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Sleepwalk
Borrego looks like an ordinary New Mexico town: it borders an Indian reservation, its teenagers are bored and restless, and its only industry is the outdated oil refinery. But someone has a plan to shake up Borrego that involves controlling the minds of the local residents. When Judith Sheffield is asked to return to her sleepy hometown to teach high school math, she discovers that the students' mandatory flu shots don't really contain flu vaccine. The teacher joins forces with refinery worker Frank Arnold; his teenage son, Jed, whose mother belonged to the neighboring tribe; and Brown Eagle, the boy's grandfather, to find out what and who is behind the flu-shot edict and an equally mysterious takeover bid for the oil refinery.
Cover Artist: Tom Hallman
Cover Artist: Tom Hallman
449 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1990
44 people are currently reading
2625 people want to read
About the author
John Saul
152 books2,856 followersJohn Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
September 28, 2025
Hell hath no fury like a displaced Native American spirit scorned.
I've always loved action movies, but never got to enjoy the action scenes in books. Given my tendency towards daydreaming, I always hoped that if I juuust focused enough, I could eventually get to appreciate them. Possibly due to my generally short attention span, I rarely found the immersion I craved. Despite the number of issues I found with it, Sleepwalk by John Saul nevertheless managed to churn out several action scenes that fit these needs to a T.
15-year-old Jed has been struggling to find his place in life, between unresolved grief over his mother's suicide, high-school popularity and his Native American heritage. Lucky for him, Judith, his old babysitter turned math teacher is set on saving the world, one troubled teen at a time.
26-year-old Judith is fighting burnout teaching in the big city, so the unexpected job offer in Bum-Fuck-Nowhere (i.e. her childhood home town) comes just in time. Unfortunately, the town's future seems rather grim with its main source of income on the brink of bankruptcy.
As far as action-adventure and thriller elements go, this story was exactly what I needed. It features several nerve-wracking psychic attacks, mysterious mind-control episodes, not to mention nail-biting stalking and fight scenes. Had this been a movie, I'd have definitely been immersed in my popcorn bag trying to keep up with things.
Unfortunately, there's very little else that the story has going for it. The protagonists are troubled, struggling to fit into their surroundings, but they rarely need to work for it beyond a few days' worth of pangs of conscience. Like Judith, who gets together with Jed's father much too easily, despite all the foreshadowing about her long-time unrequited crush. Saul may have intended to slowly work on Judith's issues, but backed out of it. Instead, he ended up skipping most of the romance to focus on the evil plot (TM).
On the one hand, this spared the reader from having to suffer through too many melodramatic scenes. But on the other hand, it also made their relationship inexplicably perfect from the get-go. Not to mention how it stripped away all the trauma that Judith would have to go through as a result of the terrible events befalling the cast.
And then there were the Native American mystical elements, meant to add the magical edge, but it never felt sufficiently fleshed out. Jed's grandfather randomly popping up to spout a piece of wisdom didn't seem enough.
Score: 2.6/5 stars
This story could have been really good, if the author (or an editor) had had the time and patience to develop his characters and their motivations a bit more. As it was, most things took place just because the plot demanded it, and the reader was just expected to go along with it. Perhaps this was the norm in 1990s plot-driven novels, but for me it stripped away most of the emotional upheaval that the intense action scenes left behind.
I've always loved action movies, but never got to enjoy the action scenes in books. Given my tendency towards daydreaming, I always hoped that if I juuust focused enough, I could eventually get to appreciate them. Possibly due to my generally short attention span, I rarely found the immersion I craved. Despite the number of issues I found with it, Sleepwalk by John Saul nevertheless managed to churn out several action scenes that fit these needs to a T.
15-year-old Jed has been struggling to find his place in life, between unresolved grief over his mother's suicide, high-school popularity and his Native American heritage. Lucky for him, Judith, his old babysitter turned math teacher is set on saving the world, one troubled teen at a time.
26-year-old Judith is fighting burnout teaching in the big city, so the unexpected job offer in Bum-Fuck-Nowhere (i.e. her childhood home town) comes just in time. Unfortunately, the town's future seems rather grim with its main source of income on the brink of bankruptcy.
As far as action-adventure and thriller elements go, this story was exactly what I needed. It features several nerve-wracking psychic attacks, mysterious mind-control episodes, not to mention nail-biting stalking and fight scenes. Had this been a movie, I'd have definitely been immersed in my popcorn bag trying to keep up with things.
Unfortunately, there's very little else that the story has going for it. The protagonists are troubled, struggling to fit into their surroundings, but they rarely need to work for it beyond a few days' worth of pangs of conscience. Like Judith, who gets together with Jed's father much too easily, despite all the foreshadowing about her long-time unrequited crush. Saul may have intended to slowly work on Judith's issues, but backed out of it. Instead, he ended up skipping most of the romance to focus on the evil plot (TM).
On the one hand, this spared the reader from having to suffer through too many melodramatic scenes. But on the other hand, it also made their relationship inexplicably perfect from the get-go. Not to mention how it stripped away all the trauma that Judith would have to go through as a result of the terrible events befalling the cast.
And then there were the Native American mystical elements, meant to add the magical edge, but it never felt sufficiently fleshed out. Jed's grandfather randomly popping up to spout a piece of wisdom didn't seem enough.
Score: 2.6/5 stars
This story could have been really good, if the author (or an editor) had had the time and patience to develop his characters and their motivations a bit more. As it was, most things took place just because the plot demanded it, and the reader was just expected to go along with it. Perhaps this was the norm in 1990s plot-driven novels, but for me it stripped away most of the emotional upheaval that the intense action scenes left behind.
April 25, 2023
3 STARS. Published in 1990, the book started with a couple of out-dated 80's themes. The main theme though was more relevant to the 2020's though.
February 13, 2011
Trippy trip into the desert heat
I’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.
I’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.
August 20, 2011
SAUL NEVER WRITES TO WASTE YOUR TIME....
ALWAYED PREPARED TO UNLEASH A TALE OF UNCERTAINTY AND A CLIMAX THAT WILL KEEP YOU UNSEATED AND FROTHING FROM THE MOUTH AND THE BRAIN.
OH THAT WAS SOO GOOD!!!
GOD THAT WAS SO GOOD!!!!!
ALWAYED PREPARED TO UNLEASH A TALE OF UNCERTAINTY AND A CLIMAX THAT WILL KEEP YOU UNSEATED AND FROTHING FROM THE MOUTH AND THE BRAIN.
OH THAT WAS SOO GOOD!!!
GOD THAT WAS SO GOOD!!!!!
October 14, 2020
Well, this is still the worse of all of John Sauls books, but since I am re reading them all in publishing order.....i had to trudge thru it. So, here goes my review of 'Sleepwalk'.
First off, those of you who follow me know that I am a HUGE John Saul fan and have been since he was first published in the mid 70's. Now, he can usually scare the living hell INTO me with his exceptional writing skills and telling ghost and stories of pure real horror! Not this time.
26 year old Judith Sheffield living in Southern California is asked to come back to Borrego New Mexico where she grew up to teach high school. She accepts the job, and when she arrives she runs into a 17 year old student that she used to babysit for when she was 16 years old......his name is Jed Arnold and his father works at the refinery. With Jed growing up as what the local townspeople refer to as a 'Breed', he is used to being looked down upon for his mother beaing Cocati Indian. The town is the center of upheaval in the form of Unatech Oil Refinery and the company losing profits and readying for sale of the property. As in any Saul story that is where the eeriness and scares start and with this one, one of Jed's high school friends walks up to the ridge along the quarry in the middle of the night and 'sleepwalks to her death' 1000 feet below, smashing on the rocks.
The town starts to talk about what could have caused this 'well to do, and smart girl' to do just a thing, and this leads to another weird death, after death. Most of them after are older people that had either worked at the oil plant, or had something to do with the local Indian people in the past.
When the high school states to all the parents that the students will all be getting 'mandatory flu shots' Judith starts thinking why and who is behind this weird out of the blue thing. Now, this was published in 1990 and flu shots were not 'Mandatory' as they kind of are in todays times.....so this is as creepy as this story got. Yes, there are a couple more minor deaths, but there in nothing really supernatural to this book which is where Saul always excelled. This is more of a Sci Fi medical revenge thriller........I am glad that I dont have to read it again, as it had been since 1990 that i read it the first time.
Thanks for taking the time to read this review.
First off, those of you who follow me know that I am a HUGE John Saul fan and have been since he was first published in the mid 70's. Now, he can usually scare the living hell INTO me with his exceptional writing skills and telling ghost and stories of pure real horror! Not this time.
26 year old Judith Sheffield living in Southern California is asked to come back to Borrego New Mexico where she grew up to teach high school. She accepts the job, and when she arrives she runs into a 17 year old student that she used to babysit for when she was 16 years old......his name is Jed Arnold and his father works at the refinery. With Jed growing up as what the local townspeople refer to as a 'Breed', he is used to being looked down upon for his mother beaing Cocati Indian. The town is the center of upheaval in the form of Unatech Oil Refinery and the company losing profits and readying for sale of the property. As in any Saul story that is where the eeriness and scares start and with this one, one of Jed's high school friends walks up to the ridge along the quarry in the middle of the night and 'sleepwalks to her death' 1000 feet below, smashing on the rocks.
The town starts to talk about what could have caused this 'well to do, and smart girl' to do just a thing, and this leads to another weird death, after death. Most of them after are older people that had either worked at the oil plant, or had something to do with the local Indian people in the past.
When the high school states to all the parents that the students will all be getting 'mandatory flu shots' Judith starts thinking why and who is behind this weird out of the blue thing. Now, this was published in 1990 and flu shots were not 'Mandatory' as they kind of are in todays times.....so this is as creepy as this story got. Yes, there are a couple more minor deaths, but there in nothing really supernatural to this book which is where Saul always excelled. This is more of a Sci Fi medical revenge thriller........I am glad that I dont have to read it again, as it had been since 1990 that i read it the first time.
Thanks for taking the time to read this review.
April 6, 2012
Saul has a way of grabbing the reader's attention in just the first few pages and keeping that attention throughout his entire novels. Each one of his books brings a new story of some of humankind's greatest fears and Sleep Walk is no exception. He is also able to introduce new fears into a world that is already full of them. I wish I could only know where he comes up with the fantastic tales of terror and horror that he is able to weave into a perfect story.
Sleep Walk takes place in a small town in the desert of America. Strange things have been happening as they always seem to do in stories that thrill and terrify the reader. A former resident comes back to the small town to teach in the school she grew up in. Not much has changed since she left and has come back, and the longer she stays in the town, this starts to change. Kids that have normally been trouble makers are suddenly complacent and follow orders no matter the order given to them. Other members of the town start dying and have medical issues that there is no pre-warning for. To top it all off a big oil company comes in and buys out the smaller one that hosts the majority of the jobs in the small town and things get even weirder than that.
Saul's books are ones that I need to read more of. I find them easy to get into and they keep me reading page after page until the book is finished or my eyes are drooping. Just when you think you have the plot and the ending figured out, he likes to throw another curve ball at you.
Sleep Walk takes place in a small town in the desert of America. Strange things have been happening as they always seem to do in stories that thrill and terrify the reader. A former resident comes back to the small town to teach in the school she grew up in. Not much has changed since she left and has come back, and the longer she stays in the town, this starts to change. Kids that have normally been trouble makers are suddenly complacent and follow orders no matter the order given to them. Other members of the town start dying and have medical issues that there is no pre-warning for. To top it all off a big oil company comes in and buys out the smaller one that hosts the majority of the jobs in the small town and things get even weirder than that.
Saul's books are ones that I need to read more of. I find them easy to get into and they keep me reading page after page until the book is finished or my eyes are drooping. Just when you think you have the plot and the ending figured out, he likes to throw another curve ball at you.
February 3, 2013
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...
March 8, 2020
I've been on a bit of a Saul binge lately, having picked up a box of his books at a yard sale. This is a reread, but it has been at least a decade. Set in a small, New Mexican town that revolves around a refinery, the main characters are a family (son, father) and a newly arrived high school teacher that came back to her hometown to teach after getting burned out in L.A. The owner of the refinery is facing a buyout and he is trying to keep the place running. Little does he know that something sinister is afoot. Some strange strokes start to fell people in town and things take a turn for the worse.
June 12, 2020
Judith Sheffield needs to escape the dangers of the city where she teaches. When a position suddenly opens up in her home town of Borrego, New Mexico, she takes it. Borrego is a small, decaying town that depends on its local oil refinery to serve its residents. Judith expects the town to be its usual boring self but safe. And she remembers many of its residents. She even reconnects with Jed Arnold, who she used to babysit. He's now a teenager, troubled, and neglected by a widower father who is too caught up in problems at the refinery to give his son enough attention. Besides that, Jed feels like an outsider because he is Indian on his mother's side. When Judith tries to reacquaint him with Brown Eagle, his grandfather, Jed initially dismisses the man as being crazy.
Judith can deal with the normal problems of her work and her life. But something extraordinary and sinister is happening in Borrego. An outside company, Unachem, has come in to take over the failing oil refinery, promising to update and expand its operation and bring prosperity. People are dying, and her students are turning into compliant robots. The people she most cares about are being affected, which includes Jed, his father, and the woman who took her in when she returned from the city. Can the company save the town, or is it part of the problem?
Tension mounts as different people act on their suspicions. As the danger grows, the tale gets downright scary, to where I peeked at the final pages of this chiller to see if my favorite characters would survive.
After an explosive climax, four heroes are left standing. The end is abrupt but not disturbingly so. Rather, even though the story stands on its own, enough issues remain to inhabit a sequel.
Judith can deal with the normal problems of her work and her life. But something extraordinary and sinister is happening in Borrego. An outside company, Unachem, has come in to take over the failing oil refinery, promising to update and expand its operation and bring prosperity. People are dying, and her students are turning into compliant robots. The people she most cares about are being affected, which includes Jed, his father, and the woman who took her in when she returned from the city. Can the company save the town, or is it part of the problem?
Tension mounts as different people act on their suspicions. As the danger grows, the tale gets downright scary, to where I peeked at the final pages of this chiller to see if my favorite characters would survive.
After an explosive climax, four heroes are left standing. The end is abrupt but not disturbingly so. Rather, even though the story stands on its own, enough issues remain to inhabit a sequel.
August 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I was riveted to it almost from the very beginning!
June 16, 2021
Me ha parecido un poco flojo, pero puede ser que me pillase en un mal día para leer. Más adelante haré relectura.
February 26, 2025
Average, good story, but it was hard to motivate myself to finish it at a fast pace.
June 9, 2025
It´s strange to read this book now that we have gone through the whole covid scam from 2020-2022... Nearly everyone has been jabbed, multiple times, and there is strange stuff being found in the vials that causes blood-clots and sudden adult death syndrome or SADS. The WEF is planning a future for those who survive where they are a slave-like underclass with no spiritual dimensions to their lives, they own nothing but are "happy". But that´s our current reality, the book has a similar plotline that was very easy to predict, due to how it felt like a re-telling of our modern times. Everyone is running to get a needless flu-shot, almost no questions asked, and people don´t bother to think about what might be getting injected into their kids. They just obey. And it´s all a conspiracy fueled by psychopathic scientists working and doing their experiments for a powerful satanic elite who wants to change/bring down our civilization and societies.
John Saul deserves credit for writing about this in such good detail, 30 years before it actually happened globally (must have been happening on a smaller scale like in the book for decades - which is horrifyingly sad to think about). Micromachines ended up being called nanobots, but that is about the only thing not terrifyingly accurate here. Even the vaxx´s spike proteins were represented and the antenna did a good job covering for 5G.
Although this book starts off slow it gets roaring during it´s latter half and I loved it.
John Saul deserves credit for writing about this in such good detail, 30 years before it actually happened globally (must have been happening on a smaller scale like in the book for decades - which is horrifyingly sad to think about). Micromachines ended up being called nanobots, but that is about the only thing not terrifyingly accurate here. Even the vaxx´s spike proteins were represented and the antenna did a good job covering for 5G.
Although this book starts off slow it gets roaring during it´s latter half and I loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2024
SLEEPWALK was my second John Saul novel, and although I had intended to read his second book second, I felt this one—something like his fourteenth—calling to me from the bookshelf instead. I'm glad I read it, as I really did enjoy it, especially early on. Saul has a way of drawing you in with his cast of characters, layering enough detail to make the wild concepts feel believable enough at first.
I did feel it dragged in the middle. The revelations slowed down, and so did their impact as the twists mellowed. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with this one if they discover its existence.
The ending brought me back. It was wrapped up nicely with a bit of wonder and amazement left for the reader.
Overall, Saul definitely has a talent. I really enjoyed Jed and his experiences with being both Native American and white, and feeling like he wasn't being accepted by people. Very much wanting to read more Saul soon!
Edit: Increased to a 4/5 because the more I think about this one, the more I remember how much I loved it. The characters were golden.
I did feel it dragged in the middle. The revelations slowed down, and so did their impact as the twists mellowed. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with this one if they discover its existence.
The ending brought me back. It was wrapped up nicely with a bit of wonder and amazement left for the reader.
Overall, Saul definitely has a talent. I really enjoyed Jed and his experiences with being both Native American and white, and feeling like he wasn't being accepted by people. Very much wanting to read more Saul soon!
Edit: Increased to a 4/5 because the more I think about this one, the more I remember how much I loved it. The characters were golden.
July 6, 2018
If you are looking for a gory horror novel that will scare you out of your mind, well this one isn't for you, but I thought it was fantastic nonetheless. This book is chalked full or conspiracy theories of corporate overlords, and Native American mysticism, and the combination of the two made it both engaging and entertaining. This is a solid PG-13 book, so while it is unsettling, it would still be a great book for someone who wants to dip their toes into the horror pool, but as an avid horror reader, I also really, really enjoyed it! It makes you really think both of how far people are willing to go to get what they want, and the risks others will take to protect themselves, and others, from those people.
August 10, 2011
Der Titel der Originalausgabe("Sleepwalk") trifft deutlich besser auf die Handlung zu. Es geht nämlich nicht darum, irgendjemanden in der Stadt zu halten, bzw. ihn zu bestrafen falls er vorhaben sollte, wegzugehen. Ziel ist vielmehr ordentliche und artige Bürger zu schaffen, die tun, was man ihnen aufträgt und zwar ohne nach dem Grund zu fragen.
Mein erster Roman von John Saul, ich hatte mich auf ein spannendes Horrorbuch gefreut und war dann am Ende doch etwas enttäuscht. Die Geschichte ist nicht unbedingt langweilig, nett zu lesen, aber mir fehlte dabei eine ordentliche Portion Spannung. Der Horror blieb aus. Auch der indianische bzw. mystische Teil, der durch den Großvater von Jed einfloss, hat das Ganze nicht retten können.
Mein erster Roman von John Saul, ich hatte mich auf ein spannendes Horrorbuch gefreut und war dann am Ende doch etwas enttäuscht. Die Geschichte ist nicht unbedingt langweilig, nett zu lesen, aber mir fehlte dabei eine ordentliche Portion Spannung. Der Horror blieb aus. Auch der indianische bzw. mystische Teil, der durch den Großvater von Jed einfloss, hat das Ganze nicht retten können.
December 3, 2019
Great mystery unfolded in a manner that keeps the reader coming back for more. Superb writing, descriptive in a way that doesn’t bore you. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good sci-fi mystery.
December 8, 2009
I found both the language and the common grammatical and contextual mistakes very annoying.
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March 22, 2016Roman controversat care arata ca, totusi, si tinerii au discernamant si pot lua decizii corecte.
October 1, 2024
Mediocre. Interesting story, meh writing
July 12, 2019
As a writer and author myself, I appreciate literature from a different perspective than most. I learned of John Saul from watching "Another", a fantastic horror anime. One of the secondary characters mentioned JS to the main character - and so I made note of it. I asked my reading group (on Facebook) if they had heard of this author, and he received high praise. I loved this book, until LITERALLY the LAST FIVE PAGES! Absolutely NO Conclusion and Resolution to the plot! That's all I can say about that.
The Character Arcs are fantastic. The scenes are fantastic - I could picture everything in my head as if it was a movie. I was emotionally invested in the story. My favorite was Brown Eagle. He says about 50 lines, but each thing he says and does is poignant and symbolic. He should have had more focus toward the end, but that is just my opinion.
I know most of JS's books are stand-alone stories - so I could forgive him if this were, say, one of the 5 books he'd written - but seeing as this is his FOURTEENTH BOOK - I was sincerely disappointed that there was no aftermath to a well-earned conclusion. I'd expected better than a three word ending. It really felt like the book was missing the last 15 pages - as if Saul just gave up and stopped.
The worst thing an author can do is insult the reader's intelligence by writing a really great story with a good ending, with a subpar aftermath! The second worst thing you can do is have NO TRUE ENDING at all.
Before I judge the writing and story-telling skills of JS, I will read a second novel of his [suggestions are appreciated, thank you], but if I had to go by this novel, I would not feel good about recommending this book to others. Thank you for your time and consideration - this is my first review. I hope it was pithy enough, and productive for those who read it.
The Character Arcs are fantastic. The scenes are fantastic - I could picture everything in my head as if it was a movie. I was emotionally invested in the story. My favorite was Brown Eagle. He says about 50 lines, but each thing he says and does is poignant and symbolic. He should have had more focus toward the end, but that is just my opinion.
I know most of JS's books are stand-alone stories - so I could forgive him if this were, say, one of the 5 books he'd written - but seeing as this is his FOURTEENTH BOOK - I was sincerely disappointed that there was no aftermath to a well-earned conclusion. I'd expected better than a three word ending. It really felt like the book was missing the last 15 pages - as if Saul just gave up and stopped.
The worst thing an author can do is insult the reader's intelligence by writing a really great story with a good ending, with a subpar aftermath! The second worst thing you can do is have NO TRUE ENDING at all.
Before I judge the writing and story-telling skills of JS, I will read a second novel of his [suggestions are appreciated, thank you], but if I had to go by this novel, I would not feel good about recommending this book to others. Thank you for your time and consideration - this is my first review. I hope it was pithy enough, and productive for those who read it.
October 10, 2020
Let me start off by saying only a few of the most glaring negative things with this book (in my opinion of course): I think the title and blurb are quite misleading, some characters could be more complex, and there were some questionable creative choices.
With those vague criticisms being said, SPOILERS ahead!
My favorite part of this book was Jed Arnold's character. We see him come from being moody and standoffish to becoming much more spiritual and noble as the book goes on, and I think that he was the most well-explored part of the book. His character has so many complexities: the racism he has to face, his own discontent with his father, his own hatred for the other half of his heritage, and his own spiritual journey. His character was so interesting that I think he made some of the other characters feel a lot less interesting.
The story's progression is interesting to say the least. I was never expecting it to end with the destruction of the entire town they grew up in, and with that a very violent one that straight up killed people. I don't think this was the best way to end the story, it makes Jed almost kind of a villain for killing innocent people lol. But, that just adds to his character's complexities and that's why I like him so much.
The title and blurb are both misleading because they lead me to believe that this was some sort of "Nightmare on Elm Street" type tale, and that was what I was excited for. I'm not unhappy with the story I got but I feel like this story was marketed incorrectly.
Overall though I was pretty into it from start to finish and I had no trouble imagining this world, the story, and its characters so I think this book was pretty decent and was very enjoyable. 8/10.
With those vague criticisms being said, SPOILERS ahead!
My favorite part of this book was Jed Arnold's character. We see him come from being moody and standoffish to becoming much more spiritual and noble as the book goes on, and I think that he was the most well-explored part of the book. His character has so many complexities: the racism he has to face, his own discontent with his father, his own hatred for the other half of his heritage, and his own spiritual journey. His character was so interesting that I think he made some of the other characters feel a lot less interesting.
The story's progression is interesting to say the least. I was never expecting it to end with the destruction of the entire town they grew up in, and with that a very violent one that straight up killed people. I don't think this was the best way to end the story, it makes Jed almost kind of a villain for killing innocent people lol. But, that just adds to his character's complexities and that's why I like him so much.
The title and blurb are both misleading because they lead me to believe that this was some sort of "Nightmare on Elm Street" type tale, and that was what I was excited for. I'm not unhappy with the story I got but I feel like this story was marketed incorrectly.
Overall though I was pretty into it from start to finish and I had no trouble imagining this world, the story, and its characters so I think this book was pretty decent and was very enjoyable. 8/10.
October 30, 2025
Daca este octombrie atunci ne aflam in luna chills and thrills si e momentul pentru cartile lui John Saul. In aceasta perioada mereu le recitesc, ca un fel de traditie.
"Sleepwalk" a aparut in 1990 si actiunea sa se petrece in orasul Borrego din New Mexico. Tanara Judith Sheffield decide sa se intoarca in orasul natal pentru a accepta un post de profesoara de matematica. In localitate insa se intampla lucruri infioratoare. O umbra misterioasa si malefica ii hipnotizeaza pe adolescenti in timpul somnului iar mai apoi ii face sa se sinucida. Ei sunt "somnambulii" din titlu.
Pana aici toate bune si frumoase insa cartea este un slow burner, actiunea porneste greu, pentru ca Saul descrie minutios zona de desert, imprejurimile, satele. Acest lucru mi-a placut insa nu avem parte aproape deloc de manifestarea horror pana aproape de paginile 75. Abia atunci ni se dezvaluie acea "umbra" care mi-a incitat imaginatia facand-o s-o ia la galop rau de tot. M-am gandit cat de interesant ar fi ca cineva sa aiba capacitatea de a se "dezlipi" de propria umbra careia mai apoi sa-i comande. S-o faca sa mearga intr-un anumit loc si sa hipnotizeze pe cineva. Desigur ca nimic de genul acesta nu se intampla in carte, nu exista un asemenea mastermind in arta supranaturalului.
Volumul se duce mai degraba intr-o zona medicala, cu vaccinuri si interese financiare. Pe langa asta, Saul insista mult si pe tematica discriminarii indienilor si a stilului lor de viata, subiect care era in voga in anii '80.
In concluzie nu avem de-a face cu o carte rea, luata ca un thriller, insa nu este horror si la sfarsit eu am ramas doar cu imaginatia mea. Negresit autorul are si opere mai reusite.
"Sleepwalk" a aparut in 1990 si actiunea sa se petrece in orasul Borrego din New Mexico. Tanara Judith Sheffield decide sa se intoarca in orasul natal pentru a accepta un post de profesoara de matematica. In localitate insa se intampla lucruri infioratoare. O umbra misterioasa si malefica ii hipnotizeaza pe adolescenti in timpul somnului iar mai apoi ii face sa se sinucida. Ei sunt "somnambulii" din titlu.
Pana aici toate bune si frumoase insa cartea este un slow burner, actiunea porneste greu, pentru ca Saul descrie minutios zona de desert, imprejurimile, satele. Acest lucru mi-a placut insa nu avem parte aproape deloc de manifestarea horror pana aproape de paginile 75. Abia atunci ni se dezvaluie acea "umbra" care mi-a incitat imaginatia facand-o s-o ia la galop rau de tot. M-am gandit cat de interesant ar fi ca cineva sa aiba capacitatea de a se "dezlipi" de propria umbra careia mai apoi sa-i comande. S-o faca sa mearga intr-un anumit loc si sa hipnotizeze pe cineva. Desigur ca nimic de genul acesta nu se intampla in carte, nu exista un asemenea mastermind in arta supranaturalului.
Volumul se duce mai degraba intr-o zona medicala, cu vaccinuri si interese financiare. Pe langa asta, Saul insista mult si pe tematica discriminarii indienilor si a stilului lor de viata, subiect care era in voga in anii '80.
In concluzie nu avem de-a face cu o carte rea, luata ca un thriller, insa nu este horror si la sfarsit eu am ramas doar cu imaginatia mea. Negresit autorul are si opere mai reusite.
February 4, 2022
📖 📖 R E S E Ñ A 📖 📖
⭐ Bueno pero, ahí ⭐
Un autor que hace mucho quería leer , su bien me hubiese gustado comenzar con el título más conocido de él no fue mala la elección . Y no fue mala a pesar de no haber sido del todo tan buena porque es una novela que después de las primeras páginas se lee rápido, un thriller interesante , que sucede en un pueblo donde de repente comienzan a suceder cosas a algunos habitantes que son raros para las demás personas del pueblo , como algún que otras muertes sin explicación o algunos problemas de salud en otros . Un pueblo que vive gracias a una refinería y a un dique , un pueblo que tuvo que aprender a convivir con sus vecinos indios y un pueblo que está por quedar a merced de una nueva compañía que piensa comprar lo que mantiene dicho lugar , claro está que algo se traen entre manos.
Lo malo de la novela es que se dilata inmediatamente algunas partes y es muy predecible sobre el malo de la historia , compensa un poco eso el buen final .
Si alguna vez leyeron a John Saul este no creo que los decepcione.
⭐ Bueno pero, ahí ⭐
Un autor que hace mucho quería leer , su bien me hubiese gustado comenzar con el título más conocido de él no fue mala la elección . Y no fue mala a pesar de no haber sido del todo tan buena porque es una novela que después de las primeras páginas se lee rápido, un thriller interesante , que sucede en un pueblo donde de repente comienzan a suceder cosas a algunos habitantes que son raros para las demás personas del pueblo , como algún que otras muertes sin explicación o algunos problemas de salud en otros . Un pueblo que vive gracias a una refinería y a un dique , un pueblo que tuvo que aprender a convivir con sus vecinos indios y un pueblo que está por quedar a merced de una nueva compañía que piensa comprar lo que mantiene dicho lugar , claro está que algo se traen entre manos.
Lo malo de la novela es que se dilata inmediatamente algunas partes y es muy predecible sobre el malo de la historia , compensa un poco eso el buen final .
Si alguna vez leyeron a John Saul este no creo que los decepcione.
February 19, 2023
Otra lograda novela de John Saul, un escritor del que trato de conseguir toda su obra. Siempre me parece interesante más allá de que tiene novelas más mediocre (bueno, como todos los autores).
Lo meritorio es que trata de no caer de lleno en lo sobrenatural, intenta mezclarlo con avances tecnológicos desconocidos, pero con cierta lógica científica. Lo Fantástico acá es el remanido argumento de una ciudad construida sobre una antigua población indigena, cuya tradición y misticismo lo mezcla con un mensaje ecológico. Pero después agrega una empresa, con la critica al capitalismo voraz, y como es costumbre en este autor, los más jóvenes son los que mas sufren.
Mas allá de esto, confieso que la primer parte me resultó mediocre, y la acción es muy lenta, por momentos se empantana sin que pase nada, pero le puse 3 estrellas por el final, que es casi apocalíptico, quedaría muy bien en una película como gran clímax. Habría que mejorar la primer parte. Esta en la línea de sus obras Proyecto Diabólico y Tinieblas.
Lo meritorio es que trata de no caer de lleno en lo sobrenatural, intenta mezclarlo con avances tecnológicos desconocidos, pero con cierta lógica científica. Lo Fantástico acá es el remanido argumento de una ciudad construida sobre una antigua población indigena, cuya tradición y misticismo lo mezcla con un mensaje ecológico. Pero después agrega una empresa, con la critica al capitalismo voraz, y como es costumbre en este autor, los más jóvenes son los que mas sufren.
Mas allá de esto, confieso que la primer parte me resultó mediocre, y la acción es muy lenta, por momentos se empantana sin que pase nada, pero le puse 3 estrellas por el final, que es casi apocalíptico, quedaría muy bien en una película como gran clímax. Habría que mejorar la primer parte. Esta en la línea de sus obras Proyecto Diabólico y Tinieblas.
August 17, 2020
John Saul is a master at creating a conspiracy against children teenagers in a small town environment. His later novels generally follow a pattern of some corporation funding medical experiments being performed on a small town's children. (His earlier novels followed a different pattern which also involved younger children.) Unlike Dean Koontz's "formula" novels, Saul's don't lose their appeal and become repetitive. I think the reason for this is that Saul will kill, maim or hideously change major characters while Koontz generally won't. So the reader is never really sure what will happen or who will live or die. Sleepwalk is another really enjoyable novel that slowly pulls you in until you suddenly realize that you are zooming through the novel, interested in every little thing. Plus in a move I really liked, the "villain" is not really revealed until the last third or so of the novel. I guessed who earlier than that but it did not take away from enjoying the story.
January 18, 2026
I'm usually a huge John Saul fan, but this was a slog to get through. It took me forever, and only because I forced myself to do it.
First off, the synopsis is misleading, which I always hate. Yes, teenagers are a part of the plot but largely irrelevant for like, 3/4 of the book.
This is one of those books where technically a lot is happening, but it feels like nothing is happening. The deaths are all largely anticlimactic. Around page 300 I found myself just skimming the pages for dialogue because I didn't want to DNF, but didn't care enough about the plot to do an in-depth read of it.
I didn't feel attached to any of the characters. They were all one-dimensional and kind of place-fillery. The plot could have been interesting, but the execution was lacking.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book and wouldn't recommend it - literally any other John Saul book is a better choice than this one.
First off, the synopsis is misleading, which I always hate. Yes, teenagers are a part of the plot but largely irrelevant for like, 3/4 of the book.
This is one of those books where technically a lot is happening, but it feels like nothing is happening. The deaths are all largely anticlimactic. Around page 300 I found myself just skimming the pages for dialogue because I didn't want to DNF, but didn't care enough about the plot to do an in-depth read of it.
I didn't feel attached to any of the characters. They were all one-dimensional and kind of place-fillery. The plot could have been interesting, but the execution was lacking.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book and wouldn't recommend it - literally any other John Saul book is a better choice than this one.
September 2, 2018
I would like to begin my review by talking about the things I didn't like in this book. Mainly, the fact that it felt more like an adventure/action novel, not a horror one. There is a major flaw in the plot( how did Greg control Reba,Heather and Max without the antenna that was installed only in the second half of the book?) and the ending is lacking information, as the conflict has been left unclear (after the disaster, did everyone just miraculously recovered?). There are a lot of descriptions that do not really contribute to the atmosphere of horror, and reading them felt like a drag, when I didn't straight up skip them.
Besides that, the book has managed to give me goosebumps in at least one chapter. I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend, and I think it is only worth reading in order to experiment something different in the vast genre of horror.
Besides that, the book has managed to give me goosebumps in at least one chapter. I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend, and I think it is only worth reading in order to experiment something different in the vast genre of horror.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2021
John Saul has a reputation for hurting or experimenting on children. This one is no different, but he includes adults too. Small town, out in the middle of nowhere, no one would take much notice in people changing. No one would question it when a couple of people, mostly troublemakers, had strokes. No one would notice a change in the children's behavior for the better. But someone did and started investigating and asking too many questions for her own good. Why were the teens getting a flu vaccination? What was in those shots? Why was UniChem so interested in a failing oil refinery and dam? If you're into conspiracy theories and think there's something in the vaccines, this book is right up your alley!
July 4, 2022
A science fiction thriller with elements of Native American mysticism, Sleep Walk is an ambitious novel with compelling characters and a slew of themes including the destruction reaped by colonization, man's greed, and the harmony of nature. I can't be certain how accurate the Kokati Indians are portrayed here, but they were certainly written about with empathy and two of them serve as main characters. Saul's writing is capable but dry. Sleep Walk could have used another pass in the editing stage (phrases and words are sometimes repeated too often in a short space). Overall, I found it enjoyable though it had a very slow start. Three and a half stars.
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