Amazon.com First setting: an all-male prep school in Arizona， where two sensitive freshmen form a bond based on their interest in magic tricks. Second setting: the labyrinthine house of a weird magician uncle in New England， where the two boys spend a memorable summer being trained in the art of illusion. Or is it real magic? Third setting: an alternate world where dark forces are at play--forces that first show up at the school， but intensify their power the summer. Shadowland is a superb， under-recognized， early novel from a master of literary terror. Get it while it's back in print! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From AudioFile This is a good example of how a fine book might not necessarily adapt well to the audiobook format. Straub's novel of magic and mystery， in which two boys come to maturity in the mysterious setting of Shadowland， seems like it would adapt well. It's structured as a series of told stories. Individual lines are easy on the ear， and William Dufris does a good job with them， delivering them in a leisurely， resonant fashion. However， there are dozens characters， and each character shifts back and forth between an adult self， a re-experienced childhood， and altered states of consciousness. In the end， it's more work to keep track of the story than it's worth. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2004， Portland， Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile， Portland， Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.