I've read some of John Saul's other books previously and figured that this one would be just as good as the ones I've read. I wasn't disappointed. Saul's writing style is reminiscent of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, with an emphasis more on Koontz. Both of these authors, albeit good, published authors, lack the mental dexterity and imagination of King. I digress.

Darkness takes place in Florida in a swamp and features a menagerie of interesting characters, who mainly serve to prop up the story, rather than strengthen it. The story in general was very creative, but I was disappointed that half way through Saul, tells us who the culprit is. I would have never guessed. Since we know by the middle of the story who the "Bad Guy" is, we know that eventually, the Bad Guy is going to go down, along with his supporters. In a way, the 2nd half of the book really does not need to exist as we already know the outcome. The characters in the book spend the 2nd half of the book, digging around and slowly unraveling the mysteries. At times, I wished I could somehow tell them through osmosis where to look, who to question, etc. in order to help them save time.

Good story, but I would have preferred not knowing anything until the end. It also would be nice to have an ending that although was creative and well described, still was predictable. I would expect more from an author with more than ten novels under his belt.

I regretted reading this book...I should have guessed it though by reading his other books...The story was interesting but the ending was horrible.

The thing that's always creeped me out about John Saul's writing is his near-obsession with the idea of adults who prolong their lives by stealing youth from children. Sticking to this theme, Darkness takes place in a quiet Florida town where some residents don't age and many children disappear.

In Saul's world, the Fountain of Youth is discovered -- it's within each child's thymus gland. Not only does the gland hold the elixir of youth, but it also houses the human soul. It's an interesting theory, and as good as any, but not one I expected to find in a horror novel. Saul's soul-less children live, but it's a half-life -- they don't cry, rarely laugh, have trouble fitting in, and always feel empty.

I enjoyed the theory -- and the book -- but didn't find it very different from many of Saul's other novels, especially Midnight Voices.

Maybe I should give up on finding a really great horror book, they always just turn out to be weird. This book just felt really disjointed and didn't really have a strong storyline and I felt like some loose ends were never really tied, just didn't really enjoy this. By no means was this book scary.

Truthfully this story ended up very different than what I had expected it to be.. although when I started it I really had no idea what it was about. Still the opening scene seemed to suggest one thing but the actual truth of what was going on was very different. But it was different in a good way. The story moved smoothly and the writing was top notch. The characters were all great too. Evil ones were rotten and a few who I didn't expect to be bad turned out to be that way too. I guess it just proves you don't never know about some people.

This story was a lot more interesting than the previous book I read. The plot had more to offer. It was more creepiness going on, more strangeness, more sneaking about in the dead of night and trying to spy on people while hoping you won't get caught, more uncertainty...and it was also about hope. People who are different finding each other so they are not alone anymore,realizing what was missing in their lives and how to change it. And of course a big conspiracy! In retrospect Florida is sort of known for a legend linking the subject of this secret to the state.

One thing I did notice was that the ending seemed to have forgotten about one of the characters. I didn't exactly like that. It's like it left the end hanging. I think the author should have said something, to make it clear what had happened to her. That's why I'm rating four stars and not a full five.

This story is set in a small town in Florida, near the swamp. It's about a young teen girl named Kelly who moves there with her parents to live at her grandfather's house. She soon meets Michael and the two realize they have much in common. Both are odd and don't really fit in with others their age. But odd things are going on in the swamp and in their town. Lots of the town residents have dark secrets. And there's a strange frightening man out in the swamp too called the Dark Man. He holds strange secret ceremonies out there at night and he has lots of strange kids as followers. And soon Kelly and Michael find themselves in the middle of the mess. Will they survive or will they be yet more victims of the Dark Man?

Somewhat predictable. John Saul doesn't disappoint his readers with his creepy style, it's all here in this book. It's not a horrible read, but it doesn't stand out from his other books. Reading this book beats doing nothing!

Liked it but didn't love it. It was weird and creepy but not scary. A bunch of rich guys find the fountain of youth by stealing the "souls" of babies and children.

Years ago the Andersons left town with a dream. Now they are back. To live out a nightmare. Something has been waiting for them. Something unspeakably evil. It feeds on the young and the innocent. And soon it will draw their teenage daughter into its unholy embrace....

A secluded town of crazy sickos living in a murky swamp somewhere in Florida, performing dark rituals, sacrificing babies and stealing their souls to gain eternal youth. The premise almost makes me want to crack a joke about Hollywood but I'll behave myself. The plot is simplistic and straightforward, but it's a fun and eerie one that makes good use of the creepy scenery of a backwater swamp full of cultish horror.

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Stale, boring crap.

I knew I was in trouble early on when an apparently sinister character was laughably described as "The Dark Man" and it only got worse from there.

If you love bland characters, ineffective scares and ridiculously obvious twists, then you'll love this waste of time.

My first and last John Saul.

(It gets 1 star because I think the core plot ingredients COULD make for a decent horror book in the hands of a better writer)

Typical Saul. Family relocates to Florida swamp town after father strikes out making it as a construction guy in Atlanta and becomes a partner in his father's construction company. Something is going on in the swamp, however, and it impacts the family in numerous ways.

Another great one from John Saul. I am baffled over how he consistently writes creepy plots with totally original ideas. I love it. It is a sign of a truly great author. Also, any book that involves children who want revenge is automatically on the scary scale.

I have read a couple of Saul's novels that I liked more than this and certainly I have read a few that I thought were much worse. He always features teenagers in trouble, and this is no different. The teens are down on the Bayou in Florida in Darkness and they share a creepy secret. Usual formula with similar results. Suspenseful enough, though, and if you are looking for a quick thriller, I would recommend.