Book Description
For more than three decades, bestselling novelist John Saul has been summoning macabre masterpieces from the darkest realms of his imagination. With each new book, his instinct for playing upon our deepest dread has grown only stronger and more sinister. He’s never been afraid to push the boundaries of suspense and confront us with what frightens us most.

After his father’s untimely death sends fifteen-year-old Ryan McIntyre into an emotional tailspin, his mother enrolls him in St. Isaac’s Catholic boarding school, hoping the venerable institution with a reputation for transforming wayward teens can work its magic on her son. But troubles are not unknown even at St. Isaac, where Ryan arrives to find the school awash in news of one student’s violent death, another’s mysterious disappearance, and growing incidents of disturbing behavior within the hallowed halls.

Things begin to change when Father Sebastian joins the faculty. Armed with unprecedented knowledge and uncanny skills acquired through years of secret study, the young priest has been dispatched on an extraordinary and controversial mission: to prove the power of one of the Church’s most arcane sacred rituals, exorcism. Willing or not, St. Isaac’s most troubled students will be pawns in Father Sebastian’s one-man war against evil–a war so surprisingly effective that the pope himself takes notice of the seemingly miraculous events unfolding an ocean away.

But Ryan, drawn ever more deeply into Father Sebastian’s ministrations, sees–and knows–otherwise. As he witnesses with mounting dread the transformations of his fellow pupils, his certainty grows that forces of darkness, not divinity, are at work. Evil is not being cast out . . . something else is being called forth. Something that hasn’t stirred since the Inquisition’s reign of terror. Something nurtured through the ages to do its vengeful masters’ unholy bidding. Something whose hour has finally come to bring hell unto earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

The Devil's Labyrinth
I am a very big fan of John Saul's work.I think that he takes evil in it's purest form and has no problem making it tangible.Many authors would rather have a psychological edge, never letting the reader "see the monster".

In this book, John Saul again creates an evil that is completely available to the reader and leads you on a pathway that extends straight from that evil's cold, dead heart.I was very impressed, as I always am, with John Saul's development of the story and I loved the events unfolding as they did, although the bulk of the ending was a bit disappointing to me.

I would have like the antagonists to be a bit more supernatural in the being, and the ending left alot of ends untied as there were many questions that could have been asked after the final page.I don;t want to give away anything in this review, but I felt that this last third of the book felt a bit rushed and almost leading up to deus ex machina.Granted, Mr. Saul gave us an ending to the main storyline that made sense, it was just that many of the sub-plots fell a little bit short of answering my questions.

Overall, I thought it was a good book, just 50 pages shorter than it needed to be, and I would recommend it to John Saul fans.If you are just getting into John Saul, go back into the catalog and read The Blackstone Chronicles or The God Project to get a better sense of whom you're dealing with.

Spellbinding
Ryan McIntyre finds it difficult to remember his father, who died two years ago. Capt. McIntyre's Humvee was obliterated by an Iraqi bomb, making him an instant hero. The 15-year-old is torn between love for his dad and uncertainty about a new man in his mother's life. He is also the object of brutal attacks by bullies at his public school. Ryan is beaten nearly beyond recognition and left for dead in the school bathroom, where the janitor finds him. This is the last straw for his mom, who, with Tom Kelly's help, enrolls Ryan in St. Isaac's Preparatory Academy in Boston for his final high school days.

St. Isaac's is the site of troubling occurrences upon Ryan's arrival. A student who disappeared and was located by Boston police after having murdered a woman has been shot to death by the officers. Ryan's new bed just happens to be the one assigned to the dead student, Kip Adamson. He is reacquainted with Father Sebastian Sloan, the young priest who visited him in the hospital and who now takes him under his wing.

The campus is a venerable site, its aging halls holding secret spaces beneath the outer structure and in tunnels running the lengths of its boundaries. Students roam in the tunnels and find shortcuts to upper areas such as the infirmary, kitchen, library and more. Cold damp walls chill the nerves of trespassers there.

Father Sebastian's assignment at St. Isaac's is twofold: to minister to troubled students and to further his studies in ancient rites of the Church. His primary emphasis has been exorcism. Within the corridors and tunnels beneath the school is a hidden chapel, known to but a chosen few members of the faculty. Here, Father Sebastian helps his most troubled students rid their demons.

The Pope and his retinue visit Boston for an unscheduled trip to witness the extraordinary rites that Father Sebastian has performed and videotaped. A scholar of ancient rituals, the Pope must experience for himself the priest's one-man war against evil. But terror of a more sinister nature awaits him. As Ryan witnesses with mounting dread the transformations of his fellow pupils, he becomes more and more certain that forces of darkness, not divinity, are at work.

THE DEVIL'S LABYRINTH is a thriller that spellbinds the reader with appreciation for John Saul's ingenuity. His 34th book is a winding path of words that tempts audiences to flip to the final pages for resolution, but the strength of its plot quickly arrests that urge.

--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad

From J. Kaye's Book Blog
I've been a horror fan since the day of Jaws and The Amityville Horror. So whenever a horror book makes it to the New York Times Best Sellers list, I've got to read it. The reason is I'm chasing the boo factor. I just love those scare-the-pants-right-off-ya novels; and let's face it, John Saul's books ranks at the top.

My first John Saul novel and I'm not impressed
Eh, I saw this at my library and liked the blurb on the inside cover flap, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It was a quick read, which is why I gave it two stars rather than one. At least I could finish it in an afternoon rather than slog through it. I was definitely unimpressed by the book, from the underdeveloped characters (basically all of them), to the undeveloped plot line, to the ending where you just kinda say, "huh? What?" and close the book for good. Exciting premise, but really didn't pan out. I kept waiting for more of an explanation about, I don't know, the actual title "The Devil's Labyrinth" and how it truly related to the story, but I never really got a fully explained answer. I feel duped. I guess it's my fault for picking up any book that has "Labyrinth" in the title.
If you get it at the library, it's an exciting and quick read, but don't expect any real depth. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's worst "beach read"-type books (high excitement and quick reads without huge depth) are better than this book any day. I'm glad to see from the other reviews here that he's done better.

Get it at the library....don't waste your money!
I started this book with high hopes. I really liked it up until the end. This book offers absolutely NO resolution.You go with Ryan through everything in the book. Feel his pain, terror and confusion. And at the end...when you think ahhhh it's finally going to be resolved for him and everyone else, you are left hanging. There is no resolution whatsoever. The ending leaves you as confused as the the whole last 1/3 of the book.If you really feel you want to read it, get this one at the library. Don't waste your money. I'm still highly ticked at the ending and probably won't read another John Saul book ever. ... Read more

Book Description
If you open your house to strangers, who knows who might come in. And what they might be after. Or whom. Now, ponder the unthinkable and surrender to your darkest dread, as sinister storyteller extraordinaire John Saul weaves a heart-stopping tale of lurking terror and twisted intent.

Every parent’s nightmare becomes reality for Kara Marshall when her daughter, Lindsay, vanishes from her bedroom during the night. The police suspect that the girl is just another moody teenage runaway, angry over leaving behind her school and friends because her family is moving. But Lindsay’s recent eerie claim–that someone invaded her room when the house was opened to prospective buyers–drives Kara to fear the worst: a nameless, faceless stalker has walked the halls of her home in search of more than a place to live.

Patrick Shields recognizes Kara’s pain–and carries plenty of his own since he lost his wife and two children in a devastating house fire. But more than grief draws Patrick and Kara together. He, too, senses the hand of a malevolent stranger in this tragedy. And as more people go missing from houses up for sale, Patrick’s suspicion, like Kara’s, blooms into horrified certainty.

Someone is trolling this peaceful community–undetected and undeterred–harvesting victims for a purpose no sane mind can fathom. Someone Kara and Patrick, alone and desperate, are determined to unmask. Someone who is even now watching, plotting, keeping a demented diary of unspeakable deeds . . . and waiting until the time is ripe for another fateful visit.


From the Hardcover edition.Download Description
If you open your house to strangers, who knows who might come in. And what they might be after. Or whom. Now, ponder the unthinkable and surrender to your darkest dread, as sinister storyteller extraordinaire John Saul weaves a heart-stopping tale of lurking terror and twisted intent.

Every parent’s nightmare becomes reality for Kara Marshall when her daughter, Lindsay, vanishes from her bedroom during the night. The police suspect that the girl is just another moody teenage runaway, angry over leaving behind her school and friends because her family is moving. But Lindsay’s recent eerie claim–that someone invaded her room when the house was opened to prospective buyers–drives Kara to fear the worst: a nameless, faceless stalker has walked the halls of her home in search of more than a place to live.

Patrick Shields recognizes Kara’s pain–and carries plenty of his own since he lost his wife and two children in a devastating house fire. But more than grief draws Patrick and Kara together. He, too, senses the hand of a malevolent stranger in this tragedy. And as more people go missing from houses up for sale, Patrick’s suspicion, like Kara’s, blooms into horrified certainty.

Someone is trolling this peaceful community–undetected and undeterred–harvesting victims for a purpose no sane mind can fathom. Someone Kara and Patrick, alone and desperate, are determined to unmask. Someone who is even now watching, plotting, keeping a demented diary of unspeakable deeds . . . and waiting until the time is ripe for another fateful visit.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Preposterous, shallow, but also somewhat fun
First, the whole set up that initiates this teenaged-girl-is-kidnapped-by-psychopath thriller is preposterous. Second, there are a few plot holes and some characters that you may not really care about all that much. Third, this is a better John Saul than the last couple of efforts I read but not quite one of his top three either("Creature" being my favorite).Yet, for me, this book represented a guilty pleasure, sort of like enjoying some breezy action movie the critics dismiss as junk.

To summarize,we get set up in the first pages with the ramblings of a madman followed quickly by the story of a family that is on the edge of falling apart. Apparently, the only way to keep them together is to move from a quaint, upper middle class New York suburb into Manhattan(don't ask). So the daughter makes known her desire to stay put, the parents tell her otherwise, the resulting tension contributes to her being alone in the house, and things are set into motion. The kidnap, search, and the mind of the madman are all played out in Saul's easy reading style.

Overall, this was escapist reading. By that I mean, I read it in three
days, quickly donated it to my local library, and it is prety much forgotten. But it was decent enough fun while it lasted.

If you can give into the plot "holes" and enjoy Saul, I think you can try this. If you have not read Saul, I think you can start here but I believe you should search out his supernatural or science based thrillers first. Then you may decide to come back to this and enjoy it a bit more.

One of his best
I disagree with a few of these reviewers.I thought that this one of his Saul's best.Good story, suspenseful.Worth your time to read.

Predictable and not very believable
The whole storyline is not very believable. Why couldn't they wait till their daughter graduated to move into the city? She was in her senior year of highschool, so it would have been less than a year.
I could see a psychopath looking up girls to kidnap by searching houses currently for sale, but not the character who was doing it...and especially not because his sister molested him one time when he was little.
The author tried to throw suspicion in 3 or 4 different directions, but the way he did it made it obvious what was happening.
I've read other books by this author that were pretty good, but I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone.

No Thanks.
I can only drum up the courage to give this novel two stars. The storyline is old but what I really didn't like was the wordy writing. This was not tight writing and certainly not a typical Saul piece of work. I guess what turned me off was the character inconsistencies...especially the girl's father. Anyway, I don't recommend this one.

Gratuitously icky, even for a horror novel
Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I read a bunch of John Saul books: Suffer The Children, Punish The Sinners, Cry For The Strangers, Comes The Blind Fury....I found the books as formulaic as the titles: prologue-- something evil and awful happens 50 or 100 years ago. Story-- ghost of the wronged individual takes over the body of modern-day person who then wreaks revenge on the townspeople. Epilogue-- just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...Here It Comes Again. But besides that, the thing that bothered me most was Saul's lingering descriptions of the most horrible details of suffering and misery, particularly that of children. I thought, he enjoys this way too much.

SO-- Perfect Nightmare-- I fiugred it must be 25 years since then, surely Saul's writing must have got better for him to be popular so long. I had a few hours to kill while my car was being repaired, so I read this. Yes it's suspenseful, the characters are well-developed, the writing style is just fine--- but still, those cringe-inducing descriptions of torment! These things could easily be left to the reader's imagination with the same effect. It's creepy--- a hair's-breadth away from literary S&M porn. ... Read more

Book Description
Summer vacation becomes a season in hell for an ordinary family who unwittingly stir something invisible, insidious, and insatiable from its secret slumber–unleashing a wave of horror only the darkest evil could create, that only a master of spine-tingling terror like John Saul could orchestrate. For deep in the shadows in the dark of the night lurks something as big as life . . . and as real as death.

It has waited seven years for someone to come back to the rambling lakeside house called Pinecrest, which has stood empty since its last owner went missing. For upscale Chicago couple Dan and Merrill Brewster, the old midwestern manse is an ideal retreat, and for their kids, Eric and Marci, it’s the perfect place to spend a lazy summer exploring. Which is how Eric and his teenage friends discover the curious cache of discarded objects stowed in a hidden room of Pinecrest’s carriage house. The bladeless hacksaws, shadeless lamps, tables with missing legs, headless axe handle, and other unremarkable items add up to a pile of junk. Yet someone took the trouble to inventory each worthless relic in a cryptic ledger. It has all the makings of a great mystery–whispering, coaxing, demanding to be solved.

But the more the boys devote themselves to restoring the forgotten possessions and piecing together the puzzle behind them, the more their fascination deepens into obsession. Soon their days are consumed with tending the strange, secret collection–while their nights become plagued by ever more ghastly dreams, nightmares that soon seep into reality. And when a horrifying discovery surfaces, so does the chilling truth–about the terrifying events that rocked the town seven years before, the mysterious disappearance of Pinecrest’s last resident, and a twisted legacy with a malevolent life of its own . . . and a bottomless hunger for new victims.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Compelling yet lacking in areas
After reading the novel, I must admit that the ending does not measure up to the finale I was expecting.Saul's idea of using serial killer's objects to possess their spirits, and then transmit those feelings/emotions to those unfortuante enough to handle the objects, was compelling.I honestly couldn't put the book down, once the three teens entered the carriage room and discovered the items.Still, I was waiting for a better ending. Saul created a roller coaster of a book, complete with the suspensful and long rise to the top.Once the coaster got going,I was fully entertained, yet at the end, I felt a tad bit cheated.The ending is obviously one of the most difficult parts of a book to compose.Saul left the reader feeling unfulfilled and wanting more.

Saul Fan No-Matter What
If John Saul started writing the way John Grisham now does, I think I would pass on his books. This one was interesting to me. It was interesting because I didn't expect it. When a fiction author tries to tackle a real-life story they do so and it makes for a very bad non-fiction book.

John Saul actually took some real events and created a whole new fiction out of it. Could it have been more detailed and written a different way? Sure, but I'm also sure I would not have liked it in the least. At least this way, when reading from the perspective of adolescents, the story was not horrid and completely gruesome. I was happy to not have to read many gory details. Horror novels do NOT have to be about the blood and guts; we get enough of that from movies. Sometimes it's just the mystery. I've come to expect mystery and suspense from John Saul and he still delivers.

A-

Had Potential
I am a fan of horror and suspense novels, and John Saul is usually in the forefront of that genre.Unfortunately this novel falls short of my expectations of him.It had the potential to be a really good read, but the characters are underdeveloped and the story doesn't reach the magnitude it is built up to be.I feel that if the author wasn't so reputable that it would have tossed back by the company for some serious rewriting.I was truely disappointed with this particular book.

Slow going
I had a hard time getting into this book...It was so slow to begin with and it never really caught up to speed. I felt at times it was a novel directed at a younger generation and the characters were terribly whiney.
The ending IMO was a huge let down. They go back to the town and that's it. No real word where anyone was or what they were doing.
All in all one of his more diappointing books....

Just Brutal
John Saul was once a horror writer that got mentioned in the same sentences as King and Koontz.While most writers continue to evolve throughout the course of their careers, Saul continues a death spiral that began with the throughly mediocre Blackstone Chronicles.

After suffering through Black Creek Crossing and the truly awful Manhattan Hunt Club (Just like "Most Dangerous Game", except 70 years later!), I swore off Saul.Then I sat in a lousy airplane bookstore, faced with a rack of books I had read already and "In the Dark of the Night".

I should have just re-read the John Connolly book I started with.

The book is an embarrassment in both plotting and dialouge.Characters are the same ones you've seen in a million books (the all american kid hero, his tough friend, his wimpy friend, the cute girl, the mean kid and the mean kid's sidekick that is only along for the ride, the creepy homeless guy and the sherriff with the heart of gold that is in over his head).Someone please just kill me now.

After about 300 pages, nothing has really happened, except some kids find a room of items that may be from serial killers and a cat has died.The last hundred pages ratchet up the gore, but by that point, you don't care what happens to the kids or the summer town they are staying in.

Avoid at all costs. ... Read more

Amazon.com
In a Rosemary's Baby meets Hansel and Gretel thriller, John Saul's Midnight Voices is packed with bump-in-the-night chills that will frighten and delight readers with its nostalgic nod to urban legends and campfire tales. With short, edgy chapters and all-too-vivid imagery, Midnight Voices begs to be enjoyed in one sitting, in the dark, huddled on the corner of your couch. As usual in Saul's world, strange things are afoot in the city, and the Evans family is the target.

At the heart of this spooky tale are the children, Laurie and Ryan Evans, who are unwittingly exposed to danger when their recently widowed mother marries widower Anthony Fleming. The too-good-to-be-anything-but-evil Fleming lives in the Rockwell, a building rumored to be inhabited by witches and vampires, that has the children in the neighborhood terrified:

"Amber's eyes were still fixed on the building. They were just stories, she told herself once again. They weren't true. But even as she silently spoke the words to herself, a strange chill of apprehension ran through her and she turned away ... I'll die, she thought. If I go in there, I'll die."

Of course, the newly married Caroline does not share the anxiety of her children, despite Fleming's Bluebeard-like determination to keep everyone out of his study, not to mention the horrible whispers and strange sounds coming from empty rooms in the middle of the night. It is this tension, and Caroline's dawning realization of her new husband's shortcomings, that drives the novel to its startling conclusion.

Saul uses familiar horror images--an ancient building with even older residents, creepy neighbors that are not quite right, whispers in your room after midnight--to spin a new tale of evil that will remind readers why one should always leave the closet light on. --Daphne DurhamBook Description
The sudden, tragic death of her husband leaves Caroline Evans alone in New York City to raise her children with little money and even less hope. When she meets and marries handsome, successful Anthony Fleming, the charismatic man of her dreams, she believes her life is destined for happiness. She and her children move into her new husband’s spacious apartment in the legendary Rockwell on Central Park West. Despite her son’s instinctive misgivings about the building and its residents, Caroline dismisses the odd behavior of her neighbors as pleasant eccentricities. But after her daughter begins to experience horrifying nightmares and a startling secret emerges, Caroline realizes that the magnificence of her new home masks a secret of unimaginable horror. . . .Download Description

What if insidious evil flourished in the one place where you feel most safe? The chilling answer comes from New York Times bestselling master of suspense John Saul -- in a new novel that reminds you there is no place like home... for sheer terror.

The sudden tragic death of her husband leaves Caroline Evans alone in New York City to raise an eleven-year-old son and a twelve-year-old daughter on little money and even less hope. But then she meets and marries handsome, successful Anthony Fleming, who wins her heart and embraces her children. When Caroline settles her family into Anthony's spacious apartment on Manhattan's Central Park West, her fears of an uncertain future give way to a sense of abundant happiness. But soon, new terrors will come home to roost in the luxurious, exclusive building named The Rockwell. Midnight voices whisper of a cruel and hungry presence....

First, Caroline's daughter begins to suffer from recurring nightmares of strangers in her room at night. Then her son turns sullen at home and angry at school, spreading terrifying rumors about the stepfather who has shown him nothing but kindness. And when Caroline discover a startling secret about Anthony's past, it seems she, too, is falling victim to the creeping paranoia infecting her family. Should she doubt her perfect husband, their kindly fellow tenants, or her own sanity?

Does someone -- or something -- in her new home have sinister designs on Caroline and her children? Is her new life charmed or cursed?

Customer Reviews (60)

Very good
Very nice read. One of those books you don't want to put down.
The only thing I would have changed would have been more information at the ending about who the Rockwell people were, what they were, where they went, and how they did what they did. A lot of that was left to the imagination, when I would have preferred it just be explained.
I felt very sorry for the little girl who had been adopted...the one the social worker went to investigate. For some reason I was drawn to her character, and still feel pangs of sympathy for her when I think of her and her situation.
I haven't read all of John Saul's books, but I've read a few, and this one has been the best.

OK
Somewhat interesting mystery.A little odd with the flippant main character trying too hard to be clever.

Hard too put down,but......
'Midnight Voices' is the second book that I have read by John Saul. I found that this book was creepy enough to keep me awake, but interesting enough to keep me hooked until the end.
Simply put, it is a story about a woman named Caroline, who has been a widow for less that a year. Her husband Brad was tragically murdered, leaving her to raise her 2 children by herself.
One day, she meets two people that will change her life forever, both residents of 'The Rockwell', an old historic building close to Central Park in New York. She ends up marrying the man that she meets in the park, named Anthony, and the nightmare begins.
I found that the pace of the book was consistently steady, and that the author did a great job in the beginning to keep certain things a secret from the reader. Its not until the middle of the book that you start to see what is really going on in the building.
But there were some things that were hard to believe-at least for me. The fact that Caroline seemed really naive until the end of the book, that no one in the family thought it strange that Anthony cooked every meal, all the neighbors were prolific bakers, and that Caroline took every pill shoved into her hand like a toddler-no questions asked!
I would have liked to have seen the loose ends tied up, and there were alot of assumptions that the reader had to make. Was Anthony the killer of Brad? How did the residents become what they are? Why was the building affected by what was going on?
I didn't really like Caroline too much. Single mom or not, she could have been a little more believeable in her reactions. I found her very weak. I gave the book 3 stars because I had too many questions at the end, not enough background history on the residents of 'The Rockwell', and I didn't like Caroline. John Saul is a great writer, but this book felt hurried at the end.

Even sub-par Saul is fun...
As is often the case with Mr. Saul, I was grabbed by the first page.After a very short time, I was only thinking about "Rosemary's Baby". A previous reviewer also made mention of "Hansel & Gretel", which was also appropriate, to a point. Mr. Saul takes great pleasure in putting kids in peril, and, without blabbing away the plot, he is true to form. I was satisfied with the overall result, though it was never revealed why Brad was killed in the first place. Was it an accident or part of the "plan"? The subsequent references to him made him one of my favorite characters. Regardless, it was a fun read and, though I never liked Mr. Saul's penchant to make children suffer, this one kept me reading. Not the best, but clever and generally well-written. The Epilogue clears things up maybe a little too conveniently, but there were lots of crazy things going on. But I still want to know what happened to Brad...

Roman Polanski Rip-Off
MIDNIGHT VOICES is a rip-off of Roman Polanski's THE TENANT and ROSEMARY'S BABY, but without the edge, suspense, characters, or atmosphere.Although the technical writing is solid, it feels bland and generic, and, like a PG-13 movie, this title should be placed in the "young adults" section.The pace picks up a bit towards the end, but it was hard to get through the melodramatic daytime soap opera dialogue of the first two-thirds.I enjoyed reading this author when I was younger, but I guess 15 years later my taste in horror runs a little deeper and more original.Did Mr. Saul really think people wouldn't compare this with Polanski's work?He should know not to mess with perfection.Hmmm ... Read more

Book Description
Beyond the sparkling Hawaiian beaches, masked by the deceptive beauty of the rainforest, evil awaits sixteen-year-old Michael Sundquist and his mother, Katharine, an anthropologist who has come to the Islands to study the unusual skeletal remains unearthed on the volcanic flanks of Haleakala, Maui.

Yet far below the black depths of the Pacific a mysterious substance snakes through undiscovered fissures in the ocean floor, as nature itself seems to portend the terror to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Nice setting, good plot
This 1998 offering from Saul is not his best, but I was attracted to it primarily for the Hawaiian setting.John Saul has a home in Maui and he's also the founder/host of the annual Maui Writer's Conference, so I guess he wanted to pay homage to one of his favorite places.

Since her husband's death a few years before, Dr. Katherine Sundquist has dedicated herself to raising their son and concentrating on her career.The now-teenaged son, Michael, is having problems with bullies in school and a recurring battle with severe asthma, so when an old college friend invites Katherine to spend three months in Maui for an archaeology project, she decides this is a good time to get away.Once in Maui, however, she and her son both realize that there's something strange going on with this so-called `archaeology' project, which isn't at all what it was presented to be.Working in a super high-tech laboratory hidden away on an enormous estate, Katherine can't help but be curious about the restricted wing and the secret midnight deliveries.Michael gets into his own mess after a late-night scuba dive that goes awry, and immediately afterwards, his new Hawaiian friends start dying or disappearing.Katherine soon realizes that it's all connected directly with the project she's working on, and when time starts running out for Michael she has to act quickly to save both him and herself.

The conclusion is pretty out there, and I liked it.Think DNA codes, mysterious underwater geodes, and strange prehistoric bones that maybe aren't so pre-historic, and Saul has come up with a pretty good `speculative fiction' scenario.I enjoyed it.

Decent Thriller, but Unfortunately Juvenile and Disjointed
The Presence is a enjoyable book, but it has a serious problem: its author seems not to have been able to make up his mind about what genre he wanted his book to fit into. During the course of the novel, the style and tone change dramatically several times. The reader is left wondering whether he is reading a horror book, a teen relationship book, a science-fiction book, a crime novel, or some weird combination of genres. If the latter was intended, it was a less-than-successful effort. Genres can be blended, but for the mix to be plausible, it must be smooth and seamless. The Presence, however, comes off as anything but smooth and seamless. It reads more like a collection of short stories that all have a vaguely connected central theme. The novel's disjointedness is all the more unfortunate because of the book's otherwise enjoyable premise and reasonably good writing.

The book opens with an eerie underwater scene that immediately sets the stage for a high-energy, tension-loaded thriller. The book is set in Hawaii, where a sudden and unexpected volcanic eruption wreaks havoc on a suboceanic research team. Meanwhile Katharine Sundquist, a noted anthropologist, and her son, Michael, have relocated to the Aloha State so that Katharine can study some unusual findings on another of the island's volcanoes. While Katharine tries to overcome her disbelief of the apparent implications of what she finds on the mountain, Michael and a group of his new friends blunder into a secret experiment that leaves them ill and some of them dead. With the community reeling from the deaths of some of its young citizens, Katharine scrambles to figure out what is wrong with son. Meanwhile one of Katharine's colleagues investigates a strange signal that seems to be coming from the outer reaches of the solar system, and Katharine stumbles across an unbelievable video on the Internet that seems to implicate her employer in a bizarre conspiracy. Throw in a romance and an evil doctor, and you have the ingredients for what could have been an intriguing blend of possible twists and outcomes but instead comes out bland and soured by unreality by the last page. When all these seemingly disjointed plot lines converge in the last few pages of the book, the reader is left feeling almost baffled. Even after all the questions are answered, it's not entirely clear why the author tried to go in so many different directions at once.

After the intriguing preface highlighting the strange events happening on islands of Hawaii and some character introductions, the book seems off to a good start. But from there the flow of the narrative takes a turn for the bizarre. The trouble Michael and his friends get into is cloaked in mystery, and the deaths of Michael's friends is a jarring shock toward the beginning of the book. But instead of using these events to draw readers deeper into the plot, Saul instead focuses on the morality of their decisions, lingering on Michael's inner turmoil to an extent that I would typically expect to find in a Christian teen novel, not an adult secular thriller. Similarly, the relationship between Michael and his mother is explored to a confusing depth. It's interesting, but it seems like something written with a teenage audience in mind, out of place in this book.

The story is a good one, and it's disappointing that it is so marred by the author's apparent flightiness. If John Saul could have stuck with one or two genres instead of what seems to be no less than five, the book would have been much easier to read. Instead, readers are distracted by gruesome death sequences that come immediately following a lengthy (and frankly dubious) heart-to-heart conversation between Michael Sundquist and his mom. Keeping readers confused is not a hallmark of skillfully concocted fiction. Trying to keep track of too many inane plot lines at once is not a very fun way to read a book. I found myself really wanting to like the story, because the basic premise intrigued me. But ultimately the distractions of author error proved enough to outweigh my desire to appreciate the author's ingenuity.

A Gripping and Exciting Read
The Presence, by John Saul, is a truly gripping and exciting read that totally throws the reader into the content of the story and truly makes the reader feel as though the far-fetched nature of the novel could actually be feasible.The novel's focus on main character Michael Sundquist and his unwilling involvement in one of the most influential and terrifying scientific discoveries of all time.This book not only discusses the possibility of life outside of the confines of earth, but it also delves into the mystery of creation and simultaneously puts to rest all past speculation on either of the two topics.Saul has created a novel that can stand the test time because of universal nature.While the book has a slow beginning it ultimately develops into a tale that the reader cannot wait to finish and discover.John Saul sets up the book so that even readers that do not have a strong scientific background are able to understand the vast scientific concepts that are contained in the novel.I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for and exciting read that will bring them into a world full of mystery and suspense.

One of Saul's more impressive novels
I had my doubts about The Presence early on.Although the Hawaiian setting was a new one, the subject of human experimentation on children by a mysterious group of seemingly unfeeling men is rather standard fare for Saul.The book started off slowly, moving from an unexplained discovery of a mysterious geode off the shores of the big island of Hawaii to a rather bland account of the move by anthropologist Katharine Sundquist and her son Michael from New York to Maui.Brought there to study the remains of a peculiar skeleton found near the volcanic slopes of Haleakala, Katharine soon finds herself in a living nightmare, one which threatens to take the life of her son.She has only the help of new boss and former flame Rob Silver in learning the truth about her new employer Takeo Yoshihara.Young Michael suffered asthma as a youth and had worked hard to overcome the condition, setting his sights on joining the track team in defiance of the ailment that had made his life a solitary one.On the island, he wins a spot on the team and makes several friends very quickly, but after the group sneaks off for an ill-advised night-time scuba dive, Michael's world spins out of control.As tragedy begins to strike his friends, Michael himself begins to struggle once again for each breath he takes.The problem is not asthma this time, however, but something much more dangerous-and unnatural.

The story of Michael's unhappiness over the move to Hawaii, his introduction to and contact with his friends on the track team, and Katharine's own work with Rob Silver on the unidentified skeleton are rather rough going.The plot doesn't seem to move very well, and the characters are not very compelling.Once things start moving, though, and the secrets at the heart of the plot begin to emerge, the novel becomes quite gripping and fascinating.There are some rather farfetched and seemingly unnecessary elements attached to the storyline, but they do not harm one's enjoyment of the book.All in all, the whole package is wrapped more tightly than many of Saul's other novels, leaving me with few unexplained answers at the conclusion.It's a well-told story, although one aspect of the denouement seems just a little too convenient.The setting, based on Saul's own familiarity with the island of Maui, is rich and vibrant, adding further energy to the tale.The basic idea of The Presence, secret experimentation on unsuspecting children, is nothing new, but this novel has legs to stand on its own two feet.The main characters eventually seem convincingly real, the science Saul evokes does not come across as utterly implausible, and the conclusion succeeds in tying together most of the loose ends scattered throughout the text.For my money, this is one of Saul's more impressive novels.

What was in those tanks?
Imagine you're a good single mother who worries over your teenage son who has a history of asthma.Your son, Michael, says he's going to the movies, but when he comes home late he tells you that he and his new friends decided to play video games instead, and lost track of time.It's a lie.The boys "sort of" broke into a dive shop and went scuba diving at night in a gloomy lagoon.So what?Although it was only Michael's second dive, he's home safe, right?

Unfortunately, there was something insidious in those "borrowed" dive tanks that will involve you and your son in a ruthless scheme of such incredible complexity that it takes three scientists and a computer hacker to unravel the mystery and save Michael.The problem is the author builds the complexity gradually until he has enough pages for a book, and then slams out the ending.It's like getting cold runny eggs when you expected an omelet.

This plot is billed as suspense - mystery - horror, but Saul has to use science fiction and fantasy themes, or what I call "incredibilities," to try to hold it together.Saul attempts to create dread by giving an apparently normal, upstanding character extraordinary power to do incredibly awful stuff to the nearly defenseless until he's defeated in the last chapter.That doesn't work for me as well as creating incredible characters with human frailties who have to struggle with the good guys throughout the story, so much so that you might doubt who's going to will win.For my idea of a much better tale in this genre, see my review of "Running with the Demon" by Terry Brooks. ... Read more

Book Description
The children were waiting. Waiting for centuries.  Waiting for someone to hear their cries. Now  nine-year-old Christine Lyons has come to live in the  house on the hill -- the house where no children  have lived for fifty years. Now little Christie will  sleep in the old-fashioned nursery on the third  floor. Now Christie's terror will begin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great story
This was my first book on cd.I usually buy the books, but since I seem to be spending more time in my car commuting, I figure why not give it a try!Boy am I glad I did.The story itself was quite interesting and was finding myself not wanting to get out of my car.The story is told by Joyce Bean and she was a great reader.I will be looking for other stories as read by her.Just gave the cd to a friend and so far she too agrees.enjoy!

Creepy Tale in a Small Mining Community
Been a while since I read a Saul book. I stopped because in every book I've read by him bad things happen to the children. And usually many of them die, including the main child. I can't remember the last book I read by him, but I do remember that I ended up throwing the book across the room and walking away. It's too gut wrenching to read about the children dying. Sheesh.

But that's where he strikes you with that feeling of terror. Seems to be his trademark punch I guess.

I was going through my paperback books, looking for something to read and came across my Saul section. There in the middle was this book and it had no creasing of the spine. I hadn't yet read it. As I opened it and began to read, I reminded myself to not get attached to any of the characters.

The story is set in one of those creepy little mining communities (Amberton) that is named after the mine owners, the Ambers. And yes, people die. Children die. There is a supernatural quality with an old Indian superstition too. They believe people who disturb the mine are actually disturbing the water babies - stillborn Indian babies are placed in a cave by the mine and when the wind blows it is said that you can hear the babies crying for their mothers to come back to them. When the wind blows, bad things happen. Nice eerie feel there. Yep.

I found the Ambers to be freaky in that fingernails on the chalkboard way. My shoulders shifted up in a wince often. And don't expect the story to end in a neat little bow. That is not Saul's way. He leaves you still perplexed about what it is in the blowing of the wind that causes craziness to stir. And you get that hint of more craziness to come.

Overall it's a pretty standard Saul book. One of his older stories actually. I found a few glitchy parts in the details. In the beginning one child is 10. At the end of the book he's 9. He must have discovered the fountain of youth, eh? :P

And I'll suggest again that you get attached to none of the characters. The odds are always in favor of them dying. But the story was interesting, fast paced, and gave a nice shiver up the spine.

Great Book
If you are a John Saul reader, you don't need a review. You already know how good he is. If you are not a reader already, then get this book and get started. You will be hooked like the rest of us already are.

Like getting to second base...
With the easiest girl in school and then she asks to be taken home.You think you're going to score, but Miss Easy has turned into Miss Prude.Argh!

Saul had an awesome premise in this book, and he came close to true fear a couple times, yet in the end he flirted with the trigger but never pulled it.Why, John Saul, why?The result is an unsatisfying, boring letdown of a book.I thought he was supposed to be in league with King and Koontz, but if this book is any indication, Saul owns the bush league.The murders are watered-down and PG.The significance of the wind is never explained.So many near scares that after a while you're convinced you will never darken the corner of third base, let alone home plate.Add to that the stiff characters and bad dialogue coupled with the withering suspense and you realize this is one date in need of a merciful abbreviation.Stay away.

Terrible
The story was awful.Just awful.Underdeveloped characters, boring storyline and just cheesy enough to make me cringe.I got this book on CD for a 15 hour drive and was sorely disappointed about 1/2 hour in.This isn't horror writing at its finest, that's for sure. ... Read more

Book Description
A powerful high-tech company. A postcard-pretty  company town. Families. Children. Sunshine.  Happiness. A high school football team that never-ever  loses. And something else. Something horrible ...  Now, there is a new family in town. A shy,  nature-loving teenager. A new hometown. A new set of  bullies. Maybe the team's sports clinic can help him.  Rebuild him. They won't hurt him again. They won't  dare. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Great Book
Bought it for my 13 yr old to read.He likes sci fi and reads well abovehis age. He definately enjoyed this book.I had read it several years ago and also enjoyed it.I love anything by John Saul.

Spookiest book ...
I've read in awhile. I don't normally read John Saul simply because he is spooky. I finished this one in a day and a half ~~ and it's spookier than I ever remember Saul being. This one just is a little too realistic for me ~~ it is one of those "what if" books and whew!

This one focuses on the Tanner family as they move from California to Silverdale, Colorado. Touting the mountains as a wonder cure for people who have health problems, the Tanners were excited over Blake's promotion and their move to Silverdale. What Blake would love to see more than anything is his sixteen year old son Mark showing an interest in football just like his old man. Mark was not interested in football and preferred photography and taking care of his rabbits instead of sports. Till he got to Silverdale. And Silverdale is such a picturesque little town with everything just so. Sharon, Blake's wife, is starting to get creeped out especially when certain events start happening around town, and in her own family.

It's really creepy for me and the storyline is intense. It has to do with lab experiments and growth hormones. There are just some things that man shouldn't mess with and hormones are one of them.

If you are looking for something to take your mind off of life, this book should do it! Even now as I am typing this, I am looking over my shoulders. It's that spooky.

8-27-06

The Creature's Destiny
The book i read was the creature by John Saul. It is a fanastic book about footbal. The character's name was Chris, his is a football player. He plays the wide receiver and the coach kind of hated his guts. And his best boyfriend's name is Kyle. And everytime Chris plays football has a short temper so he would kill someone if nobody stopped him. So his parents didn't like what the coach was doing, the children.

He was a great player and nice guy too. They was a girl named Katie who he really liked so much. And he would talk to his friends about her and one day he asked out and she said maybe she think about it. And so he retired one from football because it was kind of a dangerous game.

Paint-by-numbers horror novel
In "Creature" a new family moves to a small town in Colorado called Silverdale. In this town everyone is crazy for high school sports and the local teams are almost unbeatable because of their exceptionally large and strong players. There is a sports medicine doctor who takes care of all the players giving them special treatments and workouts. The new family has a son named Mark whose growth was stunted as a child by rheumatic fever. Before long his father gets him involved with the doctor and his secret treatments. They turn out to be more like experiments and the doctor can't control them.

John Saul is a good writer and I have enjoyed his books in the past, but this one does not measure up. Everything here is predictable, there wasn't one moment of real suspense. By page 20 I knew every character's place in the story and pretty much how things were going to turn out. It's a fast-paced book so it doesn't take long to read, but there were no surprises. Also, the characters in the town were cut-outs of each other. All the fathers overlooked their son's behavior because they were good at football and the mothers cried and shouted but eventually acquiesced to their husbands. This was a paint-by-numbers horror novel.

John Saul's Tale of Terror
I have been a longtime fan of John Saul's work."CREATURE" is a edge of your seat classic.A must have for any book collector.I would like to see this one made into a movie.A good, scary roller coaster ride into terror!It takes the "Spirit"of the game of football to next level,and kicks the thrill level up 10 notches. ... Read more

Book Description
They call it the Academy. A secluded, cliff-top mansion overlooking the rugged Pacific coast. A school for children gifted -- or cursed -- with extraordinary minds. Children soon to come under the influence of an intelligence even more brilliant than their own -- and unspeakably evil. For within this mind a dark plan is taking form. A plan so horrifying, no one will believe it. No one but the children. And for them it is already too late. Too late, unless one young student can resist the seductive invitation that will lead... into the Shadows. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Frankly, the best Saul's book
I don't agree with this stupid review of guy from Balmoral Castle. The book is just great in all ways. I really love it. When i started to read it i thought but then i read, read and it was already end of book.

Mind-twisted end. Didn't really expected such ending, but think it's great and from some fantastic side. 5 stars for book is fair.

John Saul CD
Sorry, but I didn't order this.Don't know how it got in my list of things I bought.

Awesome!
I read this book back in High School... before year 1996 and I loved it. I still remember it. I had to do a report on it, plus write a 10 page follow up of the ending and it was tons of fun. I always remembered the title, although not the author's name until a few years ago. It's good to know, so I can buy more of his books.

shadows
Shadows is an incredible well written story that will keep the reader interested long after the first page. Twists and turns await the reader at every corner. John Saul knows how to turn a simple delightful event into a horrifying nightmare.

Great for a John Saul fan
I just read this book and for being published in 1993, the book is pretty well thought out.Computers have advanced so much in the past 10 years, the computer parts of the book should be obsolete. Therefore, I think the author was thinking slightly ahead of his time.

The Academy is where super genius kids are sent to go to school. They can get away from other kids that pick on them at the regular schools.

However, there are experiments being done on the teenagers. One teen decides to go ahead and allow the head of The Academy use his brain to attach it to a computer. Another child's brain is taken against her will. The 2 children then become part of the computer system.

I enjoyed this book along with most of Saul's novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Book Jacket Is Totally Misleading
You can throw the jacket text out the window, because it's not even close.Or you can just toss the entire book.

Actually, I'm giving it one additional star because the setting interested me greatly...I like the desert/Native American theme quite a lot.

Saul is a talented writer, but I don't know if he's a great story-teller.This book lacks depth, as you feel little or nothing for any of the characters.The story is fairly predictable, especially in regards to who the bad guys are.There are some elements which have significance but are never fully explained (eg, midnight).There are also some grandiose leaps of logic, and the Native American aspect is a bit too understated (but that might be a personal thing).Plus he keeps calling them Indian, like they grew up in Calcutta, or something.What's up with that?

I struggle to find much good to say about the book, but one thing that I can think of is the book doesn't feel terribly dated, although it was written in 1990.Just pretend Verizon hasn't found its way out to the desert and ignore the lack of cellphones and Internet.

I have read one other Saul book, Darkness, and I enjoyed that book.

Very misleading
Sleepwalk was the first John Saul novel I read.The cover called it a 'terrifying' novel.The back cover described a maniac who hates teenagers.I thought it would be the perfect no-brainer horror novel.I was half right.This is not a horror novel. There is nothing scary, nothing graphic, nothing that makes the skin crawl. At best, it's a cheesy mystery.

The book did explore some interesting themes: the power of nature over man-made environments, the need to belong to a group and a family.But past that, the book offered very little.The prose was so-so at best.The characters were of the typical stereotypical fare:
...the troubled teen forced to grow up immediately and saves the world.
...the lonely teacher looking for a place to succeed after her futile attempt at teaching in the inner city.
...the aged Native American capable of seeing events prior to the occurence.

My opinion is the book offers nothing that can't be found in a million different novels with better plots and more intersting characters. Iwas not expecting much, but it would have been nice to get the advertized product.

Book Review
John Saul's book Sleepwalker is a fast paced thriller.

Judith Sheffield, a burned-out teacher from Los Angeles, moves back to New Mexico to stay with her Aunt Rita. After landing a job in the local school, Judith tries to befriend troubled Jed Arnold. His Native American mother committed suicide, believing she could never live in the white man's world since she married a white man. Jed also feels an outsider, since he is half white and half Native American.

Greg Moreland is the maniacal doctor who subjects the citizens of his town to a nightmarish mind controlling experiment that will eventually be nationwide. The purpose of this experiment is to reduce the contention of workers.

Dr. Moreland injects the students and townspeople with minuscule transmitters that travel through the bloodstream and imbed in the brain, allowing the radio transmissions from a certain frequency to control the citizens.

Jed and his dad, along with Judith Sheffield, talk with Jed's Native American grandpa about the strange happenings. Jed's grandpa had a vision about the dam exploding and Eagle coming back to his native area.

Soon Judith discovers the mind altering injections being given and decides to involve a scientist friend., who discovers the transmitters injected into the town people.

With the help of Jed and his grandfather, Judith destroys the main transmitter responsible for controlling the people and her students where she lives.

More than meets the eye
21-hour flights to Australia can be a tedious affair, but thanks to John Saul's sleepwalk, I managed to stay entertained.

This book contains a lot more than meets the eye. The back cover description is a little on the cheesy side, something about a person who hates teenagers, those troublemakers, they must die!
But Saul weaves together great characters and great suspense into something that gradually builds into a truly horrifying concept: The evils that can grow from mass corporate greed and the extent to which it's lords will go to turn everyone into loyal minions and servants.

Especially interesting are the chapters about Borrego oil and it's struggles with their Union. Well done Mr. Saul!

Slow-Moving Thriller
Once a quiet New Mexico town, Borrego has become a prime target for a local madman, Greg Moreland, and his associate, Paul Kendall. They intend to run a massive experiment on some of the town's troublemakers--Reba Tucker (a high school teacher), Heather Fredericks (a high school student), and Frank Arnold (a refinery worker), just to name a few. Their goal is to "realign the minds of the nation's youth" by injecting them with pseudo-flu shots that contain mind-controlling transformers. And it's up to three people (Jed Arnold, Judith Sheffield, and Peter Langston) to stop them before they infect the whole town.

Although the synopsis on the back of this book pinpoints teenagers as the main victims, there a lot of adults who also receive the shots, primarily ones who work at Borrego Oil and are seen as future problems. So, if you're expecting a teen-oriented book, this is not what you're looking for.

"Sleepwalk" kind of reminded me of Dean Koontz's "Midnight" in the sense they both took me several months to read, and their plots and book covers resemble each other--a sociopath tries to change the world by experimenting on a small town, and there's a silhouette of a bird on both covers. In my opinion, neither book is worth reading again, even though I'm fans of both Saul and Koontz. This book is excruciatingly slow for about 300 of the 449 pages. The ending does improve, but it's not worth wading through all those pages to get to it. So, unless you're already a fan, I'd skip this one. It's not one of Saul's best. ... Read more

Book Description
[DESCRIPTION TO COME] ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Builds Patiently Into A Riveting And Moving Horror Tale
It seems to be a John Saul defining characteristic to write in a plainer, simpler style than most of horror's other consistently good authors.It also seems to be a Saul trademark to tackle familiar, not especially original-sounding material, and to open it up in such a way as one quickly feels they know exactly where things are going.More notable, though, is Saul's ability to use that plain language, those simple premises, and the illusion that things will unfold predictably, to continually create intriguing, genuinely scary tales with characters one can care about, with ideas that one can really get into more and more as the book goes along, and with out-of-nowhere surprises and twists that start cropping up just when the novel feels like it's boxed itself into a corner and can't possibly move in any unforseen direction.

"Hellfire" is the story of an old mill with a dark history, that's about to be worked on for the first time into a century and converted into a shopping mall.The central character of the tale is Beth, a 13 year-old girl who moves in with her mother to the mansion belonging to her mother's new husband, (Beth's stepfather), and his daughter (slightly older than Beth), mother, and staff of servants.Inside the mill, someone or something is not happy with its being opened up, and Beth seems to develop a connection with that prescence.When you're working material like this, it can either come off feeling like you're treading cliched ground, or like you're treading classic ground.Classic ground turns out to be the case here, as "Hellfire" develops into a great addition to the realm of horror material involving haunted buildings and/or menacing prescences.In the early chapters, the novel builds up slowly, developing characters, taking some along lines where you really like, others along lines that you really start hating them; and slowly mounting an air of mystery and later, dread.Beth's new home is not happy, tormented by her nasty stepsister and under the disapproving glare of her snobbish grandmother, but one interesting twist is the situation with Beth's mother, her new stepfather, and her biological father.What's different is that Phillip Sturgess (the stepfather) and Alan Rogers (the father) are best friends and have stayed that way, and there's no great acrimony between Carolyn (Beth's mother) and Alan.Usually in novels with the divorce/remarriage angle present, there's a lot of angst and such, but in a refreshing twist, Beth's parents seem to have parted simply for the real-life reason that sometimes things don't work out.Having a likable core group like this becomes important to the tale as things around the protagonists start to turn darker, in both supernatural and more worldly ways.

The dark history of the mill - drawing a lot on real-life horrors and inequalities of the 1800s - is intertwined with the Sturgess family history, and both begin to be revealed simultaneously. I found that with this novel I could really feel in sync with the characters - it's like you can feel a portion of what they're feeling directly, not just from an observer's vantage point, and there are a couple of instances in which a character's discovery - such as a secret, or of the death of another of the book's characters - really packs an uncommon wallop.The tension and suspense really veer up in the last third of the book and make it hard to put down.The final chapters are jolting, moving, and left me wanting more."Hellfire" is definately a book horror readers - or mystery readers, for that matter - shouldn't pass up.

Great Book
If you are a John Saul reader, you don't need a review. You already know how good he is. If you are not a reader already, then get this book and get started. You will be hooked like the rest of us already are.

Creepy
This was among a friend's book collection that she gave me to read. And this one is just creepy ~~ not scary and not spooky, just creepy and malicious. I think I read it as a teenager when my sister had it ~~ so it's not that unforgetable.

This one has Carolyn Rogers who married Philip Sturgess, who inherited the mill. The mill holds a deep dark secret and as the book progresses, the secret is let out. Over a hundred years previous, several kids were trapped in the mill during a fire and was killed. Philip's older brother, Conrad Jr., was killed there when he was a child. Philip's daughter Tracy and Carolyn's daughter, Beth, are also main players in this novel. The secret reveals itself to Beth and Tracy, who hated her stepsister with a passion, did anything she could to drive her away. Somehow their stories are tied up with Amy's story of the day she died.

This book is creepy and felt very unfinished. It dragged on several chapters and then rushed to the end. It's not my favorite of Saul's works. It is creepy enough though to make a good evening's reading under the blankets. But not creepy enough to make you recheck all the locked doors and windows. It's more sad than spooky.

8-29-06

Saul At His Best
This was the second book I read by John Saul. In my opinion he is a genius. He knows how to get in your head and play with your emotions, and he has earned my respect, not that he needs it. Some of his newer works seem to repeat the story in some form, so it's better to buy anything he wrote up to The Second Child. Check out The Unwanted too.

Decent horror
Carolyn Rogers marries Phillip Sturgess -- rich, eligible, successful bachelor with a heart of gold despite his snobbish breeding. Phillip, along with Carolyn's ex-husband, plan on reopening a mill where a group of the town's children burned to death in the late 1800s and has recently become the site of many mysterious accidents. And that's about all the Carolyn and Phillip have to do with the story.

The main focus of the story is Beth Rogers, Carolyn's daughter from her first marriage, and Tracey Sturgess, Phillip's daughter from his first marriage. Tracey goes out of her way to make Beth feel unwanted through any means necessary, and Beth finds herself miserable and lonely. Beth befriends a girl-child who died in the fire at the mill (not unlike the girl in Saul's Comes the Blind Fury) who becomes something of a best friend to Beth. Finally, this all comes to head in a "grand finale".

This was a good read, typical early-Saul fare. It shared many similarities with Comes the Blind Fury, but it was different enough to keep me reading. Saul has a way of really making you love and hate his characters. I sort of thought that the ending was a little rushed and the revealed "secret" a little weak, but an enjoyable read still. ... Read more

Book Description
Alex Lonsdale was one of the most popular kids in La Paloma, California.  Until the horrifying car accident.  Until a brilliant doctor's medical miracle brought him back from the brink of death.  Now, Alex seems the same.  but in his eyes there is a blankness.  In his hear there is coldness.  If his parents, his friends, his girlfriend could see inside his brain, inside his dreams, they would be terrified.  One hundred years ago in La Paloma, a terrible deed was done.  A cry for vengeance pierced the night.  That evil still lives.  That vengeance still waits.  Waits for Alex Lonsdale.  Waits for the...Brainchild. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Great Book
If you are a John Saul reader, you don't need a review. You already know how good he is. If you are not a reader already, then get this book and get started. You will be hooked like the rest of us already are.

Thanks a lot guys.
I just wanted to say that I was in the middle of reading this book, and I just wanted to see if people liked it.And you guys totally ruined the book for me be giving the story away.I tried not to read anything spoiler-like, but I guess it was unavoidable.In the future, try not to give away the ending in reviews for people like me who are in the middle!

Above Average
One of John Saul's better works follows his typical path involving youngsters, a curse, and mayhem.This novel is a little differant because John included a touch of scientific
evil to the plot.The ending is a bit weak which drags down the overall rating of the book, but the rest is well written and very engrossing.

Why?
Sorry all you John Saul fans but ive read two of his books and i have to say im sick already of the guy. What kind of person will write a book about children killing people and then themselves getting murdered. And most importantly what kind of people enjoy reading it.How can you keep reading book after book of that dribble. John Saul if you see this i think you need to talk to a psycho analyst because you have some unresolved children issues.

Vengeance takes a futuristically medical form
Brainchild is a well-crafted, fairly thrilling read, the story holding up very well until almost the very end; had the final chapter not have been included, I would have given this book five stars.That ultimate chapter, though--basically a postscript--changes the whole tenor of the novel and in doing so does it great harm, in my opinion.I can forgive its inclusion, though, and it takes nothing away from the engrossing read of the novel up to that point.This is a rather typical Saul plot, augmented by a technological pulse that holds together very well, despite some minor inherent problems.There is a curse of sorts involved, and yes it all started over a century ago; yes, there is a rather typically happy family that find their lives turned upside down by tragedy.These are Saul staples, yet all of this works remarkably well in Brainchild.Your typical teenaged boy does a typically teenaged thing and ends up at the bottom of a ravine inside a thoroughly wrecked automobile.His massive brain injuries should have killed him, but he survives; his father, a doctor, calls on the only brain specialist who can possible save his son--a childhood acquaintance of his wife's whom he essentially despises.Miraculously, the boy does survive; he even prospers, becoming super-smart, but the rebuilding of his brain has left him without emotion and without any memory of his life before the accident.His friends begin to avoid him eventually, and his father especially senses something very wrong, but the doctor who saved his life refuses to tell the family exactly what he did to save him.Then his mother's friends begin to be mysteriously murdered, and a tragedy that happened long ago somehow becomes an integral part of the horror that is unleashed on an unsuspecting town.The plot heats up quite satisfactorily from there, and there is enough unpredictability to the concluding events to keep you deeply involved in seeing how the story plays out.

John Saul is a talented writer, and he does a great job of keeping this story moving at all times.Brainchild is one of his more original novels--the basic theme is rather typical of his work, but the narrative flows exceedingly well, the technological marvels we encounter remain sufficiently plausible throughout, and all of my questions were answered quite satisfactorily.I did not like the last chapter, but that does not mean that others won't find it compelling; it does offer a final twist to things.A futuristic medical thriller, invested heavily in horror and science fiction, Brainchild should prove itself a compelling, satisfying read for fans of several genres. ... Read more

Book Description
Villejeune, Florida. A secluded little town at the edge of a vast, eerie swamp. Far from prying eyes. Far from the laws of civilization. Here folks live by their own rules -- dark rites of altars and infants, candles and blood.

Years ago the Andersons left town with a dream. Now they are back. To live out a nightmare. Something has been waiting for them. Something unspeakably evil. It feeds on the young and the innocent. And soon it will draw their teenage daughter into its unholy embrace.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Engrossing Story
The small town of Villajeune, Florida is privy to a deep, dark secret.Babies die, children disappear and those that don't are haunted by nightmares of The Dark Man, who invades their thoughts, controls their minds and steals their souls.
So begins "Darkness" from John Saul.While not necessarily a typical horror story, or typical John Saul, I find the story to be engrossing and very quickly got hooked.I found that the first half of the book was much better than the second, when too much was revealed too soon.Once the "truth" about The Dark Man and the town's "secret" came out, some of the mystery disappeared as well.While perhaps the story itself was highly unrealistic and the descriptions of the swamp and rundown shacks got a bit repetitive, I found the story good, entertaining fun.A solid read.

Page turner!
All I can say is that I loved this book along with all of his other books. I will probably read it again at some point. I am biased however since Saul is my favorite author of all time!

Predictable & completely unbelievable
Well, I'm usually not one to complain about a story being unrealistic.I understand that good fiction often requires a little suspension of reality.But Darkness goes well beyond "a little" suspension of reality.This book is unbelievable almost to the point of being funny.I never really got sucked into the story.In part, because although I was able to picture the faces and places, the almost cartoonish story line meant it never seemed real, even in my imagination.

That being said, this book isn't horrible.It's average and that's about it.I'd like to give it 2.5 stars, but can't.There's a few twists.Most are pretty easy to see coming, but I don't think Saul was really intending to blindside you with them anyway.The end was a little disappointing, although I read worse.

Not Very Scary
Although Saul is not a great author, his books can often be suspenseful and entertaining. This book, however, is neither suspenseful or entertaining.

Darkness just came
All my life I really nevered liked to read. I liked some books but not all filled me with interest, until one day I found a book with a interesting title.
It was a sunday morning and I went to a garage sale and I found the book Darkness, by John Saul. It sounded interestingso I bought it. It was just 1 dollar. I never heard of the author so I wanted to try it out and see if it was a good book.
Once I began reading the first page, my eyes glued to the book. The metaphors, description, and the horror, made the book so interesting and great.I never let go of the book. Its a shock because this is the only book that I actually enjoyed. This is my second time reading the book. I RECCOMEND EVERYONE TO READ THE BOOK. YOU'LL REALLY GET ADDICTED TO THE BOOK! ... Read more