Product Description
A beautiful young girl appears out of nowhere. Ateenager with no past, no family--no memories. Carol and Paul were drawn to her. She was the child they'd never had. Most mothers would die for such a darling little angel.And that's what frightened Carol most of all... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Not good--not good at all
Even if you like Dean Koontz you will probably not like this book.I do and I didn't.

First of all, I loathe anything reincarnation themed but was unaware for some reason that this book had such strong overtones concerning just that.Combined with EXTREMELY coincidental things happening, this book fails to be entertaining on any level.It is overly long and concludes at the appointed time you can see coming.

The characters?Who cares?They're not engaging nor exciting.The only excitement about this book is the prologuewhen "Laura" is in the basement.

This is a very early Koontz novel so it really does not matter if he receives a very poor review, his later books were great and praised.So, even if you are desperate for reading material, skip this one after reading the prologue and read something better, like the dictionary.

If Only The Entire Novel Had Lived Up To The 1st Chapter!!
I read "The Mask" years ago but couldn't remember a thing about it...until I read the first chapter. The quick opening about a young girl caught in a burning cellar with a spider was chilling! Unfortunately the rest of the novel was interesting but fairly pedestrian.

A young over-achieving couple sets out to adopt a child, but events seem to be conspiring against them. Violent thunderstorms, vicious blood-soaked nightmares, strange noises vibrating through the house and to top it off a cat that seems to be going crazy! What is causing this mayhem and does a young blond girl whose suddenly entered their lives have anything to do with it? Sorry, no spoilers, you have to read the novel to find out.

One of the things I like about Dean Koontz is he isn't afraid to tackle a variety of subject matter in his many novels. Everything from Voodoo and Intelligent Monkeys to Invaders from Space and ancient Demons a fair game. Sometimes he nails them out of the park with a novel like "Watchers" or "Intensity", and sometimes he stumbles, but for the most part when reading a Dean Koontz you know you're going to have a good time. "The Mask" is no exception. It tackles an odd subject matter, many folks may roll their eyes with the "big reveal" towards the climax, I didn't. I like that it wasn't something conventional, and it showcases what I like about Dean Koontz. Something unexpected yet something entertaining.

Interesting, but also a bit lacking
I don't often read books from Dean Koontz, though admittedly I do find an interest in him. I am someone who adores horror books and I've gotten into Koontz's books through this; I discovered his books while looking in the 'horror' section of my library. I haven't read one of his books for a while, so I picked up 'The Mask' as something to read to pass time.

The Mask concerns a couple, Carol and Paul Tracy, and a surrogate mother to Carol, Grace Mitowski. The couple are looking to adopt a child and they are well qualified for it, but unfortunately, a series of mysterious occurrences delays the process, and then it seems as if their lives, and the life of Grace, suddenly became plagued with problems that seems almost like signs of something coming. Meanwhile, a car accident allows the Tracys to encounter a amnesiac who they've taken to calling 'Jane', and Carol is intent on helping the girl that she had taken a liking to. The novel then unfolds as all involved try to find out the cause of the plague of problems and Carol tries to unravel the mystery behind Jane.

That is the summary to the story as best as I could describe it. Now, personally, I've picked up this book because it's listed as a 'horror' book. Remembering the times I've read Koontz's books in the past and after I finished reading this book, I'm not sure I would be willing to call him a good 'horror' writer. However, I do consider him to be very good at creating suspense, and that talent makes it here in this book.

The Mask starts off slowly, but interesting, and it soon becomes a very thrilling read. It's not a fast pace book; in fact, the action is very intermittent. Nonetheless, I felt that the best part of the book, and the thing that ultimately kept me reading, was that it was simply very interesting. While reading the book, I felt that I wanted to see what happens next, I wanted to know about Jane, I wanted to know why the various problems was occurring, and so on.

Unfortunately, the book is not without its flaws. To start, I think the characters were somewhat unrealistic. Often times in the book, I felt that some of the characters, particularly Carol and Jane, acted perhaps too 'angelic', and Carol was rather prone to scenes of perpetual self-depreciation. Jane was likewise a bit too 'angelic' and a bit too intelligent. Carol and Paul are the same way (intelligent), but they are portrayed as highly educated and accomplished whereas Jane is supposedly just a lost young girl.

Also, another damaging flaw, I felt, was the lack of closure in many points of the story. Dean Koontz really tried to tie up all the loose ends near the end of the story, but I felt that many things simply weren't explained well. Perhaps worse of all, the ending is very much like a cliffhanger. You feel as if there is supposed to be more, but the story is abruptly ended.

Overall, I do feel that the book is a worthy read. The problems with the book was a bit frustrating, but considering it's a short read, I thought it was enjoyable while it lasted.

Totally Impossible and Dumb
See review title, as it says it all. This is the 5th book I've read by Koontz, and worst yet.I am done with Koontz, thank you.

So boring I could not finish it!
I love Dean Koontz' books, they are great but "The Mask" was just boring!I have read a few of his books and I have not found another like this... happens even in the best families! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (518)

Overwhelming
You know how somebody starts talking to you and you realize they're overwhelming you with their rhetoric. Most times, we say back, "Please speak in English, simple terms."Well, that's what Intensity did to me.Most Koontz books are overly heavy on detail anyway, but "Intensity" did me in.If an eyelash fell in this novel, he would write two or more paragraphs about it.

It's one thing to be erudite, yet another to wordy enough to sink the Titanic.I know Koontz is trying to create a reaction in the reader, but this is way overdoing it.I think I'll go back to normal mystery and detective novels and leave the Koontz stuff to the rest of you who are totally enamored with the man.

A Non-Stop Thrill Ride
Psych student Chyna Shepherd has overcome many obstacles in her life. Her studies and survival of an abusive childhood do little to prepare her for the evil she is about to face. While staying overnight at her best friend's house, a serial killer by the name of Edgler Vess enters the home hunting his prey. Chyna remains undetected, but when she learns that he harbors a young prisoner, she is reminded of her past and embarks on a plan to save her.

Dean Koontz's appropriately titled novel, _Intensity_, delivers what the reader expects: a thriller that is intense from the first page to the last. The novel takes place within a 24 hour period with very little break in the action. Yes, the story is a little one-dimensional and the plot is pretty thin; however, the action stays fresh and keeps the reader turning the page until the end.

The novel is told from two viewpoints: primarily from that of Chyna, but also from Edgler Vess. In my mind, this was a risky strategy, as sharing the viewpoint of a psychotic killer can not only suspend the tension of the novel, but also detract from the mysteriousness of such a maniacal character. Overall, Koontz handled these viewpoints well with the climactic points being told through Chyna.

If the reader is new to Dean Koontz, there are certainly better novels to start with (From the Corner of His Eye, Watchers, Odd Thomas). I find his writing a guilty pleasure. It is not award-winning literature, but it certainly is not insulting to the reader.

For those who enjoy Dean Koontz, give this one a read. It's a page-turner that leaves the reader satisfied.

Fast but full of action
This book went pretty fast, there isn't any thime wasted on details. The story starts out a bit weird, but I gets good in the middle.

This is one of those books that even made my shiver while reading it ... I usually don't get that feeling quickly while watching horror movies, and certainly not while reading books, but this one was an exception I guess. The last part of the book was just so intense, it was like a was running away from the psychotic guy.

Not just an entertaining story, but an intense one

Do not read this book late at night......
Very, very intense!I started reading this novel one night, quite late when I couldn't sleep, BIG mistake!!Not many novels suck me into the story so quickly like this one.Yes, it is wordy and very descriptive, but that is how the author makes the whole story so intense it HAS to be descriptive. I do not think that people who gave this novel a low rating because it was so wordy and descriptive, "got" how Koontz made this a very intense story.

A bit too wordy
The book was 'good', but for some reason I just couldn't wait for it to end - I even skimmed a few pages (which I never do in a book).
Perhaps after reading Watchers, I was expecting a better book, (as Watchers was is easily among my top 5 books).I'm still going to try Koontz again though... ... Read more

Product Description
The chilling bestseller by an undisputed master of terror and suspense--the author of "Intensity". The deaths of his wife and children in a catastrophic, unexplainable plane crash plunge reporter Joe Carpenter into a relentless hunt for the dark truth--and a terrifying flight from the forces determined to stop him.Amazon.com Review
Joe Carpenter, the hero of Dean Koontz's newest novel, Sole Survivor, is a man nearly paralyzed by grief. One year earlier, his wife and two children had been among the 230 victims of a plane crash that left no survivors. So when Joe encounters a woman who claims to have been aboard that plane and survived the catastrophe, and then she almost immediately disappears, he is understandably riled up. In the course of trying to track this woman down, Joe finds himself entangled in a web of shadowy conspiracy and perilous secrets.

In this latest book, Koontz pumps up the volume and gives his readers what they've come to expect from him: an expert mix of cover ups, cults, bizarre suicides, and a shocking twist at the end that keeps Sole Survivor racing along from one improbable but undeniably thrilling event to the next. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (240)

Needed better research about where it happens.
Being a Koontz fan I got this one when it first came out just like I've gotten all of his books. I could hardly wait to get home with it so I could kick back and get into a good read. Was I ever disappointed! I grew up, spent most of life, and now live only about 15 or 20 miles south west of where the plane crash is suppose to happen in the book. Its been a while since I've read the book and I don't have it handy at the moment since I'm not sure where it is right now so I cant quote what Koontz says exactly about the area where the crash is supposed to happen but its nothing like what he says it is in the book. For one the area is semiarid and almost desert like. It's mostly bare granite with a few scattered trees that are mostly pinion pine and scrub cedar with a few small blue spruce trees. In between the few trees are areas of oak brush and sage brush. One of the biggest errors in the book is that the area that the jet is flying through and where it crashes is a no fly zone because of NORAD. All air traffic is directed around that area and the airport in Colorado Springs can only be approached from the east and left by going east. All west bound air traffic has to go out east several miles then circle north up around Denver or to the south around Pueblo and Canon City, where I live. Any aircraft that flies into the no fly zone is immediately given a fighter jet escort out of the area and down to Fort Carson or Peterson Air Base then into NORAD for interrogation.
Koontz totally ruined the story by describing the area as being big Ponderosa Pine covered with hanging moss. He makes it sound like its a forested area like it is in northern California and into Oreagon. He goes into great detail about what the mountains and trees are like in the area and its nothing at all like he describes it. For me, that completely ruined the story and the rest of the book. It wouldn't have taken him much to find out what its really like around here before he wrote about it. On Koontz part that's just plain lazy and poor writing. I know its just a work of fiction but when its so easy to find out what its really like around the area that he's writing about. Then the way that he writes about it is way different than what its really like, that just ruins the whole story. And of course there's a lot of the way that he uses a lot of words that people, or at least normal people, never use and a whole page or two just to describe a tree. It does nothing for the story and makes it look like he's just running up the word count. At least it ruined it for me since I live in the area that he was writing about.

I hated the ending to this book
There was so much unfinished business at the end... there really was NO ending.Most of the book was good but I was left totally unsatisfied. I put a post-it note in the front of the book that said "Crappy book" so I wouldn't make the mistake of reading it again. I just can't believe so many people liked it.

Ultimate mystery with a wicked ending
I often turn to Koontz when I want a deliciously sharp, satisfying read that has mystery, horror, thrill of a good chase, a possible supernatural story line and of course great characters. Sole Survivor was very interesting right from the start; a father mourning his dead family on a sudden quest for truth when his life takes on a strange turn. A year after his wife and daughters face an untimely death on a flight that should have been a piece of cake, Joe Carpenter finds himself followed by men who seem to have a slew of surveillance equipment to their disposal. He shrugs it off since he doesn't really care about life anymore being alone and lost, but when he finds a mysterious woman taking pictures of his family's graves at the cemetery he suddenly wants to live, only to discover why the surveillance is needed to follow him and get her. She tells him her name but is chased off, suddenlyJoe knows that his life in the past year has been a lie, that there was no accident, something happened and the woman at the cemetery is in center of it all, the problem is finding her and not getting caught himself. Joe is on the run from some very powerful people who will not give up in silencing him once he's gotten the idea that this was no ordinary plane crash. The idea that she was on that flight doesn't seem to leave him alone, Joe becomes obsessed with discovering her ties to the whole affair.

Once I started reading this I was totally sucked in, Joe wallowed in pity and pain, yes there was a lot of that but it made the story realistic, it helped me feel what he felt, it put me in his shoes and made the answer only that more urgent to get to. The story truly took a dive into the bizarre at the end, but I liked it, it was interesting and I enjoyed discovering the truth behind the tragedy. This was hard to put down once I started it and I had a nice time reading it, another good read from Koontz, and lots more to go.

- Kasia S.

If You are Afraid of Flying....
In a reading lull, I have been picking up some of my favorite Dean Koontz books and giving them another go, much to my delight many are as good as I remember.This is one of them.Remarkable research on "survivor guilt" made this even a more interesting read.It was suspenseful without being nail biting frightening (Intensity).

Enjoy the read!

Excellent read
This is one of the best novels I have ever read by Dean Koontz - not to say that I don't love them all, but this hit a sweet spot with me.Very thought provoking, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat! ... Read more

Product Description
"Koontz is brilliant in the creation of his characters and in building tension."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
In Los Angeles, a hot Hollywood director, high on PCP, turns a city street into a fiery apocalypse. Heroic LAPD officer Jac McGarvey is badly wounded and will not walk for months. His wife and his child are left to fend for themselves against both criminals that control an increasingly violent city and the dead director's cult of fanatic fans.
In a lonely corner of Montana, Eduardo Fernandez, the father of McGarvey's murdered partner, witnesses a strange nocturnal sight. The stand of pines outside his house suddenly glows with eerie amber light, and Fernandez senses a watcher in the winter woods. As the seasons change, the very creatures of the forest seem in league with a mysterious presence. Fernandez is caught up in a series of chilling incidents that escalate toward a confronation that could rob him of his sanity or his life--or both.
As events careen out of control, the McGarvey family is drawn to Fernandez's Montana ranch. In that isolated place they discover their destiny in a terrifying and fiercely suspenseful encounter with a hostile, utterly ruthless, and enigmatic enemy, from which neither the living nor the dead are safe.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

"Monsters; Earthly & Not So Earthly"
Dean Koontz did a great job of creating fears in my mind throughout this story. These fears came from humanly creatures on earth, in Los Angeles, and from creatures from another place in Montana no less.

I liked the setting of most of the story in Montana, where people are closer to nature. Also where people loved, respected, and prepared for Nature's wrath. I also always enjoy a story where people are able to prepare and defend themselves against threats to their families and to themselves and do not rely on others to protect them.

This story was scary and a real "page turner". I really enjoyed it. Please click if this helped you or no; thanks.

Probably my least favorite Koontz book.
I found the first three-fourths of the book boring and slow moving.I normally love Koontz, but I do not recommend this one.

Slow at times but you could do worse
When I first heard about Winter's Moon I thought it was going to be like Stephen King's Dreamcatcher (I heard that they both had similar career paths and the only other story with aliens in it by King that I have read was Dreamcatcher so I figured that this was his version of it) but its more of a Phantoms clone then anything.

The story is very good with two plots going on at the same time. One of them is about a Police Officer and how he has to deal with almost losing the use of his legs and the other one is about a retired man who is sure that something is happening in the back of his house.

The second story about the man and the thing growing in his backyard was interesting and gripping while the first story I sort of tugged along with. Things could have been taken out of this book (Koontz should have dropped the whole Dog thing unless it was vital to the story) but you could do worse.

A Middle of the Road Offering
"Winter Moon" is and awesome 300 page novel...stretched to 480 pages. While not awful, "Winter Moon" is sooo slowly paced that you will lose interest.

The book is actually 2 (possibly 3) seperate tales..all wrapped in one. The first part of the novel switches back and forth between a Los Angles cop caught in violent shoot-out and a widowed rancher in Montana dealing with some strange things happening in and around his home.

The parts of the story dealing with the cop and his road to recovery simply drag, and read more like a condemnation by Koontz of modern society. While I agree with most of the points he makes....it's still fairly dull. The highlight of the story for me is the portions dealing with the elderly rancher. Strange lights, odd animal activity and other bizarre occurances will keep you turning the pages.

The third and final portion of the book kind of merges these two storylines together. But passages of this final portion (the 2nd half of the book) really drag and story elements get kind of shoehorned in for no good reason. A dog is introduced, but really doesn't add or bring anything to the story (but it's Koontz and a Dog must always play some kind of role), and we meet a new character in the final pages that plays a vital role in the story's outcome which felt almost like a "cheat" on the author's part.

Still, it's not an awful book, and it is a relatively quick read, so if you've got nothing else for the beach you could do a lot worse.

Great Book
I loved this Book, I didn't want to put it down. I am a Dean Koontz fan and I enjoy all his books. ... Read more

Product Description
Dean Koontz has surpassed his longtime reputation as “America’s most popular suspense novelist”(Rolling Stone) to become one of the most celebrated and successful writers of our time. Reviewers hail his boundless originality, his art, his unparalleled ability to create highly textured, riveting drama, at once viscerally familiar and utterly unique.

Author of one #1 New York Times bestseller after another, Koontz is at the pinnacle of his powers, spinning mysteries and miracles, enthralling tales that speak directly to today’s readers, balm for the heart and fire for the mind. In this stunning new novel, he delivers a tour de force of dark suspense and brilliant revelation that has all the Koontz trademarks: adventure, chills, riddles, humor, heartbreak, an unforgettable cast of characters, and a climax that will leave you clamoring for more.

Dylan O’Connor is a gifted young artist just trying to do the right thing in life. He’s on his way to an arts festival in Santa Fe when he stops to get a room for himself and his twenty-year-old autistic brother, Shep. But in a nightmarish instant, Dylan is attacked by a mysterious “doctor,” injected with a strange substance, and told that he is now a carrier of something that will either kill him...or transform his life in the most remarkable way. Then he is told that he must flee--before the doctor’s enemies hunt him down for the secret circulating through his body. No one can help him, the doctor says, not even the police.

Stunned, disbelieving, Dylan is turned loose to run for his life...and straight into an adventure that will turn the next twenty-four hours into an odyssey of terror, mystery--and wondrous discovery. It is a journey that begins when Dylan and Shep’s path intersects with that of Jillian Jackson. Before that evening Jilly was a beautiful comedian whose biggest worry was whether she would ever find a decent man. Now she too is a carrier. And even as Dylan tries to convince her that they’ll be safer sticking together, cold-eyed men in a threatening pack of black Suburbans approach, only seconds before Jilly’s classic Coupe DeVille explodes into thin air.

Now the three are on the run together, but with no idea whom they’re running from--or why. Meanwhile Shep has begun exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. And whatever it is that’s coursing through their bodies seems to have plunged them into one waking nightmare after another. Seized by sinister premonitions, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to crime scenes--just minutes before the crimes take place.

What this unfathomable power is, how they can use it to stop the evil erupting all around them, and why they have been chosen are only parts of a puzzle that reaches back into the tragic past and the dark secrets they all share: secrets of madness, pain, and untimely death. Perhaps the answer lies in the eerie, enigmatic messages that Shep, with precious time running out, begins to repeat, about an entity who does his work “by the light of the moon.”

By the Light of the Moon is a novel of heart-stopping suspense and transcendent beauty, of how evil can destroy us and love can redeem us--a masterwork of the imagination in which the surprises come page after page and the spell of sublime storytelling triumphs throughout.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (212)

Compelled to do Good Deeds Even as the Enemy Closes in
Traveling artist Dylan O'Conner is hit on the head, wakes up bound to a chair in his hotel room as he is being injected with something by a man he cannot see. His autistic brother Shep is working a crossword puzzle, it is dark outside. Standup comedienne Jillian Jackson is grabbed by the Coke machine. She wakes in her motel room right after being injected. She stumbles outside, runs into Dylan and Shep as they are fleeing the scene. She mumbles something about what happened to her and Dylan tells her that he too had been injected.

She is terrified, and he scares her more when he tells her that the evil injector told him that very bad people would soon be after them, that because of what they are carrying in their veins, they will be killed. Jillian's car blows up and several black Suburbans roar into the motel parking lot as the three of ease out the driveway and head for the interstate.

They have been injected with tiny nanobots, minute machines that work miracles in their brains, giving them powers of perception and prediction that make them very dangerous. However it is not so easy for them to get away, because when they perceive a horrible wrong about to be done, they are compelled to right it, no matter the danger, no matter the cost. And every time they help someone, their pursuers seem to find out about it and get ever closer.

As usual, Dean Koontz has written a frightening thriller that not only will keep you reading through the pages, but will educate you about the cutting edge of a science that can have horrible ramifications on our future. A terrific book and a wonderful read.

Powers Beyond those of Ordinary Men
Dylan O'Conner is both an artist and the guardian of his autistic brother Shep. They travel around the country, selling Dylan's paintings. Dylan has sacrificed plenty and is willing to sacrifice more to keep Shep out of a board and car facility.

Jillian Jackson is a comedienne ready to turn her anger on anything she sees as a slight. She, like Dylan and Shep, has been injected by a maniacal doctor straight out of, well, straight out of a horror novel.

However, before they get a chance to worry about said injection, they have to get out of Dodge, because some creepy, what appear to be secret government types, are after them. The three flee, but as they run from whoever is after them, they start to develop abilities beyond that of ordinary men. No, they can't leap tall buildings, but they can move from place to place faster than Superman ever could have.

Still again Dean Koontz has delivered a book that pulls the reader in with the first page and keeps her caught in his web of intrigue all the way through the book. I couldn't put this one down.

Fun Escapist Adventure but Slighly Dissatisfying
Dean Koontz' By the Light of the Moon was a fun & pleasurable escapist adventure thriller.I enjoy Koontz's gift for creating interesting story characters, and it is refreshing to follow the lives of relatively wholesome main characters whose strength of character and values are reinforced and revealed through conflict and danger.I especially enjoyed reading about Dylan's viewpoint of the power of positive thinking as a diluted reflection of divine power.The adventure was enjoyable and easy to visualize.

While I enjoyed this book, I will have to agree with some other reviewers that this story dragged a little at times with little too much description of Shep's autistic behavior and speech.I also felt that the story was incomplete and came to an abrupt ending. Koontz took great care in unfolding revealing & developing the main character brothers Dylan and Shep's abilities, but the development of Jilly's special abilities was somewhat sketchy in description and it was left unexplained as to how she came to believe she shared Shep's special ability. The ending was left partially unresolved. I'm left wondering about the hired mercenaries and the investors as well as the survival of the main characters. Maybe that was done intentionally for further adventures for Dylan, Shep, Jilly and perhaps even Parish Lantern?

A little slow at times, but a story that is interesting and then surprising
I've read most of Koontz' recent works and a theme is starting to develop. His novels are often slow moving, but heavy on characterization and flowery use of the English language. Eventually, the story starts moving, and the goodness of humanity prevails. In BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, Koontz delivers an entirely familiar novel. Dylan O'Connor and his autistic brother are attacked by a madman and the beginning of the novel. The man injects them with an unknown substance that promises to change them in dramatic ways. The man also injects Jillian O'Connor. Before this man fleas, he warns them that they will be pursued to the ends of the earth by men trying to destroy his life's work.

The unlikely pair leave town, barely escaping golf-clothed, suburban driving heavies. The injection changes each of the three differently, but profoundly, and they must learn to deal with these changes while fighting for their sanity and lives. Shep, as the younger, autistic brother, is fun. Dylan and Jilly seem to be standard Koontz heroes.

While the pages were filled with description and characterization, and not much movement in plot, I still kept reading and enjoying the journey Koontz took me on. However, the pace and plot would have been bad enough for me to not recommend this book, but the ending changes it for me. I'm definitely not going to spoil it for you, but it begs for a sequel, and not because nothing is concluded, but because I want to see where Dylan, Shep and Jilly go next.

Too redundant and a repeat of Rainman
Read Blue Moon's review. I absolutely agree that this over-descriptive, boring bantar was a waste of time. I would have rather watched Rainman with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman 10 times in a row. I have just listened to and read the last of Dean Koontz.Snore. ... Read more

Product Description
Mystery writer Marty Stillwater finds his life and family threatened by a psychotic killer professing to be the real Marty Stillwater, who embarks on a campaign to eliminate Marty and claim his family. Lit Guild & Doubleday Main. Mystery Guild Alt.Amazon.com Review
Martin Stillwater is a novelist with a wife and children headores -- and an imagination he can't control.One rainy afternoon,a stranger breaks into Martin's house and accuses him of stealinghis family, his name, and his life.Martin has no choice but totake his family and flee, even as he questions his own sanity. But wherever they go, the stranger is right behind them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (111)

Another Koontz Winner!!!!
There are few books that I will re-read, and this is one of them.I love the fast paced action of this plot and how the reader connects with the main characters dilemma.Fleshed out characters and creepy darkness make you feel like you're in the book as a witness to all the events that unfold.This is an excellent suspense thriller that won't disappoint you!The Game of Pawns: Book Three

The audio of this book is amazing!
I loved this book.I must give credit to Jay O. Sanders, though, for his outstanding narration of the audio version of the book.He is an incredible reader, and becomes each of the characters -- he changes his tone and pacing of his speech so that you are never in doubt as to which character is doing the talking.His villain is truly chilling.

It has been a number of years since I listened to the book, but it is still with me.As some readers have pointed out, it has some similarities to others of Koontz' work, but I thought it was one of his best.One of my favorite parts is the interaction of his hero Marty with his children.

If you read it, I highly recommend the audio!

Mr Murder
As usual Dean Koonz gets you into the novel right at the start.I found the book hard to put down.He takes you from your world and drops you into his story.

Love The book and look forward to more of his novels.

Laurie

solid Koontz
Koontz is a writer who delivers consistent, well-crafted and well-plotted stories, and he's pretty reliable. You know what you're getting. Here you get his usual formula--"ordinary guy thrown into extraordinary circumstances, forced to be self-reliant in solving his problems." Koontz has astute insight into human nature, even if his fantasies are rather high-minded and the protagonists are just a bit to perfect and the rest of the world just a little too suspect and grasping. This story unfolds in a well-paced manner as the writer protagonist deals with the horror. The showdown segments are a bit by-the-numbers, but Koontz's command of craft keeps you turning pages even though you know where you're going. Recommended.

Scott Nicholson
The Skull Ring
Drummer Boy

Heart-thumping thriller.
Dean Koontz is a true master at crafting a world of suspense and transporting the reader through its gauntlet. Mr. Murder I read many moons ago, yet the story of Marty still resonates in the back of my mind. The Vineyards, the picture-perfect life, the roller-coaster ride that ensues. For the duration of the book, I was consumed by the novel; I lived as Marty, breathed as Marty, felt the joy, pleasure, love, anguish, pain, and hatred as Marty did. This book was the very first that turned me unto Dean Koontz work and has left an indelible mark in my mind. I've read many Koontz since, but Mr. Murder will always be the first. If you love suspense, you'll love Mr. Murder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Servicable Early Novel
K.R. Dwyer is actually a pen name for Dean Koontz (the initials, KRD, are Koontz's initials backwards).This is an unremarkable, but somewhat enjoyable short novel that Koontz did early in his career. The plot centers around some right-wing extremists who are intent on starting a conflict with China using an device carrying a biochemical agent that is implanted in a Chinese national.There is a lot of hypnotizing and off the cuff political theorizing, which is fine but pretty silly when it comes down to it. The characters are shallow, but the novel is more about solving the mystery and exploring the political intrigue than about understanding and humanizing its characters.

It's a fine book to spend an afternoon or two breezing through, but clearly not something you should go out of your way to find or pay more than a dollar or two for. It is interesting to see Koontz trying some different genres before he was became famous and wealthy writing horror/sci fi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (108)

LOVED my first Koontz novel!
I picked this up from my grandfather's collection 10+ years ago.I didn't and don't usually like mystery/suspense/detective books, but the cover enticed me (not the one pictured here).It was more like a fantasy novel than I expected, yet set in modern times.Surprising, sexy, and a definite page turner.I read more of Koontz's work afterward but nothing has compared to Twilight Eyes.If you don't like detective novels, and enjoy a bit of the sci-fi/fantasy mixed into your books to keep you on the edge, then grab this one.I keep going back to it!

This book has stuck with me for years
I read this book years ago, and couldn't remember the title, but the story still sticks with me.This was my favorite Dean Koontz book, would put in my top 10 fiction favorites.I loved the way it unfolds, with the main character hanging with the carnies, finding the goblins, and where it leads.Don't want to give it away.

The first Koontz book that ISN'T a page-turner
I've read between 20 and 25 of Koontz's books. He's my favorite living fiction writer. ButTwilight Eyesis very disappointing. It's the first Koontz book I've put down halfway through, and am having to FORCE myself to finish! For the first time with a Koontz book, I'm not even all that involved with the characters. I think it's because the author's own voice keeps intruding, which puts a distance between story and reader. It feels like Koontz is "trying too hard," maybe enjoying "listening to himself talk."

And, yes, the sex descriptions are a little over the top. This book was written 25 years ago, so maybe at that point in his career, Dean did not yet know that a little erotica goes a long way.

I'm sure I'll finish the book, since I am a very loyal Koontz fan---but I can't recommend it to anyone else. If I'm trying to convince someone to try Dean Koontz for the first time, I would instead recommendStrangers, From the Corner of His Eye, Lightning, Odd Thomas, The Good Guy,orOne Door Away from Heaven.

Great book
I have always loved this book since the first time I read it.It is so suspenseful and fast-paced."Twilight Eyes" keeps you on the edge of your seat and does not disappoint.One of the best Dean Koontz books out there.

As Good As The 1st Time
I first read a borrowed copy of Twilight Eyes in the late 80s & remember being terrified by the story. You really feel you are a part of the carnival & although very dark it says a lot about the goodness of mankind. I remembered it again while looking for a book to read & ordered it for myself & just like the first time I was into it! I had forgotten so much but also picked up some new feeling I guess that comes with older age that this really has a lot more to say than just a horror story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (308)

Starts out Tense and Just Gets Better
Napa Valley Bartender Billy Wiles is fairly content with the way his life is going. He's sort of reclusive, kind of enjoys being kind of a bartending shrink to his inebriated and semi-inebriated customers. Then one night he finds a note on his car that reads, " If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours."

Billy sort of takes the note to the cops and he sort of doesn't. He takes it to a friend who is cop and they both believe the note is some kind of sick joke, so they do nothing. Then, when a young blond school teacher is murdered, they realize that this is no laughing matter, a young woman is dead because they didn't do anything.

Another note comes, another damned if you do and damned if you don't decision has to be made and this time he has less time to make it. Then he is captured and tortured by the note writer and his life truly turns into a nightmare even though he gets away. He is given more choices, there are more murders and the killer has planted clues that lead to Billy, who is finally told that the final victim will lead him to take his own life. And Billy knows that has to be the woman he loves, who has been in a coma for the last four years. Now it's more important than ever for Billy to get himself out of the frame, elude the cops and catch a crazed madman.

If this book doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat, keep you all night, have you biting your fingernails down to the nub, then you never have to worry about a vampire, because you have ice in your veins. Dean Koontz has taken tension and suspense to a whole 'nother level in this one. If you are a Dean Koontz fan you don't want to miss this. If you've never read Mr. Koontz, it's time to start and the perfect Dean Koontz book to start with is VELOCITY, it'll get your pulse pumping alright, it really will.

A Runaway Train of a Story
Bartender Billy Wiles is just an ordinary guy, whose girlfriend sadly is in a coma. He does his job, visits his girl in the hospital, lives his life, when one night after work he finds a note on his windshield which tells him that if he goes to the police, the note writer will kill a lovely blond school teacher and if he does not go to the police the the note writer will kill an elderly woman active in charity work. It's up to Billy who dies.

Billy, at first, assumes the note is some kind of joke and takes it to his friend Lanny who is, you guessed it, a police officer. Lanny tells him to forget about it, but later they discover a blond school teacher has been killed and thus begins a deadly game as more notes follow, more decisions have to be made. Billy has to find out who is behind it all even as the killer sets about setting him up as the fall guy in the killings, plus it looks like the killer has plans for Billy's comatose girlfriend. Brrr, this is a fast-paced, scary book, never has a title been so apt. Dean Koontz is the master of suspense and he's right on with "Velocity." I couldn't put it down, the book is like a runaway train.

Disappointing
I wanted to read a few good mysteries this summer, so I added "Velocity" to my list after stumbling upon it at the library. The paperback copy I picked up indicated it had been a New York Times bestseller, and the brief synopsis seemed intriguing, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The story began well but went downhill fast. Without giving away too much, I think the only time I actually felt genuinely spooked was during a scene (relatively early in the book) when the protagonist visits his friend's house and makes a gruesome discovery. The protagonist is unlikeable, which made it difficult for me to get into the book. Other characters and side plots were equally uninteresting, e.g., the side story about the protagonist's comatose fiancée made me wonder at the end of the book, "What was the point of that?" Furthermore, the "surprise" ending wasn't a surprise at all. Call me crazy, but I had the culprit(s) pegged by the end of chapter one.

Bottom line: Don't waste your time on this book. I was expecting more and it didn't deliver.Unfortunately, "Velocity" is a classic case of Good Premise, Poor Execution.

First timer and loved every minute of it!!
I was introduced to Dean Koontz by a family member. I'd never read any of his books or even heard of him, for that matter. My choice of purchase depended solely on the reviews of other readers. I knew that I wanted to spend my free time captivated by a thrilling story but I did not want it to be a totally unrealistic story.

Upon receiving the book, I was beyond excited to wrap myself in its mysteries, however, I found myself dragging through the cover and the first chapter. The drag ended after the first chapter. After getting mid way into the book I realized that I was a slave to Koontz' every word and I was yearning to know what happened next. My excitement and impatience in knowing what is to come next caused me to postpone several social nights and tv shows.

Velocity was a GREAT read! I am on the hunt for another Dean Koontz best. Also, I must say that prior to reading this book I was not much of a book reader. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to occupy my time with something a bit more interesting.

For prospective buyers, don't hesitate. This book tells a gripping story that will hold you from cover to cover (well just get past the first chapter and you'll see what I mean). Happy findings.

Break Neck Speed Ride
Revisiting some of my favorite Dean Koontz's novels I began reading this book at the start of the weekend.My husband tried to engage me in conversation or divert my attention with dinner out, friends and even a fave movie he had specially recorded for me.All to no avail.I went to sleep reading and awakened with it firmly in my fists.Other reviewers have given a good story synopsis so I won't repeat.My head is still reverberating with plots twists and turns that Koontz took me on at break neck speed, veering closer and closer to the perilous cliff without slowing down. What a ride!If you are have never read this particular Dean Koontz book by all means do so. It is NOT to be missed. Buckle up first because this is a high speed ride!

Another great read is Koontz's Intensity.Another oldie but a goodie.

Enjoy the read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (327)

Bored for the first 150 pages
I love Dean Koontz, but I almost put this book down.I really had a hard time getting into it, which really surprised me.After 150 pages, the pace picked up and it finally grabbed my interest.I was glad I bought a used version.Hate to pay full price for a book that left me wanting more.

Will have you on the edge of your seat
The Husband was the first novel I've read by Dean Koontz. I'm definitely a fan. This book was very engaging, and it was hard to stop reading. But for some reason, the ending didn't do it for me. I liked it, but I wished it were something else than what it was. I can't put my finger on it, but I was kind of disappointed. Through the entire book up to the last chapter, I was in anticipation on what would happen next. Then all of the sudden, the last chapter left me unimpressed. I felt that a connection was broken, and that Koontz just hurried up the ending just to meet his deadline, and this is why I gave the book 4 stars rather than 5 stars. Other than that, I am anxious to start reading his other books.

Couldn't put it down!
As with many of Dean Koontz's books, I could not put this one down.At first I requested a sample of the book and before I finished the sample, I was already purchasing the book.I found myself reading it for hours without notice of how time was flying by.I finished reading this book in less than 2 days, which is amazing considering I have 2 little ones at home.If you like or love Dean Koontz, I recommend this book.If you haven't read any of his books before, don't waste any time and start with this one!

Dean's New Formula
I struggled with what rating to give this book. This is a *good* Koontz book..which equates to an *excellent* Patterson book, and the way Grisham is writing lately, is a *groundbreaking* book for him. Thats how much better Koontz is than his contemporaries. All of Dean's strengths shine here: character development, pure evil as the antagonist, intense writing with twists and turns, and exquisitely written settings and environments.

But anyone who knows the *prime* Dean Koontz (Strangers, Watchers), knows this is not typically his formula. It's almost as if, upon responding to pressures from his publisher in regards to Patterson's commercial success, he tried emulating his stories. Or maybe he's just trying out new themes. Dean's classics have included themes like government conspiracies, time travel, DNA mixing and experimentation, or pure sci-fi. Like I said, this is a basic kidnapping/ransom story that seemed like it was right out of Patterson's playbook. Its almost as if Dean read one of his books and said "He makes how much? I can do better than this!". Well, he can, and he did. It's just not the kind of plot line and theme where Koontz really shines. A *good* book for him, and a *great* book for anyone else, and compared to anything else thats out nowadays. This guy can write!

pick it up...you won't be disappointed
as usual, his writing is phenominal. there are a few books of his that tend to follow to close to one another but not this one. a good book to pick up even if you think that his style of writing isn't your usual. the storyline will keep you wanting to finish the book even when you know you need that sleep. ;-) ... Read more

Product Description

A contemporary Christmas classic for children
of all ages -- including those who pretend to have grown up!

Customer Reviews (29)

Santas Twin
My disappointment was extremely high after the first sentence in the book. I can't believe Dean Koontz would ever publish abook such as this... I have read almost all his books and this is the first one I can say I detested... Sorry Mr. Koontz but I love everything else you've written...

love Dean Koontz
I love Koontz books so I bought this for my children. I have owned the book for 3 years and we read it @ least 3 times in Dec. (every year). We also read it through out the year. I have 3 kids 2,4 and 10 they all love the story!

Dean Koontz Novel
I've always enjoyed Koontz's novels. It's nice to find the hard to find or out of print items on Amazon, and still in very good condition. Thanks!

Naughty Santa
This book sure put a new twist on the old story, scary but still cool.

Returned it - did not like
I thought this book was inappropriate for the age group specified and I returned it immediately.I am still awaiting credit for my prompt return.The book was not what I expected and had a very negative adult undertone to its messages and attitudes about the spirit of Christmas. ... Read more

Product Description
Ace Double Fear that Man by Dean R. Koontz: The galaxy had forgotten war and evil-until the man without a past intervened. Toyman by E.C. Tubb: They called their planet toy, but the games the toymen played involved the fate of worlds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dumarest Book 3 Toyman rules..for now
Toyman by E. C. Tubb


"Toyman" is book 3 in the 33 book science-fiction series the Dumarest Saga. You know what to expect if you are reading the Dumarest books in sequence. If perchance you starting with book 3 you should know a few things. Earl Dumarest is a man with a mission. He travels from inhabited planet-to-planet seeking clues to the whereabouts his home world Earth - which for most other humans is a mythical place if they had heard of it at all. Earl is a master of the martial arts, handsome to a fault and always gets into the thick of whatever issue, controversy, rebellion or revolution happens to be taking place on the planets he visits. He is opposed by the Cyclan, a cult-like group of emotionally neutered humans breed and trained to be advisors to the ruling class, but in reality master manipulators with a secret plan to control the universe.

On the planet Toy, a planet run like a corporation with very few stockholders, Earl becomes involved in a power struggle with the current majority stockholder, The Toyman. Earl's motivation is to question Toys computer, reputed to be one best in the universe as to the location of Earth.

There is a real problem with the Dumarest Saga. None of the books are "in print".Ace Books last published "Toyman" in paperback in 1982. It was first published in 1969, again in paperback by Ace. The series does seem to have a serious "cult" following. There are several web sites that discuss and analysis the series and provide outlines of the individual books contents. Fortunately there are a number of used copies available on Amazon and E-Bay. This availability is attributed to the popularity of the books and the fact that many readers saved them because that was interesting. As a long time reader and collector of science fiction books I am not surprised that these books have never been reprinted. The fact is there is just so many titles by vastly more well know authors that could be reprinted; why should a publishers fill up very limited book shelf space with a "cult" book. I would hope that when the copyrights expire that one of the reprint publishers issues a new set with appropriate artwork.

Quotes from Toyman

Concerning the Cyclan:
"You underestimate them. The power of the Cyclan is frightening even thought based upon such a simple thing the ability to predict a logical sequence of events from a give action. The ability to maneuver people like puppets and yet never let anyone suspect they are controlled."

Concerning Earl Dumarest:
"Dumarest has his quest, his reason for living, above all he has that, and one day, perhaps, he will achieve his happiness."
Toyman by E. C. Tubb


... Read more

Product Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz raises the stakes—and the suspense—taking his Frankenstein saga to a dynamic new level with the riveting story of a small town under siege, where good and evil, destruction and creation, converge as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
 
FRANKENSTEIN: LOST SOULS
 
The war against humanity has begun. In the dead hours of the night, a stranger enters the home of the mayor of Rainbow Falls, Montana. The stranger is in the vanguard of a wave of intruders who will invade other homes . . . offices . . . every local institution, assuming the identities and the lives of those they have been engineered to replace. Before the sun rises, the town will be under full assault, the opening objective in the new Victor Frankenstein’s trajectory of ultimate destruction. Deucalion—Victor’s first, haunted creation—saw his maker die in New Orleans two years earlier. Yet an unshakable intuition tells him that Victor lives—and is at work again. Within hours Deucalion will come together with his old allies, detectives Carson O’Connor and Michael Maddison, Victor’s engineered wife, Erika Five, and her companion Jocko to confront new peril. Others will gather around them. But this time Victor has a mysterious, powerful new backer, and he and his army are more formidable, their means and intentions infinitely more deadly, than ever before.Amazon.com Review
Dean Koontz on Frankenstein: Lost Souls

When it comes to predicting the future, I am Nostradamus's idiot great nephew. In the 1980s, I believed that by 2010, we would all be traveling regularly to no-sales-tax shopping malls on the moon and zipping over to Mars for a Frappuccino. I thought we would be enjoying genetically engineered house pets like cadogs (half cat, half dog, all affection), miniature eaglebbits (flying rabbits), dry chihuahuas (little dogs that never need to pee), crocodobers (highly effective home guard dogs), and spongerbils (sponge gerbils that not only can be cuddled but will mop your floors and wring one another out in a bucket of water).

Customer Reviews (105)

I Loved It!
I think it was a good story...it had interesting characters...I think some of the critics are being a little harsh..its entertaining...I can't stand when people over analyze things...some of the reviews must have been written by people who had no childhood who don't know how to kick back and relax a little...If you like Dean Koontz you will like this book...

Why did I torture myself?
I started reading this book after reading Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep." So, when I didn't warm to this book I thought it might be because Chandler is such a master of his style. After nearly two hundred pages of generic descriptions I realized it wasn't because of Chandler. It was because Koontz has lost his touch.

This book feels like Koontz is still trying to prove he could do the whole series without co-writers. He hardly mentions the past of the characters in any detail. His description of what Carson and Maddison went through in New Orleans was brief to the point of insulting the characters. They ate a lot of food drove fast and killed monsters.

The book lacked imagination. He starts the novel in the same monastery that Odd Thomas spent his third novel visiting. King occasionally brings in character's from other stories. He always made it seem like an easter egg for faithful readers. Koontz makes it feel like a sermon on redemption and the need to have faith in God. He basically smacks you in the face with a subtext that runs through the whole story.

He tries to sneak in asides about there being evil in the world and good faithful people having to fight to preserve light and love. However, the asides aren't sneaky and feel extra pedantic.

I could continue on about the dialogue, the setting, and many other things. However, I will keep it simple. Do not waste your time on this book. Do not buy it, and don't waste a library visit picking it up. You could easily find at least a dozen better books on the new release shelf.

Mediocre
While I love this series and I love Dean Koontz... This book just feels like Dean Koontz wanted to make some money, keep people interested in the series, and keep the series alive.

After reading it I feel like there is practically NOTHING new added to the story line. You could have literally summed up everything in this book in 2-3 chapters in the next one. There's just enough in there to obviously warrant the need to read the next one, but it did remind me of the Lost writers... It seems there was alot of storyline that went nowhere.
Tons of review material as well. If we have already read the first three books is it really necessary to go into detail about Ducalion's ability to step from one place to the next??? It reminds me of the Lost show, just lots of unnecessary story line that was put in there to keep the story going while the writers worked on the REAL next step.

Dean Koontz Frankenstein
I was very pleased that the book arrived in record time. It is is excellent condition.

Just Because
I was very reluctant to read this series...Even though I love me some Koontz.
Low and behold... "I FU&*ing LOVE THESE BABIES"..(SORRY I DOUBTED YOU DEAN)
BUT***BUT****BUT****
Lost souls was boring.
I paid $27.00 with a 20% discount and read it in a day and a half. It was too short and left us hanging a bit to much.

NO HARM DONE.. This is not the first book you have written that i didn't like...

***BUT*****BUT*****BUT***

I really really really enjoyed the first 3 books...PLEASE DONT F-UP THE OTHERS.....OK?Please

Maybe we could invite MR Gorman back to join us?????

Love ya man...D ... Read more

Product Description
Bartholomew Lampion is born in Bright Beach, California, on aday of tragedy and terror, when the lives of everyone in his familyare changed forever.Remarkable events accompany his birth, andeveryone agrees that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they haveever seen.

On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthlessman learns he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew.He doesn't knowwho Bartholomew is, but he embarks on a search that will become thepurpose of his life.If ever he finds the right Bartholomew, he willdeal mercilessly with him.

And in San Francisco a girl is born,the result of a violent rape.Her survival is miraculous, and herdestiny is mysteriously linked to the fates of Barty and the man whostalks him.

At the age ot three, Barty Lampion is blinded whensurgeons reluctantly remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreadingcancer.As the growing boy copes with his blindness and proves to bea prodigy, his mother, an exceptional woman, counsels him that allthings happen for a reason, that there is meaning even in hissuffering, and that he will affect the lives of people yet unknown tohim in ways startling and profound.

At thirteen, Bartholomewregains his sight.How he regains it, why he regains it, and whathappens as his amazing life unfolds results in a breathtaking journeyof courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure.His motheronce told him that every person's life has an effect on every other's,in often unknowable ways, and Barty's eventful life indeed entwineswith others in ways that will astonish and move everyone who reads hisstory.

People magazine has said that Dean Koontz has the"power to scare the daylights out of us."In this, perhaps the mostthrilling, suspenseful, and emotionally powerful work of hiscritically acclaimed career, Koontz does that and far more.He hascreated a compulsive page-turner that will have you at the edge ofyour seat, a narrative tour-de-force that will change the way youyourself look at the world.Amazon.com Review
Horrormeister Koontz looks heavenward for inspiration in his newest suspense thriller, which is chock-full of signs, portents, angels, and one somewhat second-rate devil, a murky and undercharacterized guy named Junior Cain who throws his beloved wife off a fire tower on an Oregon mountain and spends the rest of the novel waiting for the retribution that will surely come. But not before a series of tragedies ensues that convince Junior that someone or something named Bartholomew is out to exact vengeance for that crime and the series of other murders that follow.

Bartholomew's own troubles begin with his birth, which transpires moments after his father is killed in a traffic accident as he is taking his wife to the hospital, and continue with the loss of his eyes at the tender age of 3. Young Bartholomew has visionary gifts, though to his mother, a nice lady who's renowned for her pie-making abilities as well as her sweetly innocent nature, he's just a particularly smart kid who can read and write before his second birthday. Eventually, Bartholomew regains his sight, Junior Cain gets his comeuppance, and fate conspires to bring love into the Pie Lady's life, reward the faithful, and put a happy ending on this genre-bending tale. Koontz will no doubt rocket right to the top of the bestseller list with this inventive, if somewhat slower-paced, read. --Jane Adams ... Read more

Customer Reviews (411)

Last Section of Story A Waste
You can never get a continued line of success from Dean Koontz. From the Corner of His Eye proves to be a story built around an intriguing concept, yet leaves you exhausted from all the excess story.

This is a very thick book; there are over 700 pages to be devoured. The majority is typical Koontz with a detestable villain who believes himself to be perfection and the purely good character(s) whom the villain wishes to destroy.

Following the vanishing of the bad guy, Junior Cain, Koontz attempts to continue the story as if we care what happens to the other characters. And we don't. Once the bad guy is defeated, we don't care what happens 20 years into the future.

I did enjoy the thoughts behind the use of quantum physics and all of the "other places" that could exist. I just didn't enjoy flipping through the years. Going from the 1960s to year 2000 makes a reader as tired as if they were viewing them in a slide-show.

Bottom-line, the story is good until the villain exits. Then the story becomes a waste of time.

Dean Koontz did not write this
I have read about 10 Koontz books. Having just finished one of my all-time favorites - "Intensity", I was really looking forward to reading " From the Corner of his Eye". The reviews were great. In fact, the first few pages of the book were loaded with them. It didnt take me long to realize that there was something wrong. The quality of the writing very poor. Feeble attempts to paint unique characters resulted in unimaginative and sloppy characterizations. I noticed a laziness when it came to the use of synonyms. Anyway, after about 100 pages I decided that Koontz was not the actual author. After another 100 I decided that he must not have even proof read the book. How could he have signed off on such junk. Because I was 200 pages in, I decided to keep reading it anyway. Another 100 pages and I did the unthinkable - I took it and threw it in the trash and down the incinerator. How dare they do such a thing for $ when it is totally unnecessary. From now on, I will be damn sure to read the first 50 or so pages in the bookstore before buying a Koontz.

I have another one here which I bought at the same time as "From the Corner of his Eye". It's called "Winter Moon". This also seems to be trash - not written by Koontz.

A JOY to read
I only discovered Dean Koontz a year ago and I've been busily reading him ever since. I don't like every one of his books, but it's never about the writing in those cases (his writing is always superb), it's the setting or a character or something else.Anyway, this book was an absolute delight to read and I did not want it to end. I checked it out from the library and now will buy it so I can read it again. The reason I loved it so much?Surprisingly, it's not because of all these other wonderful statements (though true) made by reviewers, it's because I laughed all the way through it. Koontz seemed to have great fun with the characterization of the serial killer, a narcissistic megalomaniac who suffered physically every time he killed someone (but at the same time was pleased to know that he was such a sensitive guy that his killings would affect him so), was filled with self pity to the point of crying because now he had to live without that wonderful person in his life (the one he had killed), and who congratulated himself on his logical analyses and deductions that were, in reality, based on delusions.Not often do I read a book where a character is as entertaining to read as this.It kept me on the treadmill an hour every day--no small feat!

Not the usual Koontz book
After reading a lot of Koontz books, they all started to seem the same. They'd have a hero who didn't realize how handsome he was, a heroine who was brave and beautiful but thought that she was very ordinary, and a really intelligent dog. In a Stephen King book, some of the main characters would die gruesome deaths, but Koontz never kills anyone you've had the time to establish an emotional relationship with. This book isn't like that.

The story about the boy who lost his father at birth and who lost his eyesight shortly after is touching, at times funny, and at times horrific. At one time in the story, he runs through the rain and meets up with his mother completely dry, trying to explain to her how he simply ran where the rain didn't exist. He has an instinctive understanding of quantum physics and the world that everyone else lack. When the blind boy climbs to the highest branch of a tree, you have to love him.

Read it. Do it. Come on, you know you want to! ;)

Here and There
We don't usually read...
dear lovers of mystic fantasy,
... what we'd call the serial killer genre, but this is a great book, and Dean Koontz is a truly wonderful writer, not simply because he tells an enthralling tale, but also because he creates some quite beautiful prose.
This is the story of a rapist/killer, a magic/illusionist cop who pursues him, and a couple of truly magical children who are waiting in his future. Set in the multi-verse of quantum reality, this book is a delight to read despite the fact that many of the characters who you grow to love get killed in it.
Highly recommended.
kyela,
the silver elves ... Read more

Product Description
Years after leaving the carnival, her hated first husband, and the child she could never love, Ellen has a new life, a new husband, and two beautiful children, but now the carnival is coming back to town, and Ellen is going to have to pay for her sins. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (106)

Decent, but subpar compared to some of his other books
Going online and hearing many Dean Koontz fans talk about his worst books one that ultimately appears on one of those is The Funhouse. I have to say that while this book does have good writing it suffers in many aspects. The characters are flawed with little to no redeeming qualities.

(The mother is a overbearing, stupid religious fanatic. The daughter is shrill, annoying and even after having an abortion's personality doesn't even change a little. The father is never in the book and the son is under developed but still somewhat likable.) The villains aren't too unique either.

Also the book has several leaps in logic. Just one day after having to give birth to a freak, and having to go through months of being treated like crap along with formerly having to deal with a crazy religious mother Elie forgets Conrad's threat. Also, she went about twenty years without realizing that she had became her mother. Its also mentioned that she never went to therapy either which could have really helped her. The book also lacks a good ending in the fact that Elie never realizes that she never had any genetic problems and that Conrad was the one who was responsible for having his sons be so grotesque.

Probably one of Dean Koontz's most childish work.
But it still carries a pretty deep message: if you are messed up enough, you'll mess up the others, too.

Even to the point of fantastic, like the abusive villain, Conrad being so twisted from a tragedy in his youth that he planted an evil seed in the womb of a beautiful young girl, Ellen who had fled from an overbearing religious family to literally "join the circus". This evil seed eventually became a monster baby straight out of horror movies that his badly frightened young mother killed with her own hands. As a result, the monster's father - a monster himself - viciously beat the stuffing out of the innocent girl and then kicked her to the curb, vowing to come get her future children one day, too.

Ellen's own kids eventually turned out to be an angelic little Joey and his teenager sister, Amy The World's Most Lovable Skank Ever.

In fact, Amy is so loose she is already knocked up when she is first introduced with her loser boyfriend at a high school prom. Even then, she is still fascinated with how beautiful, sexy, and perfect she is while preening herself in the mirror. What's more, her best friend, the blonde Liz is so sleazy and full of herself she actually wants to become a Las Vegas prostitute when she grows up.

History begins to repeat itself as Ellen herself became a nutty religious zealot who also got violent with her own daughter when she learned of her pregnancy. Fearing that Amy, too would produce a monster, Ellen secretly took her to get an abortion - and then disowned her, ironically liberating her to take up illicit activities with her young friends at the carnival.

This is where the kiddies ran into another monster - also a twisted production of Conrad's seething hatred, this time from another carnival woman whom he also married in an odd "carnie" fashion. This monster had been bred to rape and slaughter especially luscious young girls in cold, red blood. Now it has found Ellen's normal-looking human children as the targets!

Would nubile little Amy save the day???

While I don't care very much for the characters - especially Amy herself, the rather trampy heroine, the book itself is very colorful and zestfully written with great emotion and prose by the great Dean Koontz himself, of course. Nevertheless, it is still one of his earliest works in publication.

Good story, but there was one major element missing!
I picked this up at my local gym. The plot seemed interesting, and I had never read one of Koontz's books before.I won't bother repeating the synopsis, but I can say that I did enjoy the book.As far as entertainment value, I was turning page after page. BUT....
**slight spoiler**
I could not believe the story ended without the mother coming face-to-face with the carny father.The kids ended up dealing with all the drama of the Dad's wrath, and the Mom wasn't involved at all.There was NO closure on the parents relationship, and/or the mother's anguish.I couldn't believe the book ended that way. It was quite a let-down.

If you can overlook thiat glaring omission, the rest of the story was worth the read.

The funhouse
i ordered this book in hardcover, they sent me a paperback. not worth the hassel of returning it since i got free shipping with a minimum order. Ifyou order hardcover, you expect to get a hardcover book, especially since the 2 other books in the order were also hardcover.

The Funhouse simply lacked a lot of Koontz's talents
I can't say I'm a huge fan of Koontz (at least not yet), but while I thought he didn't have much talent for 'horror' books, I felt he was always very good at creating suspense. I had yet to read one book from him that didn't leave me wanting more; well, at least not until this book anyway.

The Funhouse is a story about a family of four: the Harper family, which consists of Ellen (the mother), Amy (daughter), Joey (son), and Paul (father). Paul is a workaholic lawyer, his wife is religious zealot, and their two children suffer under an oppressive and neglectful household. Furthermore, it seems that the mother has a troubled past that is catching up with her. A man she was previously involved with is searching her out in order to exact vengeance for something Ellen did.

I had a very hard time writing that summary (I must have revised it at least four times). The reason reflects my view of the story; it simply wasn't very compelling. I find this odd as, I said in my introduction, I always felt Koontz had a great talent for creating suspense. However, it simply wasn't here.

The primary driving force behind the plot is Ellen's past catching up with her and how it will ultimately affect her children, but this simply wasn't very exciting. I believe this is perhaps due to a lack of character development; we knew very little about the vast majority of the characters, including one of the major characters (until rather late in the story). All we essentially knew was what they wanted to do, but we had no idea why. Extremely small hints were given, but frankly, not really enough to create any sort of ideal atmosphere for suspense.

Personally, the thing I found most interesting in the book was Ellen and Amy. Not simply their interaction with each other, but their development as well. Without a doubt, they are the two most developed characters in the story.

Ellen, I felt, was an extremely fascinating character. She is supposed to be portrayed as extremely overbearing, judgmental, and somewhat mad, but strangely, and I might be in the minority, I found her to be very sympathetic. She too, like her daughter, struggled with religion and her mother. Furthermore, and perhaps due to my own experiences, I truly connected to her trying to bring up her children to be good people, even if she went about it poorly, and the loss of hope when she thought she failed in it.

Amy, likewise, was also very fascinating simply because readers see her try to cope with religion, her mother, and life as it was. She is a sympathetic character and I think it was really easy to connect with her troubles. Furthermore, I really became entangled in her struggle. At times, I've became frustrated with her lack of willpower and conviction, but I suppose that's the sign of good character development.

Ultimately, I did not think the book was very good (save for Amy and Ellen). The villains were okay, the plot was somewhat good (albeit the ending left a lot to be desire), and the character development could have used some work. Nonetheless, if one is looking for an enjoyable read, I would think the book will suffice at less than two hundred pages. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. While struggling to help an agoraphobic friend cope, Martie Rhodes, a young video game designer, suddenly falls prey to her own traumatic autophobia, a fear of herself, and when her husband tAmazon.com Review
Not a continuation of the Moonlight Bay series (Seize the Night and Fear Nothing) as many fans were expecting, False Memory is nonetheless just as powerful and compulsive as anything Koontz has written before.

Martie Rhodes is a successful young computer games designer with a loving husband, Dusty, and a seemingly normal life. Her best friend, Susan, however, suffers from agoraphobia, or a fear of open spaces, and relies on Martie to take her to weekly therapy sessions. Suddenly and inexplicably, Martie herself begins exhibiting worrying signs of a mental disorder, fearing herself capable of inflicting great harm on her loved ones. At the same time, Dusty's brother Skeet also succumbs to irrational mental behavior and tries to throw himself from a roof. It soon becomes clear that these four characters are involved in something much more than a sinister coincidence.

Koontz's great skill, as he demonstrates so well in this novel, is creating believable characters and thrusting them into seemingly impossible but--for the period of the story--completely plausible situations. The plot is as carefully layered as the most intricate orchestral compositions, and Koontz conducts the proceedings with almost unbearable tension. One of his greatest abilities as a writer, however, is tapping into the dark paranoia of society. As we approach the Millennium, and an age in which we are becoming increasingly desensitized to death and violence, Martie's fear of herself, known as autophobia, seems a terrifying warning that soon the only thing we will have left to fear is ourselves.

Deeper meanings aside, this is easily one of his best thrillers. The prose moves at a breakneck speed, and the denouement will leave you with a pounding heart and chills up and down your spine. Koontz delivers exciting, boundary-breaking fiction better than anyone else in the game, and False Memory (though at times shocking and disturbing) is a perfect example of a master author in top form. --Jonathan Weir, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Customer Reviews (516)

Heavy handed and overwrought but a page turner.
I had to write a review about this!I'm not sure how to begin.
The story is a page turner-no doubt about it.There are parts that are anxiety provoking for sure. My heart was pounding during some it and I actually paged ahead just for a quick glimpse of what was coming!I rarely do that.
He's a gifted writer for sure.
However............you have to suspend any realistic thinking here.There were times when I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering if I was supposed to take this seriously.
I would say the book is a bit heavy handed and overwrought.It could be been leaner and meaner.
And of course, it has a warm and fuzzy ending with everyone happy and of course monetarily richer.What else?
Not bad at all.I don't want to be negative but really, a bit overdone.

Wonderful Read!
When Dean Koontz writes like Dean Koontz no other author can come close to him in research, characterization, dialogue, plot, suspense and humor.

This is a truly engaging read by one of my favorites.He deftly leds us through a melange of psychological problems that suddenly affect a stable young couple, the husband's (not so stable) brother, and the wife's best friend.What or who is the common thread?Why is this happening?The characters are well developed, the plot engaging and well paced, the dialogue snappy, and expertly woven with the type of suspense that only Dean Koontz can create.

When Koontz uses Amazon's reviewer voting system as comic relief I had to laugh outloud because it is only too true.

Enjoy the read!

Review:
At first the book was a real page turner but then I slowly started to lose interest. I still have not completed the book, I'm a little more than halfway through. I cannot blame all my loss of interest on just the writing itself, which can, at times, be a bit repetitive. I may have to blame myself for trying to start such a long book during the middle of summer and then not reading for a bit and trying to pick back up weeks later. I'm still very interested in what will happen in the end and maybe the suspense will pick back up. I still have hope!

Nothing false about False Memory
This is a classic example of a Dean Koontz novel.One of his best in my opinion.I don't mind the supernatural element to the stories that he usually adds, but this book is so fearsome because of it's realism.We are vulnerable to many things and this just demonstrates this. I will not spoil the novel by saying anymore than this.If you enjoy suspense, Dean Koontz' style of writing, being scared out of your wits and really getting into a book you can't put down, then this novel is definitely for you.

The best book since Watchers
reading Koonz is the best way to spend an evening hapily being entertained.I love his books (some more then others) but this I thought was the most fun since Watchers.If you like bang up thrills goofy characters and a wonderful sense of the way things ought to be you will love this book.Light and entertaining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

book starts off with a rape
Good going, Dean Koontz. Start the book off with a descriptive rape. Yes, the women may prevail by the end of the book (I'm guessing, I didn't get past page 5) but as a woman, I was terribly offended by the first few pages.

I have read other Koontz books. The Face was marvelous, clever, smart. This seemed almost to be written by a different man. Maybe he's gotten better as his skills improved, but I couldn't read this book and quite frankly, am ok with that. Just warning the other women in the audience thinking of reading this for the thriller aspect that may waste their money. If you are ok reading these details, then go right ahead. As for me, I will move on to another book. It hasn't turned me off of Koontz, I think he is good sometimes, but this was difficult to get past.

great buy
got the book with low price and shipping great find. will shop more from amazon

Great early Koontz
This is a great story, even decades after being written.Graham, an ex-mountain climber, fear-filled after a serious accident, has developed psychic powers.Show-casing his talent on tv by identifying a demonic serial killer, he becomes the targeted next victim.More suspense than horror, our hero has to battle this sicko with his wits and overcome his fear as he and his girlfriend are stalked in deserted office building.No power, no phone, only his mountaineering skills and luck and one really mean crazy with a gun determined not to give up.I just had to stay up late and find out what happens.Interesting description of climbing technique and a strong sense of place, New York city in a snow storm.Some of the characterizations were weak, but a bit of a twist at the end adds some spice.Guaranteed to keep you flipping through the pages, hanging on a the same imaginary ledge with the hero, praying for the happy ending.

Good read
This book was a good read from what I remember-not a stand out Koontz book, but a good one nonetheless.

Quick and Fun Chilly Thriller
I had forgotten about this quickie little thriller by Koontz and just finished re-reading it today. This was a really fun book. Tha basic story involves a psychic who is assiting police in tracking down a serial killer known as "The Butcher" becoming the killer's next target. Once the Butcher realizes that the psychic is getting too close to uncovering his identity he decides the former mountain climber turned psychic must die.
"The Face of Fear" is a fun cat-and-mouse thriller that takes place in, and on the outside, of a towering skyscraper in downtown Manhattan. It's a very quick read, and Koontz doles out the suspense by the bucket loads. The characters are well drawn, and the villain is truly a vile creation, making the book that much more interesting. And while "The Face of Fear" isn't as horrific as "Phantoms", and maybe the characters aren't as well developed as in "Strangers", this is a great novel to introduce someone to Koontz's writing style. It's a guaranteed page-turner, which can be read in two or three lunch breaks. If you aren't familiar with this author, this is a great place to start. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (117)

More silly than scary...
First let me say that I listened to the audiobook version. I want to suggest two things if you are going this route: 1. Don't spend your hard earned money to purchase it when you can rent it from the library for free.
2. Don't listen to the audiobook, check out the actual book!(The reader is almost as dry as the book).

The setting (Moonlight Cove) and the plot(mysterious happenings in a small town) misled me to believe that I was in for a good read, but even as early as disc two my mind started to wonder. I missed parts of the story and didn't care that I had.

I could not connect withany of the charcters other than Harry Talbot(disabled veteran) and his dog Moose. Mr. Koontz could have dropped the other three characters and just went with Harry and Moose. I could have cared less what happened to the rest of the characters.

The dialogue is ridiculous. There is way too much repetition and descriptions of situations. It's like the author feels like we as the reader will forget what he just said two seconds ago!

I feel like a lot of the dialogue in this book was just to fill pages.

I read a review where someone actually thought the book was scary!Ummm... NO.

The only thing scary about this book is the 11 year old girl Chrissie (and she's supposed to be one of the good guys)! She has the most disturbing fantasies and her character is too unbelievable for me.

Even in fiction I expect for a story to make some kind of sense or atleast to be well written-this one just doesn't cut it.

I will say something positive about this book, it kills a lot of time.

Fun, fast and typical Koontz
7.5 / 10

I used to love to read Koontz books, and after years of not reading anything of his, I picked up this book.I remembered why I liked Koontz - fast read, fun characters and decent stories.I also remembered why I didn't pick up a book of his in a while - most of the stories have familiar characters, somewhat predictable endings and unbelievable moments.

All in all, a solid and fun ride.

Great pageturner
This is one of Dean Koontz's better books. Often I didnt want to put the book down. I would recommend this book.

SCARY GOOD!!
If you like scary, horror stories this is the book for you. You will not want to put it down and your knuckles will be white with fear!

Shocking only in how bad this book is.
I was shocked how bad this book is. The dialogue is bad enough, but the constant interruption of the story for the sake of needless exposition, is even worse. I've read -- and liked -- other Dean Koontz books, but this one, and I know it was a NYT No. 1 bestseller, is just plain awful.

It's hard to argue with Mr. Koontz's success, but I can't for the life of me understand why this book was so popular. Few, if any, of the characters' actions are believable given the circumstances they're in. I don't want to give anything away, but real people don't act this way.

As in other novels, Koontz proves he knows nothing about police procedure outside of what he's seen on Starsky and Hutch. The hero, an "undercover" FBI agent, goes undercover using his own name and carrying a gun that Koontz even describes as one known to tip everyone off that the guy's a cop. Here's a thought, bring a different gun! Also, use an undercover ID.

It's also amazing that this FBI agent happens to be carrying around all the tools he needs to "hotwire" a car and that he can hack into a supersecret computer system by answering questions with wild guesses. Yet, he didn't think to protect his own identity.

This novel breaks just about every convention of modern fiction writing, yet it was No. 1.

Amazing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

A good thriller, and early Dean Koontz novel
Alex Doyle is journeying from Philadelphia the San Francisco in his new Thunderbird to join Courtney, his recent bride, and start a new life. Travelling with him is Colin, Courtney's eleven year old brother, who being orphaned will be living with them; making the trip together seemed like a good opportunity to get to know one another.

But someone is following them, they notice the van soon after they leave Philadelphia, they make jokes about it, but soon the jokes turn to horror as they realise the driver of the van really is after them, and not with good intentions.

This early novel by Dean Koontz dating from 1972 orginally published under the pen name K R Dwyer, is a relatively short read, but it is not short on tension or drama, and it will have you flipping the pages as fast as you can turn them. Both Alex and Colin are well drawn characters, and Colin especially will win hearts as the slightly frail but very intelligent bespectacled boy trying hard to grow up. The interaction between Alex and Colin is every bit as much part of the story as the chase.

I'm Glad He's Gotten Better With Age
SHATTERED was first published in the very early 70s, under a pseudonym.Glimmers of what was to become the Koontz style are present:The ever-ratcheting tension; the taut phrasing.Unfortunately, as others have stated, the book has become terribly dated in the almost 40 years since its publication.The tensions over Vietnam, who fought and who didn't, and the evils of "the establishment" are offered.Those of us who were small during this era will have to take Koontz's word for it.

There are, however, extremely timely themes here.Road rage, stalking and prejudice have not only remained, but gotten worse since the early 70s.Prejudice has changed its form, but it's still around and just as ugly.Then it was long hair and loud shirts, now it's other things that stir up the bigots.As to stalking, imagine what Koontz could have done if the internet were around when he was writing this novel.

It all feels padded, however, and even though it's padded, the ending is so abrupt and unsatisfying that it mars the entire project.Dean Koontz can do much better and, thankfully for us, he has.

Oh Courtney!
Ok, I realize this is very old, outdated, and Koontz' first major publication.It was a quick and easy read, and very predictable yet still enjoyable enough.I am currently on a mission to read all of Koontz' works.I just read Demon Seed,and now Shattered.I am reading them all in order.Although I should have saved Demon Seed for when it was updated.Which is why I am leaving Winter Moon and Icebound for their revised dates and moving on to Night Chills next.

from obsession to road rage
Dean Koonz's 'Shattered' is a thriller that starts with obsession that progresses to road range, then to attempts at murder.

Alex and his 11-year-old brother-in-law Colin start bright and early on a cross country trip from Pennsylvania to California.Alex's wife Courtney awaits him and her brother (they are his legal guardians since their parents are dead) in San Francisco, getting their new home ready for their arrival.Pulling out of their old driveway in black Thuderbird, Colin notices a Chevy rental van following them.For the next four days of their roadtrip, the van is never far behind.

Full of adventure and heart warming moments between Colin and Alex, this book is a thriller through and through.

Solid, but Very Dated Thriller
I remember reading "Shattered" ages ago, and really enjoying it. Seeing as how it clocks in at just over 200 pages, I recently picked it up again to pass the time on a lazy Sunday. The good news is that the base story of "Shattered" is still a gripping thriller. A man begins a cross-country drive from Philadelphia to San Francisco in order to make a fresh start in a new job with his new wife. Tagging along for the ride is the man's new "younger brother" through marriage. It's a chance for the two men to bond, get to know each other and prepare themselves for the momentus changes coming their way. Unfortunately, they've nabbed the attention of homicidal maniac who plans to waylay and murder them somewhere along their long journey.
It's a fun story, and as stated it's just barely over 200 pages, meaning you could retire the entire thing in half a day, or spread it out over two lunch hours. The story is reminicent of the films "Duel" and "Joy Ride". There is lots of action, and Koontz does a great job of ratcheting up the suspense as the story unfolds.
The only drawback to "Shattered", which first hit bookshelves in 1973, is that it is terribly dated. Quite a bit of the novel deals with the protagonist running into prejudice against "hippies". References to Vietnam and Charles Whitman's sniper shootings, as well as Charlie Manson and Richard Speck as recent events also tie the novel to a certain time in American history, which is now three decades past. The police in the story discuss the "freaks" tearing apart the moral fabric of the country seems pretty antiquated now as well.
I still recommend this novel, but would love to see Koontz update this story as he has done with "Twilight Eyes". ... Read more