Rating: 
Summary: Better than most of his books!
Review: Shadows was the first John Saul book I read, and I hungrily tried to read all of his other books in the library. However, none were as clever or as satisfying as Shadows. Yes, the character development is lacking, but the plot is very exciting and very well written, giving the reader inside knowledge that Josh, the protagonist, only discovers at the end of the story.Mysterious details and character motives are all clarified by the end, without leaving any subplot unfinished. (For an example of such problems, read Orson Scott Card's "Lost Boys.") Saul's other books are all formulaic, with unbelievable events striking innocent teenagers in small towns, who then "turn bad." This one is a bit different. The "evil" encountered at the Academy that Josh attends is actually plausible and even believable, unlike the science-fiction / ghost story elements of most of his stories. It is also fascinating to read this book set (And written?) during the beginning of the computer craze. What would people turn to in order to create a powerful computer? This book explores the possibilities. It is MUCH better than a typical John Saul book.
Rating: 
Summary: ok
Review: the book is about an academy for young kids who are smarter than average.they take them there so they can study and analyze them.but the academy have a different plan and for the kids who start dissapearing.they want to do test on these gifted kids but they also want to kill them and get their intelligence by.... read it if it interest you!
Rating:
Summary: Fun read but undeveloped characters
Review: The book is an easy and enjoyable read. However, the character development is weak ... the kids, in particular, seem to move from good to bad for no other reason than to advance the plot. The evil adults are stock villians. I got no sense of what master plan they had in mind for their experiments. Some characters important in the beginning of the book, like Josh's mom, almost disappear. And Josh himself, the main character, doesn't really have an important part in the novel's climax. But the author has created a fast-paced and interesting plot, that while ultimately unbelievable, makes sense within the context of the novel.
Rating: 
Summary: very interesting plot a little slow at times though
Review: the book over all is very good it grabs your attetion and keeps it some of the parts are a little slow but you'll be so into it you won't care it's perfect for the comp./sci-fi/horror freak of the 90's
Rating:
Summary: A Creepy Book-recommended for a midnight chill
Review: This book was cool. The plot was imaginative, and the characters seem real. I couldn't put it down! The professor and Hildie were creepy and the ending was a shocker.
Rating:
Summary: A BOOK THAT ONLY JOHN SAUL FANS WILL LOVE...
Review: This is a yet another formulaic horror story by the author of multiple bestsellers in this genre. Plot driven, with little character development, and a prosaically written narrative, the book is mediocre fare, at best. This time, the horror takes place at The Academy, a school for gifted children. When ten year old, whiz kid Josh McCallum tries to commit suicide after enduring the endless taunts of his less gifted classmates in a mainstream school, his single mother enrolls him in The Academy, thinking that she has found a haven for her gifted son. There, Josh feels at home, meeting other extraordinarily gifted children and making friends. Run by a Dr. Engersol, the resident mad scientist, and presided over by an ostensibly motherly woman named Hildie, Josh is, at first, taken in by the seemingly comfortable atmosphere of The Academy. Soon, he finds himself becoming friends with a precocious, freckle-faced redhead named Amy. When a mysterious suicide takes place at the school, it is quickly swept under the rug. Josh and Amy shortly find themselves enrolled in a special seminar run by Dr. Engersol, where it is obvious all is not what it seems. Josh and Amy's idyllic and brief relationship soon comes to a grinding halt, when Amy is caught in the vortex of Dr. Engersol's madness, and Hildie is revealed for what she really is. It is up to Josh to set things right, a substantial burden for any ten year old, no matter how smart. All in all, this is a book that only dedicated fans of author John Saul will love. All others will find it to be nothing more than a quick, throwaway read.
Rating:
Summary: Good summer reading!
Review: This is my first John Saul novel. I admit he is no Steven King, but this was a good entertaining book. I think his writing style is a bit elementary but the topic of artificial intelligence and gifted children is quite compelling as he weaves his story line.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This is the first book of John Saul's I've read and I carried it with me where ever I went and read it on the go. The story line was imaginative to say the least. I can't wait to get some other novels of his to read. The book is about gifted children and what an evil mind can do to them once they are isolated at the Academy. Great read!
Rating:
Summary: Just when you think you know what's going on...
Review: This is the first John Saul book I have read, and I just might be hooked. This book provides some excellent character, the kind that you can easily relate to. The best thing about these characters is you never know what is going to happen to them as some the best are killed off or go insane.
I give it four stars because no one would ever be dumb enough to try to make a movie out of it.
***
Rating:
Summary: An unrealistic waste of time.
Review: This novel is about a group of gifted children attending the Academy. The Academy is actually a mansion transformed into a school; it's connected to the nearby university. The psychology students at the university study these gifted children without them knowing it. Josh, who is exceptionally gifted, is suspicious when people start disappearing. He gets very worried when he finds his good friend, Amy's, body wash up on shore of the pacific coast. What is going on? John Saul is a gifted (no pun intended) writer, and although the characters are life like, the plot is not. The plot if not realistic, but it is very logical. I found this book to not be very worthwhile. I would not recommend this book for anyone 15 and younger because of the greusomeness and the fact that it's dealing with children's bodies being mutilated.
| 
