I read them when i was 912, and part of the reason they scared me so much was the fact kids were at the center of every novel. John saul is an american author of horror and thriller novels. John saul weaves a dark web of psychological suspense and allconsuming evil in a novel as richly atmospheric, as riveting and chilling, as any he has ever produced. Although im biased because im addicted to anything written by john saul, this is a great book. Get to know a bestselling mystery, horror, and thriller writer. About the author john saul attended the george washington university and hawaii loa college.
The 10 best stephen king books your picks for the horror masters scariest, most suspenseful pageturners, from it to the dead zone. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. A wonderfully creepy southern gothic with a beautiful cover. All that being said, john saul succeeds at crafting a horror story which is subtly scary.
Oddly enough, the scariest story ive ever read was in the national lampoon revenge issue. Hell, its not even barkers finest, nor scariest work not by a relatively long shot. Mar 29, 2018 for those new to the world of comics, it may seem as if the genre is made up solely of tights and capes and boompowsavingtheworld action sequences. Im still not sure if i prefer his technohorror to his horror horror, so both styles work for me.
Read an except from john saul s newest book, house of reckoning. The book has chapters on john s life and analyzes a number of his books. Cormac mccarthys the road may have the scariest passage in all of literature. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it. The book has chapters on johns life and analyzes a number of his books. After about ten of these, he was contacted by dell publishing, who wanted him to write a psychological thriller. John saul was a much different type of writer than king and koontz, his books fashioned on creepiness rather than horror. The eerie, scary, haunting novels of horror master, john saul.
But in my opinion, the scariest story ever written is the white people by arthur machen. John saul books list of books by author john saul thriftbooks. John sauls first novel, suffer the children, published in 1977, was an immediate millioncopy bestseller. When i was a teenager, i read the amityville horror and it scared the you know what out of me, but i loved it.
Here are the best horror comics that will really scare the crap out of you. This was the first book i read by john saul and as soon as i finished, i ordered 5 of his other works online. Cry for the strangers is broken up into three parts book one, book two, book three and therein lies much of the problem with this story about a fictional seaside town called clarks harbor and the four people who have moved. From the book the getaway, a scene that was neither in the original nor in the remake i think. Seriously one of the scariest books ive read book worth. Goosebumps, christopher pike, anne rice, john saulhorror was my fucking jam, but i didnt ever really find it that scary. Read an except from john sauls newest book, house of reckoning. The frightful best of john saul 20 books goodreads. It was a very fast read because i couldnt put it down. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The blackstone chronicles is a serialized novel by american horror and suspense author john saul. Rob zombie is a diehard, old school horrorexploitation fan of all the original horror films that paved the way to todays disturbing and desensitized internet and television generation. His first novel, suffer the children, was published in 1977 by dell and became an instant bestseller. Oct 11, 2015 goosebumps, christopher pike, anne rice, john saulhorror was my fucking jam, but i didnt ever really find it that scary.
He keeps you in suspense right up until the last page. Most of his books have appeared on the new york times best seller list. I never had to put a book in the freezer, even though the shining is a ghost story and probably should be in my scariest book ever category, but since i don. And he finds his own books absolutely terrifying, especially his latest horror. For those new to the world of comics, it may seem as if the genre is made up solely of tights and capes and boompowsavingtheworld action sequences. All of john sauls books are about horrible things happening to kids, or perpetuated by kids.
If theres one quality that new york times bestselling author john saul has in. When peter balsam begins teaching a controversial psychology course, he notices that the children in this school have been very well indoctrinated in the attitude of the whole village neilsville, wa, which is very much a small town filled with very religious people. And without some things here and there which wouldnt make sense in the absence of the paranormal the story could have still worked without the supernatural. Millions of his books are now available worldwide in print and translated in 29 different languages. Im guessing there are a sizable number of novels you havent read on this list, if youre reaching for that conclusion. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. And of course, amittyville horror, because it happened and i was. At the age of ten, author saul wrote his first short story. Sarah crane woke up with a start, her heart pounding. Ashfall, by mike mullin, is the first book in a series. The god project was my introduction to john saul s work. Punish the sinners saul, john is a bizarre story, set in the backdrop of a private catholic high school called st. Zombie goes for stark reality and exposes a statement on the worst of our twisted society, merging that concept with carpenters original tale of pure evil incarnate about a little boy transformed into a.
I would love to hear your opinions of the scariest book ever so i can check a few of them out. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of. Its not exactly traditional horror, because there are no ghosts, zombies, or other things that go bump in the night, but its still one of the scariest books ive read because of the what if. John saul, author of nineteen bestselling novels of chilling suspense. Jun 03, 2003 i also think that any book by john saul is scary, my personal favorite being suffer the children. December 23, 2017 in authors mz thrift store finds. It was about a boy who goes on a revenge spree with little consequence. Author jonas saul read a lot of john saul, dean koontz and stephen king while growing up in toronto, canada.
Often his plots revolve around hidden, secret evil that is discovered by an innocent person, who must then battle against seemingly impossible odds. I like how four of the books on this list are quite obviously not written by john saul. Why ghost stories are the absolute scariest book riot. Mar 02, 2007 well if you like ghost story related books john saul s nathaniel is a really good book and here are a few others that are worth the read. It had a great ending, which i always love about his books. Oct 21, 2015 the book is narrated from his point of view first, then mirandas, who keeps a diary logging her plans and hopes for escaping. I remember reading that one when i was seventeen and home alone, and deciding to sleep downstairs on. It and pet cemetery by stephen king scared me so badly that it took weeks to finish them. His books are classified as horror, though i would say they could also be filed under psychological suspense. The books also follow the character of oliver metcalf, editor of the local paper, who had previously grown up on the asylums grounds and. Most of his books have appeared on the new york times best seller. If you want books that are truly horrifying, then buy everything that howard lovecraft ever wrote.
The horror novels and stories in this overview are the scariest ever written. Cormac mccarthys the road may have the scariest passage in. All of his books have just the right balance to make them scary but almost. One of his works includes the blackstone chronicles, a sixbook serial novel he published on a monthly basis for six stretches. Even so, he wasnt really an overnight sensation saul spent many years earning his stripes writing novels that were rejected by publishers. The book may be more metaphorical than any gritty true crime story youll find, but that doesnt take away from fowles artful construction of feelings of suffocation. Your first book, suffer the children, was published in 1977. Meanwhile, scariest book ive read may be in cold blood. I cant control the ones people add even as creator of the list. A case in point is a book he wrote during a weekend after he was laid off from work out of the blue. Year after year he has been voted in as the lead author for ballantine booksrandom house. Back in the 80s i remember there was a joke that the following two questions could be answered the same way. I love scary booksmovies, but rarely find ones that actually scare me. Remembering the final scene of this book still sends shivers down my spine.
A horror zine interview with john saul the horror zine. He holds a degree in journalism from multnomah college. Within the 15 years, saul wrote a number of unpublished manuscripts and around ten books he published under different pens names. John saul born february 25, 1942 is an american author of suspense and horror novels. Here are 10 of the most terrifying criminals featured in the prequel show, better call saul. By the end of this book, i was pretty disappointed. Best john saul books 31 books goodreads share book. See all books authored by john saul, including perfect nightmare, and the blackstone chronicles, and more on. John saul, the master of supernatural suspense, john. It had to be john saul when i was thirteen or fourteen. Reading this book around that time put me in a mindset that.
His plots involve the supernatural or sometimes bizarre, but at the same time they are also characterdriven, and deal just as much with family. While saul is used to dealing with criminals on a daily basis, some of those that he crosses paths with, or are featured in the series, are even worse than most. Scariest horror novels and short stories ezinearticles. Sep 01, 2018 all of john sauls books are about horrible things happening to kids, or perpetuated by kids. A critical companion by paul bail was published by greenwood press. They make it to mexico or further south in central america and have to hide out in caves for a while. Three terrifying bestselling novels hardcover november 20, 1996. I also think that any book by john saul is scary, my personal favorite being suffer the children. Darkness is about an evil town and a family with a teen girl that moves back to it after some time away. The following books will definitely be something for you if you want to have a haunting experience with a novel or a story.
The book is narrated from his point of view first, then mirandas, who keeps a diary logging her plans and hopes for escaping. See all books authored by john saul, including the blackstone chronicles, and perfect nightmare, and more. While sauls earlier work has been noted for its extremely gruesome quality, in his later writing saul is trying to restrain that aspect of his fiction. He featured in two major homosexual scandals, and as a character in two works of pornographic literature of the period. It read fast and kept me mildly interested, mostly because of the dated 1980s high tech computerdna descriptions.
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