LadyChristine's Full Review: John Saul - The Right Hand Of Evil
Before I begin writing this review, I wanted to forewarn any who read this opinion, and aren't familiar with my way of writing, that when I write an opinion on a book I've read, I do not go into symbolism and things of that nature. I just give my thoughts on the book. If you are looking for a review that will analyze the plot in-depth and talk about the symbolism, then don't bother continuing to read this opinion. You will not find that here.
That having been said, I will now give any who are still reading this opinion, my thoughts on this book, Right Hand of Evil, by John Saul.
I've been reading John Saul books since I was about 15 years old. I've loved his books from the very first one I read, which was Comes The Blind Fury. Over the years, as I awaited another new novel to be published, I have oftentimes reread earlier novels and loved them just as much, with each subsequent reading, as I did the first time.
Right Hand of Evil is no exception to this. I loved this book, and can foresee myself rereading it during coming years.
I noticed, when I finished this book, that there was a key difference from many of John Saul's previous novels. This book was not centered around his familiar "Government Conspiracy" or "Corporate America Conspiracy" theories, as are many of his other books. (Creature, The Guardian, and The God Project come to mind.)
I am not saying that he hasn't done other books that are based on the timeless battle between good and evil. His book, Darkness, comes to my mind right now. I am sure there are others as well. But the way he wrote this one, I was suprised at the end to find that it boiled down to Good versus Evil. Saul wrote this book in such a way as to have you thinking that one of the priests in the book, Father MacNeill, is the bad guy, trying to turn the small town of St. Albans against the Conways because of rumors about the family's past.
Yet, as you get closer to the end of the book, you realize that the priest is really only a minor player. This twist was so unexpected to me, that I was glad no one was in the room with me when I read that part, because I must have looked quite the fool, gaping at my book with my jaw hanging slack, my mouth open.
Because of this plot twist, and the way Saul managed to surprise me, I would have to say that this was one of my favorite books, written by him. It has been quite a while since he has written something that took me by surprise. This book did it very well.
I would recommend this book to any fan of his, as well as recommend it to anyone who likes horror or thriller novels in general.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.