This is a second read for me. I read this as tween and it’s stuck with me.

As an adult there are a lot of dark themes and I likely shouldn’t have been allowed to read it.

There were a few grammar errors in the kindle version and a typo other than that it’s just as good as I remember it.

Glad I read this again.

This is not as much a review as it is an observation/suggestion:

It would be really fun to read John Saul's Shadows and Peter James's Host back-to-back. Both were published shortly after the birth of the Internet, and their authors have remarkably similar visions of the potential dangers that might exist were it possible to download a person's consciousness onto a computer and set it loose in cyberspace.

X-MEN vibes

Full review here:

https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...

While I remained entertained (by the plot in general) and horrified (by the animal experimentation), the overall set up falls apart 30 years on trying to picture any of this happening in a world of AOL, Windows 3.1 and DOS 6.

english/español
I really liked that the book has not had compassion for the characters, although I thought it was exaggerated the fact that- almost- all died, but their deaths are justifiable and logical. I do not know if I didn't read a part but do not define what happened with The Language Teacher (I do not remember his name).

Me gusto bastante que la obra no haya tenido compasión por los personajes, aunque me pareció exagerado el hecho que -casi- todos murieran, sin embargo sus muertes son justificables y lógicas. No se si me salte una parte pero no definen que pasó con El Profesor de lengua(No recuerdo su nombre).

This bit of Science Fiction lays bare all our fears about technology, the human brain and our ego. Take extremely bright kids, twins if possible, put them in a 'special school', give them a choice of immortality and ultimate technology control or just 'normal' life and here is what may happen. In this case, what if one of the twins doesn't want to play? Well written and the source of many jokes on the computer with my kids after we all had read it.
(You'll have to read this tense, fast paced novel to get that joke).

I have read this book many MANY times over the years. It's freaky and even creepy at times. It's one of the best books I've ever read. I really liked Josh and Amy, but I had a bad feeling about her. That ending... was definitely interesting.

I discovered John Saul in middle school, and devoured everything I could find him between my late middle school and high school years--yet, I read them so quickly, and read so many books back then, I haven't had many memories of them as an adult. Re-reading this was sort of fascinating and wonderful, though I'm a little bit horrified to think of how young I was when I first read this one.

Saul's writing is fast and dark, and he doesn't shy away from turning real-feeling characters toward unbelievable tragedy in horror. This book in particular deals with everything from child abuse and endangerment to child suicide and animal experimentation, and just when you think it can't get darker... well, yes, it does.

It's true that this story might feel a little bit dated in terms of the story and technology presented, compared to where we are today, but readers who can get past that will be struck with a master storyteller's tale of horror that won't be easily forgotten. And if you like horror and can deal with those subjects above... well then, yes, I absolutely 100% recommend it.

This is the second book that I have read by the author John Saul and I continue to enjoy his work immensely. If you are a fan of the horror novel boom of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, with authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz I believe you will find yourself right at home with John Saul.
tWhen it comes to Shadows I found myself enjoying almost everything about the story. The characters are relatable and true to form, the setting is believable for the reality of the time, and pacing is fantastic with nothing being lingered upon or any one event being drawn to exhaustion. I could honestly believe the characters reactions in the given situations and that is big for me when it comes to development. When I would sit down to read a chapter or two I would wind up pushing through five or more before I looked up, it drew me in that much.
tFor all the praise I am giving this novel it does have its short comings and unfortunately some of them are big ones in my opinion. For a book that is supposed to be suspenseful and horror it falls flat on that aspect. I never really felt myself guessing about the story. There are instances where it is trying to lead you down a path of the supernatural but it is easy to tell that it’s not the reality. There is simply not enough potential evidence or even interest in that possibility for it to be viable. So it is easy to pick out as false.
tWhen you look at the “horror” of the book it truly doesn’t even register on the scale for me. This story is more about the fear of advancement than anything. Which granted, is a common theme of novels written at this time. With events like the end of the Cold War, moving towards the new millennium, and computers advancing at light speed, there was a lot of uncertainty in the world about the future of technology and its place in our lives. This is more the central theme of Shadows. Personally, I like that idea and it can be used to craft a very unnerving story but Shadows comes off pretty plain. There is an element missing of true malevolence. Yes, there is an “evil villain” who does some pretty manipulative and darkish things but for a real horror reader like myself, it is quite tame. The very ending of the story just barely dips into an idea that would have been a much better idea for an antagonist and plot. But that is just the cliffhanger and a missed opportunity.
tAnd finally the final issue I had was that once you make it three quarters of the way through the novel and events really start churning some events and characters are not really given their proper due / conclusion. Nothing is left unexplained but I was left wanting a bit more than just a casual mention of the climax of some pretty important ideas. This is me being pretty picky but it is an issue for me.
tOverall, I really did enjoy reading Shadows. It kept me interested, gave me some wonderful nostalgia for some of my favorite novels and authors, and when I finished the novel I was happy I took the time to read it. It is just not quite what it tries to present. A suspenseful horror novel it is not. But, if you are looking for a good story with interesting and well-rounded characters that face an interesting conflict it is worth a shot, especially if you are a fan of novels from this time and authors like King and Koontz.

Kind of ridiculous by then end. But enough to hold my attention and want to finish.

This is my second John Saul book. I find the author's books read like Goosebumps installments. Without (I hope) giving away too many spoilers, this is an AI cyber-thriller with a twist, probably most enjoyed by YA readers. The prose is elementary, but some of the death descriptions made me cringe and lurch. If I was fifteen, this book might have blown my mind. As an adult, I would look to authors like Michael Crichton to supply a techno-thriller more suitable for my age.

Interesting read. If I read this in the 90s when it was released I would have been in awe about the technological aspect of it. However, the antiquated technology does bring a bit of nostalgia and amazement in how far technology has advanced in just a few decades.

Despite the technological aspect of the book not holding to time, I still enjoyed reading it. It is well paced, the characters are interesting, and the plot intriguing.