The Unwanted

Este libro tiene mucho tiempo que lo lei (de verdad mucho, lo comencé cuando tenia alrededor de 10 años, y lo termine al ir en la preparatoria) lo busque mucho tiempo (porque en mi primera lectura no pude terminarlo, durante alrededor de 6 años, y es uno de los pocos libros en los que el final NO LO ESPERABA, es tal vez uno de los giros más inesperados que me ha tocado ver/leer.

La historia me atrapo desde el primer instante, no hay otra manera de describirlo, fue una de las mejores experiencias que había tenido en ese momento, los escenarios eran facilmente imaginables, la atmósfera no era pesada ni terrorífica, pero si creaba mucho suspenso, y los personajes eran entrañables, especialmente la señora que todos decían que era show more una bruja, es un personaje demasiado atrayente e inolvidable en su concepción (que no en su nombre porque no lo recuerdo).

Tiene elementos clásicos de los libros de terror: el cementerio cercano, la chica a la que todos temen, el pueblo pequeño, los padres ausentes o estrictos, una muerte...y de verdad para iniciar en el genero esta bien pero si ya eres nivel master es probable que te aburra. show less

Chills and Thrills!

Backstory:

Cassie Winslow lost her mother in a terrible car crash and has to come live with her father, Keith and his family in the town of False Harbor. Cassie is in a deep depression from losing her mother and tries to fit into the household of her step-mom, Rosemary and their young daughter, Jennifer. Cassie has a hard time fitting into the new school and right away she is shunned from some of the teenagers there. Cassie does make friends with a next door neighbor named Eric and they hit it off well, but things become strange for Cassie when she sees a woman in town that seems familiar to her named Miranda Sikes.

Miranda is known for being the local crazy witch in town and she lives at the end of town out in a cabin show more that lies within swampland and marshes which borders a beach. Cassie just feels drawn to that area and ends up eventually meeting with Miranda out in the cabin. But things are not what they seem and when things start happening in the town with people that have been giving Cassie and Eric troubles is when crazy crap hits the fan and fingers are pointing along with whispers of Cassie being crazy just like Miranda as the town thinks that Cassie is behind the attacks that start happening to the citizens.

That is about all I can give on a taste without giving away spoilers and if you would like to know more then you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

I had read this book way back in the early 90's as I use to read this author a lot back then, but I have decided to start revisiting John Saul's books as it has been many years since I read a lot of his work. This story started out a little slow due to some world building of the town of False Harbor plus there was some character building as well, but about the 25% mark things started kicking in a little more with some creepy vibes rolling off the pages that surrounded Miranda Sikes and her remote cabin out in the swamplands.

Around the 40% mark things were happening more and I literally could not put this book down as so much was happening with all the characters that I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. I literally read the last 30% of the book in a couple of hours as the crap hit the fan and there were tons of twists and turns which drove this book into overdrive!

There are some creepy moments, but there is also some gore stuff within these pages as when the book went into overdrive I was reaching for my "gore suit" as I am thinking to myself "I don't remember Saul books being gory" but there it was right before me on the pages of this book - some gore parts dotted here and there throughout the book.

Very happy with rereading this book as though it has been over 30 years since I read it the book brought back memories of being amazed by the works of this author. I plan on rereading more of his books so I can step back into that time of old school horror as that is how I feel about reading Saul's books. Giving this book five Screaming Terror stars! show less

I'm not sure if it is because this is a slightly older book or what but this novel grabbed me more than other more recent ones by Saul. In fact, the second half grabbed me and seemed to be quickly tying together many things that I didn't even think would be connected but ended up being so. It was definitely a page-turner! Saul still keeps with his theme of children and revenge but there is a little bit more of a bite in the story. The story contains some grit that makes it that much more enjoyable. My only complaint is that I know I read the last page somewhere else. Not sure if it was another novel by Saul, by someone else or if I just read the book twice by mistake, but it was definitely familiar.

Sixteen-year-old Cassie Winslow has to go live with her father in False Harbor on Cape Cod after her mother dies in a car accident. Years ago, he and Cassie’s mother divorced and he has since remarried and he now has a new family. After Cassie arrives she bonds with a strange woman (Miranda) who some people in town think is a crazy witch. Miranda lives near the marshes on the edge of town. Cassie makes friends with her neighbor (Eric) who goes to the same school she does. She also finds herself being picked on and bullied by some girls in school. Eventually Cassie discovers she has some powers. After Miranda dies Cassie inherits her cat and hawk that do what she wants them to. Soon deaths and accidents occur in False Harbor…

I show more usually really enjoy John Saul’s books but this was an average read for me. The storyline was interesting but I didn’t really like how everything turned out in the end. Many characters I didn’t like, and some I found annoying. Miranda’s house in the marsh was unusual. A so-so read. show less

Not my favorite John Saul, but not a bad book either. I thought the story of Cassie and Eric was interesting. I wasn't too happy with the ending, but most of John Saul's books have an unhappy ending. I felt sorry for Cassie and the way she was ostracized by the town, and wished she could have had a happier life.

Sixteen year old Cassie Winslow feels alone after her mother died in an auto accident.

Her parents were divorced and her father remarried. Now he has Cassie come to live with him and his family in Cape Cod. When she arrives, she makes friends with her neighbor, Eric Cavanaugh who is the same age. However, most of the students at the high school take the lead from Eric's old girlfriend. They shut out Chassie and make hurtful comments about her.

Cassie is drawn to the one person in town who is also alone, the eccentric Miranda. Miranda is considered odd and lives by herself in a house by the marsh.

When Cassie comes to Miranda's home and they talk, Miranda tells her that now, Cassie is hers and that she won't let anyone harm her. Besides show more being eccentric, Miranda has the power to communicate and control a cat and an albino hawk that live at her home.

At her father's home, Cassie feels like an intruder and eventually comes to think of Miranda's home as her real home.

As the days go by, Cassie and Eric bond together. Eric is also a friend of Miranda and when Eric is mistreated by other students or his baseball coach, we observe strange, supernatural things happen to them. Is is witchcraft? Is is just a coincidence?

John Saul does a standout job at keeping the reader guessing while at the same time providing a high level of suspense.

The author also provided some good plot twists and surprises. I did feel that some of the action was predictable. Nevertheless, I felt entertained. show less

I love horror, especially horror from the heyday of the 1980s. But this is the second time John Saul has disappointed. I won't make the mistake again. The writing is, honestly, something that reads like an AI generated text - simplistic and trite. This is what someone who isn't really a writer would write if they decided they were a writer on their own judgement. It's just bad.

1 bone!
Not Recommended!