The Fury [Hardcover]

John Farris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994

The bestselling novel of twins and terror that became the Brian dePalma movie classic. Gillian's family is one of the wealthiest in the world, and Robin's father is a government assassin. Gillian and Robin seem to have nothing in common, but they are actually spiritual twins who possess a horrifying psychic energy. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Farris has marvelous skill." --Associated Press

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

JOHN FARRIS has won the Horror Writers' Association Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the author of numerous" New York Times" bestsellers including "The Fury," "When Michael Calls," and" Soon She Will Be Gone," He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727844415
• ISBN-13: 978-0727844415
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,384,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex and frightening thriller., August 21, 2000

By 

Matt C. Stedman "matt" (Sedona, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fury (Hardcover)

John Farris hasn't gotten much recognition as a horror writer. This is the only book of his I've read, but if the rest are nearly as good as this one then he's one of the least recognized writers out there. There are quite a few things that set this book apart from the conventional horror novel, and these are the things that make this book truly horrifying. It is an extremely dense book and seems longer than its 400 page length, although it never drags. Its chock-full of intertwining characters and plot elements with lots of shocking twists. Farris isn't afraid to make us care about his characters and then subject them to horrible fates. The author's treatment of the book's main character, Peter Sandza, is especially chilling. So are the unwilling results of Gillian's special ability. The depiction of the government officials and the character Childress are quite menacing. The true relationship between Gillian and Sandza'a son is at once beautiful and unsettling. The watchable Brian De Palma film starring Kirk Douglas only scratches the surface of this solid thriller which accomplishes what few horror novels ever do: leave the reader both horrified and satisfied. If you can find this book anywhere read it at once!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic horror tale returns and it stands the test of time, November 1, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fury (Paperback)

5

Turning fifteen, New Yorker Gillian Bellaver possesses a rare talent. She can convert psychic energy into a powerful, destructive force that she struggles to restrain. Teenager Robin Sandaz also contains the same power. The Feds, several foreign governments, and other wealthy interests share in common the desire to control Gillian, Robin, and similar talents for purposes of exploiting their respective powers mostly as weapons.

Robin's father, Peter is one of the US government's most dangerous and successful assassins, but feels it is time to retire. The sanguinary Middle East has been his most frequent playground, but a recent personal incident has returned him to America. Peter worries that he may be too late to save his son from the brain washing happening to Robin back in the States. Peter plans to attempt to free Robin and the other "student"-prisoners from their captivity before they become inhuman pawns deadlier than any known terrorist in the world today. Failure means death while success means being on the lam perhaps forever.

It has been twenty-five years since John Farris released THE FURY, but the book is being re-released in anticipation of Mr. Farris' sequel. I feel like the star of Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen" that I read so long ago and just reread yesterday. The original retains all the freshness that made it a best seller as the look inside the unused segments of the mind seems even more relevant in this age of rapid medical achievements. This reviewer strongly recommends reading the novel followed by the De Palma's movie because both are excellent.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Furious Phenomena, April 7, 2002

By 

Bruce Rux (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fury (Paperback)

John Farris' breakthrough bestseller holds up well, after all these years. It spawned a minor cottage industry in the film business, especially, with the "evil government psychic projects" plot. Scanners and Firestarter, and their numerous clones and offspring, were inspired by this piece. It was ahead of its time in discussing then-unknown true-life psychic spying programs, which have since been written about in quite some detail - though discussing nothing quite like what happens in this book.

Robin and Gillian are twins separated at pre-birth, reincarnated souls meant to grow up together who instead are growing up separately. Robin is the more powerful of the two, and comes to the attention of MORG, a nefarious super-secret government agency that attempts to murder Robin's CIA assassin father in order to more fully take Robin under their wing. Robin's father is mighty ticked-off about all this, and wages a private little mini-war with MORG head Childermass to get his son back. In the meantime, promising newcomer Gillian has also come to MORG's attention - and Robin's father's, as well, who wants to use her to locate his sequestered son.

Definitely one of Farris' best. Even though Farris also wrote the screenplay to the stylish Brian DePalma movie, the film is weak compared to its original source material.