The God Project

Rating:
Summary: The novel that turned me into a horror fan
Review: Even though this is not horror in the true sense of the word, The God Project holds the distinction of being the first book of its kind that I ever read. If you asked me how and why I became a horror fan, I would point to this novel and credit it with introducing me to the genre I have come to love above all others. Rereading The God Project now, the story still retains a lot of the qualities that gave birth to my fascination with dark fiction all those years ago. This was Saul's sixth published novel, and its medical science fiction theme seems original and well-developed here; later Saul novels built upon a similar plot structure have always seemed rather derivative and thus less compelling in comparison. The medical science Saul builds into this story seems rather impressive and believable, especially given that not too many writers were playing with DNA and genetic manipulation back in 1982. The medical science Saul describes may be utter baloney, but he makes it sound realistic and possible, and that is what makes this book succeed as well as it does.

The basic story is not too complicated. Sally Montgomery refuses to believe that her perfectly healthy little girl's death is due to SIDS. Determined to find out what really killed her baby, she braves the disbelief and worry of her husband and mother to dig into what might have happened. Meanwhile, Lucy Corliss' son Randy mysteriously disappears. As a number of distraught parents of children either missing or dead come together, hints of a terrible conspiracy begin to emerge. All of the children have been secretly studied by a mysterious entity called CHILD, and Sally uses her computer knowledge to dig up some troubling data from the kids' medical files. Suspicion turns on the doctor who delivered all of the children in question, and the action and suspense builds steadily throughout the novel. The reader gets a good idea about what is going on well before the main characters figure everything out, but Saul makes sure the ending is not anticlimactic. There are several twists at the end, one of them masterfully disguised and thus unexpected.

I believe this is one of John Saul's very best novels, but my inability to know the answer to a few questions in my mind keeps me from giving it a perfect rating. There was one element to the story that seemed important and quite fishy, but the story never went down the road I was looking for in that regard. The epilogue, while compelling, is a little rushed, and that is another tiny flaw that I take into account in designating my personal rating. Still, Saul caught be quite off-guard with one gotcha event toward the end, which really impressed me. Just like the children involved in the God Project, this novel is almost perfect. Anyone wanting to read Saul for the first time would do well to select this novel as his/her means of introduction.

Rating:
Summary: Hooked from page one!
Review: I read this book when I was sixteen back in 1986. It was my first experience with John Saul and I've been hooked on his books ever since. I have read them all but this one is by far one of my all time favorites. Saul takes you on a journey through a seemingly normal small town introducing you to a place ideal to raise young children, or so it seems. But beneath this pleasant village's facade lurks a dreadful secret. The book races along pulling the reader on an adventure into a vast conspiracy involving the innocent children. This is a definate page turner. It grips you all the way to its very twisted end. If you read ANY John Saul book, make it this one--and read it with the lights on!

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE
Review: If you like edge-of-your-seat thrillers, then this is thebook for you! I've read almost all of John Saul's books, butthis is the one that will haunt me forever! It's been probably 10 years since I first read it and I still get chills. Hardly any book has ever made me afraid to move when I'm finished, not to mention sleeping with the light on! This one did!

Rating:
Summary: Sort of a guilty pleasure
Review: John Saul's writing is 100% compelling, and he creates some characters who you can really care about and some that your absolutely despise.

One extreme difficulty I have though is the downbeat feeling that it's the evil that has control all along. A second extreme difficulty is the emphasis on children in so many of his books.

However, if you start reading this book, chances are you'll finish it, even though you might not want to. This one deals with every parent's nightmare, the loss of a child, and the author does a great job at digging into the guilt feelings of all involved in such an event. And then comes the feeling of something wrong, too many coincidences as the bereaved mother's son exhibits strange abilities to heal, and also when his best friend, a strange boy with no other friends, mysteriously disappears.

This is skillful writing, but readers should be aware that this is strong stuff and that bad things to happen to good people, especially in John Saul's novels.

Rating:
Summary: Just...wow!
Review: Okai. I am a huge John Saul fan and after reading a number of his books, I always favored Second Child, the first book I ever read by him, the most. And then, this book came along and REALLY had me deciding which one I liked better. It was fabulous! Most of John Saul's books are of released evil or multiple personalities or something of that nature. This one was not. The God Project was more like something that, after much research and some very intellegent (not to mention psychologically damaged) scientists and doctors can get together and "toy" with peoples' DNA and so forth...affecting future off spring, causing them to become....basically, super human. It was quite the chiller and I could not put it down. I was up all night reading and I could not put the book down until I had finished. If you have never read a John Saul book, this would be a great one to start with. If you are already a John Saul reader, don't forget to squeeze this one in there! You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: What a Surprise!
Review: This book had everything to keep you entwined in its pages. Don't expect a happy ending because you won't get one.