Customer Reviews

The Presence

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The Presence, by John Saul, is a truly gripping and exciting read that totally throws the reader into the content of the story and truly makes the reader feel as though the far-fetched nature of the novel could actually be feasible. The novel's focus on main character Michael Sundquist and his unwilling involvement in one of the most influential and terrifying scientific discoveries of all time. This book not only discusses the possibility of life outside of the confines of earth, but it also delves into the mystery of creation and simultaneously puts to rest all past speculation on either of the two topics. Saul has created a novel that can stand the test time because of universal nature. While the book has a slow beginning it ultimately develops into a tale that the reader cannot wait to finish and discover. John Saul sets up the book so that even readers that do not have a strong scientific background are able to understand the vast scientific concepts that are contained in the novel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for and exciting read that will bring them into a world full of mystery and suspense.

I had my doubts about The Presence early on. Although the Hawaiian setting was a new one, the subject of human experimentation on children by a mysterious group of seemingly unfeeling men is rather standard fare for Saul. The book started off slowly, moving from an unexplained discovery of a mysterious geode off the shores of the big island of Hawaii to a rather bland account of the move by anthropologist Katharine Sundquist and her son Michael from New York to Maui. Brought there to study the remains of a peculiar skeleton found near the volcanic slopes of Haleakala, Katharine soon finds herself in a living nightmare, one which threatens to take the life of her son. She has only the help of new boss and former flame Rob Silver in learning the truth about her new employer Takeo Yoshihara. Young Michael suffered asthma as a youth and had worked hard to overcome the condition, setting his sights on joining the track team in defiance of the ailment that had made his life a solitary one. On the island, he wins a spot on the team and makes several friends very quickly, but after the group sneaks off for an ill-advised night-time scuba dive, Michael's world spins out of control. As tragedy begins to strike his friends, Michael himself begins to struggle once again for each breath he takes. The problem is not asthma this time, however, but something much more dangerous-and unnatural.

The story of Michael's unhappiness over the move to Hawaii, his introduction to and contact with his friends on the track team, and Katharine's own work with Rob Silver on the unidentified skeleton are rather rough going. The plot doesn't seem to move very well, and the characters are not very compelling. Once things start moving, though, and the secrets at the heart of the plot begin to emerge, the novel becomes quite gripping and fascinating. There are some rather farfetched and seemingly unnecessary elements attached to the storyline, but they do not harm one's enjoyment of the book. All in all, the whole package is wrapped more tightly than many of Saul's other novels, leaving me with few unexplained answers at the conclusion. It's a well-told story, although one aspect of the denouement seems just a little too convenient. The setting, based on Saul's own familiarity with the island of Maui, is rich and vibrant, adding further energy to the tale. The basic idea of The Presence, secret experimentation on unsuspecting children, is nothing new, but this novel has legs to stand on its own two feet. The main characters eventually seem convincingly real, the science Saul evokes does not come across as utterly implausible, and the conclusion succeeds in tying together most of the loose ends scattered throughout the text. For my money, this is one of Saul's more impressive novels.

Although quite provocative and some-what enduring, this Saul novel is too similar to other novels such as "Creature" and "The God Project" and not nearly as horrific or entertaining. Anthropologist Katharine Sundquist and her track-team hopeful son Michael move to the incredible beaches of Maui in hopes to help a coporation with its research of the architecture at the site. She soon makes some interesting discoveries that do not follow normal geological truths, yet believes that there is nothing harmful that awaits her and her son. However, the death of one of Michael's new friends provides the motive for Katharine to question the ethics of the research and perhaps there is much more to this multi-million dollar dig. Eventually, Michael begins to feel sick and Katharine realizes that not only is she part of an investement in medical terror, but her son may be the scapegoat. Saul has an exceptional craft of not only creating interesting stories but knits them together with beautiful word choice and expression, yet in this novel he seems to focus so much on creating a profound, unique script that he often forgets to actually make it exciting. The first two-thirds of "The Presence" lacks potent emotion, mostly because of Saul's indecision of who he wants the main character to be: Should he focus on how all of Michael's dreams and ambitions could be exterminated because of the extreme measures of a scientist? Or should the story revolve around Katherine's never-ending hunt to find the truth about what is happening on this island? Saul elects to try to emphasize both and the novel suffers from it. "The Presence" is a step below most of Saul's other novels and shows that he struggles to make exceptional thrillers time-and-time again as King and Koontz can.

I have a teenage boy and it is hard to find books that interest him that I can let him read. He is not ready for Stphen King - too much of everything! But Presence was wonderful, combines science, volcanos, mystery, teenage boys into mischief but nothing illegal or terribly harmful. It was a story line for adults but lack sex, violence or gore. THis seems just right for teenagers or young adults. I am disaaapointed that it looks like Mr. Saul's other books are not like this one.

I adore John Saul's work. He is a fantastic author, and his use of science and its possible evils are twisted and formed into great reading. However, The Presence left me empty. I breezed through the first half in no time- great story! But about 3/4 of the way into it, I realized that I had already figured out the rest of the book. I spent the last pages nodding my head, and waiting for a surprise- unfortunately, nothing came. I loved the setting and his description of Hawaii, and his characters were likeable, as always. Promising story...but doesn't fulfill the promise.

This was my first John Saul book. I found it intriguing, but in the end, disappointing. Though, the plot was interesting enough to keep me going and the pace made it a quick read, there were too many holes in the story for my satisfaction. As mentioned in some of the other comments, the author failed to provide a scientific framework to support the premise. He gives us an alien substance that can apparently transform human physiology. Not only can humans that are exposed to this stuff suddenly survive breathing toxic gases, they can also somehow stand next to a red hot caldron of lava without getting burned. Oh and by the way, this stuff is also the source of all life on earth. Oh and also, its affects are conveniently temporary. Then you have some mutants running around without any purpose other than to involve certain characters into the plot and there's also an evil industrialist who's only solution to any problem seems to be "dispose" of the person causing the problem. It is all very contrived. Nevertheless, I have read far worse and it is not bad if you want a little mind candy. Just don't go looking behind the curtain for the wizard.

Touted as a "suspenseful thriller" this book was a disappointment. Saul's early novels were riveting, full of character development and interesting plot lines. This novel, set on an unrealistic premise that people become infected with a strange disease that allows that to breathe toxic substances such as ammonia, and not air. Once again, Saul takes the reader to an exotic location (Hawaii -- where he also happens to live part-time; guess he didn't have to go very far for research -- just out the back door) with a single parent, raising a somewhat troubled teenager (this type of character is getting stale Mr. Saul). After a night dive, the son develops the non-breathing-air problem. How will he be cured? Who is responsible for this deed? Very predictable, very easy to figure out. The charcters showed no depth, emotion or real character development. The novel reminded me of a high school book that I could have wrote. Paying nearly $40.00 for the book, I sure could use the $100 prize to help me re-coup my losses. If you are a really devoted Saul fan, I would suggest you read this book; just to say that you did. If not, wait for the paperback. Arlen