Trippy trip into the desert heatI’ve had such a good time reading lately that I haven’t realized I was falling behind on my reviews so here we go… This particular title from good ole’ Saul was a fun little romp that crossed a suspense thriller with a sci-fish mystery, I found it at my local library in the beginning of December - the shiny brand new copy beckoning to be read so I took it, somehow it was almost forgotten but in the end I saw it again two weeks later by my bed and just picked it up, I was glued to the page and engrossed the whole time, not the best book I ever read but kinda cool, who knew? Saul is well known for his suspense mixed with a bit of terror, and that’s certainly what he delivered here, I saw the reviews were mixed about this one but I just read it with an open mind one page at a time, and I all ready knew that if I hated it all I had to do was stop, but somehow the book asked to be picked up so I personally liked it, not exactly pulled together at the end but it was fun for an early Saul, prefect library rental as I call it. A small and quiet New Mexico town is the perfect set up for this story; Borrego seems pretty ordinary at first but upon closer look something is going on, this is no sleeping town; something is brewing under that dry sand and heat. Located near an oil refinery with an Indian reservation close by it seems very boring until someone decides to shake things up, the teens are restless and up to no good and something or someone finally decides to take the matter into their own hands and deliver justice as it seems fit. Girls walking off the cliff, teens and adults meeting early and unexplained deaths seem connected to a plan that doesn’t want to be solved. When Judith Sheffield comes back this time as a grown up and as a teacher to escape all the violence and noise of LA she has no idea that she has stepped into a bigger pool of pain and fear than the one she was trying to escape. Along with some old friends and new students she is plunged into a situation that tries her sanity and in the end her life, she was a great character that made the book so fast moving, her interaction with Jed and his father propelled the story right into my head and I had a hard time putting it down. Personal and professional lives at stake, the town is starting to feel a strange push, flu shots don’t even seem safe as a controlling force is clamping a dark hand on anyone living in Borrego with a purpose, its up to our friends to find out what is going on before being deleted from the equation by the very forces they are trying to uncover. The ending was pretty awesome and intense even though it didn’t wrap all the ends. Fun read, like I said not perfect but enjoyable.Kasia S.
Can John Saul even write a bad book? I don't think I have read one by him I didn't give at least 4 stars. Anyway, Sleepwalk is about a quiet New Mexico town with some restless troublemaking teenagers and a newly appointed teacher named Judith. After the old teacher dies of what seems to be a massive stroke, and after Judith takes her place, she begins to discover some odd things about happens in the town. For one, the manditory flu shots don't contain a flu vaccine but something much more synister. Jed, one of the unruley teens, begins helping Judith discover the mystery behind the shots as well as a strange take over of the local oil refinery. I know i didn't do a great describing this novel, but that's because it's a complex story that you must read to understand fully. Another classic John Saul novel that is good enough to reread several times over. It was good enough to keep me reading almost constantly from start to finished. It's one of those books that you read in a day but remember a year later.
What do You think about Sleepwalk (1990)?
This was my second time with John Saul, and I had mixed feelings about him after reading 'Hellfire'. That one wasn't great, but I did find it quite entertaining nonetheless. With 'Sleepwalk' now - which was written a little later on in his career - there is a noticeable improvement in both his character development and the fluidity of his prose. This one is better written, with its settings more skillfully constructed and its story more stylishly told. Except despite these improvements, I didn't really like the story - nor did I enjoy the characters. The title and the blurb are extremely misguiding because there isn't anything to do with either until the last quarter of the book. In fact, there is nothing even remotely scary between the very beginning and the very end. It's more just a half-arsed drama about an Indian boy rediscovering his heritage - with a few villainous assholes thrown into the mix...
—Benjamin Stahl
This is the first book that I ever read by John Saul. The story takes place in a small town called Borrego in New Mexico. Something is going on in this town. They have oil wells and for some confidence the original owner of this company is dead from a stroke. The company is being brought out by another company and he dies and his house is burnt to the ground and his wife is killed. Prior to his death a teacher dies the same way from a stroke. On top of that one of the brightest students wakes up one night and sleepwalks to the top of a Mesa and commits suicide. All of the students are acting as robots for some strange reason. This is the premise of the book. The last 24 pages of the book is great and very tense. You have here a great mystery as well as a great science fiction novel. The character building in the book was great. This book is a great read and should not be missed.
—Les
