The Face

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Poor Reader
Review: I find the story very interesting as I do most of Dean Koontz's books. This one however suffers from poor reading on the part of Dylan Baker. Voice characterizations all run together and the voice of Dylan Baker is hard to listen to for extended periods of time.

Rating:
Summary: More please
Review: Koontz has told a story that moves like racing floodwaters. Full of astounding evil that takes joy in its own abyssal depravity; remote selfcenteredness that is almost evil; a cold space in a heart that has lost the belief in loving; more than one friend willing to lay all down for another; and a young boy who is 100 percent present but nearly invisible. But the story also tells of those things close but seldom seen; surprising redemption; the realization that love is never lost and an old and young spirit finding common ground. This Koontz tale is time well spent in the reading and left me with hope in my heart for the small delicious favors in life.

Rating:
Summary: Another entertaining thriller from Dean Koontz
Review: Dean Koontz's latest book centers around three main characters: Fric, the 10-year old son of the world's most famous actor (aka "The Face"); Ethan, ex-cop who is now the famous actor's chief of security and who is still grieving for his wife, now 5 years gone; and Corky, the psychopath with an unlikely name. The story begins with Ethan puzzling over enigmatic but clearly threatening gifts which have been sent to his employer. As part of his efforts to protect the actor, Ethan struggles to discover what these mysterious clues might mean, and while doing so, he encounters a series of bizarre incidents that at first seem entirely unrelated to his original purpose. Meanwhile, Fric is caught up in his own fantastical events, and Corky prepares to execute a yet-unknown sinister plan; as might be expected, exactly how the paths of these three characters are interconnected becomes clear as the story unfolds.

I feel that this is one of Koontz's better efforts. Like most of his books, this story contains a supernatural component. In some of his past works, however, Koontz has seemed to fall back on the supernatural as convenient plot device (eg, "Dragon Tears"), but here, the supernatural aspect enhances rather than justifies the plot. The book's bad guy, Corky, is reminiscent of other Koontz villains in that his ordinary appearance masks a black soul (think "Intensity"), yet this novel remains distinct. On the other hand, the one major flaw I found with this book is common to some of Koontz's prior works: although Koontz does an excellent job of slowly building up suspense throughout the entire story, the ending, while somewhat predictable by necessisty (ie, the good guys win), develops so quickly that the effect is anti-climatic. Overall, however, this is an engaging thriller that can be rated amongst Koontz's best.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: This was my first novel to read, start to finish, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the way the book continued to built to the end and how the end of every chapter left you guessing. It was hard to stop reading because you had to know what was going to happen next.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry, but "The Face" doesn't do it for me
Review: I've been a Dean Koontz fan for over 30 years,and have read his books from when he was writing as Leigh Nichols and other pseudonyms, when I could find them out. I've enjoyed his writing through all the changes he's gone through, and was pleased when his books started becoming best sellers. I've purchased dozens of his hardback novels, and many of the paperbacks
So I feel entitled to be critical when need be, and this is one of those times. "The Face" is a distracting novel in the same way the movie "Traffic" was distracting, and the TV series, "NYPD Blue" is distracting. When you become more aware of the author than of the story and the characters, it is distracting. Just like when you're trying to watch a movie or TV drama and you're more aware of the tricky camera movements than you are of the unfolding story, you are distracted. And in "The Face", Koontz distracts us by his writing style - it never just rains, it drizzles, weeps, torrents, mizzles, and so on. A pistol isn't a .38 or a .45, it is a trey eight or a four five. Cute, but I've never heard a gun referred to as a 'trey eight'.He must've written the book with an open thesaurus on his lap. If I have any problem with Mr. Koontz, it is this: as much as I usually love his books, he has never settled on a consistent style of his own. Some of his books are just beautiful. In others, he just doesn't quite get it together. He seems to be constantly experimenting.
Also, in this book, "The Face", he has created this really evil villain who is out to kidnap the son of the 'world's biggest movie star' and torture him to death. And never at any time do we understand why this villain wants to do this. We are just supposed to accept that he wants to do it because he loves
chaos, I guess. It didn't work for me. I wanted to know what motivated this evil character who seemed to have almost supernatural powers. It is never made clear to the reader, though.
So as much as I usually like Dean Koontz's novels, I have to say that I don't recommend this book. If you're new to Dean Koontz, try one of his earlier novels. You'll be much happier with them.

Rating:
Summary: Destiny Amidst Chaos...
Review: Oh, the joy...Oh, the frustration! I've read only two Koontz novels--yes, I'm an newbie--and they've had opposite effects on me. The first was great, until a comic-book ending; this book drags and drags until a wonderful finale.

"The Face" follows widower Ethan Truman as he unravels the strange events happening around the Bel Air mansion he protects. In the mansion, young Fric, son of a world famous movie-star, lives a solitary life that until now has seen little adventure. Together, Ethan and Fric will face the horrible schemes of an "agent of chaos," a professor with macabre hobbies--hobbies that include slow and torturous murder.

The story could be tightened into a 400 page ripsnorter, but instead we are treated to the flowery phrasing of Mr. Koontz. Sometimes beautiful and eerie, sometimes just plain ole boring and overwrought, the sentences never fail to head in the right direction. Eventually, the patient reader discovers the rewards of the final pages, where Koontz not only wraps his story in fable/allegory type images, he also proffers hope as though he truly believes...

It's this undergirding of destiny amidst chaos, of love amidst hate, that keeps Koontz's characters and plotting afloat. It's this sense of humanity and divine that will keep this reader coming back for more. (Even if I have to skim a paragraph here and there.)

Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER MASTERPIECE
Review: Having just finished reading, and been remarkably disappointed by, James Patterson's latest work, THE LAKE HOUSE, I was relieved that my other old standby, Dean Koontz, is just as imaginative, witty, thrilling, thought-provoking, and inspiring as ever. In his latest achievement, THE FACE, each character--from the most villainous to the most benign--is so thoroughly described that the reader can actually feel the character's emotions and lock into the character's thoughts. 10-year-old Fric is especially delightful, and incites empathy and compassion as he travels through his lonely world, intact with a juvenile, yet oddly mature, sense of humor, tempered by shaky confidence and wandering self-esteem. Although Fric is neither the title nor central character, his fate is inextricably bound with those of a former homicide detective, the detective's best friend and fellow crime-fighter, as well as an unlikely and mysterious "guardian", who appears in many guises and whose motives are questionable as his true identity and mission unfold. The primary villain in this tale is also fully developed and the reader becomes so attuned to his psyche that his evil nature is completely revealed, leaving no doubt that his own fate belongs forever and irretrievably in hell.

As usual, the author's prose is intelligent, smooth, and artfully composed. The dialogue is realistic, crisp, and provides wonderful insight into the characters, just as the vivid scene descriptions give the reader unfettered glimpses into this fanciful world. Even though the novel contains over 550 pages, it is just long enough, and can be devoured in a single, chilling sitting.

With THE FACE, Dean Koontz proves that he is still the master of the nail-biting, breath-holding, page-turning thriller, which manages to zoom to an uplifting and satisfying conclusion.

Rating:
Summary: Better even than The Stand
Review: Mr Koontz is BACK, better than ever. I would have given this book 10 stars. I had been disappointed in his last two but this plot and the beautiful lyrical pharses, wonderful believable dialog,kept me reading into the night( Although I closed the curtains). It is a stand alone book, although I would like to see the two main characters again,I can't see how. I read a book every two days, have gone through quite a few, this is a "book of the year" . King's book The Stand comes close but The Face surpasses it. Thank you for writing this, once again I am a loyal fan.

Rating:
Summary: Dean Koontz's best book in years!
Review: Koontz's other recent novels have streched my patience due to their weak stories, bland characters and overall poor editing but I don't have the same criticisms about The Face. The Face is a return to form that very effectively covers some new territory.

The story spans just a few days before Christmas in modern California and is balanced with a genuine borderline character, neither saintly nor demonic, who gives this novel an extra dimension.

I enjoyed the unpredictable plot so I don't want to spoil it for anyone. It's consistently suspenseful with philosophical angles that seem more naturally derived, as well as more fully developed than in other Koontz novels.

If you appreciate Dean Koontz at his best, you'll enjoy The Face.

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: A tight, fast paced read after some of Koontz's recent, more ponderous works like From the Corner of His Eye and One Door Away From Heaven. An excellent thriller you shouldn't miss.