The Taking

Rating:
Summary: Koontz' Best Yet !!!
Review: I've read everything written by Dean Koontz, some I liked better than others, of course, but "The Taking" is just beyond my pitiful ability to describe! It's the classic tale of good vs. evil, the end of the World as we know it - yet Mr. Koontz handles that age old story in such a fresh, new, and totally exciting way. This is the first book in a long, long time that I was hardly able to put down - it made me late to work and kept me up past my bedtime, yet as fast as I read it I was sad when it ended. Unlike so many authors who crank out a book or two a year - and it's not hard to come up with a couple of names really quick - Mr. Koontz' use of metaphor is so refreshingly unique, his descriptions so singularly graphic that you almost forget it's fiction! From the first line of the first page to the last sentence it's like skipping the first uphill climb of a roller coaster and jumping right into that breath-taking plunge - and it doesn't stop. A terrific read and one I can unequivocally recommend - five stars are not enough.

Rating:
Summary: Not His Best, But Still Koontz
Review: Not the best Koontz I've read, but if you are a loyal fan, you will read it and find it enjoyable. I couldn't just put down the book because there were some flaws. Also, you find some genuine "creepy" moments - that took me back to "Dark Fall" (his book it took me a while to read because it just got too scary and I had to put it down several times. Overall its an averagely entertaining read.

Rating:
Summary: The Taking... of time in my life I'll never get back.
Review: Now I love Dean Koontz's work.. I think the guy does a great job of translating the work in his head into print, but here.. I'm sorry, it really wasn't that good. There was a complete disregard of books published in the past he's written, the lack of human interaction told a lot too, at least in stories there has been connections made (One Door Away From Heaven, The Face) but here that was lacking. He is an extremely talented writer and whatever he writes next I will endeavour to buy through name alone, but I hope and pray that "Life Expectancy" spares us the feeling of our money being wasted like I personally have felt reading "The Taking."

His weakest work to date, true alien involvement is not his strong point and the lack of a true ending, the feeling of "What happened?" and not getting an answer is both annoying and somewhat infuriating. In stories that are built as "cliffhangers" such as "Fear Nothing" there is still a sense of ending, yet those stories can continue into its next chapter with ease. "The Taking" has none of that and lacks in many redeeming features. I feel at times it was written during a bout of writer's block as the story stops and stumbles throughout the book.

Overall, I was extremely dissatisfied with this book and hope he redeems himself with his next story.

Rating:
Summary: Should be called "The Boring"
Review: This book was so slow I couldn't bear to finish it. I had the audio version and didn't even finish the first disk, it was so slow. Koontz takes a chapter from 19th century writers in spending so much time in description without anything happening. I didn't want to invest my time into hearing Koontz attempt to talk about sex from a woman's perspective....ewwwww.

"Odd Thomas" is an infinitely better book, and I would encourage you to read that one. I'm surprised that both of these books came from the same writer.

Rating:
Summary: seriously flawed, seriously scary, one of my new favorites
Review: This Koontz book has it flaws; there is too much alliteration, the dog thing was a little too much, the message was cliche(but no more than Koontz follwers should have expected). My big beef with this one is the lack of characterization. I like the Christopher Snow novels and protagonists like Chyna Sheppard because they are are round and warm. Neil and Molly are cold, flat paper cutouts compared to some of Koontz's other folks, who were so real I'd like to have lunch with them. The other thing that bothered me was the absence of humor that is characteristic of Koontz.
Now for the praise. I'm a Koontz fan and a horror film buff and I've never been so terrified by something that wasn't real. This book scared the bejesus out of me. I broke out into a sweat and had to put the book down a half dozen times. I was up all night.I read this book in 3 and a half hours. I'm a sentimental type and I liked the ending, the spiritual stuff, and the kid thing. And finally, I like Koontz's use of his thesaurus that some others complain about. I like it when writers use words like pyx, nidus and induline. I like dogs. And I still consider Koontz to be one of the most talented writers out there.


Rating:
Summary: Fascinating read!
Review: This story hooked me from the first page and I finished it the next day. I've read alot of Koontz and this was up to his usual high standard.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing book
Review: This was the first Dean Koontz novel I have read, and it was amazing! I read it in 8 hours. I couldn't put it down, and yet in some parts I was almost afraid to go on. "Aliens" are invading the world; they take over dead bodies, turn people against each other and terrorize. A select few are chosen to round up children; to save them or to sacrifice them? Then at the end we find out what the "aliens" really are. Very shocking, but also a touching novel.