Asylum (Blackstone Chronicles) (No 6) [Mass Market Paperback]

John Saul (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blackstone Chronicles | Publication Date: May 28, 1997

John Saul, master of psychological and supernatural suspense, has created a terrifying serial thriller set in the New England town of Blackstone. From the old Asylum, an insidious evil has descended upon unsuspecting souls who fall within its looming shadow. Seemingly harmless gifts have been appearing for months at the homes of Blackstone's residents.
                    
Each object has a dark, horrifying past.                      
Each marks the recipient with inescapable doom.                      
Each carries a shameful, secret history returning with a vengeance . . .                                  

THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES          
PART 6          

Editor Oliver Metcalf has written a provocative article on the Asylum that implies there may be a curse on the town. The community is outraged, charging him with inflaming hysteria. More urgent is the mysterious disappearance of Rebecca Morrison. As Blackstone rallies to find the missing woman, a mysterious package arrives on Harvey Connally's front porch. The contents hold the ultimate, grisly key to the horrors of the Asylum. Now, at last, Oliver must confront the gruesome truth of the past--one that threatens to crush all the inhabitants of Blackstone in one final grip of terror. . . .  

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

John Saul, master of psychological and supernatural suspense, has created a terrifying serial thriller set in the New England town of Blackstone. From the old Asylum, an insidious evil has descended upon unsuspecting souls who fall within its looming shadow. Seemingly harmless gifts have been appearing for months at the homes of Blackstone's residents.
                    
Each object has a dark, horrifying past.                      
Each marks the recipient with inescapable doom.                      
Each carries a shameful, secret history returning with a vengeance . . .                                  

THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES          
PART 6          

Editor Oliver Metcalf has written a provocative article on the Asylum that implies there may be a curse on the town. The community is outraged, charging him with inflaming hysteria. More urgent is the mysterious disappearance of Rebecca Morrison. As Blackstone rallies to find the missing woman, a mysterious package arrives on Harvey Connally's front porch. The contents hold the ultimate, grisly key to the horrors of the Asylum. Now, at last, Oliver must confront the gruesome truth of the past--one that threatens to crush all the inhabitants of Blackstone in one final grip of terror. . . .  

About the Author

JOHN SAUL's first novel, Suffer the Children, published in 1977, was an immediate million-copy bestseller. He has since written such New York Times bestsellers as Guardian, The Homing, The God Project, Nathaniel, Brainchild, Hellfire, The Unwanted, The Unloved, Creature, Sleepwalk, Second Child, Darkness, and Shadows, each a spine-tingling tale of supernatural, technological, or psychological terror. His nineteenth novel was Black Lightning. John Saul divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Maui, Hawaii. He is currently finishing his new novel, The Presence, to be published in hardcover in July, 1997.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett; 1st edition (May 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449227944
• ISBN-13: 978-0449227947
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,129,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

House of Reckoning is John Saul's thirty-sixth novel. His first novel, Suffer the Children, published in 1977, was an immediate million-copy bestseller. His other bestselling suspense novels include Faces of Fear, In the Dark of the Night, Perfect Nightmare, Black Creek Crossing, Midnight Voices, The Manhattan Hunt Club, Nightshade, The Right Hand of Evil, The Presence, Black Lightning, The Homing, and Guardian. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling serial thriller The Blackstone Chronicles, initially published in six installments but now available in one complete volume. Saul divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Hawaii.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Petered Out, January 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Asylum (Blackstone Chronicles) (No 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

This last installment left me totally iritated. After holding me spellbound for the first book, somewhat intrigued with books 2 and 3, a little too predictable with 4 and just mediocre with book 5, I expected at least some satisfying closure with the last book. NOT! The book didn't end so much as it just suddenly stopped-like the author realized he was running out of paper and had to rush it to a conclusion. It had a million hanging loose ends, a dumb climax, and [a poor] final scene. This could have been a great work in the tradition of Stephan King, if only the author spent more time developing the background stories of the original inmates or the character of Malcom Metcalf (i.e. the "sources and nature of the evil")...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explosive!, July 1, 2000

By 

A. K. Berger "filburt_girl" (Nebraska, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Asylum (Blackstone Chronicles) (No 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I suppose this explosive ending to The Blackstone Chronicles is essentially why I like John Saul's writing so much. The suspense in this story is built beautifully, and I was truly on the edge of my seat. The main character Oliver is now forced to face the reality of his dark past, and in the process finds healing and hope. After reading every Blackstone Chronicles, I was very satisfied with the ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asylum, October 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Asylum (Blackstone Chronicles) (No 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I pushed myself to finish this book just to read this ending and the ending itself wasn't what I hoped. In Asylum we're told all of Oliver Metcalf's secrets after his uncle dies and gives him the razor his twin sister was killed with. This brings back memories Oliver had blocked out for years, including how his father tortured him and who really killed his sister. Also in Asylum, Oliver tries to kill "someone" during another one of his blackouts.