Book reviews

In the Night Room
Peter Straub Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Peter Straub Books
New book search
Peter Straub Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of In the Night Room
"

Random House, Oct 2004, 21.95, 330 pp.
ISBN: 1400062527

Willy Patrick should be ecstatic as she has found love again with wealthy businessman Michael Faber especially since he has moved her into his mini-mansion in Hendersonia, New Jersey. Still the young adult author has some issues for instance she has to fight herself from busting into a warehouse where she feels her dead daughter waits for her. Defeating the compulsion, Willy returns to her new home only to find pictures of her deceased spouse in a box in Michael's study, a room she never entered before.

Stunned, she flees to New York. She enters a Barnes & Noble bookstore where horror author Timothy Underhill is providing a reading. Timothy's life has been unsettled of late since he saw his dead sister's ghost and communicated by email with a being from another dimension. When Timothy sees Willy, he recognizes her as the key person to fight evil waiting for them in the house of a deceased serial killer in their hometown of Millhaven.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of In the Night Room
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Horror story? Yes
Horror plotlets - the haunted house chased me!

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - writer
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - An "It".

Setting
Earth setting: - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to In the Night Room
The Owl Service by Alan Garner
The Resort by Bentley Little
House of Echoes by Barbara Erskine
Julian's House by Judith Hawkes
Evilution by Shaun Jeffrey


Click here for more information about this book


Peter Straub Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Harriet Klausner  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 12:16:44 AM
Norah Lofts 12:50:53 AM
Suzanne Weyn 4:47:34 PM
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Anonymous 12:47:34 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
Jane Rubino 10:04:38 PM
LaVyrle Spencer 10:04:00 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM
Jeanette Walls 10:00:19 PM
Darryl Ponicsan 9:59:27 PM
Ann Rinaldi 9:58:30 PM
R.L. Stine 9:57:34 PM
Geoffrey Huntington 9:57:14 PM
Betty Mahmoody 9:56:38 PM
Deric Longden 9:56:11 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:55:48 PM

More message boards