Nightshade

Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: i found itsuspenseful and fast paced..would recomend it to any one who likes a little scare..

Rating:
Summary: A Wild Ride
Review: Nightshade by John Saul is a horror lover's dream. Saul includes all of the classic horror characteristics in this novel.
The Moore family takes in their grandmother after a terrible fire leaves her in their hands. What they do not know is that Granny is not all that she seems. Their grandmother is an evil woman who does all she possibly can to break up the Moore's happy home.
Saul includes many literary devices to sharpen the effectiveness of the novel. Foreshadowing is included in that the family is always warned about terrible things before they happen. Saul also uses incredible imagery in the novel. His audience can see exactly what he trying to describe to them. It is exactly like being there with the characters. Saul just makes the novel come alive for the reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading more of Saul's work. This novel would suit the needs of all readers. I would definitely recommend this novel to all.

Rating:
Summary: Ghosts of the past destroy a once happy, loving family.
Review: When Joan Hapgood's mother Emily, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, nearly burns down her home, Joan thinks she has no choice but to take her mother into her own home. It is a decision she will come to regret. It seems that Emily, who can no longer tell reality and memory apart, is obsessively attached to her deceased first daughter, Cynthia. The woman is convinced that Cynthia is coming back or has already returned.

The stress of having the woman in the home fractures the Hapgood marriage (a tad too quickly, but John Saul has never been one for in depth psychological character studies) and knocks Joan's son Matt off his emotional balance. The boy is plagued by nightmares, visions, and blackouts. When people begin to die during these blackouts Matt questions his sanity. Also Cynthia's visits become more aggressive. Are the Hapgood's haunted, or is Matt just loosing his mind from weak parenting (check out just how quickly he is abandoned by his stepfather and how his mother caves into the slightest pressure from her own mother) and psychological abuse.

With Nightshade, pop thriller storyteller John Saul returns to the gothic, supernatural laced psychological thrillers that made him both famous and rich. It is a welcome return that, while not as effective as some of his classic novels (i.e. Comes the Blind Fury or When the Wind Blows), is nonetheless highly entertaining and recommended. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Tense - and miserably implausible
Review: A fine narration of a miserably implausible story that just gets worse as goes on. The main human characters' actions in this "ghost story" are blitheringly unbelievable. There's enough mystery and tension make you trudge on to the finale but it's an utterly unsatisfying experience that gets worse after yu've finished and consider how awful and completely unbelievable the actors and actions.

Rating:
Summary: Trite and predictable
Review: I decided to read this book after I read Saul's Blackstone Chronicles. I enjoyed the build up in that book, but the ending fell flat. So I got this one thinking I would give him another try. But I was none too impressed with this one, either. It was slow building and not much happened in the first 100 pages. I guessed the identity of the "evil person" early on, and guessed about Matt's connnection to Cynthia also. The ending wrapped up too neatly and left you with an unsatisfied feeling. I am going to give him one more chance to impress me ... I hope UNLOVED is good.

Rating:
Summary: A chilling book
Review: Nightshade is the first book I have read from John Saul, and definitely won't be the last. He has the knack for creating characters that you truly care for and making you feel the highs and lows for each of them throughout the story.

That's exactly what happened in Nightshade. The pity and sympathy I felt for Matt was tremendous. The things he had to go through were something most kids his age won't ever experience.

Nightshade had everything from dysfunctional families to supernatural beings. And John Saul made it believable.

With a creative and well thought out plot, Nightshade delivers and doesn't miss a beat the whole way through. 5 Stars

Rating:
Summary: Easy read, kept me interested
Review: This was my first John Saul novel. I had read reviews on some of his books and after finishing the book I agree on many things. John Saul doesn't twirl and shape the words in endless paragraph that extend the book another 100 pages like Dean Koontz. Nor does he create a personal story for most of the characters like some of my favorite St. King's. The writing works most of all to keep the story moving forward, sometimes a little too quick. Now I'm not saying this bothers me that much. In the specific case of Nightshade I found the first few chapters really great as Saul tells the story of this old woman with Alzheimer disease and in some parts did really touch me (like when he relates how Emily began forgetting everybody little by little till everyone seemed to be a stranger). However the book later focuses on the teenager Matt whose life just shatters after a terrible accident. Everything that comes next just seems to make Matt's situation worse and there is not the slightest hint of things getting better. In my opinion this is what's wrong with this book because in the end (I'm not gonna tell it dont worry) things kind of fix too fast, too conviniently. Still it was an easy read, nice to engage with for a couple of nights. Some graphic gorish details.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing book
Review: Nightshade has been the best book I have ever read. It just caught my attention right from the moment I opened the book. It is full of suspense and mixed emotions. It was amazing to see how a young boy's life can change all of a sudden, from having it all, a family that adores him, a stepfather who he sees as a real father, and a mother who cares for him, to having nothing but tragedies one after another. Unfortunately his happiness ends when an unexpected fire burns his grandmother's house and they are forced to take her home with them. We learned that his grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer, after many years, can't accept the fact that her dearly beloved daughter, Cynthia, was dead. His grandmother, not being able to face the truth about Cynthia's death, then decides to keep Cynthia's memory alive by recreating all of Cynthia's belongings and bedroom at Matt's home. Then the boy, who's real name is Matthews, is brought back to his fears of childhood, has horrible and perverted dreams in which his aunt Cynthia is involve. Matt is not the only one that suffers for his mother, Joan can sense the presence of her dead sister. Matthews becomes a victim of his aunt, and he is forced to do horrible unimaginable things that lead everyone, including his mother to doubt him, and finally left alone. He has no dad, he has no mom, and no friends. he is blamed for the disappearance of his grandmother, and many other tragic events that will change this charmed boy into a teen full of fear and unstable. Find out why by reading this incredible book, which will leave you wanting to read more and more. It is absolutely thrilling and absolutely recommendable. Don't miss out on what may be John Saul's most famous masterpiece. Get your copy of Nightshade right away and also find out the reason why it was given its title. You will not regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Dysfunctional family!
Review: The Hapgood family seems to have it all--money, social standing, and a loving atmosphere. Underneath the surface, however, are evil forces which begin to pull the family apart. Joan Hapgood's mother, Emily Moore, accidentally burns down her house and so comes to stay with Bill and Joan. Emily has always favored Joan's sister, Cynthia, and she demands a recreation of Cynthia's room in the Hapgood house, even though she has been dead for 16 years. Emily's cruelty towards Joan and her son Matt, and her obsession with Cynthia soon begins to drive a wedge between Bill and Joan. When Bill leaves, things go from bad to worse. There are strange voices and visions, and nothing is as it seems. This book is "over the edge" and the author seems to try his best to shock and horrify the reader. For those who enjoy this genre, it may be an interesting book, but it was definitely not my cup of tea!

Rating:
Summary: good start but really not good overall
Review: The story started out really strong and captured my attention, it was mysterious and slightly scary, but about half way through the book Saul got sloppy and repetitive, it was almost as though he had a great idea for a story but didn't know quite how to develop it. And about half way through the book is when Saul's incredibly trite and repetitious writing style started getting on my nerves. He seemed to use the same phrases and metaphors for every character and every plot development. I agree with many of the other reviewers' observations about holes and errors in the plot. It was a great 165 page read, then Saul got lazy and the rest of the book bored me to tears.