My Soul to Take [Hardcover]

Steven Spruill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

Dr. Suzannah Lord, a neurosurgeon whose career had been stymied when she spurned the powerful Dr. Roland Lancaster, becomes involved in a perilous effort to stop Lancaster's new microchip technology, which cures blindness but has devastating side-effects. 30,000 first printing.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An intriguing concept--a microchip inserted in the brain to cure blindness that also allows certain recipients to see the future--falls short of its potential in this poorly paced, digressive thriller. Suzannah Lord saw her career as a neurosurgeon destroyed when she resisted the sexual advances of the microchip's inventor, Roland Lancaster. Several years later, she discovers the chip does a lot more than cure blindness when she meets painter Andrew Dugan, one of the first to receive the implant, who is now desperately troubled by visions. Suzannah begins an investigation that results in a series of confrontations with an old classmate named Archer Montross, himself a chip recipient and now member of a rogue band of CIA operatives who see its side-effects as the ultimate espionage tool. Buried in the repetitive plot, which wanders aimlessly from one near-escape to another, are some interesting questions about the effects of knowing the future on individual sanity and creativity. Dugan, for example, loses his desire to paint when he can "see" the finished work before he even picks up a brush. Overall, unfortunately, this is a disappointing effort from the author of Before I Wake . First serial to Good Housekeeping.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Spruill, who showed promise with Before I Wake ( LJ 3/15/92) and Painkiller ( LJ 4/1/90), continues in the vein of medical suspense. A microchip implanted in the brain can restore sight even to those blind from birth. The FDA will approve the microchip only if an experiment with 50 volunteers is successful without any devastating side effects. Of course there are side effects: some in the experiment begin seeing the future in alarming ways. They seek out Suzannah Lord, a neurosurgeon involved with the implanting, who has been discredited by the head researcher. The CIA becomes interested, as does a criminal element, both with guns blazing. Suzannah's trials soon rival the perils of Pauline in escapes that strain credibility, weakening the story. Someday Spruill, who has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, may master the art of breathing life into his characters. When and if he does, his books will be best sellers. Still, this is a satisfactory novel, unusual and provocative. First serial to Good Housekeeping ; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/93.
- Ralph DeLucia, Willoughby Wallace Lib., Stony Creek, Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: John Curley & Assoc; Lrg edition (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792720938
• ISBN-13: 978-0792720935
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

More About the Author

1968: Andrews University. Graduated with B.A. in biology.
1969: Married Nancy Lyon

1969-1974: Hazleton Laboratories. Laboratory technician, technical writer.

1974-1981: The Catholic University.
While studying for a doctorate in clinical psychology, Spruill sold his first novel, Keepers of the Gate, to Doubleday in 1976. Five more of his novels were published while he completed graduate school. During this period, Spruill also served as an adjunct professor at Catholic University, teaching creative writing to students in the drama program at Catholic U. In 1980, Spruill completed his doctoral dissertation on Creativity, and was awarded the Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1981.

1981-present: After completing a year's internship at Mount Vernon Hospital in Virginia, Spruill turned to writing, full time. Fifteen of his novels, two novellas, and one non-fiction book have been published by Doubleday, Playboy Press, St. Martin's Press, TOR, Berkley, and Dell. His pseudonyms include Steve Morgan (UK), Steve Lyon, and Steven Harriman (Berkley). His work has sold in over twenty foreign countries. Several of his novels were selections of The Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club. Three of his medical thrillers were condensed in Good Housekeeping Magazine and one in Reader's Digest Books. Both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly have awarded starred reviews to his novels. Spruill's novel Rulers of Darkness was nominated for the British Fantasy Award. It was this novel that, in 1995, coined the term "Hemophage" to describe the "reality" behind the vampire myth. In 1995, the Catholic University of America conferred upon Spruill its award for "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Literature." Other recipients of this award in the arts include Susan Sarandon and Jon Voight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars NO SOUL TO TAKE, November 19, 2002

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Soul to Take (Paperback)

Spruill's follow up to "Before I Wake", is a somewhat far-fetched story of what happens when a microchip is developed that helps near blind people see better, but has a strange side effect: you can see the future. Interesting concept, but it's handling is mundane. Heroine Suzanna Lord is feisty, for sure, but she's also pretty stupid and careless, finding herself in more than one predicament she should have known better. The most ridiculous scenario is when she tries to pass herself off as her military sister in order to get to the chief of the CIA. She also has a lover named Jay who is tormented about something he didn't do in the Gulf War, and finds herself falling for one of the microchips recipients, an impossibly handsome artist named Andrew Dugan. The pacing of the book is a little slow, and some of the dialogue is forced and derivative. The main villain, Archer Mosser, is also cookie cutter monster, replete with damaged face and a muscled body. There aren't many surprises and one can see the "surprise" ending a mile away. But, if you are in the mood for fluff, this is adequate. I don't think Spruill has ever caught on, since I'm the first to review this book, which is almost ten years old!!