Shadows

I discovered John Saul in middle school, and devoured everything I could find him between my late middle school and high school years--yet, I read them so quickly, and read so many books back then, I haven't had many memories of them as an adult. Re-reading this was sort of fascinating and wonderful, though I'm a little bit horrified to think of how young I was when I first read this one.

Saul's writing is fast and dark, and he doesn't shy away from turning real-feeling characters toward unbelievable tragedy in horror. This book in particular deals with everything from child abuse and endangerment to child suicide and animal experimentation, and just when you think it can't get darker... well, yes, it does.

It's true that this story might show more feel a little bit dated in terms of the story and technology presented, compared to where we are today, but readers who can get past that will be struck with a master storyteller's tale of horror that won't be easily forgotten. And if you like horror and can deal with those subjects above... well then, yes, I absolutely 100% recommend it. show less

La trama se desarrolla muy bien, fluye y no se hace pesada, sin que te tenga temblando de miedo logra adentrarte en esos pasillos, ese campo, ese tren, ese...mejor no hablar de eso. Los personajes, no diria que son entrañables en sí mismos, pero en su esencia, en lo que representan sí lo son, pasan a ser un elemento más en este mundo, pero ese mismo papel podría haberlo personificado alguien más.

Algo a destacar es que los niños tienen un caracter infantil, si vas a hacer una historia de terror con niños de 8-11 años no los hagas parecer que actúan como personas de 50 años, dejálos llorar, temer, pedir por sus padres...esa parte aquí esta bien lograda.

La trama es interesante, pero no excepcional; desde la prémisa te dice show more que el instituto no será normal, qien es el villano y, por lo mismo, hay momentos en que abusa de los cliches (los gemelos, el director, el lloriqueo incesante, el niño que descubre el plan), pero su punto salvador es el final, a pesar de que no es excelso ni completamente original. el último twist es bastante destacable, principalmente por el cambio en el personaje, además de que te dejá pensando "Demonios, ese niño quedara traumatizado de por vida".

Es un historia imprecindible, no. La recomiendo, sí, especialmente si quieres algo ligero que utilice a las personas más vulnerables como protagonistas. show less

Ten-year-old Josh MacCallum doesn’t fit in. He is extremely intelligent and he keeps skipping ahead grades in school. The kids don’t like him because he’s too smart. Josh is younger than his other classmates and they pick fights with him and they think the teachers favor him. Josh’s mother (Brenda) is barely getting by. Her no-good husband has left and she has another kid to feed (Melinda, Josh’s baby sister). After Brenda gets called in to talk to the principal about Josh getting into another fight at school, the principal suggests a school that would be interested in Josh, the Barrington Academy, a cliff-top mansion overlooking the pacific coast. Eventually Brenda gives it some serious thought and takes Josh there to check show more it out. Josh finally feels like he fits in and decides to stay. But what about strange Dr. Engersol and his weird experiments. And some people at the school aren’t what they seem. As time goes by, many people are turning up dead…

I really enjoyed this book. As the story progressed, and I found out what the experiments were all about, it was quite creepy. I liked some characters, like Josh, his young friend Amy, and their English teacher Mr. Connors. Then there were some annoying and evil characters that I hoped would eventually get what they deserved. The story had good atmosphere, especially the Academy, with its creaky old elevators, secret basement rooms, etc… I found myself quickly turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

Another captivating read by John Saul. show less

Josh MacCallum is ten years old and having a hard time. He lives in a small California desert town with his single mother and baby sister, is a genius, and has just been skipped forward in school a second time, making him two years younger than his classmates. Friendless, he is bullied constantly. It’s no real surprise when, in a fit of anger, he cuts his wrists. His panicked mother agrees to look into The Academy, a school for gifted youngsters affiliated with a university. Despite her reservations, the school seems to fit Josh’s needs, as well as being offered at no cost. For the first time Josh starts to make friends and is actually in a group of his peers. Things look happy.

But things start going wrong quickly- students are show more committing suicide at an alarming rate. Mysterious sounds are heard at night. And the ‘special seminar’ that Josh and his new best friend, Amy, are invited to join is downright creepy. It’s supposed to be about artificial intelligence, but it really seems to be more about how living brains work. The head of the Academy, Dr. Engersol, seems all too bent on isolating brains from body.

It’s really hard to write about this book without giving huge spoilers. Suffice it to say that what Josh uncovers is a truly skin crawling situation, that bad things happen to good people, and that it’s reasonably well written. The book was written 20 years ago and features computers and how they are interconnected, so one must remember what the state of computer technology was like back then to realize how freaky some of the things that happen in the book must have seemed to readers back then- there was no World Wide Web and modems connected your computer directly to another computer through the phone lines, not routing through a server. Some of the story is predictable, but there are surprises, particularly an unhappy twist at the end. show less

Shadows is a good book to read at night, and the plot was interesting. The concept of true artificial intelligence is always scary, especially when that intelligence wakes up and realises the total power and control it can wield. I quite liked the ending of this book as well. Having said all that, however, I come to the book's main handicap - it's forgettable. It is just one day since I finished reading Shadows and I've already forgotten my feelings and impressions while reading it. In my opinion, an enjoyable read, but not worth a second look.

This was the first book I ever read by Saul over 5 years ago or so. It was suggested to me by my Father who also is an avid reader like myself.

I was very impressed with Sual's writing style and have been ever since. I thought the book was wonderful, the characters were played out in detail and Saul kept me engaged in my reading.

The ending was very good and it really moved me. Sort of took you to another place in the belief that the brain can be replaced by computers.

Really good writing, enjoyable reading.

Another fast read from Saul. Very well written with fantastic twists and turns. A real page-turner!