Creature

Rating:
Summary: The Best of John Saul
Review: This was the first book I read by him and ever since, I have been hooked on John Saul books. He has such a creative storytelling mind. It is one of my all time favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: This is kinda crazy
Review: This was the first John Saul book I have read. It was a lot more violent than I thought it would be. The book creature was really hard to get into. It gets better as you go, but it never really says what happens in the end. Saul really goes into detail in the beginning. That is why it is so hard to get into. This book is for people who like murder and mystery. I liked it for the most part, because it keeps you wondering.

Rating:
Summary: This is kinda crazy
Review: This was the first John Saul book I have read. It was a lot more violent than I thought it would be. The book creature was really hard to get into. It gets better as you go, but it never really says what happens in the end. Saul really goes into detail in the beginning. That is why it is so hard to get into. This book is for people who like murder and mystery. I liked it for the most part, because it keeps you wondering.

Rating:
Summary: A great book that was hard to put down
Review: This was truly excellent from start to finish. It was filled with exciting twists all the way through, and you couldn't possibly guess what was going to happen next! A great book!

Rating:
Summary: A riveting thriller
Review: When I read a brief summary of this book, I wasn't really sure whether or not I would like it. Somewhat to my surprise, I found this to be a riveting novel. It's not Saul's best, but it is a great read. Creature is a sort of utopian novel, prompting one to ponder the effects of advanced genetic manipulation and subtle mind control on a controlled population. When Blake Tanner is suddenly promoted and transferred to Silverdale, he cannot be happier; TarrenTech only sends its future corporate elite to this small, idyllic town in Colorado. His family is initially happy there, but they gradually come to suspect and later fear something about the place. The total absence of junk food and colas in town would be enough to drive me out. TarrenTech basically owns and runs the whole town, including the mysterious sports clinic (given the foolish name Rocky Mountain High). Silverdale's high school football team is an all but unbeatable group of huge, strong athletes, earning a reputation for playing rough and dirty (despite the coach being named Phil Collins). A childhood illness had left Mark Tanner a short and skinny guy, greatly frustrating his athletic father. When Dr. Ames at the sports clinic says he can make Mark big and strong, Blake Tanner jumps at the chance. He pays no heed to the experimental nature of the "vitamin" treatment or the fact that one football player seriously injured another player in a game and later pummeled Tanner's own son in a jealous rage. When Mark soon begins to change, committing a few acts that I found particularly disturbing, Blake blames the change on teenaged hormones. Significantly, it is the women (old and young) in this novel who sniff out the danger lurking in the perfect little town and attempt to safeguard their families from its insidious effects.

At first, I enjoyed this book because I love seeing the little guy get the girl despite his lack of athletic prowess, but as things really started happening in town and the focus and tenor of the novel shifted, it was the storytelling craft of Saul that kept me turning the pages eagerly. Sure, you can tell early on the direction in which the story will go, but the ending was typically John Saul-not quite what I expected and not what I had wanted. Saul is not going to give you a happily ever after ending, and I applaud him for that. He remains faithful to the story from beginning to end. At times, his characters do act a little unnaturally, their dialogue somewhat forced or their behaviors a little too puppet-like, but all in all these moments are subtle and do little harm to the reading experience.

Rating:
Summary: A riveting thriller
Review: When I read a brief summary of this book, I wasn't really sure whether or not I would like it. Somewhat to my surprise, I found this to be a riveting novel. It's not Saul's best, but it is a great read. Creature is a sort of utopian novel, prompting one to ponder the effects of advanced genetic manipulation and subtle mind control on a controlled population. When Blake Tanner is suddenly promoted and transferred to Silverdale, he cannot be happier; TarrenTech only sends its future corporate elite to this small, idyllic town in Colorado. His family is initially happy there, but they gradually come to suspect and later fear something about the place. The total absence of junk food and colas in town would be enough to drive me out. TarrenTech basically owns and runs the whole town, including the mysterious sports clinic (given the foolish name Rocky Mountain High). Silverdale's high school football team is an all but unbeatable group of huge, strong athletes, earning a reputation for playing rough and dirty (despite the coach being named Phil Collins). A childhood illness had left Mark Tanner a short and skinny guy, greatly frustrating his athletic father. When Dr. Ames at the sports clinic says he can make Mark big and strong, Blake Tanner jumps at the chance. He pays no heed to the experimental nature of the "vitamin" treatment or the fact that one football player seriously injured another player in a game and later pummeled Tanner's own son in a jealous rage. When Mark soon begins to change, committing a few acts that I found particularly disturbing, Blake blames the change on teenaged hormones. Significantly, it is the women (old and young) in this novel who sniff out the danger lurking in the perfect little town and attempt to safeguard their families from its insidious effects.

At first, I enjoyed this book because I love seeing the little guy get the girl despite his lack of athletic prowess, but as things really started happening in town and the focus and tenor of the novel shifted, it was the storytelling craft of Saul that kept me turning the pages eagerly. Sure, you can tell early on the direction in which the story will go, but the ending was typically John Saul-not quite what I expected and not what I had wanted. Saul is not going to give you a happily ever after ending, and I applaud him for that. He remains faithful to the story from beginning to end. At times, his characters do act a little unnaturally, their dialogue somewhat forced or their behaviors a little too puppet-like, but all in all these moments are subtle and do little harm to the reading experience.