By the Light of the Moon

Rating:
Summary: His worst yet
Review: I have read and own 15 Dean Koontz books and this is by far his worst. It's boring and with the constant, unrelenting repetitive chanting by its autistic character it's extremely annoying to read. Save your money.

Rating:
Summary: Generally liked the novel, disliked the ending
Review: On the whole, I found this book a terrific read--likable protagonists, a thrill a minute. But I wasn't impressed with the ending. It seemed to hint at sequels involving a comic-book type of superhero vigilantism.

Another element I found disturbing was a fashionable new ideology: Any and all users of terror tactics are lumped together as "evil" and "fanatical," regardless of the nature of the underlying cause. Terrorism is appalling, but not all causes are morally equivalent.

A sign of this "the cause is irrelevant" attitude: One sequence in Koontz's novel has men decribed only as "hate-filled bigots" (or something like that) attacking an event that's a very implausible target . What do these attackers stand for? We're never told. If they're hostile to a specific race or religion, other events would have been attended by more of the targeted people. If they're hostile to specific individuals, we aren't given a clue. They're simply "evil," gunning for victims because that's what "hate-filled bigots" do.

Rating:
Summary: Autisim
Review: I thought that the book was on the boring side which is unusual for Koontz but I really thought that Koontz knows nothing about autism. He made the autistic character act like he knew nothing and had characters say stupid things about the autistic character. People that have autistic children do not even compare the autistic character to their children. I dont even understand why Koontz even made this character autistic.

Dorothy Ham

Rating:
Summary: Get it
Review: This book is awsome his best yet i was so happy to get such an amazing read after his last book's disapointment. You must get it.

Rating:
Summary: Cold as Ice
Review: Dean Koontz has been a favorite of mine since the late seventies. Quite truthfully, I find his books to be highly entertaining. By the Light of the Moon is frankly one of his best works to date. The only disappointment I felt after the last page was that the book had ended.

Dean Koontz does take a different strategy with his tapestry of plot. Instead of weaving back and forth with various strands of his plot as he did with Strangers and Mr. Murder, Koontz basically stays with his three main characters once they are introduced. As has been usual with Koontz as of late, his new novel only spans a few days.

Koontz starts his novel with a true North by Northwest feel in that he appears to place his characters in the wrong place at the wrong time. An unusual plot twist in the novel's last pages takes a surprise turn that will take most readers totally unaware, and Koontz shreds the wrong place at the wrong time into something else entirely.

Dylan O'Conner, an artist on his way to an arts festival, and his autistic brother Shep are ensconced in a hotel room. Nearby, Jillian Jackson is a comedian on her way to her next gig. Those three find a trip to get fast food and root beer to be a suddenly dangerous proposition. Attacked by an amok scientist, Dylan and Jillian are forcibly given injections that may-or may not-have positive consequences.

To compound matters, there is a goon squad that wants to kill the amok scientist and anyone with whom he may have had contact. Jillian, Dylan, and the synonym spouting Shep find themselves on the run and that strange things are beginning to happen within their bodies.

The next few days in the three character's lives are a wild non-stop roller coaster ride that is virtually a thrill a minute. Koontz has a unique way of peppering his suspense-filled pages with humor, especially in the personage of Shep O'Conner. One can easily compare the unusual character that is Shep with Tom (M-O-O-N spells Tom) from King's The Stand. Both characters are immensely charming and quite more than they appear to be.

Easily, these three characters rank as some of the most charming and unique personages found in the Koontz universe. Koontz somehow finds a way to allow the characters to grow and become three-dimensional during the book's non-stop action and brevity of time that makes up the story's setting.

This is also one of the few Koontz books that does not feature a loveable animal. The goon squad that chases Shep, Dylan, and Jillian never develop as characters because they remain a constant background threat. Normally, Koontz loves to get into his evil characters' heads and reveal their sickness. He pretty much avoids doing that with the exception of the chilling Dr. Frankenstein. (For those who have read the book, the pun with chilling was intended. Sorry.)

Those who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the Koontz universe could not hope for a better introduction. By the Light of the Moon is a master at work and is a wonderful weaving of suspense and comic relief.

Rating:
Summary: I've got to stop buying Koontz novels
Review: They're just so available. However, the plots just seem to get sillier and sillier. The "justice brigade" (or whatever they call themselves)? It's too cartoonish. Luckily I listened to the audio version and was able to get a lot of work done while it played in the background. Since the action moved so slowly -- including the incredibly tedious and copious conversations with Shep -- I could easily tune out periodically without missing anything. Just like you won't be missing much if you don't read the book at all.

Rating:
Summary: "Slow moving plot--dismal characters--not scary"
Review: This book along with One Door Away From Heaven lacked the urgency and helpless fear factor so needed in a horror story. I like happy endings, don't get me wrong, just not mushy endings like this and the former book had.
The villain in this book, although a very bad man, was not scary enough, compared to the deviates in books such as: Intensity, or From the Corner of His Eye. The method the bad guy (Dr. Proctor) vandalized his victims was somewhat spooky, but the effects were dismal. I guess I've read too many of his better books, as well as books by S.K. to get to excited by such a mellow thriller. Keep writing Dean, but please try to scare me.

Rating:
Summary: By the Light of the Moon
Review: I love Koontz! I have read all of his books but this one was just a huge disappointment. It dragged on and on and I was so glad to reach the end. This is not an example of the Koontz I remember.

Rating:
Summary: Dean Koontz Triumphs Again
Review: I've just finished reading By The Light of the Moon, and I am convinced it is his best book since The Bad Place. It has all the elements Koontz is known for using; the protagonist thrown into an unknown situation and forced to flee for his life; the sinister pursuers from an unknown source with intent to kill; and the extra little science-fictiony twist that subtly shifts the action from the realm of a simple thriller to the realm of the fantastic. This is Koontz at his best!

Rating:
Summary: Well worth it.
Review: After his last book where, if memory serves, dogs ended up being spiritual beings, I had some hesitancy about buying this book expecting maybe more of the same. I'm glad I bought it. It was short and to the point and kept me turning the pages to the very end. I found that the actual cause for the protaganists flight was less important than the continous action and excitement generated by their flight from the "bad guys" and the final outcome. Of course it's obvious that a sequel is in the offing. I'd buy it.

Chuck Bollinger