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Fountain Society
The developer of a superweapon that will guarantee U.S. military supremacy is dying, and only a frightening operation can extend his life, fusing him with another human being, in a debut novel from the director of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Reprint.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
13 people are currently reading
2556 people want to read
About the author
Wes Craven
38 books78 followersWesley Earl "Wes" Craven was an American film director and writer, perhaps best known as the creator of many horror films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street series featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character and the Scream films.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
February 8, 2017
Shockingly well-informed, even those who are primed to expect Craven to draw off his humanities professor background will be pleasantly surprised by how up-to-speed and able-to-integrate-into-the-narrative he is about black ops, covert governmental projects, and the drives and desires of those scientists and military types seeking to climb up the ladder and who also risk losing sight of their ideals — c.f. the Oppenheimer "Shiva, destroyer of worlds" quote (which is duly mentioned, once, but not harped on; couldn't really be far from these scientists' minds, now could it?).
This is the part of the review where one starts to make high praise "on the level of Le Carré or DeLillo or Pynchon" in comparison, but really, the one author who this really strikes me as being surprisingly not unlike is Bruce Sterling, whose Zenith Angle plunges the reader right into a narrative along the lines of these same Governmental High-Stakes parameters, not just as window-dressing or sidelong references to further some Jason Bourne narrative (although, also, natch., some John Shirley pieces and William Gibson novels come to mind when reading this).
What a wake-up! And the storyline keeps you turning pages, neither lost or bogged down in details nor having to swallow some '50s-era bogus speculative shit, and without lacking real suspenseful corners to turn as the narrative unfolds. You'll get a headful and heartful: the plot hinges simultaneously upon such devices as pressing old age, lifelong marriages, and love pairings that just don't fit In the Real World.
Way to go, Wes! Would that this was more well-received when it came out. The corny cover probably didn't help, but whatever.
This is the part of the review where one starts to make high praise "on the level of Le Carré or DeLillo or Pynchon" in comparison, but really, the one author who this really strikes me as being surprisingly not unlike is Bruce Sterling, whose Zenith Angle plunges the reader right into a narrative along the lines of these same Governmental High-Stakes parameters, not just as window-dressing or sidelong references to further some Jason Bourne narrative (although, also, natch., some John Shirley pieces and William Gibson novels come to mind when reading this).
What a wake-up! And the storyline keeps you turning pages, neither lost or bogged down in details nor having to swallow some '50s-era bogus speculative shit, and without lacking real suspenseful corners to turn as the narrative unfolds. You'll get a headful and heartful: the plot hinges simultaneously upon such devices as pressing old age, lifelong marriages, and love pairings that just don't fit In the Real World.
Way to go, Wes! Would that this was more well-received when it came out. The corny cover probably didn't help, but whatever.
September 12, 2016
Tenía mucha curiosidad por leer esta novelita de uno de los directores clásicos del cine de horror, Wes Craven. Un buen amigo tuvo a bien facilitármela y me dí manos a la obra. Sabía que se trataba de una obra de Ciencia Ficción, y a decir verdad, no esperaba demasiado. Para mi sorpresa, la cosa empezó bastante bien: la trama se planteó de una forma interesante, se nos presentaron personajes atractivos, y en apariencia la historia daba para algo muy interesante. Sin embargo, tras la primera mitad, creo que a Craven le ganó el estilo cinematográfico más que el literario que debía de cuidar. Obviamente se trata de medios distintos y no es posible hacer avanzar un relato a través de un medio con los recursos del otro, y aquí parece que así fue. La historia se vuelve muy predecible y se desperdician algunas oportunidades que, en un escritor con un mayor colmillo, no se hubieran dejado pasar de largo. Como sea, se trata de un esfuerzo bastante entretenido, lo cierto es que se lee de una forma muy rápida, y a pesar de lo predecible del desenlace de la historia, no se pierde nunca el interés de ver como acaba.
Lamentablemente, no puede aplicar el "mejor suerte para la otra". Como sea, el lugar de Wes Craven en la historia de la cultura popular del horror no podrá ser negado jamás con nada.
Lamentablemente, no puede aplicar el "mejor suerte para la otra". Como sea, el lugar de Wes Craven en la historia de la cultura popular del horror no podrá ser negado jamás con nada.
May 4, 2019
I thought this was a good book. I liked the first half the most, the plot was building up but I wasn't sure where exactly it would go. After Peter's surgery I began to really dislike Beatrice. She went from a rational, logical doctor, who coerced Peter into the surgery by guilt, just for the record, to a jealous, unreasonable harpy. Thankfully she got over it by the end of the book because I don't know why she expected that giving a 74 year old a significantly younger body wouldn't have some disadvantages in regard to how Peter regarded her. I know it was for the sake of the story, but as intelligent and powerful the scientists were in this story I feel as though they could have gone a less drastic route to cure pancreatic cancer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2025
I'm a huge fan of director Wes Craven's horror movies, especially "A Nightmare On Elm Street" (1984), "The Hills Have Eyes" (1977) and the "Scream" series. But I had no idea that he had written a novel until I saw it at a charity shop and just had to buy it.
"Fountain Society" (1999) follows several characters, but my favourite is Elizabeth, a model living in Switzerland, who investigates her lover's mysterious death. Thinking Hans might still be alive, she travels to the island of Vieques where she finds him, but something has drastically changed. Is he really the same man she fell in love with? And does him being alive have anything to do with the top secret military base on the island?
I'm generally not interested in books set in the military, I find that topic boring. However, Craven manages to intrigue me, especially the parts with Elizabeth who is a civilian. The other character come with a lot of scientific terms that I know nothing about, but I get why it was needed considering the plot.
All in all, "Fountain Society" is quite entertaining and thrilling. I'm so glad I found it. I really felt for Elizabeth and wanted to see what happened to her in the end. If you happen to come across this novel, give it a go. Just keep in mind that it's more science-fiction than the kind of horror Craven is best known for.
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This review was also published on my blog: https://plasticretro.blogspot.com/202...
"Fountain Society" (1999) follows several characters, but my favourite is Elizabeth, a model living in Switzerland, who investigates her lover's mysterious death. Thinking Hans might still be alive, she travels to the island of Vieques where she finds him, but something has drastically changed. Is he really the same man she fell in love with? And does him being alive have anything to do with the top secret military base on the island?
I'm generally not interested in books set in the military, I find that topic boring. However, Craven manages to intrigue me, especially the parts with Elizabeth who is a civilian. The other character come with a lot of scientific terms that I know nothing about, but I get why it was needed considering the plot.
All in all, "Fountain Society" is quite entertaining and thrilling. I'm so glad I found it. I really felt for Elizabeth and wanted to see what happened to her in the end. If you happen to come across this novel, give it a go. Just keep in mind that it's more science-fiction than the kind of horror Craven is best known for.
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This review was also published on my blog: https://plasticretro.blogspot.com/202...
January 9, 2022
In the mood for a good horror book, I picked up Craven's thinking it would scare the pants off me. Instead I found myself falling asleep to the boring plot and slow, tedious writing. I finished it because I hate to stop reading books. It got a little better towards the end, but it seemed to go on and on and on. I wish he would have stuck to his genre of good, bloody horror.
50/365 -2022
50/365 -2022
June 23, 2016
In light of the recent passing of Wes Craven, I decided to finally get around to reading this, his one and only novel.
This is one of those books where the first half and the second half are two completely different animals. The first half is really slow, but Craven does an expert job at setting up a fairly ludicrous scenario and I was surprised at how well-researched and deftly handled the scientific elements were. The whole notion of body-switching has grown tiresome in recent years, but, back when this book first came out in 1999, it was still a novel enough concept, especially when being accomplished through science rather than magic. THE FOUNTAIN SOCIETY is written with a level of artistry not generally found in books by Hollywood personalities, as well as an unusual degree of assuredness for a debut effort, even considering Craven's long, successful career in storytelling.
After a smart but rather dull first half, however, the book begins to pick up in excitement while simultaneously plummeting in intelligence. This part of the book is EXACTLY the sort of storytelling I expect from Hollywood celebrities: predictable, cliche, and heavily reliant on luck/coincidence. The whole thing starts to feel like a script for a B-movie, especially in the way that the bad guys always remain exactly one step behind. Even when the good guys do something really stupid, the bad guys always show up just a moment too late. All this action and running around may serve to make the story more exciting, but it also makes it a whole lot less interesting.
Another problem with the book is that the characters are unlikable. One the one hand, you've got an old married couple who are complicit in the murder of an innocent man; on the other hand, you've got the innocent man's girlfriend, who is surprisingly OK with her lover's body being taken over by someone else. Gee, who to root for?
I also had a problem with the outrageous lengths to which Craven takes the whole concept of "muscle memory" (for lack of a better term). At one point, a character who knows nothing about aviation is somehow able to take-off, fly, and land a plane simply because he is using the body (but not the brain) of a former pilot. Sound plausible?
THE FOUNTAIN SOCIETY lays the foundation for a great story it never actually delivers. When Wes Craven attempts to inject excitement into the proceedings, he does so at the expense of brains. I give it four stars for the first half and two for the second.
This is one of those books where the first half and the second half are two completely different animals. The first half is really slow, but Craven does an expert job at setting up a fairly ludicrous scenario and I was surprised at how well-researched and deftly handled the scientific elements were. The whole notion of body-switching has grown tiresome in recent years, but, back when this book first came out in 1999, it was still a novel enough concept, especially when being accomplished through science rather than magic. THE FOUNTAIN SOCIETY is written with a level of artistry not generally found in books by Hollywood personalities, as well as an unusual degree of assuredness for a debut effort, even considering Craven's long, successful career in storytelling.
After a smart but rather dull first half, however, the book begins to pick up in excitement while simultaneously plummeting in intelligence. This part of the book is EXACTLY the sort of storytelling I expect from Hollywood celebrities: predictable, cliche, and heavily reliant on luck/coincidence. The whole thing starts to feel like a script for a B-movie, especially in the way that the bad guys always remain exactly one step behind. Even when the good guys do something really stupid, the bad guys always show up just a moment too late. All this action and running around may serve to make the story more exciting, but it also makes it a whole lot less interesting.
Another problem with the book is that the characters are unlikable. One the one hand, you've got an old married couple who are complicit in the murder of an innocent man; on the other hand, you've got the innocent man's girlfriend, who is surprisingly OK with her lover's body being taken over by someone else. Gee, who to root for?
I also had a problem with the outrageous lengths to which Craven takes the whole concept of "muscle memory" (for lack of a better term). At one point, a character who knows nothing about aviation is somehow able to take-off, fly, and land a plane simply because he is using the body (but not the brain) of a former pilot. Sound plausible?
THE FOUNTAIN SOCIETY lays the foundation for a great story it never actually delivers. When Wes Craven attempts to inject excitement into the proceedings, he does so at the expense of brains. I give it four stars for the first half and two for the second.
January 29, 2022
This was well written but I don't think it will be too memorable. Average.
It is definitely not horror, I think. This can maybe be considered a thriller?! but a sci-fi one?! There is a lot of science talk in this and it feels well researched in my opinion. There are quite a few interesting facts and I have to admit that the characters weren't bad either; some very interesting, in general well crafted and by the end I also felt something for our main ones. I was starting to think that BEatrice was going to act the opposite of what she was (or what I was knowing her for), but thank god it didn't happen.
There was maybe too much luck involved in our characters escape from the villains, though, that made the thing less realistic. But it was a little entertaining overall, also because for me, it was very easy to go through.
Finally, There is a particular scene in the plane towards the ending, very gruesome, that I particularly appreciated being a fan of Wes Craven's movies and that maybe showed me his touch.
It is definitely not horror, I think. This can maybe be considered a thriller?! but a sci-fi one?! There is a lot of science talk in this and it feels well researched in my opinion. There are quite a few interesting facts and I have to admit that the characters weren't bad either; some very interesting, in general well crafted and by the end I also felt something for our main ones. I was starting to think that BEatrice was going to act the opposite of what she was (or what I was knowing her for), but thank god it didn't happen.
There was maybe too much luck involved in our characters escape from the villains, though, that made the thing less realistic. But it was a little entertaining overall, also because for me, it was very easy to go through.
Finally, There is a particular scene in the plane towards the ending, very gruesome, that I particularly appreciated being a fan of Wes Craven's movies and that maybe showed me his touch.
October 22, 2024
It's completely on me that I saw Craven's name and assumed this was horror (as quite a few other people did, from the reviews). This is primarily about human cloning and transplanting brains into younger bodies - the book reminded me some of Altered Carbon as well as Face/Off. I really wasn't interested in the military setting and was most invested towards the end when . I predicted the twist, but I think there's something romantic about . My disinterest was probably because the book is more about the medical/scientific aspects of cloning, whereas I wanted more in terms of the characters' relationships.
July 20, 2021
Wes Cravens filmer har alltid legat mig varmt om hjärtat och tyvärr var inte Evigt liv riktigt vad jag hade väntat mig från honom. Det var helt enkelt inte skräck. Boken är absolut inte dålig och man märker att Craven är van vid att skriva trots att detta är hans debutroman. Egentligen känns handlingen väldigt 90-tal, bara tanken på vad vetenskapen skulle kunna leda till var väl skräck nog då? Det var lite för mycket vetenskap i början och vissa delar var väldigt förutsägbara. Men jag tror att det stora problemet för mig var att det knappt fanns några nivåskillnader i tempot. Det var ständigt full fart och intensiva sidor, emellanåt kan läsaren behöva en liten andningspaus. Jag tror att Evigt liv faktiskt hade gjort sig bättre som film. Dessutom känner jag att det krävs lite mer av storyn för ett högre betyg.
June 9, 2025
This is one of the most stupid books I have ever read. The title was traslated to "Incubo" (Nightmare) in italian, so I made the mistake of thinking this was gonna be a horror. It's science fiction at its best moments and a painfully cringe romantic drama at its worst. The whole story seems to be the wet dream of a man: old genius scientist gets his perfect brain transplanted in a younger version of himself, loses control and starts boning a supermodel (which is also, obvious plot twist, his wife's clone)... fascinating /s.
I honestly had to force myself to finish this, and I only did it because it infuriated me so much I wanted to write a bad review. It's a shame because I expected more of Wes Craven (Scream is one of my favorite slashers!!!), but I think he should stick to making movies. This was pure trash, boring asf in some parts, and cringeworthy.
I honestly had to force myself to finish this, and I only did it because it infuriated me so much I wanted to write a bad review. It's a shame because I expected more of Wes Craven (Scream is one of my favorite slashers!!!), but I think he should stick to making movies. This was pure trash, boring asf in some parts, and cringeworthy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2025
Una trama con mucho potencial para abordar temas complejos como la ética, la moral, y la identidad completamente desaprovechado.
La primera mitad del libro me mantuvo por lo menos expectante. Luego se convierte en una película de acción/sci-fi genérica donde todo pasa a conveniencia del protagonista.
Las descripciones y tecnicismos son excesivos y muchas veces innecesarios. Trata de añadir seriedad usando terminos medicos y explicaciones 'cientificas' pero cae en el tedio y aburrimiento, verborrea sin más que parece hecha para rellenar páginas.
En resumen, una decepción completa. Un intento de película hecha libro que por lo menos se lee rápidamente.
La primera mitad del libro me mantuvo por lo menos expectante. Luego se convierte en una película de acción/sci-fi genérica donde todo pasa a conveniencia del protagonista.
Las descripciones y tecnicismos son excesivos y muchas veces innecesarios. Trata de añadir seriedad usando terminos medicos y explicaciones 'cientificas' pero cae en el tedio y aburrimiento, verborrea sin más que parece hecha para rellenar páginas.
En resumen, una decepción completa. Un intento de película hecha libro que por lo menos se lee rápidamente.
July 2, 2021
Wes Craven is one of my favourite horror directors, his early films are uncomfortable but satisfying watches, the films afterwards are entertaining with a lot of wit.
I recall being excited about finding a novel written by him and yes it has a clever concept, the science bit is graphic there's some exciting moments and then it just trudges on to the point where it became a tedious read.
Craven fans, the hardcover has a lovely holographic image which you'd get more fun playing with than reading the book
I recall being excited about finding a novel written by him and yes it has a clever concept, the science bit is graphic there's some exciting moments and then it just trudges on to the point where it became a tedious read.
Craven fans, the hardcover has a lovely holographic image which you'd get more fun playing with than reading the book
May 29, 2022
i love this book
from start to finish
i love how he wrapped up every single character at the end so you aren’t left wondering
man wow
wes craven is amazing and i so badly wish he has written more
i wish he had written scream in book form
i wish fountain society would be made into a movie
his writing style reminded me so much of michael crichton
and peter clines
i want more of this world and these ideas
this is now one of my favorite love stories but it’s so much more than that alone
i miss wes craven
i want more of his mind
from start to finish
i love how he wrapped up every single character at the end so you aren’t left wondering
man wow
wes craven is amazing and i so badly wish he has written more
i wish he had written scream in book form
i wish fountain society would be made into a movie
his writing style reminded me so much of michael crichton
and peter clines
i want more of this world and these ideas
this is now one of my favorite love stories but it’s so much more than that alone
i miss wes craven
i want more of his mind
December 25, 2022
FOUNTAIN SOCIETY starts off a little slow but eventually becomes as campy and entertaining as Wes Craven’s on-screen science fiction thrillers. Felt like there were elements of RED EYE, SWAMP THING, THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, DEADLY FRIEND, and some of Wes’s TV movies all mixed up in here. I grew to love the three (four?) central characters and was fully invested in their journey by the end, even if the plot was a little silly. This isn’t a masterpiece of literature by any means, but if you just want a fun B-movie type of story, this is for you.
October 2, 2018
Never in a million years would I associate Wes Craven with this book. It's so not what I'm used to from him, which is usually along the horror route. But this? Completely unexpected, adlnd not in a good way. Too predictable, not engaging enough. He should have stuck to what he's good at: horror, and all the screams that come with it.
December 27, 2020
El libro es interesante, pero odio al imbécil traductor, que al parecer no tiene nada de conocimientos en ciencia. Es enervante leer "médula ósea" una y otra vez, cuando a lo que el autor se refiere originalmente es la médula espinal. Fuera de eso, entretenido, pero he leído ya muchos libros con temas muy similares. No sé cual fue el primero, así que les doy a todos ellos la misma calificación.
November 7, 2021
Found this in a used bookstore. I had no idea Craven had written a novel. I had to get it due to me being a big fan of his films. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable this book was. It is an easy-to-read sci-fi thriller in the same vein as Crichton. I recommend it
March 13, 2023
A well written book with a decent amount of research. I’m quite a fan of Wes Craven’s movies, but I found this to be a little predictable. I had a feeling Elizabeth was Beatrice’s clone very quickly after it was revealed Hans was Peter’s. Not a bad read, but not the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2024
Den är storyn får pluspoäng på kreativitet! Hade Crawen varit liiiite bättre på att skriva och texten i boken haft lite högre kvalitet hade den kunnat nå långt. Nu blev det en rätt halvljummen trea. Men till bokens försvar är historien riktigt lockande!
January 6, 2026
As a major Scream fan, I had high hopes for Wes Craven in horror novel form. Unfortunately, this doesn't deliver as well as his movies do. The idea is intriguing but the story itself never really properly scares as it seems to want to. Sadly, I would skip this one.
August 30, 2017
Un'altra fanta-storia sugli orrori che possono derivare dalla genetica. Scontata, forzata, brutta.
August 14, 2020
I was expecting something in the genre of horror of thriller but that is not what I got at all.
January 14, 2021
More like a 2.5 but I couldn’t bring myself to give it a 2
That ending... bleeeeeeh
That ending... bleeeeeeh
February 7, 2021
Caro Maestro Craven, se avessi voluto leggere un libro di Micheal Chricton di serie B, avrei letto Michael Chricton.
Meno male che fai il regista.
Meno male che fai il regista.
October 11, 2021
Entertaining enough but very forget-able.
November 5, 2021
One star because this book literally made me sick - and I've read "1408" and "The Ring" in the same setting with no consequences. The first chapters are horrible.
December 1, 2022
This book is good. If you can get through the first quarter without quitting, it's worth it. It's definitely not what I expected from Wes Craven, but I'm glad I finished it nonetheless.
July 1, 2023
2 stelle solo perché mi han appassionato le poche pagine delle operazioni
September 16, 2024
No es muy original, pero si está entretenido y se lee rápido
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews