Product Description
New York Times bestselling author John Saul is a master at writing novels that chill the bones, curdle the blood, and tap into our darkest fears. He creates characters so real that you’ll feel as if they’re friends or family, and throws them into situations so terrifying that you won’t be able to look away until you turn the final page. Now, in Faces of Fear, Saul proves that there’s a fine line between perfection and madness.

Fifteen-year-old Alison Shaw may not be beautiful, but she doesn’t really care: She’d much rather read a good book than primp in front of a mirror anyway. But Alison’s gorgeous mother, Risa, knows that beauty can be a key to success and wishes only the best for her daughter, especially when Risa marries a widowed plastic surgeon and moves Alison from Santa Monica to Bel Air. Beauty may be only skin deep, but to the denizens of Bel Air it means the world. Everywhere mother and daughter look, they are surrounded by beautiful people, many of whom have benefited from the skills of Alison’s new stepfather, the charismatic Peter Dunn. Peter is certain he can turn Alison into a vision of loveliness, and Risa–drawn in by his cool confidence–is delighted. Reluctantly, Alison agrees to undergo the first procedure, and her transformation begins.

But soon Alison discovers a picture of Peter’s first wife. To Alison’s horror, she notices a resemblance between the image in the photo and the work her stepfather is doing on her. Though Risa refuses to acknowledge the strange similarity, Alison becomes increasingly frightened. Digging further into her stepfather’s murky past, Alison uncovers dark secrets–and even darker motives–and realizes that her worst fears are fast becoming her reality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Where's the supernatural?
The Story:
Allison Shaw's parents have just split, feeling torn in allegiance between the two. Her mother Risa wants to be loved and have the very best for Allison. When recent widow Conrad Dunn, famous plastic surgeon, takes interest in Risa her better judgment takes a back seat.There is a murderer on the loose that has been killing women and stealing their body parts-nose, eyebrows, lips, ears, and glands. Allisons father runs a tv news station, one of his reporters is leading the research on the murders. Allison lives with her mom and Conrad; staying despite feeling he is creepy. When Allison starts a new school, where every girl has had multiple plastic surgery procedures. Allison and Risa's new friends talk them into needing plastic surgery, pointing out every blemish in their opinion. Risa and Conrad finish talking Allison into surgery. The further along the story goes the more we learn about the serial murder running around and Conrad's sordid past.

Thoughts:
This was a good thriller/suspense novel. All that was missing was the signature supernatural aspect. That is what is so appealing about John Saul. Supernatural Thrillers are his specialty, so understandably I was a little disappointed. It wasn't as suspenseful as usual either. Faces of Fear did have a fast pace though. It is well written with different points of view. Allison and her family go through quite the developments, Allison grows up throughout the book. It was all together good, but because the disappointments I wouldn't keep it or read it again.

Like the book but.....
Unless you cant buy this at your local bookstore and need to have it shipped, it would be much cheaper overall to just buy it there. A used copy plus shipping cost more than a new copy out of the bookstore.

Predicatble and unimaginative
Many years ago I was an avid fan of John Saul because his books were taut, eerie and enthralling.

I happened to be on holiday in South America and someone had left this one behind at a hotel I was staying in. So, as I needed something to read while travelling, I picked it up and read it.

I don't know what has happened to Mr Saul over the years, but this is flat out terrible. From the very first page you pretty well know what is going to happen. And from the point he introduces each new character, you can be 90% certain you know what they are going to do. It made me think of 'Dawson's Creek' or 'The Bold and the Beautiful' with a dose of horror thrown in. Add to that, the writing is about as sophisticated as an article in People magazine., and you are left feeling a formerley great horror writer is running on empty.

If you want a good John Saul book, my advice is that you read something from his early career, like 'Suffer the Children', 'Cry for the Stangers', 'Punish the Sinners' or 'The God Project'. This is trash. Steer well clear of it.

Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
15-year-old Alison Shaw enjoys her middle-class life with her parents, a real estate agent and a TV production manager. However, her world is turned upside down when her parents' marriage dissolves after her father reveals he is gay. Alison's mother marries acclaimed plastic surgeon Conrad Dunn, whose wife committed suicide after a boating accident left her perfect (albeit surgery-enhanced) face permanently scarred. Alison moves with her mother to Dunn's mansion and has trouble adjusting to an affluent lifestyle with friends who think nothing of paying thousands of dollars for clothes and indulging in plastic surgery to fix perceived flaws. Meanwhile, a demented murderer named the Frankenstein Killer is harvesting parts of women's faces, as well as their adrenal and thymus glands, leaving behind mutilated corpses. As the killer picks up the pace, Alison and her mother are peripherally aware of the frantic search by the police, although unaware that Alison may be the motive behind the killings.

Faces of Fear, Saul's 35th novel, has mystery, suspense, characters wholesome and likable and those adroitly portrayed as evil and maniacal. Although slow to start, the book does pick up speed, yet savvy readers will figure out the mystery well before it is revealed.

Storylines right out of current events.
Avid reader of John Saul found this book to be among the best of his modern works, Yes, sometimes predictable but is still enjoyable. Gore hounds will probably love it.I've read some very bigoted reviews regarding a few gay characters, such as, "pushing the homosexual agenda" (?!?)Some of these "reviewers" (bigots) actually try to insult Mr. Saul by claiming he must be "coming out". Well NEWS FLASH... JOHN SAUL IS GAY.To claim he's "pushing an agenda", is idiotic.The man has written over 30 novels and this contains his first true gay characters. So lets move on.This book also contains some great political shots which also are rare in a Saul novel, there a great subtle one regarding FOX news.To me this book seemed that Saul was finally feeling courageous enough to throw a little personal points of view into his work.I would not recomend this to a first time Saul reader, for that it would be "THE UNLOVED", "SECOND CHILD",SUFFER THE CHILDREN","NATHANIEL".But a fun read none the less. ... Read more

Product Description
"HIS MOST EFFECTIVE THRILLER TO DATE. . . [A] COMPELLING READ."
--The Seattle Times

For five years Seattle journalist Anne Jeffers has pursued the horrifying story of a sadistic serial killer's bloody reign, capture, trial, and appeal--crusading to keep the wheels of justice churning toward the electric chair. Now the day of execution has come. A convicted killer will meet his end. Anne believes her long nightmare is over. But she's dead wrong. . . .

"ELECTRIFYINGLY SCARY."
--San Jose Mercury News

Within days, a similar murder stuns the city. As the butcher stalks his next victims, creeping ever closer to her, Anne is seized by an icy unease, a haunting sense of connection to these unspeakable crimes. And, relentlessly, she hears the eerie echo of the dead man's last words to her: "Today won't end it. How will you feel, Anne? When I'm dead, and it all starts again, how will you feel?"

"ONE OF SAUL'S BEST."
--Publishers Weekly

A SELECTION OF THE LITERARY GUILD(c) AND DOUBLEDAY BOOK CLUB(c) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Just plain preposterous
A serial killer is executed at noon in Seattle, and reporter Ann Jeffers is covering the highly controversial event. Across the country, at exactly the same moment, Anne'shusband suffers an all but fatal heart attack, requiring multiple efforts at resuscitation. Anne flies home, relieved to discover that Glen will recover. When he's well enough to go home, Anne rejoices, but little by little, it becomes evident that this is not the man she married. The doctor reassures her that some personality changes are to be expected, but Glen sure is acting weird. Meanwhile, although the killer is now dead, there seems to be a copycat starting his own rampage, following the same MO. Did they execute the wrong man?

There are some very gruesome scenes in Black Lightening, and if grisly were all it takes to make a thriller, Black Lightening would be a winner. But much more is required, and this novel misses the mark. Yes, mutilated bodies are discovered, all people that the Jefferses know, and the police think the killings are carried out by more than one person. So far so good. But Saul stretches credulity to the breaking point, and doesn't do it well. Creepy does not equal suspenseful, and in sections, Black Lightening is almost laughable, especially at the end. Preposterous.

Black Lightning - It shocked me right into unexpectedly liking it.
Read in August, 2009
Note: Black Lightning is the first John Saul novel I've read.

To be honest, I wasn't all that interested in Black Lightning when I started. The only reason I picked it up is because I felt guilty for NOT reading it; it had been sitting on my shelf since around 2002 gathering dust. I didn't expect to really get into it, let alone LIKE it.

Sometimes, it's the books you expect to hate that end up surprising you the most. Black Lightning is one of them. The supernatural flavoring (I can't say more; it'll ruin it) added to the thriller genre to which BL belongs delighted me. I was unable to predict who the killer was, and even though I had my suspicions, I found myself doubting: "Naw, it COULDN'T be him; could it? No, there's just no way!" So the ending caught me completely off guard, shocking me right into giving Black Lighting 4 stars when I had expected to give it two.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the only character that didn't annoy me to no end was Glen Jeffers, Anne's husband. Anne Jeffers and her cop friend Mark Blakemoor bothered me, especially the repressed sexual tension between them. I felt in light of the fact that HELLO, THERE'S KILLING GOIN' ON, PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE, Anne's firm "Kraven was the killer, all is well, end-of-story" attitude and Mark's panting at her heels was just a nuisance to read. I found myself rooting for the killer, even after his identity was revealed: if Anne died, I wouldn't have to read about her any more. It's this complete disconnection with the protagonists that stops me from granting Black Lighting five stars. Four is fair enough.

Was hoping for more
I enjoyed a number of John Saul's other works, especially his serial novel a few years back, but this one left me very flat. Pedestrian plot, little suspense, weird POV glitches and a very disappointing ending. This story just never got it together and I found myself skipping paragraphs at points just to get through parts. I was hoping for more.

Entertaining read
This is a fast-paced easy to read thriller. Maybe it is on the simple side & maybe redundant at times, however it was entertaining.

I enjoyed the book, although I had a problem w/ the murderer being executed after only 2yrs from sentancing - TX doesn't even kill 'em that quick. Also, the whole "Indian" (Native American) stuff w/ Sheila Harrar just seemed...I don't know, but Mr. Saul could have done a better job w/ that topic.

Black Lightning
I love to read suspense thrillers.This is one of the best that I have ever read!It kept me guessing until the very end.Not the typical serial killer book.Also very different that most of Saul's books. ... Read more

Product Description
A peaceful desert town is taken over by a madman with terrifying powers. ... 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

Product Description
This collection contains terrific tales of terror and suspensefrom a million-copy-plus national bestseller. Brainchild: AlexLonsdale was one of the most popular kids in La Paloma,California. Until a brilliant doctor's medical miracle brought himback from the brink of death. Now, Alex seems the same. But in hiseyes there is a blankness. In his heart there is coldness. If hisparents, his friends, his girlfriend could see inside his brain,inside his dreams, they would be terrified. One hundred years ago inLa Paloma, a terrible deed was done. A cry for vengeance pierced thenight. That evil still lives. That vengeance still waits. Waits forAlex Lonsdale. Waits for the...Brainchild.Nathaniel: For ahundred years, the people of Prairie Bend have whispered Nathaniel'sname in wonder and fear. Some say he is a folktale, created tofrighten children on cold winter nights. Some swear he is a terrifyingspirit returned to avenge the past. But soon ... very soon ... somewill learn that Nathaniel lives still--that he is darkly, horrifyinglyreal. Nathaniel--he is the voice that calls to young Michael Hallacross the prairie night ... the voice that draws the boy into theshadowy depths of the old, crumbling, forbidden barn ... thatchanging, compelling voice he will follow faithfully beyond the edgeof terror. The God Project: Something is happening to thechildren of Eastbury, Massachusetts. Something that causes healthybabies to turn cold in their cribs. Something that strikes at theheart of every parent's darkest fears. Something is taking thechildren one by one. Now, an entire town waits on the edge of panicfor the next nightmare. There must be a reason for the terror. Theyall know it. But no one ever suspected... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

three great book is one
I have read all three of these books. I wish they would have had them inone complete novel when I was looking for them. These books show John Saulsamazing ability to write books. ... Read more

Product Description
Something horrific is happening to the children of Eastbury, Massachusetts. Now, an entire town waits on the edge of panic for the next nightmare. There must be a reason for the terror. They all know it - but no one ever suspected. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent!
New condition, great packaging, and I can't believe it got here so fast from England!

"All Fall Down" is simply the European release title for "The God Project."
"All Fall Down" is the same book as "The God Project," just released in a different market with a different cover. If you've already read or have "The God Project" and get this book, it'll be the same thing. It is the same book, just with a different cover. There is additional or added text and no editorial changes.

John Saul is not one of my favorite authors. I liked him as a kid, but by the mid-90s as I got older I was disillusioned by the fact that he never seemed to change his style and his books were plagued by a predictable sameness, as well as a lot of padding. However "All Fall Down," or "The God Project" as I will refer to it, is during Saul's heyday, while his books still felt fresh and innovative and his popularity was reaching its zenith.

It takes place in a small town, Eastbury, Massachusetts, which is stricken by an epidemic of SIDS in its seemingly healthy infants (also known as crib-death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Children start to turn up missing as well. One woman, Sally Montgomery, refuses to believe the SIDS explanation peddled to her as the cause of death for her baby girl. The parents of these child begin to come together and find out rather some rather chilling medical data about their children and who has been monitoring them with interest. I can't really tell more without giving away some vital plot spoilers, but if you've never read John Saul before, this is as fair a place to start as any. It's one of his better novels, and not that typical - most of his novels revolved around small children and horrible, often supernatural-seeming happenings in small towns.

So I guess I'd recommend this book. Once you get past a certain point, it becomes fairly predictable, and in the 20+ years since it's been released there have been enough other books in this vein to give you an idea about what's going on, but it still packs a decent wallop. ... Read more

Product Description
Fifteen-year-old Alison Shaw may not be beautiful, but she doesn’t really care: She’d much rather read a good book than primp in front of a mirror. But Alison’s gorgeous mother, Risa, knows that beauty can be a key to success and wishes only the best for her daughter–a wish that may come true after Risa marries widowed plastic surgeon Conrad Dunn. Conrad claims that he can turn Alison into a vision of loveliness, so the teenager reluctantly agrees to undergo the first procedure. Then Alison discovers a picture of Conrad’s first wife and notes, to her horror, a resemblance between the image in the photo and the work her stepfather is doing on her. Though, Risa refuses to acknowledge the strange similarities, Alison digs further into her stepfather’s murky past, uncovers dark secrets and even darker motives–and realizes that her worst fears are fast becoming reality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Classic
Classic John Saul.Good story and good ending.If you like Saul, you will enjoy it!

A Less Than Mediocre Ending to a Good Novel
The novel is a fast paced suspense thriller in the world of plastic surgery. Mr. Saul puts a few twists into this world. The story is, however, very predictable. Now, the ending. It's mediocre & ridiculous at best. It just does not do the book justice.
A 16 year old girl is the object of affection from a very twisted mind. Two main characters enter like Batman & Robin to save all that is good. No cops needed here. It's all done and the world is made a safer place before the cops even arrive.

Disappointing
This was the first time I had read anything by John Saul and, given my immense disappointment in the last 45 pages, it may very well be the last.The first 348 pages were intense and I enjoyed them as much if not more than my favorite work by Dean Koontz.

But everything changed in those last 45 pages - everything was wrong.It was as if the author was tired of the story he had created and didn't know how to end it so he handed it off to someone else.I would actually feel better if this were the case because I would be more apt to invest my time in another of his works if I thought it would be as enjoyable as those first 348 pages.

So if I shuffle the chapters around in my head and let the novel end earlier, without the deluge of waste material that makes up those last 45 pages, then this was a five star experience.If I accept the novel as it stands, I simply don't know how to rate it.

One last thing which was rather disturbing:the description on the backside of the paperback copy I read was wide off the mark.It's as if the covers were printed before the ending was written and (a) either no one bothered to notice the huge discrepancies, or (b) nobody knew how to incorporate these highlights into the story.

A terrific storyline, with potential for greatness, robbed of it's glory.I feel let down by the publisher, the editors and the author. ... Read more

Product Description
"All the right scares in all the right places." The Seattle Times
A telephone rings in the dead of night with shocking news for single mother MaryAnne Carpenter: her friends the Wilkensons are suddenly, inexplicably dead, their only child, Joey, a sad and silent adolescent and MaryAnne's godchild, abruptly orphaned. But as MaryAnne rushes with her family to the Wilkenson's ranch to embrace her young charge, disturbing questions mount. Was it an accident that killed her friends? Or murder?
Now, as winter transforms the ranch into a place of blinding, dangerous storms, a series of horrific murders, killings that suggest a raging animal and defy solution by the local police, draw ever closer to MaryAnne and her young family.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

One of Saul's Best!
I can't understand what the other reviewers meant when they said this was not as good a book as they expected. I've read all of Saul's older novels and this one by far has stuck with me. It has all the characters and setting to make for a book unable to put down. I read this until the wee hours of the morning and the setting description and the story plot sent shivers up my spine. This book does differ from Saul's other book by way of the "villain." Unlike his other stories that have the evil twist this is unique in that the "villain" is inhuman. The setting was described so realistically that I could picture the snow on the ground with the moon barley peeking over the wooded tree tops. You could "feel" the eyes watching you from the dead of night and see the "breath" on the glass from outside. Truly engaging!!!! A must read.

Alright
Even though I didn't really like this book, it actually gave me a nightmare while camping. Thus, Guardian gets 4 stars instead of 3 since it seemed to have a lasting effect.

Anyways, the book wasn't bad, but wasn't that great IMO.I'm just not a big fan of werewolf stuff - so maybe that's why I didn't care for the book much... Parts also seemed repetitive & I just did not care for the main woman character (Maryanne). By the end I seemed to sympathize more w/ the villain/s.

Also, the ending seemed to be dragged out or something. However, I did like how it left you to speculate about what would happen in future.

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY...
This is a book that might have had a chance had the author not been so self-indulgent. The book was milked for more than it was worth and stretched to the breaking point. It needed better editing, as it was overlong and repetitive. Though the premise was mildly interesting, it falls far short of its intended mark, due to its overall lack of tension. It is not one of the author's better books.

It begins promisingly enough, when MaryAnne Carpenter, who lives in New Jersey with a philandering husband and their two children, Alison and Logan, gets a call telling her that her best friend and her wealthy husband have both died accidentally, leaving an only child, Joey. As he is her godchild, MaryAnne travels with her children to Idaho, where the Wilkensons lived on a magnificent ranch. There she discovers that she has been named as Joey's guardian.

While there, she notices that Joey is a loner, a strange child who becomes stranger with every passing moment. Joey himself senses that there is something different about him. here There is even a suspicion that Joey himself may have been responsible in some way for the deaths of his parents. Meanwhile, mysterious murders begin to take place in the rural countryside in which Joey lives. Evil seems to be all around them, as a malevolent force begins to strike at them. Who or what is it? Could it be the mysterious stranger who is spotted from time to time? Or is it someone or someething else?

The book seems to degenerate into ludicrousness, as the reader is expected to believe that MaryAnne, knowing what she knows, is allowing her children, with and without Joey, to wander around the ranch where the Wilkensons mysteriously died. She permits this, even after savage murders have taken place very close to the ranch. The book further degenerates when the characters seem to be mere fodder for the predator that is out there in the wilderness, waiting for the moment to strike yet again. This book could have been a contender, had its editor seen fit to pare it down to a point where there might still be some tension left in the book.

what a marvellous piece of entertainment!
well,here is an interesting piece of work.I was a bit hesitant at first to write a review,because most of the reviews that have already been written by readers are quite well done.But,however,I have notice that there are gaps and pieces of this hugely chilling book that were not mentioned.So,writing this review now,I am going to explain what I could about the story,but from a different angle to that taken by the other reviewers.
But I must warn you,however,that all my points on the story may not be in order,that is simply because the story takes a while to unravel,and some things happen in the ending of the story which,in fact,shoud have been at the beginning!But nevertheless it is a great read and not too long to bore anybody out.And I definitely recommend it.It is a guarantee.

So,here goes the plot:
(like I said,I would attempt to explain this story from an angle that most of the reviews have chosen to ignore).

Some people in a penitentary were given a choice:if they volunteered for a highly classified experiment,they would get a chance to be released from prison,the ones that volunteered,signed an agreement.(this part of the story was mentioned in the ending!)
Now,the good part.The purpose of the experiment was to make the human body stronger and more resistant to diseases.So,genetic material from an animal(wolf)was taken and used to do this...
Now,a prisoner named Shane Slater,volunteered.He was taken to a hospital where the experiment was being conducted.Everything went quite nicely until he miraculously escaped.(most of the infromation about how he exactly escaped was not mentioned in the book,apparently the author kept it away to keep the story short,but it kept me guessing!).
Then as a result the experiment on Shane began a change to his body,sort of like a mutation,if you will.
He developed a craving for raw meat,his senses were more keen,he grew alot of hair on his body and his body size was even bigger!But all these things began to happen over a period of time...
He ran away from the hospital to a town where he fell in love with a woman.But when the FBI suddenly showed up in the town,looking for him,he disappeared into the hills and was not seen until about thirteen years later.
Meanwhile this woman got married to a man and had a son named Joey.A very rich man,that is.But it later turned out(very far in the story,that is)thatJoey is Shane's son.
So,listen carefully.If Shane had mutated genes which gave his certain characteristics.Then,Joey,obviously would have this as well...
Now,the few killings that happened in the story was basically by an accident.Because when the "urge" came over Shane(hidden in the hills,still) he ended up killing people at a campsite.But he was fully aware that he had a son because his instincts told him that.And Joey also had the same feeling although he was unable to explain it.
So,the story is circled around the fact that Shane wanted to find his son and Kill him.And also to warn Joey's mother and stepfather about Joey's condition
But in the very beginning of story,what happens is that:while Joey's stepfather is taking care of his horse,Shane suddenly shows up,not wanting to hurt anyone but only to talk to the stepfather,but the horse was suddenly nervous and trampled over the stepfather,killing him...
That same day,Joey's mother was on top on a cliff,highly distressed by what happenend and she was also looking for Joey who was in the bush somewhere.But Shane appeared suddenly,and she got scared of the strange dark scary figure that was coming towards here,and she fell of the cliff,dying.(now,it is not known if any of the victims clearly saw Shane)...
So,here is where "the Guardian" comes in,hence the name of the story.Marianne,Joey's god mother legally became his guardian after Joey was left without his mother of stepfather to look after him.

Now,what happens from here is important but not as important as what I have already written.And most of what I haven't written are already done by other reviews.I just wanted to write what they left out...

So,I would just write a little more...While taking care of Joey,Suzanne and her kids noticed that something was unusual about he boy...Joey,poor boy,literally put Suzanne through hell.
And Suzanne was recently getting over the shock that her husband had been cheating on her...She surely went through alot...And now she has to deal with the terror of Joey and his development into a so called "werewolf".

Now,I guess I have said alot,and I hope that It gives you the general idea of this magnificently written book...enjoy...Nigel

You'll Lose Sleep Over This One!
GUARDIAN was the first novel by John Saul that I read. I don't remember who recommended this author to me, but I'm very grateful for that advice, even though it cost me a few nights of sleep!

GUARDIAN is the story of Mary Anne Carpenter who moves to Idaho with her two children to become the guardian of her teenage godson who has recently become orphaned (hence the book title). The people in the small town where they now reside don't seem to like her godson, while Mary Anne is trying to understand why they have an aversion to him, she learns about a series of brutal murders in the nearby area. Could they all be connected?

Picturesque Idaho is the backdrop and a teenager that has just lost his parents is one of the main characters, what's so scary about that? You'd think moving to a ranch in Idaho is a dream come true, even if the circumstances are not perfect in the beginning, but this is far from the ideal situation.

Believe me, this is one of the most frightening books I've ever read. It wasn't scary so much for the content and the exact story line, but my imagination went into over-drive because of this book. "What if" became the beginning to many of my ideas and I didn't sleep well for several nights because the premise of this "villain" was so diabolical and present in all of our lives. Could this work of fiction actually come true, not exactly as written, but in an offshoot? You bet it could and that fact is what scared me the most.

I've recommended this book to several friends, all of whom have loved it. Those who never read anything written by John Saul also became avid fans. If you don't mind losing a few nights sleep (first by wanting to finish the book, then because of nightmares) and if you want to be intrigued from the first page until the last, then this is the book for you.
... Read more

Product Description
After years of living in Los Angeles, pretty young widow Karen Spellman and her two daughters are returning to the lush, verdant countryside of Karen's childhood, where she plans to marry her high-school sweetheart. But something sinister awaits the Spellmans. Something so hideous it seems not earthly, but spawned in Hell. Now Karen must protect her daughters from a malign, preternatural force that must satisfy its gruesome thirst for unsuspecting prey . . . .
... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

terrible, an awful read
Save yourself the time of reading this book. This book is about humans being able to control bugs, yep as soon as the town rapist gives you a shot you can control bugs!!! evil deadly bugs, oh no! oh and your fingers turn into bee stingers, scary! (yeah right), and if one of these bug controllers kisses you, then you can control a bug too!

I cannot believe that even one person wrote a positive review of this book. I borrowed this book from a friend. This is one of the worst books I've ever read.It is so far fetched I could not believe it and the story repeats itself on about four different occasions.The same incident happens to four different teenagers and John Saul actually repeats the story four times for each teenager.

Also. There is a man accused of rape in the story, and this was the biggest plot hole of all. I'll explain.

So theman is accused of rape by an eye witness, the girl who he raped says she doesn't remember what happened. This alone is enough for everyone to dismiss this man of the crime he was accused of. This man also was allowed to administer unlabeled shots to this girl after she had an allergic reaction to a bee sting. He also administered these shots to other teenagers in the town after he was accused of rape. He also has dead corpses in his basement but of course no one would bother investigating a possible rapist.

One guy figured out that this guy was an actual rapist and decided to confront him, unarmed of course, all by himself!!! good idea. He dies

The Doctor of the town figured out that he was a rapist and instead of calling the police this female doctor decided to confront this guy all by herself, unarmed of course. What a great idea!!! He kidnaps her

The Sheriff of the town figures out this guy has killed at least two people and instead of arresting the guy he just locks him in his own basement then leaves to go help find some missing kids.

About 200 pages of this book is about finding missing children, the children are in fact less than a days walk away from the house they went missing from, they are PLAYING WITH BUGS IN A CAVE!!!!! ridiculous.

If you wanna read 450 pages about teenagers playing with bugs then dieing because the bugs like them too much then read this book.

This book will sting you in the butt!
First and foremost,I would like to say that this book is toxic!Well,what I mean is that:if you hate insects,don't even bother reading the book,farless for this review.Don't say that I didn't warn you...Anyway,if you have the stomach for it,lets get down to business.

Main characters(Karen Spellman,her daughters Mollie and Julie,her Husband Dan,and her stepson)

Karen Spellman has run into some financial problems after her husband has passed away.
After being invited to a high school reunion,she meets an old friend of hers and falls in love.
She later takes her two daughters from the city and they all moveto where her she(karen)lived as a kid.
She then marries her old friend,therby becoming his son's stepmom.
Dan's father,for no reason at all,hates Karen and her children.It is hinted that he hates them because he doesn't think they are right for the country life.
On the farm they have:horses,a dog,other animals and BEES.

NOW,let me explain what the bees are for:they are simply to help in pollination of the crops.

Now back to the story,where was I,oh right:
Mollie is bitten by a bee during the wedding ceromony.
She is taken too the local hospital where it was made known that nothing could be done immediately due too lack of facilities.And that she would have to be taken too another hospital.
She was in a critical state,I might add,she developed a bad allergy to the bee sting.
Fortunately,there was a new anti-toxin at the hospital in which she was taken.(this anti-toxin was not available to the local market yet).Anyway,she recovers fully and things returned to normal...UNTIL:

Some time later her older sister Julie is bitten by a bee and the same thing happens,but only things turn out a little worse because she was not given the same anti-toxin her sister was given but a highly mutated chemical which altered her body,making it into an "insect" internally.

Confused I am sure you are.So let me elaborate a little more on it.When the bee stung her it injected larvae into her blood stream.This larvae underwent metamorphosis and produced insects(the writer does not explain this part too in dept,he sorts of leaves us hanging,but he still gives us hints.I hope for a sequal)in different parts of her body.These insects had to be transferred to another body(host)after a certain period of time,because unfortunately the cannot live outside the human body.And the human body in which they live in can only withstand only a certain amount of invasion before being destroyed!

So this is basically what happens throughout the story:starting with Julie the "insects" spread to other children via air contact.She just breathes it onto them.They get infected,feel sick for a while and then they just start feeling different,not necessarily good.
But the strange thing is that they start too lose control over their thoughts and when they want to say that they don't feel too well or that they are feeling freaky,they just can't.Because whatever is inside of them starts to control not only their body but their minds!

The story is well written.It has all the right scares at all the right times.And it is really gross at times,believe me.
A couple of people die in this story,of course.
Julie is one,her stepgranfather is another,her step brother is anoter...They die in a fire...

Anyway,before I close off,I am sure you probably would want to know where the hell this type of bee came from?Well,I am briefly going to explain this part.

There is a serial killer.(this guy was treated badly as a little guy,especially by his sister.And as a result he grew to hate girls who has the description as his sister,who looks like his sister,who has the features of his sister).

Now this killer is no ordinary one.He is a scientist,a mad on.An enatomist,or something like that!
He deals with insects.He specializes with these things and knows everthing or almost everything about them,or at least I think so...
So,he works for the company that supplies bees to the family.(Karen's husband).
And he creates something which would make the bees smarter and better at their jobs,thereby making their pollination process easier...
So,he goes to the Spellman's farm to inject the beehive with this new chemical of his.
On his way to this beehive he approaches Julie spellman.He automatically gets "crazy" because she fits the description of his sister.So he tries to strangle her...But anyway let me be brief.Somewhere during the fight a bee stings Julie...She,as I have mentioned,is taken to a hospital.
And the thing to note here is:she is not given the new anti-toxin here sister was given...But guess what?She is given the new chemical that the killer created for the bees.Because the killer switches it because he didn't want her to report him to the police.He,on the other hand didn't not know that the chemical would have that reaction to her body...
This is basically the main plot in the story.
The serial killer becomes the haunted.
A fascinating read...Nigel.

Creepy Crawling Nightmare!
When I started reading THE HOMING, I wasn't exactly sure what it would be about. I had previously read, and thoroughly enjoyed, THE GUARDIANby John Saul and was anxious to start another by this author.

Although I didn't enjoy THE HOMING as much as THE GUARDIAN, it brought out many emotions even if it did go into extreme detail on a wide variety of insects. I'll never look at another bug in the same way again.

While reading, I learned that homing is an insect instinct that leads them home. You can't move a beehive within 5 miles from the previous location or the bees will return to the previous hive location hovering over the empty spot until they drop dead of exhaustion. I also learned more that I ever wanted to about larvae, pupae, etc.

Karen Spellman grew up in Pleasant Ville located outside of San Luis Obispo. After attending her high school reunion, she falls in love with a former classmate, Russell Owen, and they decide to get married. Karen with her two daughters, Julie and Molly, move from Los Angeles ready to live a happily ever after type of life. From the day of the wedding, marital bliss eludes them as one tragedy after another surrounds them.

On Karen's wedding day, Molly (her youngest daughter) is stung by a bee and has an allergic reaction. The local doctor's anti-venom doesn't work and they fly to San Luis Obispo in a friend's plane. New, experimental anti-venom is given to her and the symptoms instantly subside. Dr. Ellen Fillmore, Pleasant Ville's local doctor, asks for some of the anti-venom to have on hand for future needs, and so the evil begins...

The real anti-venom is substituted with a serum that harbors insects in the host's body until they multiply to the state that they are expelled into another host. Sounds pretty gruesome, huh? It is and it gets worse. Since Molly was given the real anti-venom she isn't affected, but when her older sister, Julie, is stung, she is given the substitute and many changes begin to take place. Julie in turn infects some of her teenage friends and the horror is multiplying faster than you can imagine.

Saul creates many believable support characters all eagerly trying to find answers to the many questions raised in this book. He even throws in an A & W owner who is the town gossip and flirt along with a small town cop who is a downright nice guy.

One of the things I didn't like about THE HOMINGwas that I found it depressing. It seemed as if it was disaster after disaster with few positive things happening to any of the characters throughout the entire book. After awhile it begins to wear on you, and I just wanted to finish the book and be done with it. Looking back, I'm not sure that was because of the goriness or the image of the millions of insects reeking havoc among the townspeople that my mind pictured. Whatever the reason, I read quickly so I could move on to something a little less intense. I think my next book might be that Calvin and Hobbes I have on the shelf!

Not so bad, considering...
I've read almost everything John Saul has written. He definitely has no problem with eliminating major characters to drive the plot. I have read other reviews, and I agree that much of the stuff was repetitive, but I did enjoy and feel for the characters, especially the doctor. Mr. Saul has no problem killing kids, and has always been unnerving to me, especially in his first book, "Suffer the Children". Other books, like "Shadows" and "Cry for the Strangers" killed off kids as if it was a natural thing. Sure, it's not pretty prose, but Mr. Saul spares no one to move the plot along. "The Homing" had good characters, solid drive and an interesting premise, as well as the really bad requisite bad guy. I enjoyed it. Saul spares no one. Everyone is fair game. Unfortunately, just like life..

Glutton for Punishment
I don't know why I keep reading John Saul books.It must be my masochistic streak.I got this book in a box full of horror titles at a garage sale.This is the third or fourth book I have read by him and I just keep thinking, he is so popular and so prolific, there must be a reason.However what that reason is is beyond my comprehension.

I have to agree with the reviewers who have pointed out the horrible characters.I felt no sympathy for any of them.The poor horse and dog got more reaction out of me that anything that happened to the humans.The "story" was jumpy and not well charted out. (It was sweet of the reader below to try and give the plot substance by mentioning the sister thing, but I believe they actually spoke about it more than the book itself did.)There were so many characters, it was almost as if he thought if he put enough of them in, that no one would realize how one dimensional they all were.Well, I for one noticed and from some of the other reviews, apparently others did as well. ... Read more

Product 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. . . .Amazon.com Review
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 Durham ... Read more

Customer Reviews (63)

Pretty Good!
I read this book years ago, back in 2002, but I still remember it. Maybe it's my unexplained fear of the elderly that added to this books creepy factor, but I did enjoy this book, and found it just creepy enough!

One of my Saul favorites!
I just started reading John Saul in the last few months. Though I've heard of him throughout the years I just never picked up any of his books. Now he's all I've been reading. I'm alittle addicted :) Midnight Voices is about the 5th book I've read and it ties Perfect Nightmare for being my favorite. The reason I loved these two stories is that basically they are the true meaning of "thrillers" they raised my heartbeat at times (well, MANY times)and had me glued to the pages. If a book can do that, it's good, very good. I read ALOT and have plodded through hundreds of ho-hum novels. With Saul however, I can bet that I'll be flipping through pages fast. No, his books are not exactly terrifyingly scary like Stephen King, but it is not fair to compare him to any other authors. If I want King-esque terror, then that is what I'll read.
Here is what I've read so far:
The Guardian- very good
Comes the Blind Fury- good, but not one of his better ones
Nightshade- good
Perfect Nightmare- very good
Midnight Voices- very good

Not one of John Saul's better books
I've read several other John Saul books, "Faces of Fear", "Nathaniel", "Creature" and "Second Child". All were not great, but entertaining.
"Midnight Voices", however, was slow and I couldn't get into the story at all. I quit the book 1/2 way through.

One of his better books
I liked the book, but the 1st 100 pages was slow & was hard for me to get into.Mr. Saul just seemed to go on & on about poor Caroline.It just got old.Once Caroline & her kids moved into the Rockwell things started to really pick up.I really liked the characters at the Rockwell, however I wish Saul would have gone more into their background.There was such potential, but instead had to read about poor Caroline.

My other gripes.... Mainly has to do w/ unanswered ?'s.

1. Who killed Caroline's 1st husband & friend?
2. How did the residents become what they are????
3. What happened to Anthony's 1st wife???
4. The boy in the basement - who was he, was it the other twin?
5. Caroline's 1st husband was a successful attorney, but didn't have life insurance for his wife & 2 children... Please
6. Chloe the dog - running out to Caroline (wouldn't animal control or someone done/said something about dog) & what happened to Chloe?Okay, I was just kinda hoping she would come running up too the boy at the end...

But my main complaint - the ending!

I'm giving this book only 3 stars since I had too many unanswered ?'s & IMO there was not enough background history about the residents living at the Rockwell.

I'd still recommend reading "Midnight Voices."

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. ... Read more

Product Description
Falsely convicted of a brutal crime, college student Jeff Converse sees his future vanishing before his eyes. But someone has other plans for Jeff, in a far deadlier place than any penitentiary. Jeff finds himself beneath the teeming streets of Manhattan, in a hidden landscape of twisting tunnels and forgotten subterranean chambers. Here, an invisible population of the homeless, the desperate, and the mad has carved out its own shadow society. But they are not alone. For someone has made this forsaken civilization a private killing ground. Now, with no weapon but his wits, and an unimaginable threat lurking around every dark corner, Jeff must somehow move heaven and earth to escape from a living hell. . . .Amazon.com Review
In Manhattan Hunt Club John Saul plumbs the depths of the Manhattan underground--the network of subway tunnels and secret caverns and chambers where the homeless denizens of the city have created their own society.It's a world Jeff Converse, a young college student convicted of a crime hedidn't commit, never knew existed until he is plunged into it after an"accident" that occurs while he is being transported to prison.Hesoon realizes that it's no accident, but the opening move in a deadlygame being played by some of the city's most powerful men and women, agame in which he is the prey and they are the hunters. Jeff's onlychance to make it to the surface and survive lies in allying himselfwith a homicidal maniac who's appointed himself the young man'sprotector, but whose designs on Jeff are almost as lethal as those ofhis enemies in the Manhattan Hunt Club.

Saul made his reputation in the horror genre, but he now focuses onpsychological terrors rather than things that go bump in the night. Hisnarrative gifts are displayed to great advantage in this heart-stopping thriller; the pacing is flawless and the central characters are very well developed. What keeps this from living up to its fullest potential is the inadequate motivation of the villains, who are largely one-dimensional cardboard cutouts. But that won't keep this otherwise topnotch thriller off the bestseller lists, where Saul (Nightshade, The Right Hand of Evil),like Stephen King, is aperennial contender for the number one spot. --Jane Adams ... Read more

Customer Reviews (85)

Good... but I wanted more
First off, I really did enjoy this book.It was a fast, entertaining read with a bunch of interesting characters that I enjoyed following.Still, as I read the final chapter I felt like there should have been more.

The basic plot is that a young man is wrongly convicted of a crime, and during an accident while he is being transported to prison, he is taken into the tunnels of the New York subway, and forced to participate in a hunt.A hunt where he is the prey.

John Saul's take on the classic "The Most Dangerous Game" is enjoyable, but is lacking. While the cast of characters is large, we only get to really know a select few, and are never really fully introduced to some that play vital roles in the last act.Also, some characters who we do spend a good deal of time with never really have any effect on the final outcome.And then there is the most important part of the novel, the hunt. The hunt really doesn't begin until around page 280, and with less than 100 pages to go, the action packed ending really isn't given enough time to achieve it's full potential. There is only one or two scenes where there is any real sense of danger.Otherwise the action tends to be brief due to the choice of weapons used in this story, namely, guns.Someone shoots, someone dies, and the characters move on. Still, the novel takes it's time introducing us to an interesting cast of characters that we get the joy of following through most of the book's length, and the suspense of Jeff (our hero) and Jagger (a rather disturbed individual) attempting to escape the tunnels before the hunt begins is entertaining.

My final issue with the novel is that one very important story element, namely the crime Jeff is convicted of, is never fully resolved, and left me horribly frustrated as I read through the last chapter, wishing for one sentence to at least hint at that storyline's conclusion.

It may sound as though I didn't like the book.I did.I couldn't put it down.John Saul does a wonderful job of taking several separate story lines, and connects them beautifully in the end.The pace is fast and at no point was I ever bored.Thats the key.While this novel is flawed, and sometimes deeply so, at no point did I ever want to give up.I cared enough about the characters that I wanted to see what would become of them, and for the most part I was satisfied. I never expected great literature, but what I got was a step above the usual paperbacks that I find in my local grocery store.John Saul may not be the best author out there, but he has talent and he knows how to pace a novel.He gives you just enough information so that the reader can form a clear picture in their head without bogging down the story with unneeded description.Manhattan Hunt Club is a shining example of what a good John Saul novel is.

As it is this is a perfect summer read for those who prefer something a little more... violent than the usual Jackie Collins novel (no disrespect to Ms. Collins).Nothing more and nothing less.

No Way Around it...This Book is Awful
I actually like Saul's cookie-cutter, Stephen King styled every-book-is-the-same horror. Sure all the characters are the same in every book and the plots are insanely predictable, but they were enjoyable.
I was expecting this book to be the same. This is the kind of tale I would have conceived of when I was thirteen. I couldn't even finish it. All the characters are wooden and so horrible you don't even care if they live or die. And the whole "everyone you think is good is really evil and everyone you think is evil (felons, drug-addled homeless people) are actually good, just misunderstood plot in the book is so contrived and overdone. *Yawn* I actually think that he ended up making Jagger crazy because someone finally said to him, "You know John, not everyone in prison is innocent," to which he probably replied, "Fine! I'll make the gay guy a crazed murderer. Happy?"
Overall very disappointing.

A Lesser Version of a Popular Theme
I read this book when it first came out. While I am generally a fan of John Saul's-- I realize he's no Shakespeare, but I read everything he releases-- I was least impressed with this novel. While it was well-written, I felt the plot too closely mirrored other, older, BETTER works of a similar theme, not the least of which being "The Running Man" by horror master Stephen King. While setting the work underground adds a dimension of clausterphobia to the book, I didn't believe Saul added anything to a frequently-visited plotline.

One of my favorite reads
This is one book that I recommend to patrons visiting the library that want a psychological spin or something 'new' to read.None have given negative remarks after reading this particular book.I am hoping that someone has the idea to make this one into a movie.

No Supernatural, just great suspense
I really enjoyed this book.I have read a few of John Saul's books and have enjoyed them all.I especially enjoyed this one because it didn't involve a supernatural theme.It was just a good ol' suspenseful book.It was a great read that was smooth and fluid throughout.I only wish there was more of a ending after the suspense.It left me wondering about a few details in regards to the main characters. ... Read more

Product Description
Something is happening to the children of Eastbury, Massachusetts. Something that causes healthy babies to turn cold in their cribs. Something that strikes at the heart of every parent's darkest fears. Something is taking the children one by one. Now, an entire town waits on the edge of panic for the next nightmare. there must be a reason for the terror. they all know it. But no one ever suspected... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

John Saul's "The God Project"
This book is an old, long time favorite book of mine.
I read this many years ago in hardcover, and loaned
it out to a friend and never saw it again. So, this
was a "must have" purchase. I look forward to reading
this again.

not even skimworthy
In the quiet town of Eastbury, Mass, an infant girl dies in her crib - suddenly and with no explanation other than SIDS.A young boy who lives next door disappears shortly thereafter.Their parents search for answers, finding that their children have been unknowing participants of an undisclosed medical study.As they dig to uncover the truth, the surviving children come to realize that there is something very different about them.

Sounds promising, right?It is.Unfortunately...

There are 2 problems with "Project".

The first is that the book isn't all that shocking.The mystery at the heart of the story - what "project" is actually going - just doesn't sound all that scary.Before we even reach that point, we've already been prepped for the idea that our epic unfolds in a world of evil scientists carrying out inhumane research which is too important to set aside.It's not a horrible reality to imagine for the story because the book is too thin, its characters too flat and its landscape too uncluttered to resemble any that we identify with our real world.John Saul's Boston looks like a facile facsimile of the real thing created only to be populated by his horrible conspiracy.

Next - have you ever read a book so pedestrian that - regardless what the story was - you found it virtually impossible to avoid skimming?"The God Project" is just such a book - in fact you may have easily read about it before and just forgotten about it.Written in the early 1980's (and very dated by its reliance on computers), "Project" is likely not a book that today's readers would appreciate - it's probably not a book that readers would ever have appreciated as much as tolerated.Basic characters, uninvolving dialog and a dearth of tension barely keep you from skipping lines.Worse, since neither the characters nor the plotting are enough to solve the mystery underlying the plot, the author has to basically give away the mystery to the plot, shoring it up with the very time-worn plot mechanics done to death in other books (military, amoral corporations, unethical doctors, etc).The story has no flesh, never gives you the feeling that it could be occurring in a world such as our own, and therefore has no power to unsettle you - let alone scare you.

One of Saul's best
I read this back in the early 80's & loved it.I just re-read it recently & it's still a good story.I really think this novel was ahead of it's time w/ genetic experimentation & all the computer stuff.


I wouldn't call it a typical horror (no super natural).It has more of a government conspiracy/X-files theme going on.So if you like that, you might enjoy the book. Plus, it has a really good ending that won't disappoint you.

Too many incongruities and leaps of faith
This is the first John Saul book I have read and if it is typical it will likely be the last. In most any good novel of this genre (many of the works of Preston and Child for example) there is one or perhaps two incongruities, things that just don't hang together. This novel is repleat with them. The reader is expected to suspend any knowledge of computer systems and software: A doctor wiping out scads of data from a central system in a few minutes. Anyone heard of off-site backups? A remote computer system undoubtedly with read-only access wiping out scads more data. Again, anyone heard of backups?
The reader is expected to suspend any knowledge of bio-physics or even physics in general: An enzyme that can repair bodily tissue faster than gelignite ignited gasoline can burn it. Or that once completely suffocated, the person's brain starved of oxygen for many many minutes, circulatory system thereby shut down, this super enzyme finds its way throughout the body (without a circulatory system) and repairs everything all on its own. This is just incredible. It would be fine if we were told it all comes from some supernatural source, then maybe we could suspend the laws of physics, but normal metabolic activity. Sorry, too much to swallow.
A car is blown up with no signs of the explosive device or accelerant. An entire estate is blown up/burned down but no seems to notice.
Kids are invulnerable to any kind of harm, but doctors & parents around the country just never notice their kid spontaneously regenerating tissues in seconds. It goes on and on. Trying to read this book is a constant battle with the common-sense believable parts of your brain.

John Saul's BEST
I will not give away any of the story for this book but I will say it is the only book I have EVER heard my wife say she would buy a hundred times if she had to because her home library will never be without it.
It is the first book she ever read by John Saul and she is now a die hard fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Where do I begin?
Startling. Provocative. Depressing. Stirring. Confounding. Rage-inducing. Bewildering. Inspiring.

All of these adjectives are befitting 'A Fair Country'. And more. (In its own bizarre way, it's a love letter to the nation.)

When I lived in the UK, I would often be called upon to answer the question 'So; Canadians and Americans... What's the difference?' Having been born and raised in Canada, having lived in the US, having half my family there as residents, I felt eminently qualified to provide a fairly cogent answer.

After reading Saul's book, I humbly confess that I'd been wrong.

Turns out I didn't really understand much at all about Canada, its history, what it means to be a Canadian...not even how it all relates to the U.S., to being 'not American'.

I won't belabour the point here by rehashing what's in the tome. My copy was dog-footed to the extreme, there were so many bits that I just had to go back to, or excerpt for friends. Suffice it to say that 'A Fair Country' is by far the most important book I've read this year, and as a Canadian, one the most important ever. It's unsettled me, forced me to look at elements of Life in Canada in entirely different ways, compelled me to re-examine my perspective. (As a screenwriter, it's even given me pause to consider Canadian history as source material, no mean feat.)

'A Fair Country' should be required reading for all Canadians. The resulting dialogue might get us up off our collective apathetic arses and into action, at long last creating the nation we're capable of realizing.

Inspiring if true, interesting if not . . . . .
There is a fundamental flaw in this book which can be summed up in this premise:If we drink water, and since Stalin drank water, therefore Stalin must have been a democract like us.

This flaw doesn't make Saul fundamentally wrong;instead, it is the flaw of assuming the commonality of certain principles means they must have been adopted from others rather than being independently invented.Saul believes, "We are a people of aboriginal inspiration organized around a concept of peace, fairness and good government."

If so, then Canada must have Zuni origins.Governor Robert Lewis of Zuni Pueblo expressed the same principles to me on various occasions, as did Navajo Nation President Albert Hale.They are wise enough in the ways of people to cite common values among people rather than believing good ideas much have a common origin.

Likewise, in 'Woodcraft and Indian Lore,' Ernest Thompson Seton outlines "Teepee Etiquette" which consists of many similar ideas.As a former Navajo Nation official, including serving as president pro tem, I saw many of these principles in day-to-day reality.To cite one example, the 'Dine' system of justice is based on different principles than Anglo-Saxon law which now governs much of the world.

Navajo "Peacemaker Courts" are quite different than Canadian courts.If adopted, such principles would turn Canadian legal society upside down.Obviously, it is worth considering and, if adopted, might even give lawyers a good name.

It is profoundly true, as Mohawk writer Beth Brant says, "We do not worship nature.We are part of it."Every modern biologist readily agrees.Does this mean the origins of modern biology are aboriginal?Or does it indicate common sense is universal?

Saul is brilliant, innovative, provocative and original.If Canada adopts these principles, it will be a better society.But, his argument will make more sense if he understands universal principles which make a good society rather than suggesting Canadians are too dumb to think of such principles on their own.

In many ways, it is a gem.As one of Canada's best known intellects, Saul is worth reading for his varied insights.He's inspiring if true, interesting if not and obviously the epitome of Canadian self-deprecation.It'd be much better if he had pride in Canada instead of his own cleverness.

He'd do far better if he credited Canadians with using their own intelligence to develop a fine society instead of saying, "Here's some more ideas for you copycats to adopt."

So why five stars?Any book that makes you think, even if your conclusions are the opposite of the author, deserves praise.What's more, perhaps Saul is right and Canada is wrong.

... Read more

Product Description
Italy 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear.  Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real  and imagined in the flames of the burning stake.  Neilsville, 1978. Peter Blasam has come to this  sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a  mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening  to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High  School -- something evil. In bloodlet and terror a  suicide contagion has swept the two... while a dark  order of its holy men enacts a secret medieval  ritual. Is hysteria manipulating these innocent children  into violent self-destruction? Or has supernatural  force, a thirteenth-century madness, returned  to... Punish The Sinners. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Bizarre tale with lots of strange twists
John Saul is a master of horror story telling.His stories cause shivers up and down your spine, butterflies in the stomach, and the uncontrollable urge to keep reading.I am deliberately keeping these reviews vague so as to not spoil anything.

Punish the Sinners is a bizarre story, set in the backdrop of a private Catholic high school called St. Francis Xavier High School.When Peter Balsam begins teaching a controversial psychology course, he notices that the children in this school have been very well indoctrinated in the attitude of the whole village (Neilsville, WA), which is very much a small town filled with very religious people.

However, something isn't quite right at the high school and Peter is determined to find out what it is.There are strange rumors, whispers about a dark secret society.And then the children start dying ...

This story is just creepy and I loved reading every word.Don't miss it if you are a fan of horror.

Saul writes true horror, so don't expect any happy endings here.But DO expect to be thrilled and chilled.Don't miss this great story.

7 out of 10
Not too bad. A good sophomore effort for Saul. Evil priests have a special place in my heart. A few scenes could have been spiced up and made more interesting. It could have had a better ending as well. It seemed as if Balsam just gave up.
--author of The Shadow God and Spiritual Sorrow

Interesting early effort from one of my faves...
I've read almost everything Mr. Saul has written. Oddly enough, I only recently came across this one, his second published novel. It certainly has a terrifc premise, and our hero, Peter Balsam, is likeable; also conflicted andvulnerable, which makes him perfect fodder for the wonderful mind of Mr. Saul. How exciting to come to a new town and start fresh after a rash of failures, whether the priesthood or his subsequent marriage, or the certainty of his future. Peter Balsam comes to teach phychology at a parochial school, almost unheard of by the set-in their ways populace. Angry nuns, weird old priests and closed-minded townspeople greet him with suspicion, but the kids love him, so glad to be given a chance to learn something new during their"formative years". Well, chaos ensues, as would be expected, and the next-to-lead character, Monsignor Peter Vernon, Balsam's old school chum, creates lots of confusion and plot twists that carry the reader to a satisfying conclusion, though not the one you'd think. Or...it would've been unexpected had I not read so much Saul before. It was very enjoyable, and if you're new to Mr. Saul, check this one out right away.

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

John Saul
This is for all the John Saul paperbacks I have ordered.I love them all. ... Read more

Product 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)

boring
man this was a boring book.This was like the 3rd saul book i read, and I thought all of his books were great.I geuss i am alone here.This one was slow... dragged on forever about a basment door creeking.I dont get it.What was so scary about a bsement door creeking and a baby crying? i had a hard time staying awake while reading this book.i guess most of the people who wrote great reviews about it read it in the 60s before horror was really greusome and detailed.this book did nothing for me.id rather watch a black and white flick with bad actors and bad special effects.

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!

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

Product Description
Clark's Harbor was the perfect coastal haven,  jealously guarded against outsiders. But now  strangers have come to settle there. And a small boy is  suddenly free of a frenzy that had gripped him since  birth... His sister is haunted by fearful  visions... And one by one, in violent, mysterious ways the  strangers are dying. Never the townspeople. Only  the strangers. Has a dark bargain been struck  between the people of Clark's Harbor and some  supernatural force? Or is it the sea itself calling out for  a human sacrifice? A howling, deadly...  Cry For The Strangers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great service
Great service. The item was in great condition just as described.
I've really enjoyed reading this book!

a movie?
Was this a movie made in 1982? I seen it 20 years ago, but only remember the opening part of the movie. Had know idea it was a book.

Loved it.
John Saul, You just keep getting better. What a mind! I was hooked from the moment I discovered you.I know of no other author who can create stories involving children and take them to such a degree of drama. Keeps you reading all night.

Chilling, very spooky
John Saul is a master of horror story telling.His stories cause shivers up and down your spine, butterflies in the stomach, and the uncontrollable urge to keep reading.I am deliberately keeping these reviews vague so as to not spoil anything.

Cry for the Strangers was, in my opinion, one of the creepiest stories I've read so far this year.Brad and Elaine Randall are looking for a place to stay for a year so Brad can write a book.When they come into Clark's Harbor, they think they've found the perfect place.It is a lovely little town with several beautiful little beaches ... and strangers are NOT welcome here.From the moment they decide they want to live there, strange things start happening.A fisherman falls overboard and drowns - tangled in his own net.Elaine discovers the corpse of a dog on the beach, with its neck broken.The fisherman's wife commits suicide.And one of Brad's former patients (he is a psychiatrist) is here - a young boy who suffered from terrible hyperactivity - and is apparently completely cured.

As things get uglier and uglier for the Randalls (and the Palmers, whose child I just mentioned), they are repeatedly told that it is because they are strangers and they don't belong here.Can they discover the secret to save their lives in time?

Saul writes true horror, so don't expect any happy endings here.But DO expect to be thrilled and chilled.Don't miss this great story.

Saul
I enjoyed the book it was a good story but it is a little odd that these people don't move with all the murders and the killer we know who it is it just takes a while for the story to unfold you just want to scream at the Randals for not packing up and going home but the story is good and different but could of been better. ... Read more

Product Description
Cassie Winslow is sixteen. She has just lost her mother in a terrible accident. Now, lonely and frightened, she has come to live with the father she barely knows and his new family in tiny False Harbor on Cape Cod. For Cassie, the strange, unsettling dreams that come to her suddenly in the dead of night are merely the beginning. Very soon, Cassie Winslow will come to know the terrifying powers that are her gift. And in the village of False Harbor, nothing will ever be the same.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Missing something
This book wasn't terrible, but it seemed to be missing something. Some sort of "OOMF!" I guess after reading Bentley Little's books, John Saul isn't as exciting.
"The Unwanted", to me, dragged along. I found myself skipping pages to get to some action.

GOOD BUT UNBELIEVABLE
Saul has a definite talent with storytelling but this specific one was a little too farfetched for me. Any woman that I know who caught their husbands cheating on them AND had neglected their child while performing the adulterous act...they would NOT forgive their husbands. What they would do is sue him for every penny that he was worth and he would be lucky to walk away with his genitals still attached! WHAT THEY WOULD NOT DO is pick up their kid, go home, then get beat up on an everyday basis. That itself was a story line that made it so unbelievable that it made it hard to get into character. As far as the ending goes, Eric is the one who had the strongest power over the animals. So the question would be, why would it kill him or why couldn't Eric have stopped Kiska when the attack first started? How could Cassie come out of a vegetable state with enough brain power to even trigger that attack? So many questions with no answers. It was an orgasm building book without the fulfilling ending. SORRY SAUL, YOU ARE STILL INCREDIBLE!!!

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.

For John Saul fanatics only
This is the third John Saul book I've read and while parts of it were enjoyable, more and more I'm becoming convinced that Saul is quite a limited author. Thus far, every one of his books that I have read has involved a family with teenage children moving to a new community. Once there, one or more of the children begin behaving strangely and eventually people start dying one by one until the book just stops without any real resolution. While this formula might make for an interesting read once (or twice), it ultimately means that unless you are a die-hard fan, you don't really need to read many of the author's books. And if you are going to read one John Saul book, I don't think this should be it. I enjoyed "Creatures" more than this one, but than again, that was the first time I was exposed to the Saul formula.

Cassie Winslow is a poor, misunderstood teenager who has just recently lost her mother. Thus, she is forced to go across the country to live with her absentee father and his new family in a small town called False Harbor. Immediately following her arrival, strange things start happening in town. Meanwhile, next door, a drunkard is beating his fearful wife and son....and the son immediately feels some sort of deep, unexplainable connection to Cassie Winslow.

I really wanted to like this book, but it has many flaws. For one thing, Saul isn't particularly good at creating three-dimensional characters. Cassie is probably the only multi-faceted character in the book, the rest of them being assigned some sort of role (ie, Rosemary is concerned something is wrong with Cassie, Ed gets drunk and beats his son) and they act out that role time and time again until the reader feels as though they've been beaten over the head with it. And Saul feels the need to remind you of important plot points multiple times. Because of this, the book takes an unnecessarily long time to take off. It took me quite awhile to finish this book because for a long time I just couldn't get myself to sit down and read it.

Eventually, there IS an interesting plot twist that makes you want to read on to the end. Unfortunately, it's too little too late and however great that twist is, Saul never delivers on it's promise. He just goes back to the same old formula he's been using in all of his other books.

If you've read and enjoyed Saul in the past, you've probably already read this or will be inclined to read it no matter what an amazon reviewer has to say. But if anyone is actually just looking for a good horror/supernatural thriller, I'd recommend trying Dean Koontz or Stephen King instead. Being popular doesn't always make something better, but in this case, there IS a reason that Koontz and King have been more successful. While none of them are above criticism, King and Koontz both feel like they have more than one story to tell.

Love John Saul, hated this book!
I own all of John Saul's books and have read them since high school. Unwanted is probably the most boring and I couldn't wait to just finish it. Poor, pitiful Cassie with no friends, a neglectful mother, and an absentee father who suddenly wants to shower his love after 16 years of absence and a new family. The phony, stiff stepmother and bratty whiny half-sister. Actually, the most interesting parts were the interactions between Eric's violent alcoholic father and the members of his family and his neighbors. Not enough about Miranda (should have gone into her history more). He should have written this book about Miranda and her mother and grandmother, three generations of outcast women who had daughters while never marrying...that would have made for an interesting read. If you are new to John Saul, save this one for last, and don't read "Perfect Nightmare" too soon either, because it is entirely out of character for him to write such a book. Read "Punish the Sinners" and you will be hooked! ... Read more

Product Description
Grand economic theories rarely last more than a few decades and globalization, with its technocratic and technological determinism, and its market idolatry, may have seen its best days.Perhaps it is already a spent force, argues John Ralston Saul - the prize-winning author of Voltaire's Bastards, and On Equilibrium, among others - in this groundbreaking new book.The Collapse of Globalism follows globalization from its promising beginnings in the 1970s through to the increasing deregulation in industry, and into the 1990s, when regional economic collapses and concern for the environment and for the rights of workers led to widespread protest and disillusionment.In the wake of globalism's collapse, nationalism of the best and worst sort, Saul demonstrates, shows signs of making a remarkable, unexpected recovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The Collapse of Globalism
Not a fairy story, or a tale for the faint-hearted!

I bought this book second-hand,and highly recommend that others make use of this great service. The book is like new; it met my expectations after I read the description of the book as a used-book.

Very important book!
The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World is a must-read!

In this well researched and written book, John Ralston Saul summarizes the promise of globalization as follows:

- The power of the nation-state is waning;

- In the future, power will lie with global markets. Thus, economics, not politics and armies, will shape human events;

- These global markets, freed of narrow national interests and inhibiting regulations, will gradually establish international economic balances. Such markets will unleash waves of trade and a broad economic tide of growth for both rich and poor;

- And so we will at last have outgrown the eternal problem of boom-and-bust cycles....

In reality, nation-states and nationalism (good and bad) around the world are as strong as they were in the past - from the United States, to India, China, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, to name only a few places and regions.

Narrow national interests still play the major role in political decision-making across the globe.

The lack of regulation, especially in the financial industry, has recently brought about global financial crisis and recession.

Waves of trade and a broad economic tide of growth have made some corporations and individuals in the Western word extremely rich. All the while, the majority of the poor in the developing world are getting poorer while being exploited by multinational corporations.

Globalization, as we know it, is not working for the majority of the people around the world. That's why the reform of the entire system is urgently needed. John Ralston Saul starts the discussion and offers valuable suggestions in this very important book.

Could not finish it
I feel guilty writing a review for a book that I didn't complete. That said, this book was poorly written and hard to read. Not hard based on his examples or word use, but dry and lacking true insightful arguments. I think it was unoriginal and I was glad to get it back to the library.

I was hoping to use the book in one of my courses, but thankfully will look to something else.

Almost Impossible to Rate
If this were a series of audio tapes with an liberal allowance for extemporising, then I might give JR Saul a 5 star review. I found his style to be quirky, insightful and also, in many places, poorly argued or presented. Since I liked the book very much I struggled to come to terms with my personal feelings and my marginalia that indicated poorly argued prose. Then I struck upon an apt analogy.

Imagine JR Saul as your favourite university professor in undergrad. Also imagine that you have just pounded back a few single malt scotches and allowed him to ramble on completely unchecked whilst you listened.... usually what happens is that your mental mentor waxes philosophical, turns a few expected arguments on their head, launches upon a few absolutely brilliant points, fails to connect with significant gravitas on some crucial points and then goes completely off into the ozone with an argument that wouldn't get past a first year student of Economics.

Saul is all these things.

For his detractors they will always sieze upon the sometimes infantile logic of contradictions, and they are rife. Undeveloped ideas are left inchoate and larger themes are masterfully woven (the rise of Technocracy and Managerialism and the loss of risk and innovation in business) with such infantile statements that "there is no necessary reason why public institutions are less efficiently run then private" -- except of course the overall drive to succeed and profit motive! Which needs to be thrashed out in argument or at least acknowledged as a valid point of contention. Also the theme of the rise of the technocracy and managerial science trumping hardened strategic objectives of the kind of society one wants is one that cuts both ways: it can be seen as both the cause of corporatism in the 40s, 50s and 60s, as much as Saul sees it as an insipid reinforcement/cause of the rise of Globalism.

Saul is at his best when he is on politics and history and it really hits my conservative sympathies when he cites the fall of grand strategic policy making in circles outside of economics. Kissinger and Metternich in their amoral simplicity rise to almost the role of heros in such an analysis. But it is clear that the world, even in the age of Terrorism, has put much more emphasis on economics conferences as a tool of managing international affairs than strategy. The ideas of grand policy making are dead, and the technocrats as the new inheritor of the economic man.

Leaving aside the digressions that go nowhere, Saul does force one to think about new constellations of thought.... even if those constellations are often separated by a black hole of logic.

Mincing Mammon's minions
"Gimmie that old time religion" ran the gospel classic. Since the early 1970s, says Saul, a new religion has emerged, displacing existing dogmas. It's called "Globalism". Globalism lacks a deity, but provides us with a fresh dogma - "borderless commerce". The ranks of its apostles view the world through a "prism of economics". The new liturgy claims that open, unfettered world "trade" will overcome restrictive government policies, grant peace, freedom, prosperity and will last forever. It will redeem the world of its ills by considering issues through this restrictive prism. It sees humanity as driven solely by economic self-interest. It applies that view to business, government and society in general. It is Mammon in all his finery and power.

Saul's sprightly prose leads us through a chronology of the rise of Globalism, citing some of its most profound proponents along the way. He describes the methods used in creating the "global market". The prophets are known to all who took Economics 101 - Milton Friedman, Samuel Brittain and Robert Norvick. Globalism's converts, following their initiation, tended to remain out of sight, however. Saul notes the irony of an "open" system doing so much so quietly and with so little fanfare. Part of the reason for this covert manner was that avoiding publicity was important to its advocates. While quietly lobbying for "deregulation" or arranging multi-billion dollar mergers, the Globalists operated away from public scrutiny. Knowing the general populace would bear the brunt of paying for their dealings, keeping people ignorant of the impact was important. "Smooth waters and continuity" was the theme of those who avoided confronting reality. No dissent meant acceptance. Saul sees this approach as "management" of problems, not realistic leadership.

Globalism has achieved much, according to Saul. There have been shakeouts of inept or corrupt government-run programmes in many countries. Giant corporations girdling the planet have been established. The movement of material and products has been eased. Work has been given to those who might have never known what a factory was or what it produced. "Agribusiness" was an unknown term in the 1970s - it's a commonplace, now. Products on your table arrive from far away places. The shop's shelves are weighed down with a confusing variety of goods, whether grocery or clothing or electronics.

These accomplishments have come at a price. The transnationals move goods within themselves, creating an artificial trade picture - and an artificial state as a by-product. The maneuvers have led to grand fortunes. The 358 richest people have assets exceeding the combined incomes of countries containing 45 per cent of the world's population. People are dealt with as replaceable machines and community and human values have been shed. If jobs aren't easily exported, labour is invited to relocate. There are 17 million Muslim workers living among 450 million Europeans. These workers face lack of acceptance, an uncertain status and, often, downright hostility. Recent events in London indicate how long this condition has been running without solution.

Throughout the book, New Zealand is offered as the optimum case study. By the onset of Globalism, this island nation had "led the world in women's rights and public programmes". In the early 1980s that Pacific nation endorsed and implemented the gospel of Globalism into their economy and government. "Privatizing" was quietly instituted. The tax burden smoothly shifted from the top levels to the bottom. Over the years social programmes were dismantled, resources drained away by outsiders and the infrastructure fall into foreign ownership. The situation far exceeded the "branch plant" economy often bemoaned of here in Canada. Dissatisfaction on many levels brought a change in government. That turnover heralded a disavowal of Globalism's tenets. The new government had the sense not to attempt any disruptive shifts. The return to a realistic structure has been at a sedate pace. The result is achievement of what Saul calls "positive nationalism". New Zealand was a model for the West in the last century. It has become one again in the new one.

While the 1970s are viewed as a stagnant period, the 1990s displayed lively activity. Globalism seemed to have accomplished its goals. Many crowed of its "victory" over "narrow nationalism". There were a few disturbing signs. One, voiced by a newly elected French President, was his announcement that he was powerless in the face of forces that had destabilised oil prices, brought inflation and increased unemployment. It was the first signal that Globalism had triumphed over civil authority. The triumph wasn't complete, however. The Asian Fiscal Meltdown, which brought cries of "crony capitalism" and "false promises", was quickly quelled. Stability was restored by the Malaysian government striking a new chord. It refused to accept that the crisis was an economic one affecting the nation. Instead, Mohamed Mahathir decreed that the problem was a national one with economic overtones. It was the first sign of the resurrection of the nation-state. While the Globalist choir lamented the betrayal of their programme, two observers in the loft watched with interest - India and China.

Saul describes how a new rise of the nation-state should work. It's not an abrupt restoration. Too many forces exist and many people remain to be convinced it should take place. After New Zealand, the best example is the European Union's acceptance of Spain as a member. China and India follow as models. India, however, has shown how to keep the managers hatched by Globalism at bay and retain its independence. India also realistically deals with economic problems as national issues. Where the first publication of the Davos economic forum declared that "nationalism is indefensible", Saul argues that "positive nationalism" is the mechanism for retrieving us from the vacuum resulting from the collapse of the Globalism balloon. There are no other solutions visible.

This is a book that is needed. And needs to be read. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] ... Read more

Product Description
Is it moral to sacrifice one's life for a higher goal? Why do many in the U.S. think it admirable to join the army but despicable for Palestinians to sign up with Hamas? How can we actually determine "evil" and "good" in the daily world? These practical questions cut to the heart of what it means to be human. John Ralston Saul, in his matter-of-fact discussion of six basic human qualities - ethics, common sense, intuition, imagination, memory, and reason - confronts basic concepts in a manner not done since Thomas Paine more than two centuries ago. In an easy-to-understand style, Saul explains why essential qualities of being human cannot exist in isolation but instead depend on and enrich each other. On Equilibrium persuasively explores morality and how it can be used to foster equilibrium for the self and achieve an ethical society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Vague notions hiding behind vague, incomprehensible writing
I stopped reading this book after the chapter on 'Common Sense'.. in it Saul argues that there is a common body of knowledge in the world that cannot be transcribed by language and that transcends reasoning. He bemoans the increasing specialization of knowledge away from "common sense" and the worship of reason. I can't help but think of all the times when what was 'common knowledge' has been disproved or changed by what he derides as 'pure reasoning'.. e.g., the flat-earth idea, racial hierarchy, the planet being less than 5000 years old, etc. I also fail to see how knowledge is 'common', seeing as how it is tainted by our own views and prejudices. To be fair to him, he does try to differentiate his idea of 'common sense' from superstition, but doesn't specify where the line is drawn.. is it common sense that women are bad drivers or is it just superstition.. or is it a prejudiced world view that can be disproved by objective reasoning?

He fails to take into account the fact that as our body of knowledge has increased (through understanding and objective reasoning), we have come to rely on it more than on gut instinct and perceived common sense. There is a lot that we know but we don't understand but we rely on the fact that someone, somewhere has understood it. I know that human beings evolved from single celled organisms - I don't claim to understand it completely, but I know that someone, somewhere does and if I wanted to I could look it up. If I claim that it is common knowledge that the world is ruled by invisible purple monkeys, who is going to be the arbitrator of that claim? Science by majority voting?

In all the writing doesn't flow smoothly and I decided that it wasn't worth deciphering his ideas - it's just another case of "I don't understand it so it must be wrong".

Challenging and Mind-Expanding
I really enjoyed this book.Saul's writing is somewhat challenging, but with effort it becomes rhythmic.I valued his perpectives on human orientations and how they balance each other.The notion of "equilibrium" in human activities is a sound one, especially in these times, in which we face so many imbalances in the environment, wealth, power, justice, and opportunity.

Vague, wandering and self-indulgent
John Ralston Saul does not like rationalism. For him reality is too complex to be captured within any rational scheme. Instead he says that we should embrace the complexity and be guided by our common sense (shared knowledge), ethics, intuition etc. We must keep all of these qualities in equilibrium since by embracing one we will be captured by ideology.

Does this sound vague and ultimately self-justifying? Does the maintenance of an equilibrium between vaguely defined qualities and the rejection of rational analysis seem to be a means of justifying one's own favorite beliefs? This book certainly seems to answer these questions in the affirmative. Ralston Saul begins with general questions but the answers that he comes up with always justifyhis social democratic positions on the political issues that were current at the time that this book was published in 2001. Who knew that the anti-globalization movement found its justification in common sense? Who knew that there need be no debate on anthropogenic global warming since it is common sense.

This book is vague, wandering and self-indulgent. There is no philosophical or political insight here that could not be found in a coffee shop conversation.

This book is not worth buying.

It's true; we need each other
Saul's main idea is that there are six qualities - common sense, ethics, imagination, intuition, memory, reason - we need to keep in appropriate balance ("equilibrium") if we are to live in prosperity and peace.What this comes down to in overly simple terms is that we need to be aware that other people have points of view that are not identical to ours, but are not all that distant, either.In other words, we should pay attention to, and take seriously, what others have to say.Saul believes that when we make wealth our primary goal, we ignore the differences presented by others and force the world into our vision of it.This makes for dullness.He has a great point; we don't reach the good life by marching to our own beat.We get their by sharing shoes with others.The book can be frustrating at times, since he digresses every now and then.But there are many gems.

Unnecessarily obscure
Saul presents some intriguing and pertinent ideas in Equilibrium. Moreover, they are understandable ideas. At least they would have been understandable if he had taken the time to write a book that didn't have to be deciphered. ... Read more

Product Description
When the demolition of Blackstone Asylum is postponed due to financial problems, worried contractor Bill McGuire receives the mysterious gift of an antique doll, which is snatched up by his small daughter and contains a terrible evil. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

"We should all forget everything that happened there."
The first in the six-volume Blackstone Chronicles, An Eye for an Eye: The Doll introduces the major characters, establishes the Gothic setting in a small town in New Hampshire, creates foreboding about the scheduled conversion of the Blackstone Asylum into a shopping mall, and then introducesthe "single dark figure that moves through the ruptured stone wall" into the silent Asylum.There it locates the small cubicle containing the artifacts belonging to long-ago residents.When these artifacts are suddenly introduced mysteriously into the lives of the present occupants of Blackstone, death and destruction result.

(No spoilers.)In this volume an antique doll, once treasured by a child-inmate, arrives in the mail at the home of Elizabeth McGuire, wife of the builder/developer of the proposed mall.Elizabeth is pregnant and is unsure whether the doll is meant for the new baby or for her young daughter, who falls instantly in love with it.As the doll works its spell over the lives of the McGuire family, their perfectly ordered world is plunged into chaos.

Saul's horror writing is significantly different from that of Stephen King, to whom he is often compared.King's approach is usually to create a seemingly benign set of characters in a quiet New England town and then to introduce a destructive force, very gradually creating more and more mystery until the book reaches its climax.Saul, by contrast, tells the reader from the outset that the destruction of the Asylum will change everyone's life, then goes about proving it.The result is to reduce the suspense and force the author to keep reminding the readers that "something didn't feel right," or that "a blinding flash of pain" accompanies a particular action.

With characters who have not been developed before they change from ordinary citizen to demon (at least in this first novel), the reader does not identify with them or see the fine line separating normal life from total chaos.Relying on awkward foreshadowing and many clichés, Saul introduces the setting and all the major characters of Blackstone, some of which will be developed more fully in later novels in the series. n Mary Whipple

great series
the sins of the past are catching up to a small town. for years
innocent people were sent to the blackstone asylum and treated
horribly. now many years later, the evil has come back to haunt
the residents of the town. a gift has been sent to the daughter
of the contractor who is supposed to be tearing down the building. it is a beautiful doll. but it is evil incarnate and
makes chucky look angelic. a very good book that all john saul
fans must read.

Scaryand Good......
This is the first John Saul book I read, so far I did read King's "Green Mile," and this is shorter and it is, very scary well anyways this is John's best keep up the good, work I look foreward to read his future books.

The Chronicles get off to a rocky start
I was expecting much more from this first tale in the Blackstone Chronicles.The plot was entirely too predictable, and the characters (save for a few) were shallow and boring.I honestly did not find thistale terrifying in any way. However, this story does set the stage for thenext installments, and definitely made me want to read the next one.Asdull as it may be, it is essential for the entire scope of the Chronicles.

Well, *I* didn't find this book predictable or not scary...
I read the reviews of this book before I read it, and unfortunately, most of the reviews said it was "not scary", "predictable", and "unoriginal".Well, listen up, ya bunch of pea brains!Ifound this to be pretty scary indeed, very original, and not once did Ihave any idea of what was going to happen.Dolls creep me out, and littlechildren who love them--obsessively--creep me out even more.This book,for me, at least, was very creepy.I am currently reading Part 2 of TheBlackstone Chronicles, Twist of Fate: The Locket.So far, it is somewhatquiet, but then again, this fragile layer of ice could start breaking atany time... ... Read more