Rating: Summary: not that good Review: I've read books from Dean Koontz before and always enjoyed them, but "By the Light of the Moon" was a disappointment. I couldn't even finish this book. The 2 main characters(Dylan and Jillian) were annoying, there was too much describing of things and the action took too long to unfold.
Rating: Summary: A Terrific Book Review: I couldn't put this book down, I ended up reading it in a day.
Rating: Summary: Koontz has got his groove back Review: Koontz's last few novels had excellent villains, but the stories had lacked that certain something that makes his novels like Lightning, Fear Nothing, and Intensity so special. By The Light Of the Moon provides that wonderful combination of villainy and interesting and likeable, if totally improbable, characters, a cracking pace, and plenty of humour. It has renewed my interest in is work, and I look forward to the next.
Rating: Summary: By the Light of the Moon, audio Review: When I am traveling I enjoy lisening to books on tape or CD. By the Light of the Moon was well read and the story was hard to turn off.
Rating: Summary: Good but could be more Review: Dean Koontz's by the light of the moon fell short in my book. It had good suspense and action but just lacked overall depth and storyline. I will read more of his books for now i give this one a 3 out of 5 on the star scale. If you like Dean Koontz you might have a different opinion of this book.
Rating: Summary: Another Non-Stop Ride with Great Characters Review: Koontz has amazing skills. If you doubt it, read the first three pages and then try to put the book down. (Heck, read just the FIRST page!) Koontz has the ability to drop the reader directly into a situation that's impossible to turn away from. In this tale, a young man named Dylan is traveling with his autistic younger brother Shep. Dylan is abducted by a strange man who injects Dylan with a strange drug. The man tells Dylan that the drug is his life's work and that Dylan will be changed; in what way, even the man doesn't know. Then the man disappears...Dylan and Shep meet a woman named Jillian, who has also been injected with the drug. Together, they seek to outrun the armed men looking for the doctor and his latest creation. But along the way, Dylan and Jillian discover that they now have strange powers...VERY strange powers. And Shep...he's acting even more unusual than he normally does...And what does all this have to do with images of doves, a church, and ice? You'll have to read the book to find out. Koontz also has the ability to write likable characters that we feel like we've known all our lives. The theme of the good guy (or girl) overcoming evil is certainly not new, but it takes on a whole new meaning after 9-11. Koontz doesn't exploit that connection, but helps us understand through his characters how ordinary people can make a difference. It's very refreshing, and in a way patriotic. But Koontz also has a good time with his story. The first meeting and the initial exchanges between Dylan and Jillian are funny, natural, and right on target. Unlike some other critics, I enjoyed the touches of humor. Koontz mixes humor and danger like oil and water, but somehow manages a mixture that works. The weakness of the book? Others have cited it: the ending. I'll say only this: when you get there, you'll understand why it ends the way it does. Is it satisfying? In a way. Could it have been better? Probably. But Koontz is the author, not me. He knows what he's doing. So sit down, strap yourself in for an exciting, strange ride. Enjoy. 431 pages
Rating: Summary: Strange Change for Koontz... Review: Although I was very taken w/characters and plot I was constantly distracted and pulled out of the story by this inexplicable change in Koontz's writing style- embarrassingly over descriptive, with use of entire paragraphs when a few words would have been much better. Awkward, inappropriately archaic or formal adjectives as if Koontz constantly referred to his Thesauraus. Hackneyed cliches and flowery outpourings slathered on everywhere- made what should have been an excellent read a painful one
Rating: Summary: Begs for a Sequel Review: I enjoy Dean Koontz' books best when they start with action, and "By the Light of the Moon" kicks off with an ominous event. Dylan O'Conner and his brother Shepherd are attacked in a motel by an apparent madman by the name of Proctor. However, the attack is an injection of 'something' that takes us much of the length of the book to discover. Proctor warns Dylan to leave the motel as quickly as possible because there are those who would see Dylan and Shep dead if these others were aware of the injection. Dylan and his brother leave the motel as soon as Dylan is able to escape from being tied in a chair by Proctor. While hastily departing Dylan meets Jillian Jackson, a struggling standup comedian. Dylan quickly discovers that Jillian has also been injected, and urges her to accompany Dylan and his brother. Let the action begin. The ever-popular men in black SUVs dressed for golf (truly, khaki shorts and golf shirts) show up, and suddenly the motel does not look like a good place to stay; particularly as Jilly's beautiful Cadillac, stolen by Proctor, is blown up shortly thereafter. As Dylan, Shep and Jillian are making their getaway, Dylan touches a frog he was given at an eatery adjacent to the motel, and suddenly feels a compelling urge to go find the person who gave him the frog. The events that occur at this woman's house make you realize that whatever was in the injection was some powerfully weird stuff. Koontz' recent predilection for Dickensian plot complexity still shows up in this book, but to a lesser degree than in some of his recent books. Koontz' does a better job in this book of developing believable characters. Jillian would have been easy to portray as an angry comedian, but instead she is a sweet person that tries to make a joke of everything. Her character is allowed the opportunity to provide details of her history, allowing the complexities of her character traits to be explained. Similarly with Dylan; he is an artist, but rather than being the long-haired brooding stereotypical artist, we find that he has been watching over his autistic brother Shep for many years, and while the reader at first thinks that Koontz is going to forego any development of Dylan's character by using Shep to cover for his lack of personality, we find that Dylan has enough angst to keep at least two psychotherapists busy for decades. Several other reviewers have revealed too many details about the injection and provide too many plot spoilers. Just in case you decide not to read other reviews, I'll not spoil the surprises for you. Suffice it to say that Dylan, Jillian and Shep have at least two other exciting and significant adventures before we reach the end of the book. My biggest complaint about books by Dean Koontz has always been his endings, and this book is no exception. I think the ending was a bit weak. There was plenty of opportunity for the principal characters to have various revelations, to do more, to do something. On the other hand, the ending is a natural lead-in to a sequel, and I'm hoping that Dean plans a sequel for this book; it's just begging for one. As far as recent Dean Koontz books, I think "False Memory" was more intense; I think "One Door Away from Heaven" was weaker than this book. Certainly worthy of reading if you are a Koontz fan, but not his best. Coupled with a sequel, this book could later garner a five star rating.
Rating: Summary: Buy By The Light of the Moon Review: This is a sensational thriller about the untapped into limits of what the human mind can accomplished when stimulated by a new drug. Dylan who is travelling with his retarded brother is knocked unconscious by an evil research scientist who ties him to a chair. Once awake he is injected with a substance and told the scientist's life work is inside him and now those against his work will try and kill Dylan too. He leaves him a pocket knife to escape. Likewise comedian Jillian also is injected and runs into Dylan and his brother. Together they must escape unknown assassins after them, meanwhile they're bodies are doing things they never thought possible and can't understand. They must avoid death and figure out what to do of course running into people they must deal with along the way. This is a sensational novel which makes you wonder about the possibilities humans have yet to discover about themselves. Koontz once again has written a thriller that isn't so far fetched that it might actually be possible. Buy the book.
Rating: Summary: Vacation? Review: As a Koontz fan for several years, I eagerly await his new books. Although better than One Door Away From Heaven, in which I was very disappointed, By the Light of the Moon still does not have the same sharp horror and intrigue as many of his earlier books. Koontz has a great sense of humor, one that I appreciate. However, he has been over using it at times taking you out of the action of the book as you become too aware that you are reading a book, if that makes sense. Certainly not a bad read, and thankfully not as long as some other recent novels, I give this book 3 1/2, if Amazon would let me. Perhaps Koontz needs a vacation to rework his brilliant mind.
|