Rating: Summary: I thought it was da bomb!! Review: this book was very good even though it had its slow points at the beginning it really picked up at the end. i thought it was funny how the snowplow driver was eager to help jack, heather, and toby once he knew they were fighting an alien.
Rating: Summary: Two Thumbs Up! (Way Up!) Review: A very "imaginative" thrill ride. Unique, and as always, SCARY!
Rating: Summary: Koontz at the top of his form Review: This book ties in with "Strangers" as one of his all-time best. Way to go, Mr. Koontz! He proves that even though he writes book after book with no hesitation, he doesn't do it only for the money. He clearly LIKES what he does, which unfortunately is a bit uncommon nowadays. Koontz's elegant writing and ability to hold out the suspense without appealing to horrible graphic scenes make him one of the best in his field today. He may be saving an otherwise dying genre.
Rating: Summary: Dean Koontz--Winter Moon (1994) Review: One of the last traditional Koontz "creature features", this piece of work is not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but still a fast-paced, moderately enjoyable read none-the-less. The setting initially begins in Montana, where Eduardo Fernandez comes upon an evil presence in the woods. The solitary man begins a battle against the horrific unknown, only to succomb to its terror. Skip to Los Angeles, California, where police officer Jack McGarvey and his partner are ambushed by a killer, murdering the partner and serverely injuring the protagonist. To avoid the dangers of the big city, the recovering Jack decides to take his family away to a secluded old ranch in Montana.The new lives of the McGarvey family seem simple and enjoyable enough. They do not have too many nearby neighbors, but they are happy enough in their new sanctuary and are ready to begin a new life together. However, this was before some strange occurences start to take place in the home. This is before they realize that a merciless, undead terror is about to make their lives a living hell. Not as symbolic as many of his other novels, this Koontz romp is strictly horror business without the extraneous variables. The McGarvey family is only fairly likable; readers obviously are not rooting against them, but they are slightly under-developed compared to other character families in some of his past tales. Overall, "Winter Moon" will not put you to sleep, but it not cause you to read the last page in triumph either.
Rating: Summary: From Los Angeles to Montana, the horror continues... Review: Jack McGarvey, one of L.A.'s finest, is wounded in a violent and spectacular gunfight. In Montana, Eduardo Fernandez encounters something in the woods...something which means him harm. When Eduardo dies, and McGarvey inherits the man's cabin, it seems like a dream: a chance to get away from the city and really LIVE. But living may turn to dying, and the McGarvey family is about to find out. There is still something in the woods, and it wasn't satisfied with Eduardo. It want's McGarvey's young son...and is ready to do anything to get him... This isn't Koontz's best, but as a sci-fi thriller, it's pretty darn good. A "creature feature", yes, but it's more than that, as any Koontz novel is: it's a novel of a man defending his family against an unknown evil, and coming to grips with himself. A reworked version of an earlier Koontz story, this novel is, like most of Koontz's work, a nearly-flawless thrill ride of chills and suspense. Dean Koontz is a masterful writer; "Winter Moon" is an incredible novel. Get the picture?
Rating: Summary: Not one of Koontz's best... Review: I guess when you've written as many books as Dean Koontz has, you're allowed to put out a few that aren't quite up to caliber every now and then. Winter Moon didn't rank up there with Intensity or Phantoms for me, but it wasn't bad.
What I liked: Koontz's descriptions are always well-imagined; in this book, the description of the events at Arkadian's station is particularly strong. So is his picture of the crumbling city of Los Angeles. Montana, in my opinion, is the perfect rustic locale for Eduardo's story. Through Koontz's words, I felt the isolated beauty of Quartermass Ranch. And, lastly, I always love a good scare--and this one made me feel a little uneasy at times.
What I didn't like: The McGarvey family is made up of underdeveloped characters. I felt like I was shot right into the story--which would have been fine, if some blanks were filled in later, but they weren't. (For example, what exactly happened to Tommy? I know he was Jack's partner, killed in the line of duty, but what EXACTLY happened? I felt like that was important to Jack's emotional state after the incident at Arkadian's, and we never find out what happened.) It also bothered me that Jack didn't tell Heather right away about the confrontation with Toby in the graveyard--if that was me, before I even suspected anything supernatural, I'd get my kid to a psychiatrist. And, lastly, one of the things I always love about Koontz's books is that he addresses some larger theme towards the end (think The Taken). I could see the beginnings of that in Winter Moon, but it wasn't fully developed. What was that alien thing, anyway?? The enemy in this book left me with more questions than answers. If Toby really got inside that thing's head, I would have appreciated Koontz telling us what he saw.
Overall, not bad...but not one of the best.
Rating: Summary: Creepy and Disturbing Review: Well, wow! does this book have punches!!
I have to admit to a particular part of the book when Eduardo encounters one of these "Givers" on his front porch. He hears them walking and aproaching his door, he demands a reaponse, but there is none; and finally when he comes face to face with this entity it kills him!
Another disturbing part of the story is when little Toby and Jack are out in the cemetary where most of the family appeared to have been buried a few yards from the house and when Jacks tries to figure out what his son, Toby meant by when he said: "Where do we go when we die?"
And with that said Toby looked up from the epitaph and looked directly at his father and Jack noticed that it was not his son he was speaking to. His eyes were completly black and it was though you could almost see through to him...
THis was beyond scary!!!! I definatly recommecnt this thriller to anyone who isn't scared easily!
Rating: Summary: From Los Angeles to Montana, the horror continues... Review: Jack McGarvey, one of L.A.'s finest, is wounded in a violent and spectacular gunfight. In Montana, Eduardo Fernandez encounters something in the woods...something which means him harm. When Eduardo dies, and McGarvey inherits the man's cabin, it seems like a dream: a chance to get away from the city and really LIVE. But living may turn to dying, and the McGarvey family is about to find out. There is still something in the woods, and it wasn't satisfied with Eduardo. It want's McGarvey's young son...and is ready to do anything to get him... This isn't Koontz's best, but as a sci-fi thriller, it's pretty darn good. A "creature feature", yes, but it's more than that, as any Koontz novel is: it's a novel of a man defending his family against an unknown evil, and coming to grips with himself. A reworked version of an earlier Koontz story, this novel is, like most of Koontz's work, a nearly-flawless thrill ride of chills and suspense. Dean Koontz is a masterful writer; "Winter Moon" is an incredible novel. Get the picture?
Rating: Summary: All right but not masterpiece Koontz quality Review: I have read nearly everything Koontz has written and this certainly wouldn't be anywhere near the top of a ranking of books in order of quality list. He has written worse though. I would recommend Watchers, Mr Murder, Night Chills, Intensity and The Voice of the Night to name but a few of the Koontz masterpiece novels instead of this but if you can get this cheap or free it is a worthwhile read to pass the time. In Winter Moon Jack McGarvey almost dies after he and his partner encounter a Hollywood film maker high on drugs with a sub machine gun who flips after receiving a Pepsi from a vending machine which he didn't order in a petrol station. Meanwhile Eduardo Fernandez witnesses strange things at his Montana ranch and then something knocks on his door. Stressed and targeted by Beverly Hills rich kids with spray paint whilst her husband is recovering in hospital Heather McGarvey is paranoid for the safety of her young son and herself and growing to hate LA. They are also having money problems so when they find out they have inherited a Montana ranch from a relative of Jack's ex partner who died a year before the petrol station incident they are thrilled to escape the cesspool of LA. Of course what knocked on Eduardo's door will also knock on theirs too.
Rating: Summary: Not the best but still good. Review: Even though this was not the best book Dean Koontz has written it still grabbed my attention to the point where I did not want to put it down. The ending is somewhat surprising and it gets you really into it.
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