The Presence [Mass Market Paperback]

John Saul (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 1998

Beyond the sparkling Hawaiian beaches, masked by the deceptive beauty of the rainforest, evil awaits sixteen-year-old Michael Sundquist and his mother, Katharine, an anthropologist who has come to the Islands to study the unusual skeletal remains unearthed on the volcanic flanks of Haleakala, Maui.

Yet far below the black depths of the Pacific a mysterious substance snakes through undiscovered fissures in the ocean floor, as nature itself seems to portend the terror to come.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?Dr. Katharine Sundquist is hired to work on a short term archaeology project in beautiful Maui. It seems to be an ideal situation for her and her 16-year-old son, Michael, who suffers from asthma as well as the recent death of his father. She soon learns, however, that all is not well in paradise. There is a restricted wing in her high-tech laboratory where secret deliveries arrive at midnight and she discovers that deadly medical experiments are being performed. Then Michael and three friends sneak into a dive shop and help themselves to some equipment. During their night dive, they come upon a contaminated area in the ocean. Back on land, they find that their lungs cannot tolerate oxygen and they can survive only by breathing poisonous fumes. One by one, the boys are killed or simply vanish. When Michael is the only one left alive, Katharine must act quickly to save him. YAs will be engrossed in the computer search for DNA codes, the strange prehistoric or not so prehistoric bones that Katharine unearths, and a mysterious underwater geode from outer space. There is enough adventure and suspense in this thriller to capture the interest of even the most reluctant readers.?Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Middle School, Burke, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Saul, who recently took a cue from Stephen King with the release of a serialized novel, The Blackstone Chronicles, here tells of a young archaeologist's encounter with horror in Hawaii.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449002411
• ISBN-13: 978-0449002414
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #801,295 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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Silly, predictable, and entertaining. It's a Saul story., April 10, 2001

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Presence (Mass Market Paperback)

You can forget the bogus Maui setting for this book, it's simply a backdrop decoration. This "speculative fiction" story is set firmly in John Saul Techno-Thriller Territory, so it can really take place anywhere. Anyone who has read a Saul novel knows this tale too well - some Meglomanical Corporation has taken over a small town so it may conduct unethical medical experiments on the children and teenagers. Been there and done that in The God Project, Darkness, Shadows, Sleepwalk, Creature, and on and on. But one reads John Saul for dependable fun, not for surprises, and The Presence does have its moments of gruesome fun. It did not stun me, nor did it bore me, it just kept me suitably entertained until the end, which is about all I expect from John Saul.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing, October 24, 2000

By 

Quinton Kriel "QK" (Armonk , NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Presence (Mass Market Paperback)

Im glad this was the fourth Saul book that i read, because if it was the first i would not have bothered with his other books.

I loved the other three, but this one does not live up to the usuall John Saul quality. I found it difficult to pick up and read, almost an effort.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't follow Saul's usual technique., July 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] or Crystal L. Raley (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Presence (Mass Market Paperback)

The Presence doesn't fail to entertain, but it falls short of the white knuckled suspence that faithful readers have come to expect. Previous Saul works have facinated readers with medical horrors. The Presence, while intriquing, doesn't quite leave the reader with their customary shivers after putting down one of Saul's books. For the first time reader, The Presence is a must read. Saul leaves the reader pondering the origins of mankind, and the mixture of medical, archaelogical, and astronomical sciences gives the reader plenty to think about. The Presence should be evaluated by each individual reader. But this faithful follower of Saul is left wondering if his next novel will be revived back to the horrificly suspence status she has come to expect.