Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't finish it...
Review: I've read lots of books with lots of words in them. False Memory was only the second book that I couldn't read in recent days. The other was She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I don't read horror, but I liked the concept. When last I left the story, Skeet was in rehab again. Marti's best friend was still afraid to leave the house. Marti was struggling with her own reality. The dog was the only one that knew what was going on in the story. Dusty missed obvious clues that his wife was going bonkers -- guess he was, too. I'm glad other people liked it. I admire Dean Koontz, but it was taking too long for Dusty and Marti to find one another after the craziness happened.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good book!
Review: Dean Koontz, has never written a bad book! This was no exception. This was among the best books i have ever read and one of the best books that Koontz's has ever written. It was a thriller, the plot was interesting, the characters were colorful, i really enjoyed it. The book delt with phobias at the beggining and then just pure suspense later. The book had no "boring" parts, reading some reviews here, they said that it was long and drawn out. I dissagree, each word was golden to the story. I hope anyone who is reading this buys it. I reccomend it!!
Rating: 
Summary: A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER!!
Review: I thought this book was very interesting and intriguing. The characters were interesting and the details of their lives made them stand out even more. Just when you think something huge is gonna happen, it takes a slightly different turn and uncovers another thrilling secret of the story. This is definitely a book that anyone would enjoy!!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Satisfying Read
Review: I have been reading Dean Koontz since the sixth grade, and I must say, False Memory is one of his best works yet. A somewhat lengthy novel, but every page is worth reading. Those who complain that the novel is too slow are probably afflicted with attention-deficit disorder, or are just plain .... IT'S A BOOK FOLKS! NOT A MOVIE! I give this novel five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Chalk another one up for Koontz!
Review: I love horror, thriller, suspense novels and this selection by Dean Koontz has a little of each. This is about the sixth book of Koontz's that I've read and am beginning to see a theme. As in most of his other works, there is a dog, a bad guy who has a fixation on eyeballs and junk food, and the list could go on. False Memory was quite a fun read as I knew of course, that the main characters (and their dog) would turn out just fine. The story centers around a couple, Martie and Dusty, who find themselves brainwashed by a psycho psychologist that Martie met while taking her agorophobic friend Susan to her therapy sessions. After Martie finds herself having panic attacks in which she wants to harm her husband Dusty, using keys to gouge out his eyes among other ghoulish tortures, she starts seeing Dr. Mark Ahriman herself. Dusty also feels something isn't quite right when it seems like blocks of time are missing. Shortly after this Dusty begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together in record time, and figures out Dr. Ahriman's evil plot. Time is running out for them to get Dusty's brother Skeet to safety and save themselves, but thankfully the characters in the story are a lot smarter than I would have been. I liked the character of Dr. Ahriman, he reminded me of Sideshow Bob on the Simpson's. Very pompous, and a bit childish, but brilliant. His methods of brainwashing were impressive, if only he had put them to good use. I enjoyed the story, Koontz manages to throw a little humor in along with the suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Slow but interesting plot
Review: I loved the woman in the pink suit! I think the author should write an entire novel based on somebody with her characteristics. After the big climax when everybody is going nuts, and she calmly tells the receptionist that she guesses she'll be needing a job and hands her a card and then calmly calls her lawyer--hilarious! Skeet was also adorable--got a big kick when he waved at the doctor leaving the hospital. Koontz should concentrate on more humor. He has it in him!
Rating:
Summary: Good Book, My first Koontz
Review: I saw someone reading this book and picked it up myself and became engrossed in the writing. Koontz does a great job of letting you see inside these people and really experience their fears and horror. I thought it got a little far fetched at the end but a very readable book that is hard to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so, at times not believable
Review: I had trouble getting through this book for a couple of reasons. 1) the hero is named Dustin (Dusty) Rhodes. This is explained at the very end, but just too corny. 2) the hero's name is rivalled in corniness by his half-brother, Holden Caulfield, but who goes by Skeet. 3) the prose is so thickly self-indulgent. Koontz tries to wax eloquent about the surf, the night sky, etc., but it's just not working. He should stick to fantasy/horror plotting and stop trying to paint us a Renoir with a Wagner power-sprayer. 4) there are too many things unexplained, or not explained sufficiently to be plausible.Read "Hideaway" instead. Koontz actually got that one right.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful psychological thriller with some flaws
Review: False Memory was a terrific story with an ingenious premise and some of the most likeable (and despicable) characters I've ever encountered. Its greatest strength is its sinister central concept: that a trusted member of the "healing" profession could perpetrate mind control simply as a game, manipulating others out of some elitist sense of entitlement. Dr. Ahriman's methods and warped thought processes are richly fleshed out, and I loved the use of "accessing" phrases from The Manchurian Candidate and classical haiku. It's wonderful drama to witness as Dusty and Martie slowly become aware of involuntary oddities in their behavior, and learn to use Ahriman's own methods to fight back. The climax at the Lampton house is well executed and full of shattering revelations. Some plot flaws must be acknowledged. As good as the "climax" was, the actual ending and denoument stunk. After involving the reader in a moral struggle between heroes and villain, Koontz really cheats us by resolving this conflict with an extraneous character like the "Keanuphobe". Everything was leading to a climactic matching of wits - where Dusty and Martie's practical, conscientious intelligence triumphs over Ahriman's narcissistic genius. The ending seems arbitrary and rushed, with sloppy inconsistencies. Within minutes of gunning down two people she believes to be "machines" in a conspiracy, the killer is on the phone with her attorney lucidly planning her defense. Another problem many reviewers have mentioned: this book develops SLOWLY, taking a full 30 chapters to gain traction at the point where the villain reveals himself. Up until then there's way too much vague exposition, too much itemizing of household objects that Martie is afraid of (we get the point, everything's a weapon!) I also found the fate of Susan to be nearly unforgiveable. Ahriman's affiliation with the Institute seemed an unnecessary complication that was never adequately explained. Finally, advancing the plot in New Mexico by overturning Dusty and Martie's car was a bit contrived. So I have some gripes, but they are more than compensated for by the virtues of this story. It was a real thriller..the writing was good..the plot was entertaining...I enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, and still reading...
Review: Never have I had the pleasure of visualising and imagining so many metaphors, similes and sibilants in so few pages. Koontz work is a boon for High School libraries everywhere, although only a portion of his writings may be truly appropriate in nature for those age groups. "Fear Nothing" was very good, "Seize the Night" was excellent, and so far "False Memory" has been brilliant, save a little warning to parents that some of the "Doctor's" scenes with Susan may be a little too sexually explicit for your children. ----------- The writing is so real that I was getting scared for the characters as they engaged in petty arguing, and then I couldn't resist checking the real life Amazon.com reviews for the fictional works, "Dare to be Your Own Best Friend" and "Learn to Love Yourself". ..... Now I must return to the remaining sixty odd pages.
|
