Had to finish, but was not my cup of tea. Probably won't read more of his.

I will definitely read more of this author!

Defiantly a good twist. Love johns books

I would have loved to have given this book four stars, but the first 2/3 of it dragged for me. I was reading a few other books at the same time, because it just wasn’t keeping me interested. I’m glad I finally finished it, because the last third of the book was amazing. I do think the book could’ve been shorter, though. This is my first John Saul book, and I got halfway through it when I thought, “well I guess I won’t be reading anymore by this guy.” The latter third changed my mind, however. The plot was quite interesting once you found out what was really going on, and it finally kept me on the edge of my seat. I only wish it hadn’t taken so long to do so. Also, the title makes no sense to me. Don’t judge this book by its title.

The beginning of the book and the end of the book were good. I felt like Josh lost a lot of dimensionality and the characters were shallow, relationships flat or corny, kinda lazy writing through the middle. Like it wanted to be Enders Game and Harry Potter but was absolutely neither. Could have been really good.

Fantastic ending!

Exceedingly novel and well executed ending. I have read hundreds of horror/thriller/scifi books in my life. . From Lovecraft to King seeking authors with original story lines. The ending to this book was absolutely original...thank you Mr. Saul!

solo dejenme leer el libro

I love his books, they all have like little twists at the end that you really don't expect. From the first book I read from him I got hooked. :D

3.5

Classic John Saul.....kept me in suspense.

Un niño muy avanzado intelectualmente, pero muy precoz sentimentalmente, tiene problemas de Bullyng en la escuela, debido a que le hacen cursar años superiores a su edad cronológica. Esto termina aislándolo, y trayéndoles problemas de conducta, hasta el punto de pensar en el suicidio.
Su madre desbordada, y en estado muy vulnerable acude a una institución que se especializa en este tipo de chicos, al principio ella nota cambios y parece el lugar perfecto para su hijo, hasta que empieza a suceder muertes, sin una explicación lógica. Y todo apunta al dueño de la institución.
A pesar de ser un libro de 1992, aparece el concepto de inteligencia artificial, tan en boga hoy en día. Excelente novela, no solo de terror, sino también fuera del género, muy logrado el angustioso ambiente, los personajes, y la estructura. John Saul siempre me recuerda a Stephen King, pero acá el parecido es más notorio, es la historia más Kingniana que le leí, porque tiene algunos toques del delirio absurdo que le suele gustar a Stephen. John Saul suele ser un autor terrorífico pero conservador en cuanto a humor negro y sexo.
Como siempre en las novelas de Saul, las víctimas y los que más sufren son los niños, un tema que lo tiene obsesionado.
Es uno de sus libros más extensos y logrados. No le di el máximo puntaje porque ese final es muy delirante, hay mesianismo, y una burda copia del Hal 9000 de 2001 Odisea del Espacio.

I want to preface this by saying: I like John Saul. And I don't even know why I like him. His stories aren't deep or ambitious. On the contrary, his stories are (mostly) formulaic and cliché-ridden. But maybe that's what I like: John Saul never comes across as pretentious or preachy; he never seems pompous or wannabe-literary. I believe John Saul knows that he's writing nonsense. And I like that.

However, I have to say: The nonsense in Saul's book Shadows is a bit too nonsensical. Sure, for the most part, Shadows follows Saul's tried-and-true (and overused) formula. Shadows is about 11-year-old children who are threatened by evil—in this case, a dark, scientific conspiracy. It involves secret, immoral experiments, concerned parents, abuse of power. Even the idea of a school—called The Academy—where dubious experiments take place, is something readers will recognize from John Saul's The God Project.

So, one might think it's the best (and standard) Saul entertainment.

But unfortunately, Shadows just contains too many logical gaps and implausibilities. The characters sometimes behave completely illogically: Hildie Kramer acts remarkably clumsy while staging Amy's suicide. Sometimes the characters jump to conclusions that are utterly unrealistic: Why does everyone suspect that the teacher, Steve Conners, sexually abused Amy? There's no evidence for that at all!

And the actual plot of the book is—even by John Saul's standards—extraordinarily trashy and far-fetched: Brains floating in a water tank? Really? Human consciousness being transferred into a computer? Digital copies of personalities? That's really too much for me.

Additionally, Shadows is very poorly written. Yes, I know, John Saul's prose is never particularly elegant. But normally, it's at least functional. In Shadows, it’s simply awkward and unprofessional (as if the editor was asleep). My new favorite sentence: "Proving that despite all his failures, in the end Engersol had been proved right." Proves my point.

I stand by it. I do like John Saul. And I accept that Saul sometimes writes nonsense. But the nonsense in Shadows is just too nonsensical.