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Presence (School & Library Binding)

by John Saul (Afterword, Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • School & Library Binding
  • Publisher: Topeka Bindery (Oct 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0613162943
  • ISBN-13: 978-0613162944
  • Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.9 x 3.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,231,217 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #42 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > S > Saul, John
    #100 in  Books > Horror > Authors > Authors, A-Z > S > Saul, John

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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of Saul's more impressive novels, 30 Nov 2002
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I had my doubts about The Presence early on. Although the Hawaiian setting was a new one, the subject of human experimentation on children by a mysterious group of seemingly unfeeling men is rather standard fare for Saul. The book started off slowly, moving from an unexplained discovery of a mysterious geode off the shores of the big island of Hawaii to a rather bland account of the move by anthropologist Katharine Sundquist and her son Michael from New York to Maui. Brought there to study the remains of a peculiar skeleton found near the volcanic slopes of Haleakala, Katharine soon find herself in a living nightmare, one which threatens to take the life of her son. She has only the help of new boss and former flame Rob Silver in learning the truth about her new employer Takeo Yoshihara. Young Michael suffered asthma as a youth and had worked hard to overcome the condition, setting his sights on joining the track team in defiance of the ailment that had made his life a solitary one. On the island, he wins a spot on the team and makes several friends very quickly, but after the group sneaks off for an ill-advised night-time scuba dive, Michael's world goes out of his control. As his friends begin to die and/or disappear, Michael himself increasingly begins to struggle once again for each breath he takes. The problem is not asthma this time, however, but something much more dangerous-and unnatural.

The story of Michael's unhappiness over the move to Hawaii, his introduction to and contact with his friends on the track team, and Katharine's own work with Rob Silver on the unidentified skeleton impossibly similar to early hominid remains predating the very rise of the volcanic islands are rather rough going. The plot doesn't seem to move very well, and I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Once things start moving, though, and the secrets at the heart of the plot begin to emerge, the novel became quite compelling and fascinating. There are some rather farfetched and seemingly unnecessary elements attached to the storyline, but they do not harm one's enjoyment of the book. All in all, the whole package was wrapped more tightly than many of Saul's other works, leaving me with few unexplained answers at the conclusion. It's a well-told story, although one aspect of the denouement seems just a little too convenient. The setting, based on Saul's own familiarity with the island of Maui, is rich and vibrant, adding further energy to the tale. The basic idea of The Presence, secret experimentation on unsuspecting children, is nothing new, but this novel has legs to stand on its own two feet. The main characters seem convincingly real, the science Saul evokes does not come across as utterly implausible, and the conclusion succeeds in tying together most of the loose ends scattered throughout the text. For my money, this is one of Saul's more impressive novels.

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4.0 out of 5 stars An exciting book, full of suspense and thrill., 19 Feb 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Presence (Paperback)
I have recently finished reading "The Presence" by the talented John Saul. I won't write what the book is about, I wouldn't want to give away what happens in this excellent book. It is a captivating novel which keeps the reader asking question to the very end. The effort John has put into this novel certainly shines and I recommend this to anybody.
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