The Face

Rating:
Summary: Yawn!!
Review: To me, this book was a major letdown of what I was expecting. It just didnt grab my attention like a really good book does, although I do have to admit that it got better as it went along.
And one other thing that I did not like about it was the fact that the guy who worked in the morgue had the same name as the guy in Rosemary's Baby, Roman Castevets. I was thinking that if you are going to write a book, at least use original names.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Entertaining!
Review: Dean Koontz' tale of life and death and good vs. evil is skillfully told as the characters of Ethan Truman and Aelfric Channing come to life. Mr. Koontz portrays children so well and is skillful in his development of Aelfric as the poor little rich boy. I found this to be a delight to read as well as a page turner. I have read all of Mr. Koontz' books and am not disappointed in The Face.

Rating:
Summary: Murder in the Mansion
Review: Ethan Truman works as head of security for Channing Manheim, Hollywood's greatest personality in decades. Every movie the Face, as the media calls him, stars in turns to gold as soon as it hits the theaters. The Face's private life, however, leaves a lot to be desired. A year after his marriage to supermodel Fredericka Nielander, the Face was divorced and had gotten custody of their son, Aelfric, who is affectionately called Fric by Ethan and the large staff at Palazzo Rospo where the Face lives. Ten years old now, Fric lives largely on his own, with only the staff to care for him. He refers to his father as Ghost Dad and his mother as Nominal Mom; Fric doesn't have a good home life. Too bad he's just become #1 on a psychopathic killer's hit list. Only Ethan Truman, struggling through the death of his wife and his best friend, and a ghost of a chance stand between Fric and certain death.

Dean Koontz is actually a dean of suspense novels. He's written THE WATCHERS, PHANTOMS, WHISPERS, BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, LIGHTNING, FEAR NOTHING, and dozens of others. Every book he's written for years has hit the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller lists. Several of his books have been made into movies, but the books have always been stronger and capable of leaving a more lasting imprint. His work mixes strong elements of suspense, horror, and science fiction.

THE FACE offers an exciting storyline. Ethan Truman stands out as a good hero, a man who's been hurt by life and questions his ability to simply go on. Fric represents so much of today's children of successful, semi-successful, and busy parents merely trying to survive-the sarcastic and self-deprecating sense of humor, and the sharp loneliness. Cut wholly from anarchy, Corky Laputa spills across the pages like a spreading stain, going deeper and wider, cutting into the reader's ease of mind because he seems so real. Some of Koontz's best devices are the puzzles and clues that he spreads throughout his novels. There's always something to guess at, to attempt to figure out. The opening page gifts the readers with a love of mysteries with a clue that is definitely attention getting: an apple sewn together with black threads. Once the apple is cut open, Ethan finds an eyeball inside. Another facet of suspense writing that Koontz excels in is the ticking clock. As Laputa's intended kidnapping comes to light, the plot stays wound tight, and the course of the action spreads only over two days before Christmas.

Though the plot runs like a Swiss watch in timing, Koontz's actual work in the book runs a little long. His writing is elegant and beautiful, his metaphors and similes very descriptive. However, that slavish devotion to the written word sometimes creates stumbling places in the novel. The words sound good when read aloud, which sometimes seems necessary to get at the true meaning, but jar a reader trying desperately to get on with the story to find out what happens next. Also, when the puzzles do come together, they seem somewhat contrived (though not the apple one, which was truly clever) and Ethan's understanding of them comes at the proper eleventh hour to the story mechanics. Hazard Yancy, Ethan's interesting homicide detective friend and one-time partner, also kind of fades out toward the end even though he's got a colossal build-up at the beginning.

THE FACE definitely deserves the lazy days of summer. The story is driving enough, and the prose interesting enough, to spend hours with at the beach or curled up in a favorite reading spot. Readers wanting the combination of suspense, mystery, and deep characters will want to pick this book up. Koontz's prose is sharper than most, and his plots are always layers deep.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps not art, but it is fine craft
Review: Koontz will never be accused of literature but who cares? Koontz does two things very, very well. First, he is simply a good storyteller. He ceates little slices of life, strings them together in such a way to squeeze every last drop of drama out of them, adds a touch of the Twilight Zone and the result is a book that you can't stop reading any more than you can stop watching the magician saw the lady in half. Second, he instills in the reader a healthy respect for the nobility of human life. This is a horror novel, I guess, but it is a very life affirming horror novel. This is not his best work but it is hugely entertaining. I doubt that the ending left a dry eye in the house.
P.S. Did Koontz sell his soul to the Devil? Doesn't he sleep? Did he clone himself? How the heck does he publish so much so frequently?

Rating:
Summary: Dean Koontz: Master Magician
Review: In the body of Dean Koontz's latest novel it is stated that angels work 'by indirection. Encourage, inspire, terrify, cajole.' They, 'influence events by every means that is sly, slippery, and seductive.'

If this is the case then Mr. Koontz, himself, qualifies for angel status. He certainly kept this reader mesmerized, astounded and thoroughly inspired.

On the surface THE FACE is a thriller like no other. However when you dig deeper you'll find that it is much more than a thriller. It's a study on the depths to which the human spirit can plunge, and the heights to which it can soar.

37-year-old Ethan Truman is an ex-homicide detective now employed as chief of security by Channing 'The Face' Manheim, the world's most popular movie star. It's routine for Manheim to get death threats from unhinged fans. Most of them turn out to be harmless. But lately someone's been sending disturbing packages to Palazzo Rospo, Manheim's Bel Air estate. Ethan begins an investigation, and when he does he is thrust into an adventure that will test his strength of will AND his sanity. In the real world he and his ex-partner, Detective Hazard Yancy, are going through the basic procedures any good officer of the law employs in the attempt to catch the bad guy.

They start to question their belief systems when Ethan is killed twice (yet lives); time is folded to accommodate him, and Hazard has a similar experience. Then, things are no longer cut and dried, they've become downright otherworldly! For one thing, Ethan's childhood best friend, Duncan 'Dunny' Whistler, (who also coveted Ethan's wife, Hannah, who succumbed to cancer five years ago), died after weeks in a coma. When Ethan gets to the morgue to say goodbye to Dunny for the last time he discovers that the body is gone, and all evidence points to the unbelievable conclusion that the body left the morgue under its own power. Later, Ethan spots the reanimated, sharp-dressed Dunny on the town. Talk about Twilight Zone time!

Okay, so now Ethan has to find The Face's stalker before he strikes, plus he's spooked because he thinks he'll eventually come face-to-face with the dead Dunny. Which, believe me, he doesn't want to do. Who would???

Now we come to one of my favorite characters in the book, Fric, the 10-year-old son of Channing Manheim and ex-wife, supermodel Fredericka 'Freddie' Nielander. Neither of Fric's parents is in residence for any significant length of time. Fric is a surprisingly self-possessed child. He has adapted to being the sole Manheim in a house with a full staff. The head housekeeper, Mrs. McBee, and her husband serve as Fric's guardians in his parents' absence, which is most of the time. He and Ethan also get along, and are becoming buddies.

It isn't long before Ethan and Hazard pinpoint the culprit behind the latest threats against Manheim: English professor and self-styled anarchist Vladimir 'Corky' Laputa. Laputa is so far around the bend that he spots himself coming around the corner. Having no natural affection for anyone except himself, he is bent on destroying society by fostering chaos of all kinds. He kills, he maims, he kidnaps and imprisons rival professors who disagree with his taste in literature, or his teaching methods, and slowly starves them to death. But first he drives them insane. He has GOT to be stopped. I could not wait to see what sort of end this creep would meet.

Before the story concludes you will encounter angels (and not so angelic creatures). You will be on the edge of your seat praying that your favorite character survives to the end of the tale. And, yes, you will shed a few tears. But this story is worth the spent emotions. I laughed and I cried. One of my favorite scenes was when Dunny appeared to Hazard on a rainy night. Dunny materialized out of a puddle and later vanished right back into the puddle. In THE FACE angels travel by mirrors and, apparently, via puddles.

DK hooked me from page one. He made me care about Ethan, Fric and Hazard. The description of Hazard Yancy sounded like the heroes in my stories and, frankly, made me wish Hazard could have his own book. I'd be the first in line to buy it.

Another wonderful story, Mr. Koontz. Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!!!
Review: I've been an avid reader of Koontz' books for many many years and I have to say that I can tell a definate difference in his newer books compared to older ones. I think he's kinda softened up a bit (notice there's rarely ever cursing in his new ones? Not saying that makes a difference in the quality, but I just noticed it.) With the exception of By the Light of the Moon, which I have not read yet, his latest books didn't stand out as much as the older ones. Not so with this one. The Face was great. I was nervous at first because I had read so many reviews saying you couldn't get into it easily. I had no problem. I admit that it's a tad longer than it probably should've been but the last 200 pages really lock you in. Great ending. I'll be anxiously awaiting the next Koontz after that one. Anyone that enjoys some great writing should also pick up anything by Richard Laymon and, my favorite, Robert Mccammon.

Rating:
Summary: Gets Better Later On
Review: At first this book was quite easy to put down, but it got better towards the end as the climax of Corky's plan came about and we wondered how Ethan, Dunny, and Hazard would thwart it. I have read every single Dean Koontz book in print and it seems that the older he gets the more philosophical he's become, and even seems as if he is tired of writing things that contribute too much to the clear and persistent evil we see in post-September 11th America. Those customers who cite this as the greatest novel he ever wrote need to grab yourselves a copy of Watchers or Strangers and settle in for a long page-turning night of suspense. His books are now good, but I just can't work up the amazed excitement and wonder his previous novels conjured in me. All in all, though, it's decent and is worth the read if you hang in there until the planned kidnapping begins to truly unfold.

Rating:
Summary: Gave up after 200 pages
Review: I acutally cannot believe I waded through 200 pages. I like Dean Koontz-usually. I liked Lightning, Strangers and Phantoms very much. I kept reading hoping that this book was going to get better. It didn't. I had other books waiting to read. I soon didn't care about the characters any more. I will not give up on Koontz however!

Rating:
Summary: Nice stretch for a master of horror
Review: This is the first Koontz book that I've read in a while. He's always good for a fast, tight thriller and he does not dissapoint, even at his most formulaic. Which is what really surprised me about "The Face." It's part detective story and part ghost story. However, a more detailed premise can be read more effectively in other reviews, so lets get to the good and bad.

The Good:
He really stretched himself on this one as far as style. The imagery that he writes with goes beyond that I've read of his and I really hope he sticks with it. This is by far the most macabre of his work. It may be a bit unnerving for Koontz "traditionalists", but stick with it. This is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the book, and he should be applauded for it.

The Bad:
This great new style of writing is more or less wasted on the traditional Koontz premise. Which is to say you insert "and then there is this madman" somewhere in it. Midnight and Phantoms among few others being exceptions. Depending on what you are looking for in a Koontz book, this may be good or bad.

The Good:
He really has made a strong effort to flesh out his characters and make some real emotional connections between them. You feel the bond between Fric the boy and Ethan, the man in charge of protecting him. He also does the same with Ethan and his buddy Hazard, which if you read other reviews, is the favorite character in book. He also flawlessly captures the isolation of Fric. The son of one of the most popular superstars in the world. Look for a great scene where he watches one of his dad's movies. He does a superb job with this kid.

The Bad:
It's scattered. While he scores really big with Fric, Koontz misses the mark with Ethans relationship with his "gaurdian" friend and his late wife. A simple flashback scene to establish the relationship and loss would have done the job nicely. But because it did not, you find yourself having as much attachment to this as watching something bad happen on the local news.

After reading the book, I found myself liking it. I do recommend this one and rank it as one of Kootnz's best. This is a great departure for the author and it manages to retain a fast pace even with the 500 plus pages. It's something he is known for and he is one of the best around for moving the story along. However he still lacks the emotional impact found in other writers of the genre. You wind up merely watching the characters go through the journey. Which is fine, but it would be nice to take the journey along with them.

Rating:
Summary: another great Koonz
Review: First, I agree that it is not appropriate or intellectually honest, actually, to review a book that one has not finished. But those folks did tell us that fact -- so you can take the reviews for what they are worth. I thought this book was just great. The plot was intriguing; I cared a lot about the characters. I loved the way it all fell together at the end. I enjoy Stephen King, but I prefer Koonz. He seems to have a view of the universe that is a bit more "redeemed," so to speak. There are truly good people, capable of great sacrifice and love. If you enjoy Koonz's books, most folks would also enjoy this one. And the end was just great.