Set around the old asylum in Blackstone town, which is being demolished, strange artifacts are appearing and being delivered to residents with disastrous results.The sins of the town are coming back to haunt the citizens.
The Blackstone Chronicles
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
From the Back Cover
Blackstone - a small New England town whose long-buried secrets and sins are coming back to life. To haunt. To terrorise...
From the top of Blackstone's highest hill, the old Blackstone Asylum casts its shadow over the village. Built in the 1890s, the Asylum has been vacant for many years. But now, the wrecker's ball is poised to strike, smashing into the old stones - and unleashing a terrible evil, an unholy fear long locked within these cold walls.
Soon, strange gifts - a doll, a locket, a handkerchief - begin to appear on the doorsteps of the town's finest citizens. Each carries a mysterious history. Each brings a horrifying power to harm. And Blackstone, if it is to survive this horror, must discover and atone for the sins of its fathers...
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is the first time I have read anything from John Saul. The Blackstone Chronicles are a series of books that were released within a short time of each other, but I can easily believe that the first readers of the "Chronicles" felt it was an eternity between each release. I admit that in general, stories set in America I find hard to relate to (currency, lift and elevator, etc) but the American references were few and far between, therefore didn't spoil my reading pleasure. Blackstone is a fictitious town set in New Hampshire(?). Without trying to give away the plot, mysterious objects appear to residents of Blackstone with dire consequences. Not just that of the physical occurances but the gossip that ensues. The last time I read serialised novels were "The Rats", "Lair", and "Domain" (James Herbert). They kept me glued to the pages just like "Blackstone Chronicles". It is truly a masterpiece, next time I choose a book, I'll probably choose to look towards John Saul again (If there are no more James Herbert books left to read ;)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At the outset of this six-volume series, author John Saul introduces the major characters, establishes the Gothic setting in small town New Hampshire, creates foreboding about the scheduled conversion of the Blackstone Asylum into a shopping mall, and then introduces the "single dark figure that moves through the ruptured stone wall" into the silent Asylum. There the figure locates a small cubicle containing the artifacts of long-ago inmates. As these artifacts appear, mysteriously, in the lives of the present occupants of Blackstone, death and destruction result.Plot summaries and reviews for the six separate volumes appear separately on Amazon.
Saul tells the reader from the outset that the destruction of the Asylum will change everyone's life, then goes about proving it. Because his characters are not fully developed, they do not inspire the reader's sympathy when they change from ordinary citizens to demons or when their lives move from normalcy to chaos, especially at the beginning. The stories move along quickly and inevitably, the Gothic shock evolving from the amount of cruelty and the amount of horror, rather than from our knowledge of the individuals and our surprise at their behavior.
Throughout the series, the agonizing tortures (in the name of "cures") at the Asylum fifty years ago are interspersed with modern day life, and occasionally Saul gives us the name of a former employee or resident of the Asylum which enables the reader to tie a contemporary victim to the history of the Asylum. The victims are usually one or two generations removed from the events in the Asylum, however, and not directly responsible for what happened there, so one wonders why the "dark figure" is emphasizing the "sins of the father" by punishing the children or grandchildren.
Filled with blood-drenched rooms, sudden explosions, unexplained attacks on seemingly innocent people, and wholesale destruction, the series does not show clear motivation for all this horror, the shock of which dulls over time. The "dark figure" has little direct involvement in the havoc, once he has given an object from the Asylum to his next victim, and he fails to evolve as a terrifying force. Though the ending answers some of the questions, it does not connect all the victims or answer all the questions. (And many readers will figure out the identity of the "dark figure" by the end of Volume 4.) Ultimately, I was disappointed that the violence and horror exist here for their own sake. There is no accountability for the death and destruction, leaving the reader with the feeling that justice has not been served. Mary Whipple
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This was my first Saul book and I couldn't put it down. This author draws you in from the first page, so much so, that by the end of Chapter 1 you are in Blackstone, living the nightmare as it unfolds. I have read many books but have never been affected by them as much as by this one. Trust me, once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down - after this you will want to read more John Saul novels!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 79 reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lacklustre
Saul has used the serialisation of small novellas with one underlying story to facilitate the publishing of a series of short stories. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2011 by Mr. G. Battle
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic
This book was released in small books when it was first published an now they are all together. I must admit I dont think I could have waited once I had read the first book I was... Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2010 by Clairabelle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Absolutly brilliant. Using the format of Stephen King's The Green Mile this was an excellent way of looking at the characters different stories that complete a whole novel and the... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2004 by Michelle J. Thexton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exellent , you have to keep on reading till the end.
I really enjoyed this book. Its the best book i have read this year. . The characters, setting, events all seemed so real it is like you are right there in the story with it all... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely brilliant, very gripping
I thought this book kept you on your toes. Most of J. Saul's books u have an idea of who/what is causing the distress but u don't know why. Read more
Published on 9 July 2000
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
