Thanks..


Jeff

[Char]

It'll have to wait until we're done here, because I can't remember much about the story right now. It's been quite a while since high school, for me. ;)

[Char]

Today's the day! I hope to start this tonight after I get home.

[David]

YAYYAYYAYYAYYAYYAYYAY

[Melanie]

I started yesterday. I'm a slow reader though, mainly because the flying monkeys are so needy, so ya'll will catch up to me pretty easily.

[Char]

I'm a bit busy these days with mom, but it's slowed down a bit now, so I have high hopes for getting on with this at a decent rate of speed.

[David]

I’m 20 pages in and realizing that I essentially have no memory of anything about this book, other than the last time I read it (probably 20+ years ago) I really liked it. So far, I like it again!

[Char]

I don't remember anything other than two teen boys and an aged uncle who was a magician.
I was trying to finish my current read last night, but kept falling asleep. I just finished today at lunch and I get to go straight home tonight from work, so I'm hoping to make some headway.

[Char]

I didn't get as far as I hoped but I just passed the King of the Cats story. I'll hopefully have a nice hour of reading at lunch.

[David]

Same here. Yesterday was sort of a stupid day, so I didn’t get a lot of reading done. I did, however, discover that I get to pay $7K for a new air conditioner and that my washing machine is broken. #winning

[Char]

David wrote: "Same here. Yesterday was sort of a stupid day, so I didn’t get a lot of reading done. I did, however, discover that I get to pay $7K for a new air conditioner and that my washing machine is broken...."

Oh no! I hope things go better for you today.

I went through a bunch of emergency home stuff that had to be done last year and it was not fun. The year before that I had to get a washing machine because the fancy-ass Bosch one that we bought from the house's last owner broke down. My washing machine needed a $1500.00 computer.
I laughed and laughed.
Then I bought an American washing machine with dials instead of electronics, for $500.00.

[Jon Recluse]

I'm following along with this. Read it a long time ago, but can't find my copy.

[Char]

I'm around 10% now. Some of these names are ringing bells with me, for sure.
Nightengale
Ridpath
Fitz-Hallen.

[Melanie]

David wrote: "Same here. Yesterday was sort of a stupid day, so I didn’t get a lot of reading done. I did, however, discover that I get to pay $7K for a new air conditioner and that my washing machine is broken...."

Ergh. We just replaced our washing machine and now the new *computerized* one does all the thinking for me - coz, you know, choosing colours or heavy load is too much for my feeble brain!!! And it's wi-fi. Wi-Fi FFS! Who the fuck needs Wi-Fi on a washing machine? Obviously not my technologically challenged brain. I keep telling myself I'm grateful to live in a peaceful country where I use a machine and not the local river to wash my clothes. #firstworldproblems.

Sorry about the rant...

[Melanie]

And I can't remember much at all about this book, I read it about 25 years ago and can't remember any of the school parts at all :(

[David]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Skeleton Ridpath is an epididymis.

[Melanie]

Oh, I was just going to go ahead and call him a cockhead.

[David]

LOL

[Char]

Ha! I'll simplify even further and call him a dick. I don't need no fancy words.
;)

[Addy]

Id be interested in the ending myself. I didn’t get it. Took me forever to finish this book. It dragged on for me, so I’ll have to keep an eye on this thread and see how y’all like it.

[Char]

School is finished and we're on the train to meet the mystical uncle.

Where is everyone? I'm at approx 30 pct. or beiginning-ish of Part Two.

This book is so densely written I find myself having to slow down a bit so I'm sure that everything is sinking in.

[David]

I’m a little ahead of that. They’re at the Uncle’a and he’s a big freakball.

Man, dense is right! I have to take more frequent breaks from this than I usually do when I read.

[Char]

Me too. I’m reading short stories here and there.

[Kerry]

Char wrote: " by Peter Straub.

Dave and I are hoping to start reading this around the 15th of this month.
Any and all are welcome to join! The more the scarier!

Th..."
Oooooh, I remember this book!

[Melanie]

You guys are way ahead of me. I'm still at school and the piano incident has just happened with Skeleton. He's losing it....

[Char]

Skeleton is creepy AF.

[David]

Agreed.

[Char]

John wrote: "I've read this several times since it was first in paperback.

I always imagined Skelton as a psychotic Eddie Haskell."

That's just perfect.

[David]

And here’s Rose!

[Char]

I've gotten no reading done at all since Monday. I'm hoping to resume today at lunch. I'm only about halfway through.
It's interesting that Del's uncle (view spoiler)[ is taking more interest in Tom than in Del, giving him permission to go into any area. What was that wild sleigh ride about? (hide spoiler)]

[David]

Char wrote: "I've gotten no reading done at all since Monday. I'm hoping to resume today at lunch. I'm only about halfway through.
It's interesting that Del's uncle [spoilers removed]"

That is a good question!

With regard to your spoiler, (view spoiler)[ I’m assuming he’s grooming them to fight to see who will become “King of the Cats” when he dies—it seems like he’s purposely trying to enrage Del. (hide spoiler)]

[Char]

It seemed that way to me too, but why would he do that? I guess I'll have to keep reading to see. :)

[Char]

You could be right, John!

[Melanie]

I'm still behind you guys. They're at Shadowland and the weirdness has begun, I'm assuming Skeleton's coming back into the story at some point...?

[Char]

If I remember correctly, he does.

[Melanie]

David that makes absolute sense now. I kept wondering why the King if the Cats story kept coming up.
Char - as to the why...I think its because Collins is a first class arsehole.

[Char]

THAT I can agree with!

[David]

Finished! I feel like I need to digest this before trying to post coherent thoughts, so here are random bullet points.

I mostly enjoyed it, although not as much as when I read it years ago. I feel like the middle of the book was less enjoyable than the outer sections. I’m not really certain (view spoiler)[what the significance of Collins’ backstory was, especially his time in the military. (hide spoiler)] Again, I probably need to reread this but would love to hear others’ thoughts.

I suspect this, like Ghost Story and Mystery, is a book that grows more rewarding through repeated readings. I don’t claim to have understood all of the references to fairy tales included here (for example, (view spoiler)[I just read Straub’s description of writing the book, in which he says that Rose is his version of The Little Mermaid (hide spoiler)]) and I’m sure that getting those references would enrich the experience.

The Collector = DID NOT LIKE.

John - that is a great observation.

[Char]

I'm stalled out at 60% and don't seem to be progressing. I find myself dragging my feet to get back to reading.

[David]

Actually, I think John’s spoiler just helped me to understand the purpose of Collins’ backstory:

(view spoiler)[Everything Collins does is geared toward “collecting” people: he brings Del and Tom there to collect them, he collected Rose and made it impossible for her to leave until after he dies, he collected Skeleton and turned him into The Collector, he killed the people at the resort but collected them as well (so they haunt the tunnels), and is ultimately collected himself.

So the story of the man he euthanized in the military is his first example of collecting. He kills him and then “becomes” him. He eventually becomes so confused as to his own identity that he tells everyone to call him “Dr Collector” a neat little bit of foreshadowing.

Sorry if this was apparent to everyone already. I feel like I just had an epiphany. Thanks again, John! (hide spoiler)]

[David]

Char—it definitely gets sloggy. The ending is strong, but it takes a
While for it to kick back up.

[Char]

Not clicking on those spoilers yet!

[David]

John wrote: "I still don't understand [spoilers removed]

If you think this one is a bit obtuse..."

Yeah, I wondered about that too.

A Dark Matter gave me such headaches. I’ve actually been meaning to revisit that one too. Maybe we need to start a Straub book club and make our way through his works.

[Melanie]

I've been away for a few days so just getting back into it now. Collins is telling the boys his experiences in the war and as I'm reading it, I'm reminded why I like my horror of the supernatural and monster kind and not the actual reality of the horrors of war.

[Melanie]

I haven't clicked on the spoilers either Char so we'll be able to unpack it when we finish.

[Char]

Finished!

I, too, did not enjoy this quite as much as I did the first time. It was still pretty damn good though, just a bit slow in the middle.

(view spoiler)[ Maybe Tom couldn't get Del back from the Owl because Del was actually dead, thanks to those mean, disgusting men?Skeleton was still alive when he got de-collected, so to speak.

After finishing, I agree that good old Uncle was watching them throughout school, biding his time and watching what the boys would do and how they would develop.

I felt very sorry for Skeleton at the end there, but at least he escaped into a peaceful life, unlike poor Del.

What was the deal with Laker Broome? Did he even exist? (hide spoiler)]

I read a Dark Matter but all I remember is that I didn't care for it much. I read the Blue Rose trilogy and I enjoyed those for the most part. I read Floating Dragon too, when I was a teenager, but I remember being disappointed with it.