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Title: The Devil's Labyrinth (Center Point Platinum Mystery (Large Print))
ISBN: 160285047X
Author:
John Saul
Publicate Date: 2007-11
Publish: 2007-11
List Price: $32.95
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.05
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.10
Amazon Merchant Price: $32.95
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| Customer Review: |
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1: John Saul book
I paid full price for this book at the book store - $7.95 paperback! It was good, but I have definately read better from John Saul! If you are a true fan of his books then you will read it!
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2: The Devil vs. The Pope - with surprisingly few scares
If you've read all of John Saul's novels, as I have, you will notice certain themes that run throughout the majority of them. "The Devil's Labyrinth" has a few of these themes at their center - terrorized teens being tormented by evil adults.
In this case, it's students at a Catholic Boarding School being terrorized by a young priest with a dangerous hidden agenda. Saul goes further into religious/satanic territory than ever before. The only problem is that this book has hardly any tension or scares. Once the hidden agenda is revealed (involving a plot to kill the Pope in Boston) things go downhill fast.
I praise Mr. Saul for attempting different plot lines but would rather he scare the heck out of me rather than getting into the realm of religious historical fiction.
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3: Truly laughable
I hate to write a review like this, but since the discussion board on John Saul's website is permanently disabled (I'm guessing other people feel the same way I do), I feel obligated to post something on here. In the past year or so, I have read at least 20 fiction novels. I've been partial to Orson Scott Card, Bernard Cornwell, James Rollins, and Robert Ludlum lately. At the airport two weeks ago, I saw The Devil's Labyrinth sitting on the shelf. I was traveling to Germany on business and wanted a book for the long flight from the U.S. I thought I'd change things up by trying something by John Saul.
I don't know what I was expecting, but I knew within the first 20 pages that the writing style was going to be too simplistic for my taste. But, the opening was interesting enough, so I kept going. About 150 pages in (the book is around 300 pages long with large print), I wondered where the hell it was going. At the 200 page mark, I felt like the only thing labryinthine about the book was the convoluted story line, but I had already read 2/3 of it, and since I'm not a quitter, I trudged on. By God, I wasn't going to let this book get the best of me. Well, as the ending (I hate to call it a conclusion, because there just wasn't one) started to unravel (literally), I was left scratching my head.
In hindsight, the book felt like it was written in about a week. The dialogue was elementary, the characters were undeveloped, and the storyline unwound into a complete mess. Never before have I felt like I wasted $7.99 on a book, but if there was a way for me to erase any memory of this book and get my 8 bucks back, I'd do it in an instant. This was easily the worst piece of fiction I've ever read.
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4: A Suspenseful Novel with A Bit of a Plot Twist
The story is suspenseful almost from the onset. Mr. Saul keeps it on track & on a good pace with no wasted dialogue. A 16 year old boy who transfers from a public high school to a Catholic high school begins the suspense novel. It moves along well. It keeps your interest very well. The boy, Ryan, & his new love interest, Melodie are believable. Readers can identify with Ryan's uneasiness in losing his father, Mom dating, Mom's boyfriend moving in, the trauma of being the new kid in school, the rigid life of a Catholic high school.
The story take on an entirely new twist when a couple of fanatic Muslims become involved, The story line goes a bit over the top here & the way they intend to assassinate the Pope. The Muslim fanatic believable in today's world. The plot in this section of the book seems to falter. But the novel is still very entertaining. It's an enjoyable, suspenseful read.
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5: Disappointing at best
I have read almost all of Saul's books and this one proved to be very disappointing. I was very excited to begin reading it, but ended up dragging myself through it just to finish it. Most scenes that were meant to be scary or thrilling were really just disturbing. I found the religious aspects of it to be in bad taste. This is definately not his best work! If you're looking for a great Saul book, try some of his others and leave this one alone.
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