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1st out of 30 books
—
42 voters
The Blackstone Chronicles (Blackstone Chronicles #1-6)
by
John Saul
Now, for the first time, the New York Times bestselling serial thriller is complete in one terrifying volume. John Saul, the master of supernatural suspense, John Saul, brings to chilling life the small New England town of Blackstone--and the secrets and sins that lay buried there. . . .
From atop Blackstone's highest hill, the old Asylum casts its shadow over the village....more
From atop Blackstone's highest hill, the old Asylum casts its shadow over the village....more
Paperback, 527 pages
Published
1998
by Arrow
(first published 1997)
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Mar 20, 2013
Dirk Grobbelaar
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
wife-books,
horror
A place of unspeakable sadness and pain.
A small town.
An abandoned asylum for the ‘insane’.
A past mystery.
A present mystery.
The Blackstone Chronicles consists of six distinct sequences that were originally released in serial format, much in the same fashion as Dickens's work, and more recently, The Green Mile. Each sequence is roughly the length of a novella, and added together they form the complete novel. The good news is that it’s completely cohesive and flawlessly executed, which has to be co...more
A small town.
An abandoned asylum for the ‘insane’.
A past mystery.
A present mystery.
The Blackstone Chronicles consists of six distinct sequences that were originally released in serial format, much in the same fashion as Dickens's work, and more recently, The Green Mile. Each sequence is roughly the length of a novella, and added together they form the complete novel. The good news is that it’s completely cohesive and flawlessly executed, which has to be co...more
Apr 10, 2012
Carla Maria
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
thrill seekers?
This one was recommended to me by a co-worker because I mentioned I liked stories revolving around insane asylums. I definitely liked the ideas behind this book; the separate but intertwined stories revolving around various townsfolk, a mystery connecting all of them, the shadow of the asylum looming over the town of Blackstone, even the original serialised publication of the five segments. But all in all, it was a predictable read. Maybe I'm just too familiar with the tropes of these asylum sto...more
My mother actually suggested I read "The Blackstone Chronicles," but her and I differ in our book tastes so I was hesitant. I tend to agree with her when she told me this book was good, and I enjoyed the story overall! I liked the horror factor, the idea that every story section was based around the Asylum and Blackstone, and I liked the idea of evil presented throughout the story. There were, however, some aspects of the book that just didn't work for me as a reader.
I don't want to give any sp...more
I don't want to give any sp...more
Jan 14, 2010
Sridhar Babu
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
nobody
Recommended to Sridhar by:
read by e-book
though the first 2 parts are scary, and full of horrorifying events, other three are very boring and dull. John saul not only in this book, but in his other books, begins very well by mysteries and scary events, and in the end he confuses not only himself also the readers.
In this fiction...there is no climax at all...al the murders happening in this novel ends in a half boiled stage, without proper ending...the author never describes the deaths and mysterious events appening to each character...more
In this fiction...there is no climax at all...al the murders happening in this novel ends in a half boiled stage, without proper ending...the author never describes the deaths and mysterious events appening to each character...more
This is everything you could ever want from great serial horror. I remember my sister-in-law reading 10 pages every night before she went to bed, and having to watch a Disney movie just so she could sleep. This book rules!
This series was a great read! I'm glad I got the whole series in one book because I would've hated having to wait for the next one!
Perfect all-night horror reading! I was reading this book in bed earlier when I fell asleep for a while. I swear it gave me nightmares.
i've read lots of his books. The serial concept totally messed him up. Take my advice...read Stephen Kings instead.
My mom and I read these when I was younger as each book came out; great story-telling with lots of suspense!
Wonderfully written horror! A very engaging and disturbing specimen from a true master of the genre.
Great read! Full of plot twists and suspense. The characters are well-developed and engaging.
I truly enjoy John Saul's style and imagination. I was / am an avid Clive Barker fan and his mystery/thrillers are a hard act to follow - I was given a Joh Saul book; since then I've purchased several more.
This particular book was really neat – it was originally released as six separate publications; one a continuation of another but able to stand alone as well. The 6 stories back to back provide a very interesting tale about a small town, treatment of mental patients back when we weren’t so adv...more
This particular book was really neat – it was originally released as six separate publications; one a continuation of another but able to stand alone as well. The 6 stories back to back provide a very interesting tale about a small town, treatment of mental patients back when we weren’t so adv...more
Mystery thriller, written more for young teens, I think.
Scared me to death!!
John Saul was one of the first horror authors I have ever read, for which he has earned a sentimental value and a whole shelf of my bookcase. I've stopped reading him long ago, but nevertheless collected most of his books. I picked up Blackstone Chronicles just to see how I'd enjoy his work now all these years later and I found out that it just doesn't rate that high anymore (much to my disappointment), although it is very interesting to see how my tastes have changed and matured. After a decade...more
2 likes · like · see review
An evil is being unleashed in Blackstone and the townspeople are buzzing about it... but the editor of the Blackstone Chronicle is refusing to write about the so-called curse that has begun to spread it's icy cloak over the town. Everyone is connected to one another and to the Asylum on top of North Hill.
Items begin to show up around town and each one has a history linked to the asylum. The history carried with each item causes destruction to the town one person at a time. A mysterious person r...more
Items begin to show up around town and each one has a history linked to the asylum. The history carried with each item causes destruction to the town one person at a time. A mysterious person r...more
I was digging through my library looking for a book when I came across this one. I thought I'd add it to my list of "reads" though it has been years. I purchased this book when I doing lots of travel with my contracting job. I was attracted to the title because the story takes place in the small New England town of Blackstone. Saul, says this is NH but there is no Blackstone, NH, however the town next to my hometown was Blackstone, MA...the closest Blackstone to the border of NH. Some of the app...more
I don't usually read this type of story but somthing about it intregied me so I read it. And I loved it. first of all this is really more of a psycological thriller rather than a supernatural one. This a suspenseful mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the last chapter. With all of the hidden connetions and flashbacks this is a story that will easily hook any fan of LOST. Though the conclusion is sold it will still leave you longing to return to the town of Blackstone.
this came out as a 6 part series, let me tell you they were cliffhangers. I just love the authors writings. he creates such a vision with his words that it almost feels as if your their in person.
I would definitely recommend this author, I have read in the neighbourhood of 20 of his books.
I would definitely recommend this author, I have read in the neighbourhood of 20 of his books.
I love the creepy atmosphere of asylums and John Saul is a master of suspense. Put these two together and sprinkle in some spine-chilling WTF-ness and you get Blackstone Chronicles. I would BEG for more of this from Saul. It's been years since I've read this and it still stays with me.
The Blackstone Chronicles would definitely be one of my favorites of John Saul's. It was very gruesome throughout the whole book, which I personally enjoyed. It was filled with mystery, which enticed me to read more. I would recommend this book to those who revel in dark, morbid tales.
Starts out well, very captivating and engaging. It ends very flat, with little resolution, and a lot of head scratching. The reader is left to make a lot of assumptions and guesses. I was very disappointed by the ending of this book. There are much better reads out there.
Unlike the Green Mile, I just waited and bought this in one complete collection....to be quite honest I could have done it either way, but proabably saved a few bucks with this format. It's an absolute standout book for John Saul, really the best he has to offer, and this is coming from a John Saul fan.
I was totally annoyed with this book. other reviews said the first 2 stories were good, but they reminded me of some of the dumb 1980's scary movies. those movies were fun but I expect a lot more from a book. Not scary at all to me.
This was the very first book of his I read - back when it was in 6 small books - I was 13 so it was a great start to my collection of his :) Wish I could find his book from the 70's and 80's to add to my collection!
Great book all thru but at the end I was left kinda lost with as to what really was true. Didn't like that fat. But was a great read, maybe im missing the point of the end.
This book was originally written in 6 parts (ala Stephen King with the Green Mile), unfortunately, I was not aware of its existence then so I read it all in one book. Fortunately for me, the book works either way. I am taking this from a 5 star rating down to a 4 because of not loving parts 4 and 5 of the story as well as being fairly unsatisfied with the ending. I feel like maybe I'm dumb, but I didn't get it. Regardless of that, most of the parts of the book were just plain creepy and set a gr...more
the characters were a little confusing to keep track of, but at the end, the entire book came together. This book kept me interested and I finished it rather quickly.
I loved this serial novel. I enjoyed spending time in Blackstone. The pages felt as if they turned themselves and it was hard to put the book down.
It has been over 10 years since I have read it but I liked it so much that I started reading everything by John Saul that I could find.
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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
More about John Saul...
After leaving college, he...more
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Mar 21, 2013 01:18am
Mar 30, 2013 09:16pm