Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking and disturbing
Review: I've decided to only review books that make a huge impression on me, and this one did. After reading some of Koontz later books, I gave this a read and my, my, what a ride.It's primarily the story of one killer and one victim, a girl who escapes him. The author goes deep into POV and lends a window into a demanted mind, but not gratuitously. I can't handle Koontz every day, but I find him to be a very smart writer and Intensity does not dissapoint. Not for the timid, but then life isn't really for the timid either.
Rating: 
Summary: Potential Never Realized and Fraught With Silliness
Review: It's hard for me to sit here and say that this book is anything but fairly bad. It has potential, but that potential is never realized. While there are some scenes that make the pages go by rapidly, the majority make you annoyed at having bought the book in the first place. One major problem with this book is that you don't care about the protagonist, Chyna Shepherd. Wrapped up in a psychological never-never land for most of the book, you simply don't find yourself attached to this unlikely heroine. It's not that you want the killer to win. It's just that Vess is infinitely more interesting than Chyna. And that's a major problem of this book from the start. What you do want is a really good (read: creative) reason why Vess is outdone at the end, and perseverance doesn't count. From the 10th page on, you can generally guess what's going to happen. And when the book is over, you'll be right. There's no true suspense with this book when you consider it that way. As you read on, you hope something will come up that you hadn't thought of. But it never does. The otherwise overly-meticulous Vess errs in a manner that is difficult to swallow. No, that's putting it too lightly. It's just plain dumb. Vess doesn't leave a phone in his house for fear that someone might call the police, yet he manages to leave Chyna enough wiggle room to get out of her entrapment. Pure nonsense, especially when you consider all the hubbub built up in Vess' mind about this being, as he calls it, his "flat tire". I think the story has potential, as I said in the beginning. But Koontz never brings that potential to light. The bones of the story are solid. But the tendons are weak. Under the watchful eye of the careful reader, they snap, leaving only hope of what could have been. The fortuitous series of events that befall the protagonist are silly. And when all is said and done, I found myself not rooting at all for her to get away but for the dogs to finally get her. Why? Because the manner which she jumps that hurdle is just as likely to appear on the next episode of Saturday Night Live. Additionally, too many words and too much time is spent on the details of Chyna's escape. As I said, we all know that she's going to get away. The book would be less appealing if the killer won. So we know she'll best the chains. But does it really need to take over 100 pages of print to happen? And when it finally does, does it really need to be so mundane? What I wanted was more dialogue and more interaction between the 2 characters. Vess and Chyna's conversations were interesting. And while the action scenes also bordered on the inane, at least they were not littered with metaphors that seem to have been taken out of a "Metaphors for Dummies, the Absurd Edition" book. I think the best way to describe this book is as such. Far too often in the story you say to yourself, "Oh, come on." Time and time again, it's just not believable. Sure, at first you let it go and read on because you're willing to give the author free reign. But after a while it's just hard to take. You can't believe that Koontz couldn't come up with a better way to avoid any particular scene's potential doom. And that's exactly it. Koontz's creativity in this book is severely lacking. Not in the setup; the setup is just fine. Like I said, strong healthy bones. But the transition from in-chains to out-of-chains is littered with silliness. As is the fight with the dogs. And the removal of the door in the basement. And the second fight with the dogs which almost redefines the word ridiculous. And the final scene with Vess, which is also extremely weak. I think that a good and/or patient editor would have used a lot of cutting and slicing and told Koontz to go back and redo a large portion of this to bring it together better. And in that case I think it has the potential to be a solid 4 star book. But that course was not chosen, and this is what the result is. Not really a recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes Intense
Review: Summary:
Chyna's bestfriend Laura invites her to sleep over her house for the weekend. That night Chyna realizes that Laura and her family were assassinated. The man's name was Edgar Vess. Vess raped Laura and took her dead body captive to his motor home. Chyna was determined to kill Vess at the time. Later on she realizes she wants to flee and tell the cops. She then finds out that Vess has had a girl named Angel captive in his home for the past year. Chyna is now determined to follow Vess and save Angel and kill or have Vess arrested. During the story Vess shows how intense he gets during murder.
Pros:
This story is very suspenseful, making you want to know what's going to happen next. I like the way Dean puts you in the position where you're about to know what's going to happen, and then brings you up to a new conclusion that has to be solved.
Cons:
Although the book was very suspenseful, Dean excessively used too many details. It kept me from knowing what was going to happen for too long of a period. There were parts in the book when it seemed the mission was accomplished then Dean would use unnecessary details making the book longer and a little less interesting.
Conclusion:
The suspenseful battles that Chyna and Vess had are what make the story good. What I liked also about the book is the switch between characters in certain paragraphs. In some paragraphs it shows what she's going throw, and it also shows her worries toward him knowing she exists. When the switch comes in it shows Vess not knowing she exists and him just trying to get home to Angel. I believe the book was very intense but should have gotten to the point a little faster.
Rating: 
Summary: it's..well..intense!
Review: First, and foremost, id ignore the negative review written by one of the first people on this page. I dunno what he was smoking when he read the book, and wrote such negative comments, about such an intense book.
Please, how pathetic. If i havent have read this book first, and used his review to judge it, id miss out on one of the best books ever! And besides his review, was longer , more boring and annoying that the supposed "100 pages that it took Chyna to get out of the chains" that he so nicely gave away. The title summes it up pretty well. I read this book in 5 days, and every night i said "just a few more pages " (i said the same thing reading Watchers -love that book) and as usual i was up till 3 am, unable to stop.
I was nervous of when Chyna and the villain, Vess would finally meet, and then i was nervous at the end for her. Omg, i dont want to give anything away, but this is a must read for anyone who likes good books. I was kept in suspence, that was like an itch, i had to scrath it, find out what was happening next!!!
Rating:
Summary: This book kicked butt!!!
Review: This book was excellent. Edgler Vess was had me on the egde of my seat throughout the entire book. Chyna was a very convincing character. I got goosebumps. I recommend this book very highly. My mothers friend recommeded the book to her, she loved it, passed it along to me and I am glad she did! Thanks MOM
Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: If I had been Chyna, it would have been a very short book. I found myself tense and turning page after page to see what was going to happen. He would have gotten me in the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: intensity
Review: I saw this movie after reading the book on mystery channel/encore, I've been trying to find it on VHS or DVD preferably.
Rating:
Summary: only the work of the best author EVER!
Review: Dean Koontz once again has put a book in my hand and could not put it down. This book is absolutly the very best of Koontz. No matter what people say if you love Koontz you must read this book.
Edgler Forman Vess, what a psyco, yes, but very charming, you will hate to love him at times, then you will love to hate him.
I could not put this book down, this was the 2nd koontz book i have read and will probally be my most favorite.
Any Koontz fan will love it too
Rating:
Summary: Koontz is my new favorite author.
Review: His characters become your friends. This book is a superb example of his masterful characterization, surpassed (in my mind) only by Chris Snow and friends in Fear Nothing/Seize the Night. I have long had a habit of "casting" fiction works; that is, assigning well known actors and actresses to the roles of the major characters. If you've read this book, or intend to, try casting Winona Ryder as Chyna and George Clooney as the smugly insane Vess. (Yeah, yeah, Clooney is a "good guy" actor - but he would be brilliant here!) There are few Koontz books that I would not give 5 stars to - he's that good. Not quite the command of the language that Stephen King has, not quite the literary voice of King, but vastly more entertaining, tasteful and relateable. After discovering Koontz, I may never read King again!
Rating:
Summary: Lives Up to Its Name
Review: Dean Koontz's novel Intensity is a fine bit of suspenseful writing that hits the mark completly. The story involves a woman named Chyna Sheppard who is caught in the middle of a gruesome killers murder of his best friend and her parents while she is visiting. Miraculously and somewhat implausably she avoids detection by the killer and stows away on his RV. What ensues is a relentless and and driving thriller that doesn't let up. The novel is truly an intense read. Their is about 15 pages of calm before Koontz dives into the action. Some reviewers have said this book is boring, but I have a hard time seeing how this book is boring. Even the part where she is in his house and we get development of her character is not boring, but expertly handled. Koontz uses the age old suspense building technique of waiting to drive the reader crazy with suspense. The most memorable scene in the novel is when Chyna takes care of Vess's dogs. I'll remember that one for a long time. The only negatives I feel the book has is some rather convient set of circumstances that allows Chyna to get on the trail of the killer. Not terrible but somewhat implausable. Overall this is a first rate thriller and the best Koontz I have read.
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