Review: Creature by John Saul. 4.5* 10/22/2022

This book from Saul is well written, entertaining and well developed characters. His writing kept me engaged throughout the entire book because his story building was creative. The pages are full of suspense and horror. The novel is full of dangers and fears of anabolic steroid abuse. John Saul does not let up on his writing taking things to extremes in order to create a horrifying story with some good humor.

The setting took place in a small mountain town in Colorado. Unknowably most of the town, the parents and their children are under the power of a tech giant Corporation called Tarrentech. Keep reading and be shocked with what this company is doing to the boys of this town. ( )

Creature by John Saul is one of those books that starts out slow as the author builds the storyline, but halfway though it picks up and becomes hard to put down, until the very last page with an unexpected ending. Saul is good at ending with a twist, and he’s also not afraid to kill off a character or two, often abruptly. No sentimentality there. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars because the ending packs a punch and makes up for the slow beginning. ( )

The first Saul book I ever read. A simple but eerie plot. Hooked me on his work. I read John Saul’s “Creature” many years ago. It has stuck with me and still stands out in the genre. John Saul can be called by some a minimalist writer. To me that is not entirely true. He wants to tell a story. Creature is a simple story about a complicated issue. There are some underlying issues to this horror story. Steroids, Drug abuse and just how far, not only children but their parents will go and the lengths they will cross to bring about their own self-worth through their children’s success at sports. Creature is chilling story with some spooky imagery. Saul wants us to know that we are only human but we have and always will have inhuman thoughts and times it will be at the expense of our offspring. ( )

When Blake Tanner is suddenly promoted and transferred to Silverdale, he cannot be happier; TarrenTech only sends its future corporate elite to this small, idyllic town in Colorado. His family is initially happy there, but they gradually come to suspect and later fear something about the place. The total absence of junk food and colas in town would be enough to drive me out. TarrenTech basically owns and runs the whole town, including the mysterious sports clinic (given the foolish name Rocky Mountain High). Silverdale's high school football team is an all but unbeatable group of huge, strong athletes, earning a reputation for playing rough and dirty (despite the coach being named Phil Collins). A childhood illness had left Mark Tanner a short and skinny guy, greatly frustrating his athletic father. When Dr. Ames at the sports clinic says he can make Mark big and strong, Blake Tanner jumps at the chance. He pays no heed to the experimental nature of the "vitamin" treatment or the fact that one football player seriously injured another player in a game and later pummeled Tanner's own son in a jealous rage. When Mark soon begins to change, committing a few acts that were a bit disturbing, Blake blames the change on teenaged hormones. Significantly, it is the women (old and young) in this novel who sniff out the danger lurking in the perfect little town and attempt to safeguard their families from its insidious effects.

John Saul is not going to give you a happily ever after ending, and I applaud him for that. He remains faithful to the story from beginning to end. At times, his characters do act a little unnaturally, their dialogue somewhat forced or their behaviors a little too puppet-like, but all in all these moments are subtle and do little harm to the reading experience. ( )

Ce n'étaient pas des monstres. Juste des jeunes gens très compétitifs, terriblement compétitifs. Nichée au cœur des montagnes Rocheuses, Silverdale, avec ses petites maisons coquettes et son atmosphère paisible, ressemblait à un décor de cinéma. Tout y était parfait. Trop parfait. Très vite, Sharon commence à avoir des doutes sur ce cadre enchanteur, sur cette entreprise qui prend si bien en charge tous les problèmes de ses employés. Que se passe-t-il vraiment dans les laboratoires de TarrenTech ? Quels sont ces hurlements de rage et de douleur qui déchirent parfois la nuit et que les autres habitants de Silverdale prétendent ne pas entendre ? ( )