Creature

CREATURE was the first John Saul book I ever read. Having grown up in a small town and played football, It caught my interest. What I found was a truly riveting novel that takes a basic concept and magnifies it with Love, Action, Secrecy, and how the advancement of science and the glory of high school football can drive some to do the unthinkable. Silverdale, Colorado, the perfect all-american town set in the mountains. The perfect little community, or so they thought. The football team here regularly blows out its opponents by big scores of 45-0. Mark Tanners family has moved to town and Mark joins the team. Soon we start finding out that all the MVP and all-state selectins from past teams never seemed to go on to do anything, they have pretty much disappeared or ended up in secret asylums. A company called TarrenTech provides the high school teams with every advantage, including a high-tech sports clinic. Dr. Martin Ames transforms the teenage gridiron greats into something more, while at the same time ultimately sealing their fate and future. Sharon Tanner goes to him for answers when her gentle son Mark turns into a supernatural athlete with animal like aggresiveness. This book had me on the edge of my seat, right up to the end. Though the ending is somewhat sad, it is more realistic than how Saul could have ended it. A great supernatural thriller, I think CREATURE would make an excellent movie!

When I read a brief summary of this book, I wasn't really sure whether or not I would like it. Somewhat to my surprise, I found this to be a riveting novel. It's not Saul's best, but it is a great read. Creature is a sort of utopian novel, prompting one to ponder the effects of advanced genetic manipulation and subtle mind control on a controlled population. 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 I found particularly 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. At first, I enjoyed this book because I love seeing the little guy get the girl despite his lack of athletic prowess, but as things really started happening in town and the focus and tenor of the novel shifted, it was the storytelling craft of Saul that kept me turning the pages eagerly. Sure, you can tell early on the direction in which the story will go, but the ending was typically John Saul-not quite what I expected and not what I had wanted. 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.

I have read everything John Saul has written and I still reminisce about "Creature". Everything that makes John Saul so wonderful at what he does is embodied in this book. I say that it might be my favorite. But some of his others rank right up there. (e.g. GodPlayer, Brainchild, Shadows) He creates such a unique atmosphere and makes you feel apart of the story. I read "Creature" when it first came out and poured through it quickly as if from starvation. I will definately read it again and again!

i don't think that just anyone could enjoy a book by john saul. it takes someone pretty emotional, with a good imagination. i guess i'm one of them cuz this is one of the best stories i've ever read.

This was an absolute thriller and John Saul in the master at suspense! He strings you along till you almost have it figured out, but then the plot thickens and you continue to wonder just what will happen next. The overall plot of the book is the best; it will scare you, amaze you, make you wonder, sadden you, and terrify you as the plot suddenly unfolds in the most interesting ending that will keep you begging for more!!! The characters are so developed and so real that you see them as being real and you begin to feel as if you're right there in the story. I finished this book in two days simply because I couldn't put it down! (Don't read the book at night, it's just too scary!)