History Literature / BlackHouse

Jack now lives in the bucolic town of French Landing, Wisconsin, enjoying his retirement in a place of great natural beauty and a wonderful friend in the blind radio personality Henry Layden. Unfortunately, French Landing is being plagued by a savage serial murder dubbed The Fisherman, one who targets children and has a taste for their flesh in imitation of Albert Fish, a killer who operated in the 1920s. Two children have been discovered and a third is missing, presumed dead. The local police are desperate to acquire Jack's services, as his career as a homicide detective was short but legendary, and Jack was once considered something of a prodigy. At first, Jack steadfastly refuses, because every step he takes towards his old career may be another step closer to a complete mental breakdown. However, when Tyler Marshall becomes the Fisherman's fourth victim, it is no longer a matter of saving children from the pleasures of a cannibal murderer, because Tyler is a Breaker, potentially the most powerful ever, and if he is made to apply his talents towards bringing down Franchise/TheDarkTower, all worlds and universes may soon be erased from existence.

He now lives in the bucolic western Wisconsin town of French Landing, enjoying his retirement in a place of great natural beauty and a wonderful friend in the blind radio personality Henry Layden. Unfortunately, French Landing is being plagued by a savage serial murder dubbed The Fisherman, one who targets children and has a taste for their flesh in imitation of Albert Fish, a killer who operated in the 1920s. Two children have been discovered and a third is missing, presumed dead. The local police are desperate to acquire Jack's services, as his career as a homicide detective was short but legendary, and Jack was once considered something of a prodigy. At first, Jack steadfastly refuses, because every step he takes towards his old career may be another step closer to a complete mental breakdown. However, when Tyler Marshall becomes the Fisherman's fourth victim, it is no longer a matter of saving children from the pleasures of a cannibal murderer, because Tyler is a Breaker, potentially the most powerful ever, and if he is made to apply his talents towards bringing down Franchise/TheDarkTower, all worlds and universes may soon be erased from existence.

[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/400000000000000047799_s4_542.jpg]]The sequel to Creator/StephenKing and Creator/PeterStraub's 1984 novel ''Literature/TheTalisman'', ''Black House'' reunites us with Travelin' Jack Sawyer, who once undertook a long and dangerous quest across America and across the plane of worlds in order to save his mother's life. Jack is now in his thirties, a former homicide detective who retired early from a career with the LAPD. He has forgotten about his adventures as a twelve-year old, even as the effects continue to shape his life, and he is so determined not to remember that even the suggestion of events related to those times is enough to induce panic attacks.

* AndThisIsFor: when going to Black House, Jack manages to surprise and kill the crow Gorg. He the spits on the animals' corpse for luring the kids to the Fisherman, and proceeds to kick it for driving Irma's mother insane (see MindRape below).

* TheCavalry: Parkus invokes the concept of TheCavalry in comparing the Dark Tower to a besieged mission in old Western movies. However, he quickly disabuses Jack of the notion that Sawyer and his friends back in Wisconsin play that role. Roland and his ka-tet are the cavalry- they're the ones who are destined to save the day. Jack's role is to fight a delaying action, ruin the Crimson King's plan and give Roland a chance to do what he's supposed to do.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:How Charles Burnside meets his demise, [[TheDogBitesBack at the hands of Tyler]]; while Burnside is handcuffing Tyler to a pair of shackles, Tyler uses his free hand to [[GroinAttack grab, crush and eventually tear off Burnside's testicles]]. Then he takes advantage of the injuries Henry inflicted on Burnside earlier to tear out the man's intestines. Burnside himself inadvertedly helps Tyler here when, in his panic, he tries to back away from the boy. The narration even lampshades how that is possibly the worst thing you can do if someone has hold of your intestines.]]

* VirtuousBees: A large swarm of bees comes to Jack's aid when he, Dale, Beezer and Doc break into Black House; a queen bee guides them through the maze inside the house, and the bees follow them into the world beyond it to stop Munshun. Earlier in the story, Jack summons a swarm of bees to convince the other 3 men that they are dealing with something supernatural.

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* HumanoidAbomination: Mr. Munshun.
* ImAHumanitarian: The Fisherman.

* MagicalLand: The Territories.

* DramaticAmmoDepletion: During the press conference to honor the four heroes that stopped the Fisherman, Wanda Kinderling [[spoiler: draws a gun and shoots Jack Sawyer multiple times, shouts "See you in hell Hollywood", and aims the gun at her head... only to realize that, in her eagerness, she forgot to save the last bullet for herself.]]

* DramaticAmmoDepletion: During the press conference to honor the four heroes that stopped the Fisherman, Wanda Kinderling [[spoiler: draws a gun and shoots Jack Sawyer multiple times, shouts "See you in hell Hollywood", and aims the gun at her head... only to realize that, in het eagerness, she forgot to save the last bullet for herself.]]

* PowerLimiter: When Burnside takes Tyler to Munshun, he forces the boy to don a metal cap that surpresses his telkinetic powers. After Tyler [[spoiler:kills Burnside, Munshun first makes sure the boy is still wearing the cap before capturing him]].

* VirtuousBees: A large swarm of bees comes to Jack's aid when he, Dale, Beezer and Doc break into Black House. Earlier in the story, Jack summons a swarm of bees to convince the other 3 men that they are dealing with something supernatural.

* AndThisIsFor: when going to Black House, Jack manages to surprise and kill the crow Gorg. He the slits on the animals' corpse for luring the kids to the Fisherman, and proceeds to kick it for driving Irma's mother insane (see MindRape below).

* MyGreatestFailure: When Jack begins remembering the events of ''Literature/TheTalisman'' after returning to the [[MagicalLand Territories]], one of his immediate memories is [[TheWoobie Wolf's]] slow dying after [[DimensionalTraveler flipping to Earth]] because of Jack and his HeroicSacrifice; his dialogue implies that Jack never really got over his guilt in Wolf's death.

* AndThisIsFor: when going to Black House, Jack manages to surprise and kill the crow Gorg. He the slits on the animals' corpse for luring the kids to the Fisherman, and proceeds to kick it for driving Irma's mother insane.

* ShearMenace: Burnside uses a pair of razorsharp hedgeclippers to kill Henry. Among other things, he clips off some of Henry's fingers. Later he does the same to a nurse at Maxton Elder Care Facility, and Chipper Maxton.