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17th out of 30 books
—
42 voters
Darkness
by
John Saul
Villejeune, Florida. A secluded little town at the edge of a vast, eerie swamp. Far from prying eyes. Far from the laws of civilization. Here folks live by their own rules -- dark rites of altars and infants, candles and blood.
Years ago the Andersons left town with a dream. Now they are back. To live out a nightmare. Something has been waiting for them. Something unspeakab...more
Years ago the Andersons left town with a dream. Now they are back. To live out a nightmare. Something has been waiting for them. Something unspeakab...more
Paperback, 373 pages
Published
November 10th 1992
by Bantam
(first published January 1st 1991)
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Read during a weekend at the cottage.
Definitely
a cottage read. Kinda too far-out and fantastic for everyday reading at home. (That is what I decided when I flipped through it before buying it used, and read about a Dark Man who sucks out a baby's soul with a needle, leaving the baby otherwise unharmed...)
A very entertaining read as the premise is quite far-fetched. I must say that it is very well written with PLENTY of twists and turns. I thought I had figured out who the Dark Man was, but it...more
A very entertaining read as the premise is quite far-fetched. I must say that it is very well written with PLENTY of twists and turns. I thought I had figured out who the Dark Man was, but it...more
This was the first book I read from John Saul.I bought this book a million years ago at a yard sale for like 25 cents haha. It was a beat up book but the back had me interested. I swear this had to bought back when Scott and I first got married and that was 19 years ago! I even still have this book.
John Saul is a great horror author. Out of all the books I've read by him I have more than enjoyed. He gives you that creep factor as well in some that out of this world, that would never happen facto...more
John Saul is a great horror author. Out of all the books I've read by him I have more than enjoyed. He gives you that creep factor as well in some that out of this world, that would never happen facto...more
The thing that's always creeped me out about John Saul's writing is his near-obsession with the idea of adults who prolong their lives by stealing youth from children. Sticking to this theme, Darkness takes place in a quiet Florida town where some residents don't age and many children disappear.
In Saul's world, the Fountain of Youth is discovered -- it's within each child's thymus gland. Not only does the gland hold the elixir of youth, but it also houses the human soul. It's an interesting theo...more
In Saul's world, the Fountain of Youth is discovered -- it's within each child's thymus gland. Not only does the gland hold the elixir of youth, but it also houses the human soul. It's an interesting theo...more
I think this was supposed to be scarier than it was. It had potential to be scary with The Dark Man and his family of zombie children, the spooky swamp and its inscrutable inhabitants, and the obvious terror of the characters but somehow it just didn’t hit me. There were parts that were really creepy, especially toward the end, but I wouldn’t say scary. At times it sort of slipped toward corny and that made it lose some of its horror bite. I was also waiting for all the pieces to fall into place...more
The small town of Villajeune, Florida is privy to a deep, dark secret. Babies die, children disappear and those that don't are haunted by nightmares of The Dark Man, who invades their thoughts, controls their minds and steals their souls.
So begins "Darkness" from John Saul. While not necessarily a typical horror story, or typical John Saul, I find the story to be engrossing and very quickly got hooked. I found that the first half of the book was much better than the second, when too much was re...more
So begins "Darkness" from John Saul. While not necessarily a typical horror story, or typical John Saul, I find the story to be engrossing and very quickly got hooked. I found that the first half of the book was much better than the second, when too much was re...more
Saul is good for a nice, quick, fun read. It reads like one of those weird B-movies from the '70s or '80s, back when they were focused on strangeness rather than referential humor and disgust.
It has a little bit of science fiction in it but it's superficial. This is a story of supernatural horror, using the real life setting of Florida swamps to create an atmosphere of terror.
The only other Saul I've read was The God Project... and there are definitely similar themes here, but this book is a l...more
It has a little bit of science fiction in it but it's superficial. This is a story of supernatural horror, using the real life setting of Florida swamps to create an atmosphere of terror.
The only other Saul I've read was The God Project... and there are definitely similar themes here, but this book is a l...more
Every time I try to read a John Saul book, I think, "Why did I bother?" Yet every so often I will pick one up and hope for the best. I need to learn from the past. I couldn't finish this one -- I got about a third of the way through and then just skipped to the end. And I never skip to the end. It was that bad.
You can be a poor to mediocre writer in certain genres: Danielle Steel and Stephenie Meyer immediately come to mind. But in the horror genre, the writing needs to work. It needs to, you k...more
You can be a poor to mediocre writer in certain genres: Danielle Steel and Stephenie Meyer immediately come to mind. But in the horror genre, the writing needs to work. It needs to, you k...more
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This was the first John Saul book I've read, and I wasn't too impressed. The story is a little hard to follow, since the perspective jumps around. Each character knows something that the others don't so when it switches to a different character, you're reading about something brand new. One chapter you're reading about some of the victims, and then suddenly you're reading about the bad guy from one his follower's point of view. Then, as you start to get farther into the story, it begins switchin...more
I loved this book so much it is one of my favorites.It always leaves you on the edge of your chair.The more you read into the book the better it gets. although i did get confused towards the middle of the book i caught on the next chapter.I also could relate to some of the characters in some ways so it left me suspenseful every step they took, also if i stopped reading for a while i would try to think about what i would do myself to solve the situation.at some of the parts in the book it does ge...more
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I would have given this 4 stars when I read it some 18 years ago. A darkness falls, taking over kids minds, drawing them into a mysterious house in swamp lands. I can't really go much further that that and not ruin the story, plus give the time I can't remember any character except a somewhat troubled girl who recently moved to the area and starts to see what is going on and tries to figure it out, I think after her brother goes bonkers.
I thought this was a really good story. He doesn't give a whole lot of detailed description about the characters or of the settings in which the story takes place like King but still a very good story teller. After I started reading it, I had to keep reading the next chapter and then the next chapter because I had to find out what happened next. A quick read and one I would recommend to just about anyone.
I didn't care much for this book.. In my opinion, Saul hits it out of the park or completely misses it, this book was a miss.. I lost interest in the book pretty quickly.. The children's souls being sucked out by a blade, so that they are roaming around as voodoo zombies (Darkman's children) just did not just did not resonate with me, nor did I find the book very scary.. Oh well..
I love John Saul books. He is almost as good of a horror author as Stephen King. His writing style is unique and that is what makes him one of my favorite authors. I haven't read a book of his I haven't liked yet, they are all so great. I would reread any of his books anytime but there are too many to go into detail about each one.
I really liked reading John Saul when I was in jr high/high school. The writing isn't the greatest, but they're entertaining. They often involve genetic mutation/disasters (on a small scale) that happen because of people interfering with nature. Think Smallville's episodes involving "meteor freaks" or X-Files.
I read this several years ago and can't remember much of it ... which tells me it wasn't that interesting a book. Probably an okay read in the early teen years but I didn't care for it much. I think King is a hard man to beat in the horror genre.
Nov 12, 2008
Thee_ron_clark
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone looking for a fast, smooth, and enjoyable read.
Shelves:
other-horror
John Saul consistently demonstrates a great style of writing that not only makes his books a smooth read, but captures his readers. My general disappointment in Saul's work is that the endings tend to be too predictable where I feel something more powerful should come out of the climax.
Darkness does not have this problem. That is probably mostly due to this book being a bit less supernatural and somewhat more action-oriented. Most of us won't complain when we find out who the main bad guy is a f...more
Darkness does not have this problem. That is probably mostly due to this book being a bit less supernatural and somewhat more action-oriented. Most of us won't complain when we find out who the main bad guy is a f...more
This was the very first John Saul book I ever read! I found it in a friends basement in a box full of books they were going to give away! Of course, I took them all! This book hooked me on John Saul's books! A great hot-summer-night read!
This was the first book I ever read by John Saul! Loved, LOVED, this book. My imagination goes all kinds of places and I love to watch TV,I could see this being a real life thing....only in my world
Zombified flesh eating humans...
Zombified flesh eating humans...
Somewhat predictable. John Saul doesn't disappoint his readers with his creepy style, it's all here in this book. It's not a horrible read, but it doesn't stand out from his other books. Reading this book beats doing nothing!
I love Saul but this is one of his weaker moments. The "surprises" this book has in store are so painfully obvious that you might not want to finish it. I would have given it a two, but I went with a three because John Saul is just so damn good at making characters that you can sympathize with and root for. Even if you have the ending figured out, it can still be enjoyable just to see the protagonists fight their battles and and get their revenge.
I once liked it... but I'd better mark it gone as I tried re-reading it and it's too darn creepy for me now.... I must be getting old.... a great book if you like creepy! Well written!
Jun 28, 2007
Jewelz
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
yes, if u like paranormal/science fiction type
This book is unbelievable!!! I saw this at work, ur allowed to borrow books and read them, so i grabbed it...good thing i did! Its about a cult i think, where a man called the dark man takes babies as gifts and pierces them in the chest. its complicated to explain, these children grow up as swamp rats as they are called, and not educated! its very hard to put it down but i do!
This book was sooo good and i finished i tlas tnight..I was right about who the Dark Man is, but im not goin gto spoil it...more
This book was sooo good and i finished i tlas tnight..I was right about who the Dark Man is, but im not goin gto spoil it...more
Didn't have the usual suspense that Saul is known for. A bit of a disappointment, but written with detailed intelligence that is Saul's trademark.
Sep 05, 2012
Frances
added it
tHIS WAS THE FIRST BOOK THAT I BOUGHT FOR MYSELF. I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. AFTER THAT I BECOME A FAN OF THIS AUTHOR AND HAVE READ ALL HIS BOOKS!
I didn't really care much for this at first. It's not the type of mystery I usually read. However, it lured me in enough to finish it, and I'm glad I kept with it.
Although this book was written in 1991 the story didn't seem "dated". I enjoyed the story and the pace of the book as well.
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It was a nice read. This one book shows how much the people can fall to gain immortality.
i thought this book was a good quick read it had a very satisfying ending.
I've never read a bad book written by John Saul...this one wasn't my fav but definitely a good read.
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John Saul was born in Pasadena, California on February 25, 1942, and grew up in Whittier where he graduated from Whittier High School in 1959. He attended several colleges—Antioch, in Ohio, Cerritos, in Norwalk, California, Montana State University and San Francisco State College, variously majoring in anthropology, liberal arts, and theater, but never obtaining a degree.
After leaving college, he...more
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