2012 so far for me has been one of the worst years of my life and it is only February! My luck with reading reflects everything else by being as satisfactory as a Christmas Eve shopping spree. Okay, what's next? Sigh. All right, let's try this store. Oh damn, we are waiting in line for five hours waiting to just get the fuck out! You get the idea. Anyway, in desperate need of something, anything!, that could claim more than three stars and at least impress me a little, I thought long and hard about which author could save me from my horrible reading choices and ensure that I did not make another. Andrew Neiderman? Wrong! Richard Laymon? I wish but read everything already. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child? Already read two this year and don't want to wear them out.
John Saul? Huh? What's that you say? John Saul. Self, you are a genius, and you are talking to yourself. You must be really losing it from all of the terrible fiction you've forced down your brain lately. Like a super-hero who rescues almost too late to make a difference, John Saul's novel the Presence was there and had been all along. Now, I am being sarcastic of course because I only gave it four stars but it was yet another yet another yet another great John Saul novel. The guy does write the same freakin' story over and over but he does it so well that it isn't even a big deal. This one follows the trends of novels like Brain Child or Creature. Who doesn't love medical thrillers? The book was more than that though. The characters were wonderfully crafted and the setting, Hawaii, was perfectly described. I say that with confidence even though I have not been there yet. Then, the novel makes itself stand out by taking a huge risk of an ending. I loved it (the ending I mean) but I bet a lot of people were annoyed by it. I applaud Saul for trying to be slightly different like a kid who decides to wear a tie to school one day over his usual clothing.
So, to rap up my blog-like review of the Presence, it was a very fun and engaging read and. More importantly for me, it impressed me and I gotta tell ya, I am finding it harder and harder to be impressed with boks. This sounds very negative but it isn't meant to be. I love reading and always will, but I like surprises in my fiction even if I don't like them in real life. I mean, who doesn't like a little fictional change? not a bad

thing though.

I enjoyed the story but there were too many convenient plot conclusion that affected my suspension of disbelief. The author took short cuts to finish the story. He was trying to make a point in this story about pollution but it was far fetched. I liked most of the drama and until the end it was engaging. It is worth reading though outdated.

Couldn't get interested in it.

This is my first real suspense or Sci-fi novel. I've always liked the genre and I've watched lots of its TV shows and movies but I've never read a novel. The book was really good. I like the main plot and considering it was written in 1997, it's really good. I liked the characters. I liked Katherine because she's a real character. A Mom who is afraid and has insecurities but at the same time is tough and can act wisely and bravely when it's needed. She is smart, caring and likeable. The only annoying thing was the rushed ending. I felt that the ending was very fast and everything was solved pretty easily. I was kind of disappointed as I expected something more, but at least it was a happy ending so I'm not complaining.

To me the story kind of lagging and then the ending was not as good as I would like to.

Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul are three of the best horror/ mystery writers ever! I had forgotten how much I loved John Saul’s work. Kept me on the edge until the last page, this would make an incredible movie!

A good plot and somewhat interesting characters.

Good Sci Fiction Novel

I have always liked the works of John Saul. As soon as I began reading it I thought the story was very familiar. But I could not remember how it ended. So I was quite fortunate to have the pleasure of reading it again!

It was a good read- kept my interest, but the characters lacked depth. I just didn't care about them much. The concept of the book was good though

The story moved from point A to point B with an easy flow and it wasn't overly long so for that I enjoyed it. The plot didn't impress me, it seemed rather basic and really never developed to its full potential. I felt like it could've been a more intense story but unfortunately that did not happen. Three stars.

This was one of the worst books I have ever read. It’s like the author is doing his very best to be a third rate Michael Chrichton after reading only a summary of that superior authors novels.
The characters in this are one note, the dialogue is cheesy at best, the pseudo scientific plot is nonsense. This is a joyless book and not worth the time.

A hominid fossil that should not exist in Hawaii but does, toixic fumes, illegal human experimentation, an interesting, if somewhat limited suspense thriller, good for what it offers.