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Gillian Bellaver's family is one of the wealthiest in the world. Robin Sandza's father Peter is a government assassin. The two teenagers seem to have nothing in common. Yet they are spiritual twins, possessing a horrifying psychic energy that threatens humanity. While dangerous and fanatical men vie for the secrets of their awesome power, Peter Sandza, using all the ruthless skills of his trade, makes a final desperate effort to save them. Exploring with extraordinary skill the myths and legends deeply rooted in the subconscious mind, this novel builds, scene by shocking scene, to a night of chilling horror that surpasses anything you've ever experienced . . . First published in 1976 and made into a successful movie written by the author and directed by Brian De Palma in 1978, The Fury is one of the all-time classics of the horror genre.… (more)
User reviews
The thrills and chills that it presents are not organized very well. At times I felt it was
There are a few moments throughout the book that were right on par with what makes a good story but those were too few to consider this a great read. The one last thing that bothered me - was that the storyline itself was a bit lackluster- I just never made a connection with any of the characters. I am giving it three stars because it didn't have a tidy "Hollywood Ending" and that always gets a kudos from me.
It wasn't a horrible read but I still wouldn't really recommend unless you are into psychological fiction and have little else on your wish-list to read.
*Waiting until the hectic chaos of the holidays has passed to listen to this book. It seems like one I will greatly enjoy. Also, I received 2 copies of the audiobook from the publisher. I'll be gifting
It dealt with children who have special mental abilities and a government agency that wants to control them as weapons. Takes place in the 1970's. Enjoyed listening to it. Good audio production.
I know I am supposed to be reviewing a reprint of The Fury, originally released in 1976, but this book really is a product of the decade that spawned it, hence the preface. It is a conglomeration of science fiction, horror, political intrigue, and parapsychological thriller with shadowy government agents pursuing two teenagers with psychokinetic abilities, intent on turning them into weapons to use against their enemies. The cast includes a professional government assassin, a hot young psychiatrist, a transvestite, and the quintessential evil genius who uses blackmail to manipulate the powerful into funding and supporting MORG, his super-secret government agency. There is also Gillian and Robin, two teenagers linked throughout history, whose destiny to be twins was thwarted by a prenatal accident. Still, they share a psychic link and powers that they are just beginning to understand.
Although the plot seems a bit farfetched now, it should be noted that it was written during the age of Watergate when political skullduggery was the norm and J. Edgar Hoover had files on everyone and used them to make the FBI the powerhouse of law enforcement that it was. There was also a level of gratuitous sexual activity that is unusual today. I found it particularly unsettling in that much of it involved children.
Bottom line: A lot of great books were written in the 1970s but The Fury will not be one that stays with me. It lacks originality and its flow is a bit on the clunky side. I also found it to be a bit dated. With references to Annie Green Springs Wine, Johnny Bench and Truman Capote, it makes a better tet for students of pop culture than a thriller.
The audio version produced by Tantor Audio was ably narrated by Joe Barret.
* The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
This was a good book, starts out interesting and builds on characters. This is the story of two psychic teenagers who
Joe Barrett was a delight with his different voices and accents and characterizations. I would like to hear more from him.
Fun to listen to.
This book came out during what I call The Great Horror Revival. Not that great horror ever went away, but it was Big Steve who brought it back into the center square with the sudden onslaught of "Carrie", "Salem's Lot", and "The Shining". Never mind their quality…consider the timing. They hit so hard and so fast—and rightly so—that suddenly everybody remembered, gee, horror books can be really cool! The films soon followed, and now everybody wanted to get into the act. Clearly the was some coinage to be had.
Not that John Farris needed it, of course, or was trying to cash in. No, it was just coincidence, I'm sure, that Farris puts out this book about highly talented PSI kids being chased by a couple of (probably) sinister agencies, one private, one governmental. Oh, and the father of one of them. It's all fairly complex and surprisingly engaging, which—perhaps not surprisingly—was the exact problem the film had…it just didn't grab you at all. Oh, there was plenty of action to be had—it is a Brian DePalma film, after all— but not much in the way of personality. So this is yet another case of, read the book, don't bother with the movie. Or, if you want to see the scenes with Old Chicago because you remember it fondly, by all means watch it; if nothing else it does feature the wonderful Carrie Snodgress, taken, alas, too soon.
Bottom line: this is a helluva entertaining read. I imagine a lot of the "kids with powers" stories that followed probably drew heavily from this one, as well they should. If only they were as original and well-drawn as this! You won't read it in a day, but you'll want to. Resist that temptation! This is a story to savor. Jamski sez check it out.
Oh. One more thing. When you go looking for this book, you should know that it's got a VERY open ending…meaning that there's sequels out there, and "The Fury" is good enough that you're almost certainly going to want to read them as well, so if you're in a bookstore and happen to find all three, by all means, get them. I can't vouch for the quality of the second two (yet, they're certainly on my list now) but based on the original you can hardly go wrong. Mind you, this doesn't apply in all series (see: "Twilight") but Farris knows his stuff and seems a solid bet.
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June 1977
Copyright © 1976 by John Farris
Published by arrangement with Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
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813/.5/4 |