Creature

by John Saul

A powerful high-tech company.
A postcard-pretty company town.
Families. Children. Sunshine. Happiness.
A high school football team that never--ever--loses.
And something else.
Something horrible.

Now, there is a new family in town.
A shy, nature-loving teenager.
A new hometown. A new set of bullies.
Maybe the teams's sports clinis can help him.
Rebuild him.
Then they won't hurt him again.
They won't dare.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Horror Thriller

Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1989

About the author

John Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.

Reviews

[Karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first "grown-up" book that wasn't by Michael Crichton (In 91 I never considered Jurassic Park to be adult...it was about DINOSAURS! And Sphere and the rest never registered as something for the older crowd.) I remember the day I got it from the Scholastic book sale (remember when the big box of books would come once a month and it was like Christmas?) newsletter in middle school. I loved it. It was gross, crass, disturbing, and better yet? Got me in trouble in high school! I performed a monologue from the book for the NC Christian Drama Competition and my score sheet, despite a high ranking on delivery and effectiveness, remained a low 3 out of 4 (lowest) for content which had, and I quote: "ABSOLUTELY No Taste!!!!!" I have never been so proud of a performance. I have had a soft sport for John Saul ever since.

[Jen from Quebec :0) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember being scared when I read this in middle school, less so when I re-read it in high school. Now, I FEEL like I just read a YA book, not a book meant for adult readers- WAS this an adult book? Its writing style surely was meant for younger readers. The story is a good yarn and you DO keep compulsively turning the pages, but the book feels...juvenile. Saul can do better than this, I think.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great.

I really got attached to Mark, the main character, who, in my opinion, is a perfect example of a shy, good male character. Most authors don't understand the thin (but still existing) line between a shy, good male character and a girl. He was a pretty much complex character thorn between his father's ambitions and his love for nature and animals. I felt sorry for him at the beginning, but as the story moved on, he became much more admirable than pitiable. On the other hand I hated almost every other male character than Mark. I don't know if it was the crazy town or if Saul wanted to point out that Mark was very different from the people around him, or he just wanted us to sympathize Mark only, but if that was Saul's intention, he captured it well.

Now, the writing could have been improved, and when I say that, I mean that it was great as long as you don't compare it with King's. It couldn't be called a page turner, but I can't say I wasn't interested in what was going to happen. It was average writing, with an interesting story and well made characters. One of my friends said that Saul is one of the best in the horror genre, and I can say I approve (even though I know she said that just to brag because she bought around 6 books by him that she didn't even bother to read... >.> ikr).

All that being said, this was a great read, I'm giving this book 5 stars, and I definitely will be reading more of Saul's books.

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not one of John Sauls better works. But if you are a fan of 'werewolf' or creature features, this is a MUST read.

Check out my video book review of this book here from my YouTube Channel; AreYouIntoHorror here:
https://youtu.be/m5VRIQWQHX4

I originally read this back in 1990, and did not like it at all, however now that I am older and thoughts have changed about what is creepy, scary or disturbing, I gave this a 3.4 star read. Saul has always been one of if not my favorite horror / suspense horror writers and this would have been and or seemed like his homage to the old 'Wolfman' and 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' movies that we grew up on.

Silverdale Colorado is a small and PERFECT town.....so perfect that their high school football and sports teams NEVER lose a game. The Tanner family move to Silverdale from Southern California due to 16 year old Mark's father has gotten a work promotion to work at Turren Tech, the company that owns most of and literally runs the town of Silverdale. Mark was stricken with a childhood illness that left him shorter and more weakened than other kids his age, and not being an outgoing young boy, he is the perfect victim of shool bullying......and I mean to the MAX! Once they move to Silverdale, and Mark's dad starts working, he is started to get bullied by his father and hassled to 'go out for sports, why not even the Football team!!?' Nope. Mark would rather take care of his rabbits and his large dog Chivas.....his lifelong best friend.

The football season opens for the fall year, and at the first game one of Silverdales teammates goes out of control and gets into a fight and injures another team mate so badly that the boy is put upon life support, and Mark and his mother start to notice everything is not normal and Perfect in Silverdale.

This book is very well written, and disturbing in parts of gruesome murders and of the depiction of the pathetic 'Creature' of its title. It deals with the extreme consequences of the use of Anabolic Steroids and growth hormones used in high school sports, which was extremely and widely used in the 80's and 90's. But this is taken to the point of creating monsters. It moves extremely fast and the pages fly as fast as you can turn them, however dont expect a horrifyingly creepy ghost story or serial killer in the making book as Saul was so expertly and well known for, this is a very sad and disturbing look at human evil and the acceptance in today's society.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first John Saul book. So, first let's talk about why I've read it and where does it integrate. I have some horror writers that I try to read everything and since are mostly solo novels they are good pallete cleansers between other novels. My first two finds were Bentley Little and Brian Keene. Then was Tim Curran, Richard Laymon and now this guy. I have other writers, like RA Salvatore's Drizzt (fantasy) , or Kikuchi with Vampire Hunter D. After watching a couple of videos and reviews I thought to add a couple more this year. One was Michael & Kathleen Gear (I consider them a one) other was Louis L'Amour, The Conan Books (the ones published not by Howard), Star Wars novels and the last was Gor books. I read them at least one per month, sometimes more. They are "safe" readers/reads.

So, this book follows a family as they are going "up" in life as the husband being transferred to a elite place where the top dogs from that company go. It's a idyllic town that sprang up do to the company and everyone works in the company. The company works in every branch you can imagine . The father is Blake, the mother Sharon, the son Mark & the little sister is Kelly. The boy had some health issues and so it is on small side. Blake wants his son to be on the football team with no avail since the boy is so small. The football team (football as American football not the real football played with feet) is the major focus on that small town and their players are the best in the state. One is Jeff which dates Linda , one of the cheerleaders. Linda is an old friend of Mark and as soon as she encounters she is enamoured by him and we get some teen triangle, love stuff. All good, slice of life. So, when Mark suffers from being small (not going to spoil why) his father puts him in a program for the company and soon he starts to develop some muscles, but his demeanour changes, a lot.

First of all, this is not horror. This is at most a thriller novel, at least is a slice of life. Most of the book is basically dealing with Mark development from a very conscious , heartful and loveable to, well a creature. But since this change only happens around page 200, the first 200 is indeed slice of life. There are some thriller (very small horror) moments.

So what's bad, good, and why should you read or not?
- The character development of both Mark and Jeff are quite good. Sharon is home-wife but when she has to put aside that and fight for her family and son she will be a rabid dog. Blake and most of other workers are quite bland and look like American psycho vice-presidents (all the same ). The evil characters - and there are a couple of them - are truly evil. They will go to where they should go to make their point or goal across. There is no greyness. There is nothing in-between. You are either good or bad.
- The bad, well, the characters are well development but they sure make mistakes and are dumb at times. The changes on Mark were too fast, but since we already were on page 250 what would you expect. I hoped for more romance on Linda & Mark, didn't get one. One thing that upset me, and I am not woke at all, is the other female characters are just boring, submissive housewives. This book was written in 1989 so there's that.
- The Ending was very good and very saturday afternoon flick. I didn't , at least one death and was really what?? I was shocked BUT happy. I don't like writers like Dean Koontz that play safe and you know the main /side characters are not going to die. It's boring an predictable. Here it was not. The ending was interesting but expected.

Should you read?
Having not read anything by this author I Would say it's a nice start. There are way better books out there. Being under 320 pages is small so you won't lose anything. IF you want character development then yes. IF you want action and horror, then don't. 7.5/10

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quick & easy read. The theme has been done many times in novels and on TV since this book was written in 1989. In fact, I would say you could find a kernel going back to Frankenstein!
Evil in the hearts of men come to the fore in the name of science, prestige, and prosperity in this seemingly idyllic town of Silverdale, CO.

Alert: I knew as soon as innocent animal characters were introduced that it would be a bad outcome for them. I hate that!!! I find it more difficult than when bad things happen to humans. What does that make me??!

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this horror novel! Juiced up mutant high school football player experiments gone wrong and secret lab shenanigans. It screams 80's, so sign me up!

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The small mountain town of Silverdale Colorado is perfect. A company town with perfect weather, perfect neighborly citizens, and the perfect high school with a perfect football team. It is to this perfect town, run by the corporate tech giant, Tarrentech, that the family of 16 year-old Mark Tanner moves; a promotion for his father and a chance to start again for Mark. Little does he know that such perfection comes at a cost. Due to a childhood sickness, Mark is now a short, skinny kid who avoids sports in favor of more scholarly pursuits but when faced with continual bullying from school, friends, and even his own dad, it becomes harder and harder to resist what the town, and the high school sports clinic has to offer.

I’ve tried two John Saul novels before and thought them “OK” but not particularly brag-worthy. But several of my Goodreads friends have been urging me not to give up on him and so I dug this one out of my vast home library of unread books and gave him another try. Happily, I can report that this one surprised me quite nicely, keeping me engaged throughout with good narrative story-building. The character of Mark, especially, was well done and I think I will remember him for a long time to come. It’s not fine literature by any means but what would you expect from a book titled, “Creature”?

Published in 1989, the plot of this novel makes full use of the dangers and fears of anabolic steroid abuse, vitamin enhancing therapies, etc. of the time. The novel takes things to extremes, of course, in order to create a truly horrifying story but just as in most good horror, it is the nature of humans and how we treat each other that is the real horror occurring.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start off this review by saying that I hadn't planned to read this book at all, but it so happened that I needed a light book to bring to highschool to read when I felt bored and I was kind of feeling the horror genre, so, naturally, I asked Mum – the biggest fan of horror content that I know. Originally, I asked her if she had Carrie in her library, but no luck. Instead, she recommended me John Saul's books, since she had a fair share of them. So, here I am.
First of all, I need to say that I had expected this book to be a little more scary, though I cannot deny its fair dose of creepiness. It wasn't frightening in the ghost-demon-evil entity; no, it was its almost realistic premise that send shivers down my spine. For those unfamiliar with the story, the main character and his family move to Silverdale – a perfect city where everything goes just right. Only... that it is too perfect. It is what happens behind the walls of Tarren Tech and Rocky Mountain High that builds the creepy factor of this story. Who would have thought that these so trusted institutes would experiment on the children of their employees in order to try and cure different kind of diseases and chronic sicknesses?
Everything I will be saying from now on is spoiler-material, so read at your own caution. So, as I was saying, the story is both chilling and thrilling because it uses the premise of experimenting on humans and what they become after this lab-rat game. The way the football team was acting on the field was concerning ever since the beginning, and the suggestion of their dangerous roughness was enhanced by the physical descriptions of abnormally big and muscular teen boys, capable of hurting their adversaries critically – thing that, ironically, happened in the second chapter. Not only did Jeff LaConner, the MVP of Silverdale's football team, send Rick Ramirez into a coma, but he also began transforming, becoming more and more dangerous as time passed by; he threatened and hurt Linda Harris after she cordially broke up with him, he pushed his mother, causing her to fall down and break an arm, and he beat Mark until he was barely breathing. With each and every single day, he became more and more agressive, though the changes were not only of psychological nature, but also physical – eyes deepening into the orbits of his head, jaw growing sharper, fingers elongating etc. And all of these changes were caused by the treatment he had undergone at the sportive clinic of Marty Ames.
Surprisingly or not, Blake Tanner, the father of our protagonist, signs Mark up to undergo the same treatment received by Jeff LaConner, not knowing the dark secret that laid behind it. You can all imagine what happened after – same fits of anger, same bloodthirst, same physical transformations. The hormones that were introduced in their bodies turned them into humanoid beasts that ressembled monkeys, but, of course, no one could know what happened to the boys. No one could find out what TarrenTech was doing behind closed doors. So, naturally, they liquidated anyone that tried to reveal scandalous information about their company – they sent Charlotte LaConner to the sanatorium, they killed Doctor MacCallum, they were about to get rid of Mark's mother too if she weren't to escape (though they had eventually killed her). They came up with stories for people's disappearances and, in the end, everyone bought it.
This is why the story is scary. It is frightening because of how easy people can be manipulated by a higher power. It is chilling because history proved that experimenting on humans was something that had actually happened. It is horrendous because we have no idea what happens behind closed doors. And this is why John Saul has done a great job writing this book.

[Cinabru · Rating 2 out of 5]

De fiecare dată când se întâmplă să citesc un John Saul, ştiu că va fi cel mai probabil echivalentul unui film horror, eventual tinzând spre categoria B, o poveste care, fără a fi memorabilă, se va dovedi plăcută. Poate că John Saul – descoperit cu mulţi, mulţi ani în urmă, în paralel cu Serge Brussolo – nu este cel mai important autor de gen, nici măcar un scriitor de calibru, poate că a repetat de prea multe ori o reţetă epică de succes cu prea puţine variaţiuni, dar esenţial este că de fiecare dată un roman de John Saul „merge”. Un autor surprinzător de prolific, şi încă sunt departe de a putea spune că l-am citit integral. Dar dintre cărţile sale încercate până acum cel mai mult mi-a plăcut – cu un amestec de nostalgie şi interes pentru o poveste reuşită – Creatura. De câte ori văd coperta amuzant-grotescă a ediţiei vechi, publicată de RAO pe la jumătatea anilor 90, parcă m-aş întoarce în timp. Unii au văzut în această poveste tipic americană, cu destule clişee din filmele pentru adolescenţi în combinaţie cu SF-urile clasice ale anilor 50, un soi de replică dată celebrului Frankenstein. Alţii un John Saul apărut cu mult înainte ca autorul să se bucure de celebritatea de acum, un roman de început, uitând că Saul s-a bucurat de succes (comercial, cel puţin) surprinzător de repede. Genul de roman de tranziţie în căutarea stilului şi temei proprii. Recitindu-l recent şi comparându-l cu unele dintre celelalte cărţi ale autorului, îmi dau seama că această Creatură nu este cel mai bun titlu al autorului, dar este o poveste suficient de solidă – cu inerente stângăcii – şi o excelentă introducere în lumea lui John Saul. Un fel de prim pas recomandat.

http://cinabru.blogspot.ro/2012/08/jo...

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

2+ stars I guess.... This book was recommended by a friend, usually my taste aligns with hers, not this time.
My first thought was that this book was written for a juvenile audience, until the animals heads started getting ripped off. It wasn't really deep and didn't speak to me.
I liked the main characters allright. Mark and Sharon and Kelly I didn't like Blake and I didn't like any of the family dynamics. The mothers just going along with what the men of the family say regardless of their own feelings. The women helpless and can't hold their ground. Lame.
I liked the mutation and experimental portion of the book. I didn't like how the story gets very graphic and violent towards animals.
Which I don't get bothered by things like that in novels. I love Stephen King, but John Saul did it so frequently and tastelessly.
The weirdest part of this book was the fact that it felt like a book for a kid, then suddenly disgusting harsh murders. It was about a high school football team and the book felt like it was to simple written and for a young adult group which I didn't find entertaining then half ways through at the drop of a hat it goes into teens killing and ripping up animals by the throats, which I just didn't get.
It's long, and everyone dies. I hate that sort of ending in a book.
With all my complaints it was an allright story and for the most part I wanted to see what was going to happen next but now I'm glad it's over.

[Ignacio Senao f · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corre la leyenda que esta novela duró en el mercado 2 meses y fue eliminada por las criticas tan duras que recibió al utilizar los niños como bestias (literalmente) Hoy en día no la veo para nada dura, aunque este ya más que curtido en mil batallas. Y en Saul no es nada sorprendente utilizar al niño como arma de terror, y hace bien, pues junto a los ancianos es el elemento más terrorífico que puedes encontrar. Y los gatos.

Miedo no da. Es más un tema de perturbación por algo que puede ser real y demasiado americano. En un pueblo, se mandan a familias con hijos para que trabajen los padres allí con buen salario. Así puede emplear los esteroides con sus hijos para volverlos auténticos deportistas y militares.

Como lees, este argumento es algo REAL en el sueño americano. Pues el uso de los esteroides anabólicos es muy común y bien visto. Allí ni se discute que haya la mínima posibilidad de su uso, se da por hecho.

Estos niños poco a poco y gracias al exceso de testosteronas se irán trasformando en mitad lo que se desea y restante NO.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creature by John Saul is one of those books that starts out slow as the author builds the storyline, but halfway though it picks up and becomes hard to put down, until the very last page with an unexpected ending. Saul is good at ending with a twist, and he’s also not afraid to kill off a character or two, often abruptly. No sentimentality there. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars because the ending packs a punch and makes up for the slow beginning.

[Grettita Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Es bueno, aunque esperaba más suspenso.

[Noeli Cobaya Debiblioteca · Rating 3 out of 5]

La criatura John saul
Tres estrellas y media

John saul es un autor que se destaca por contar historias algo grotescas de las cuales participan niños.
En la criatura la familia Tanner se muda a silverdale un pueblo bonito que se destaca por niños bien desarrollados y con una alimentación sana. La historia de centra en su personaje principal Mark , el típico adolescente estado unidense que quiere encajar en la escuela secundaria.
En tanto a la trama y su manejo , es atrapante, aunque en un principio no da indicios de una novela de horror, si no más bien de suspenso. El autor detalla bien la trama como si fuera una mini serie de los 80.
Si bien este libro no es de terror extremo me sumergió en una distopia, ¿dónde puede llegar la ciencia , la ética en tanto la medicina y lo que consumimos los seres humanos? A un nivel de un dr menguele moderno, Marty Ames un doctor increíblemente sin escrúpulos, con su empresa millonaria tapando y sometiendo a todo el pueblo a costa de ganancias y beneficios como si fuese una conspiración demoníaca en donde se esconde una trama que da mucho para pensar acerca de lo que consumimos y quiénes están detrás.
Los ajetreos , la desesperanza y la desesperación por los seres queridos de los niños sometidos a estos experimentos fue impactante, lo sentí en carne propia y fue lo que más me motivo a seguir con la lectura.
El final estuvo bien, con bastantes cosas inesperadas.
Es el segundo libro que leo del autor y seguiré con más , por qué la verdad me gustó muchísimo este libro.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I must say I am torn, it has been 10 years since I last read this book, and I no longer feel it is a 5 star novel. This is the book that got me into books, it is the reason I read today. I think it could still have that kind of impact on a younger person. It's not a child or teen book I just think they are less concerned with the less than original parts of this book. The 'always evil big corporation' the 'too perfect town' these are things I have seen hundreds of times since. I guess I can't say those are the reasons I don't love this book as much as I did. I am not smart enough to come up with a better word, but I am getting to be a bit of a snob. The 'classics' have changed the way I like a book to be written I think. There are new books that capture that style for me, this isn't one of them and so at this point in my life I would give Creature a 3.5 - 4.0 But will still recommend it to anyone who was looking for a great book that, even now, brings some rarely seen twists. And so with all that I must say, for the improvement to my life that books have brought me, I will keep this as a 5/5 in hopes that it might help some one else to see the light, put down their controller and pick up a goodread.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of Saul's books can be pretty disturbing and a little too creepy, but this one was disturbing on a different level---you can actually believe something like this would happen (the scientists genetically altering teenage males who are smaller, shorter, etc than their peers, in order for them to end up on par with or better than the teenage boys who are bigger, faster, etc). I guess the best way to describe it would be to say it resembles a "steroids gone out of control" story, a very believable potential scenario in this day and age of athletes and the radical performance-enhancing measures that some of them take. Yes, the "moral" of the story indirectly delivers itself throughout and up until the end; sometimes it's best not to mess with nature and what God gave you.

[Bill Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Blake Tanner accepts a promotion at TarrenTech they relocate him to an idyllic company town nestled in the Rocky Mountain. The town is postcard perfect, maybe too perfect. The high school football team never loses. The players are perfect specimens of health and athleticism. It seems the team’s sports clinic holds the key, but a sense of unnerving dread slowly begins to build as the perfect facade begins to fall away and expose a horror beyond imagining.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started off well & I had high hopes, but then it just went downhill.
It was repetitive, boring & predictable. A large majority of the male characters are jerks who treat their wives like dirt - they don't listen to anything they say, ignore their feelings & do things behind their backs because they know better. Hello misogyny!
There were no likable characters, except for Chivas the dog.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent,gripping read.Hard to put down.There was more PG-13 language and gore than other books I have read by this author,but I could not stop reading!

I found the story fascinating,especially with the 'fanaticism' and corruption around sports,we see today!

Highly recommended.

[Jerry Wayne Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book very enjoyable and a page-turner, with likable characters. The writing is a bit dry, and the book feels like it goes on forever as it wraps up, but it’s still worth the read.

[John (JC) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read

[Julie Akeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this somewhere during 8th grade, everybody was reading John Saul, Dean Koontz and Stephen King, I called it The Dark Trinity. Although Koontz tends to have happier endings, Saul was darker in his endings and I always wonder why do the children have to suffer? But I remember this book from way back and it's kinda short and it was a creepy read and loved it at the time of my creep fest LOL. Dark and enjoyable for those who love to read in the shadows.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my first horror novels was by John Saul, and I loved it. When I had to pick a horror novel from the 1980s for a reading challenge, I decided to see if his writing still holds up today. It does! I really enjoy books about "creatures," and this one did not disappoint. As with most horror novels, the scariest element is the humans. Also, I have to say the ending full of action and surprises...and even sweet. When you read it, you'll see.

[chandler1310 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this as a required reading in early high school and really loved it. it seemed way more intense back then, and when I bought it i was hoping it would still evoke the same feelings. unfortunately it didn’t, and felt more like it targeted young adults. i very much enjoyed it and it had me gasping at parts I had forgotten, but wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5.

A middling potboiler creature feature that isn't bad enough to be entertaining, nor good enough to be worth recommending. In every way it's a product of the '80s horror paperback boom that spawned it.

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first John Saul novel I ever read, and it still holds up 25 years later. If you want to know what happens when you try to improve on Mother Nature, Saul reminds us of the awesome (or awful) consequences.

[Ashe Kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

La moi du collège aurait ADORÉ ça give vraiment les Chair de Poule.
incroyable de tuer plus de la moitié des persos du livre dans les 10 dernières pages mais tuer deux chiens est ce que c'était nécessaire ??????

[Donna Lundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this story was very predictable, the ending made the whole thing worth it

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this book many times over the years and I was presently surprised that I had forgotten so many of the details. It made the reading just as suspenseful for me. It has been years since I read it last, but every time I pick up the book it’s like driving back into Silverdale to hangout with the Tanners in this almost too perfect little town.
To me John Saul is a classic horror, suspense, and thriller author. Seeing as how this book was published the year 1989, I guess it is an honest classic. I just really like how he writes. He builds the suspense in a scene and then changes scenes at just the right moment. He keeps the thrill up by revealing just enough horror as you go. His world building and character building are really good. You feel like you’re really in Silverdale, walking the streets, cheering on the amazing football team; an almost too perfect football team. I also love that John Saul pits technology and nature or nature and the paranormal against one another in his books. This is another reason I think his books are classics.
This book will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first “grownup” chapter book I ever read.

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Oct. 2013 Review:
Mr. Saul kept me going with this book! I didn't want to put it down! I first read it in high school and then again last year. The storyline of this book is amazing. There are many twists in the book that will keep you going and wondering what will happen next! Such a great read!