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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great second book by Kenyon, December 19, 2008
This review is from: The Reach (Mass Market Paperback)
Many have likened this novel to King's "Firestarter" and it is very easy to see why. We have a little girl, with unimaginable power, an evil institution trying to bend and wield her power and an unlikely hero trying to save the child. Kenyon even named a secondary character "Charlie" as if to acknowledge the similarities and give homage to King. But "The Reach" although it shares so many similarities, reads as an entirely different story.
Short Synopsis: Jess Chambers is a star student in Psychiatry... she has come to the attention of her professor, Dr. Jean Shelley. Dr. Shelley decides to put Jess to the test on a very special patient... a little girl by the name of Sarah who has spent her entire life in an institution, the girl is diagnosed as schizophrenic and has not spoken in months. "Just try to befriend her, see if she will open up to you" Dr. Shelley tells Jess. What they didn't count on was the door they opened by inviting Jess into Sarah's life, and what it would lead to in the end. A series of twists and turns later... we come to an explosive ending that would make for great film.
From the opening scene I loved this book. It was fun, exciting, and elicited a concern from the reader for many of the characters. Who is good, who is bad, who is lying, who is truly in need, who can be trusted... the tables turn over and over as Jess tries to piece together the life of Sarah, and help her to come into her own. Men in dark suits with guns and scientists with nasty ambitions soon come into the picture and Jess finds that no one can be trusted. Is Sarah evil? Is she truly the antichrist as her family believes? Or is just a scared little girl with an unholy power?
The book moves quickly, you will find yourself whipping through the pages until you explode into the ending. The author has said that this is the first in a series of possibly 3 books, but don't let that stop you. Kenyon DOES wrap this one up nicely - no cliff hangers to leave you angry or frustrated. To be honest, I did not find this book to be scary - I found it to be more entertaining than anything else. I highly recommend this book, Kenyon was good when he wrote "Bloodstone" and he is even better with "The Reach" I look forward to his next novel.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review, November 25, 2008
This review is from: The Reach (Mass Market Paperback)
Ten years old, Sarah has pretty much lived her whole life in a mental hospital. Dr. Wasserman at The Wasserman Facility has diagnosed Sarah as being a schizophrenic. Sarah isn't your normal schizophrenic; in fact Sarah is also a psychic. Jess Chambers has studied the extreme child psychology cases and that is why she is very excited to be able to meet young Sarah. The doctors at The Wasserman Facility have been able to control Sarah. You know the saying "Be careful what you wish for", well Jess is about to find out that wishes are not always a good thing. After Jess meets Sarah strange and scary things start happening at the facility that no one not even Sarah could predict.
This book was filled with plenty of intense and electrifying horror. The Reach started out very strong and ended on a high note. I thought Sarah was a normal ten year old; ok maybe she happened to have a unique gift but other then that fact, Sarah just wanted to have a voice and be heard. Dr. Wasserman won't let that take place. So what happens when someone who has not been able to speak for ten years, finally gets the chance...the end result is Nate Kenyon's The Reach; a book that will not disappoint and leave you wanting more. The Reach is the first book I have read by Mr. Kenyon. I can assure you that I will be reading more books by this very talented author.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, haunting tale, February 17, 2009
This review is from: The Reach (Mass Market Paperback)
With his second novel, Nate Kenyon has firmly established himself as one of today's premier suspense/thriller writers. "The Reach" is a chilling tale that's not only harrowing, but also a testament to the enduring human spirit. Very reminiscent of Dean Koontz, Kenyon shows the remarkable ability to take readers to dark places, only to show them the light after the storm.
From the moment she entered this world - in the middle of a snow storm - Sarah had always been different. However, different becomes dangerous as covert parties rip Sarah from her home, lock her up in the dark, and begin dangerous experiments on her. A desire for money and power fuels a desperate attempt to harness Sarah's "talents" and exploit them for personal gain. Her life descends into a drugged haze, in which she's convinced she's an abomination: a lethal oddity only worthy of study and nothing else.
Enter Jess Chambers, an idealistic graduate student trying to exorcise guilt over her autistic brother's death years before. At first, when she's invited to assist in Sarah's case - which is described to her as mere schizophrenia - she's worried only that there might be dangerous transference of her guilt to her interactions with Sarah. As time passes, Jess realizes that not only has she been lied to, but Sarah is far from schizophrenic; in fact - she's not like anything Jess has ever seen.
Soon, Jess finds herself in a frantic race against time, because not only are the experiments on Sarah beginning anew, but her power is growing; perhaps beyond anyone's ability to control.
Simply put, "The Reach" is wonderfully written. Kenyon has done what few writers manage at such an early stage in their career; write a story strong enough to transcend genre and touch a wide audience. Also, "The Reach" stands out because it ends not in tragedy, but with an exhalation of that which allows us to survive tragedy: the power of the human spirit. Kenyon's second novel will leave readers marveling over this, as well as eagerly anticipating his next work.
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