False Memory

Rating:
Summary: a huge improvement over the last several books
Review: I absolutely hated the Moonlight Bay books and Sole Survivor. This book was more of a return to an earlier writing style. It did keep my interest, and I'd recommend it to casual Koontz fans.

Rating:
Summary: This book really hit home
Review: I enjoyed this book not only because it was a very unusual plot but because I really empathized with the character Susan. I have agoraphobia and Koontz accurately describes the horrors of this illness which made this story believable and kept me from putting this book down.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I had not read a Koontz novel in a long time. I am so glad I purchased False Memory. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This book would make a great movie. Now I have to backtrack and pick up a few more Koontz novels....I've been away too long.

Rating:
Summary: Another Good Koontz
Review: To quote from the book: "The writing was good. The plot was entertaining. The characters were colorful." I enjoyed it!~~ It has some of the same elements of past Koontz' books..i.e. man, woman, dog...friends and the fighting between good and evil. This still made for a very enjoyable time, but as others have mentioned, I feel he could have stopped around 300 pages. He is still one of my hardcover authors and I am anxiously awaiting the next one. And with Amazon.com playing such a role in this one..I think I will read reviews in an entirely different light. :-)

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book!
Review: One of his best books yet. He keeps getting better. Realistic characters and storyline. I have recommended this book to anyone and everyone that I have talked to.

Rating:
Summary: I give up! I can't finish it!
Review: Thank god I just borrowed this from someone and didn't spendmoney on it. The last couple Koontz books I read frustrated anddisappointed me because he drags unimportant scenes out so long. The last couple of his I read I found myself flipping ahead out of desperation and finding that the same boring scene was STILL in progress! It was when I found myself doing this YET AGAIN that I tossed it aside in disgust. Plus, his use of pop culture references is somehow irritating and his characters are increasingly becoming cartoons. I have to admit it: I think I've gotten way past Dean Koontz and better start looking elsewhere. Apologies to you devoted Koontz fans. (I used to be one of you!)

Rating:
Summary: Not His Best-Still Deserves A Read
Review: I'm a big fan of Koontz and read his Leigh Nichols works before Leigh was known as DK. False Memory starts off slow, but after page 100 it's a continous read-hard to put down. Koontz's villains are the best in fiction. False Memory is broad in scope and I liked the way Koontz pays homage to The Manchurian Candidate & The Matrix. Only Koontz can weave such a tale. If you're a first time reader of Koontz, I recommend Strangers, Midnight or Whispers first. You won't be disappointed with False Memory. '

Rating:
Summary: Recycled Material
Review: A dog. An evil megalomaniac suffering arrested development. Survivalist protagonists with unrealistic optimism. Ocean metaphors. California's coastal setting. Sound familiar? In 'False Memory,' Koontz recycles these all-too-familiar elements and leaves this reader weary and irritated. Plot driven, 'False Memory' is often predictable and frustrating and lacking a cohesive message. For 627 pages, Koontz took me too far into the minds of characters who insulted my intelligence. Why don't they communicate for the first 300 pages? Why do they always check their answering machine the next day, thereby missing a vital clue? Why do they label 'evidence' only to place it where the villan can easily find it? For plot progression. I've read several Koontz novels and have been impressed. 'False Memory,' however, merely recycles elements and adds an idea Koontz has heretofore not explored. Don't waste $ on this newly-recycled material. Instead, go to a used book store and recycle any of his other novels...

Rating:
Summary: Not particularly memorable
Review: I read every Dean Koontz book hot off the press and am usuallyhooked from the first few pages. This one is not typical Koontz inthat I was over 200 pages in before I became interested in the storyline. The protagonist is weird and dangerous, without a doubt, but in the end, he is simply a man, and I missed the supernatural/paranormal elements which are quintessentially Koontz. If I read correctly, the evil doctor's chief motive was revenge for bad literary reviews of his work on Amazon.com! The main characters -- Martie, Dusty, Valet, Skeet, et al. -- are well and highly developed and, once you get past the slow start, you will certainly gain sympathy, worry about them, and root for them to the end. The premise is brainwashing, keyed by an individualized haiku. As depicted, it's probably possible, which is genuinely frightening. END

Rating:
Summary: More couples and their dogs.... MORE KOONTZ
Review: Dear Mr. Koontz. Please don't listen to any criticism of your stories all being the same. (Couple and dog fight forces of evil). I would buy every book like this you could ever write. Although many of your books share that theme, there are so many different evils to fight (and your imagination astounds me) that each one is wonderful. I prefer your stories with no kids. There are 400,000 writers that write about cute kids. Ugh. This book is now tied for my second favorite. You will be hard pressed to top Watchers ever, but this book, the Snow stories, Dark Rivers of the Heart and Dragon Tears are all fighting for number 2. The reader of this tape also did a marvelous job. Scary! After listening in the car, it was a frightening walk from my garage to get to the safety of my big dogs. Was Keeanu out there? Maybe.....