I would have given this 4 stars when I read it some 18 years ago. A darkness falls, taking over kids minds, drawing them into a mysterious house in swamp lands. I can't really go much further that that and not ruin the story, plus give the time I can't remember any character except a somewhat troubled girl who recently moved to the area and starts to see what is going on and tries to figure it out, I think after her brother goes bonkers.

I've tried several John Saul novels before but none have ever really lived up to my hopes. Just as I had vowed to give up on him, I decided to try one more. This one was published in 1991, the 15th novel he published, so still solidly in the "early" John Saul library. And it did the trick. It kept me turning the pages and kept me from being on time to a couple of appointments. Now, I'm in that unenviable position of thinking...I need to read more of his stuff. But will they satisfyingly align more with this one or more with those previous disappointments? Time will tell.

John Saul never ceases to keep the suspense coming!!!

This was my first John Saul book and after getting a recommendation to read his work I started this book. It was an easy read and most of the time enjoyable. I only gave it three stars because I felt the ending fell flat. Really I would of given this book 3.5 stars since I liked how plot unfolded through the beginning and middle of the book.

The children of the Dark Man lurked in the shadows.

Okay. This is pretty eerie.

I think one of the challenges when writing macabre tales about the grotesque or fantastical is to make the reader believe. Even when there is a scientific element to the story, it is easy for this kind of thing to veer off into contrived territory, as opposed to scary. Even though Darkness skirts pretty near this particular border, Saul manages to keep it on the right side, i.e. he does manage to keep things believable for the most part. Believe me, in the context of this particular novel (which could easily have gone either way), this is no mean feat, and pretty important.

Somewhere out there, hidden in the tall saw grass, or concealed behind a clump of palmetto, they were watching him. The children, fixing him with their empty eyes, saying nothing.

Is it just me or is Horror fiction in any format just twice as crawly when there are children involved?

In the bright light of a perfect summer morning, when she should have been feeling good about everything, she felt only a dark terror.
A terror she realized might never leave her.

This book isn’t explicitly gory, not by a long shot, but the subject matter makes for (sometimes) harrowing reading. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if opinion over the book is divided. There was something specific that I thought was a just bit iffy. I won’t go into spoilers but it has to do with “reclaiming what’s theirs” (for those of you who have already read the novel). The way this is done is just frankly a bit yucky and preposterous. But this is a Horror novel, so…

For he knew what they wanted from him.
They wanted what was theirs.

Despite my one complaint (which will likely not be a complaint to others) I actually really enjoyed Darkness. It’s fairly tightly plotted, too. Saul doesn’t go into a lot of meaningless exposition or irrelevant background histories. Everything seems to have a point, and the underlying mystery is quite interesting. It’s just a good old eerie story with a fair bit of psychological wallop.

A soft, scratching sound, as if someone had crept onto his front porch.

Darkness, John Saul, 1991

My favorite quote: “Tonight, she was certain, she was finally going to find out who she was, and why she had always known she was different from anyone else.”

Notable characters: Kelly Anderson, a teenage outcast in a new town; Michael Sheffield, her new friend; Amelie Coulton, a swamp dweller; The Dark Man, a mysterious man with mysterious powers

Most memorable scene: When George Coulton’s body is discovered in the swamp looking … well, the way it looked (shudders). Only John Saul, I tell you … only John Saul …

Greatest strengths: The murky swamp atmosphere. You can almost feel the humidity and heat. John Saul is one of those writers that strikes a great balance between setting the scene and keeping the story moving

Standout achievements: Its mystery. Like many of John Saul’s books, Darkness reveals its secrets nice and slow, the way I like it. While it does require some pretty hefty suspension of disbelief regarding the science (it’s fiction, just let it go), Darkness is good, creepy fun

Fun Facts: Before his first novel, Suffer the Children, was published in 1977, John Saul was writing murder mystery comedies. Unable to get much interest in these, his agent eventually found an editor who suggested he try his hand at psychological occult thrillers. As he put it to us when we interviewed him, he was asked, “How do you feel about putting children in peril?” to which John Saul replied, “I can do that.” And the rest is history

Other media: N/A

What it taught me: What a nutria is. Seriously. I had no idea there were such things. At first I thought it was some kind of diet pill or something. I was very confused. It’s not a diet pill

How it inspired me: When I first read Darkness many, many full moons ago, I was struck by the cult-ish horror of it and decided I would one day write something in that vein. I was able to do this in my novel, Dream Reaper. Good times were had by all. Except for the innocent fictional characters who perished, of course. Blame it on John Saul, for it was he who showed me the way … Mwa ha ha ha (that’s my evil laugh)

Additional thoughts: I’ve never read a book with so many children scattered about and getting lost. Jesus Christ. As soon as one was found, another went missing. There were times I wanted to step into the book and slap the parents for not keeping a better eye on their offspring, but I refrained, figuring meh … not my problem. But this is precisely why I chose not to have children — so I wouldn’t have to worry about them running around and getting lost in the swamps and falling prey to creepy old people who want to suck their souls out of them in hopes of staying young and things like that

Haunt me: alistaircross.com

Hit or miss: Hit

Read Darkness: https://tinyurl.com/4muby3wc

it was a good book couldn't put it down

A masterpiece of retribution. There are things science should never attempt. Even if one thinks no one will care, there is always a pay back no matter what is stolen. This story of swamp life is one of those lessons. With Clarey Lambert's help Micheal Sheffield learns that sometimes we can change our fate.

There is a time to live, and a time to die. Death will not be cheated. The Dark Man, and Villejeune learn this lesson the hard way.

The small town of Villajeune, Florida is privy to a deep, dark secret. Babies die, children disappear and those that don't are haunted by nightmares of The Dark Man, who invades their thoughts, controls their minds and steals their souls.
So begins "Darkness" from John Saul. While not necessarily a typical horror story, or typical John Saul, I find the story to be engrossing and very quickly got hooked. I found that the first half of the book was much better than the second, when too much was revealed too soon. Once the "truth" about The Dark Man and the town's "secret" came out, some of the mystery disappeared as well. While perhaps the story itself was highly unrealistic and the descriptions of the swamp and rundown shacks got a bit repetitive, I found the story good, entertaining fun. A solid read.

LOved it!

This was the very first John Saul book I ever read! I found it in a friends basement in a box full of books they were going to give away! Of course, I took them all! This book hooked me on John Saul's books! A great hot-summer-night read!

Otro libro entretenido, con un ambiente muy bien logrado y un sentido de peligro creciente que te hace querer seguir leyendo.

A pesar de la similitud de ser protagonizado por adolescentes, la temática y el desarrollo es muy distinto al anterior, por lo que no me resultó repetitivo.

Ideal para quién esté buscando una historia de terror que se lea rápido.