A review by ryan_lieske
Nathaniel by John Saul

3.0

It can't be denied, John Saul's books are formulaic. If you've read one, you've pretty much read them all. Usually they concern a family with secrets, more often than not involving children. He aims to be Stephen King, but falls very, very short. Honestly, I have no problem with this, because when I decide to read a Saul novel, I know what I'm getting into. I've read several of his books, and while none of them have come close to being as good as his debut, "Suffer the Children" (a book he has, arguably, just been rewriting and retitling since it became a bestseller -- kind of like Robin Cook keeps doing with "Coma"), I keep coming back to them when I'm need of a literary snack. And "Nathaniel" is a serviceable, fun read. The plot kept me intrigued, although I feel it got a bit muddled at the end, and ultimately left me unsatisfied. Overall, though, this is an innocuous supernatural horror story that you can kill a few hours with, and not feel too guilty about afterwards.