Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing Look At Computers--And Men
Review: As Dean Koontz put it, "[Demon Seed] was more of a clever idea than a novel." And he's right. There's not enough in this story to really make a 400-page novel--but it's still very good. Maybe the best part of it is that I can boast about reading a Dean Koontz book in one day. I mean, it's 150 pages. Most anyone can do the same.The basic idea of the book is a computer with a God complex holds a young woman (Susan Harris) captive in her own home by controlling her computer system that runs throughout her house. He then plans to use Susan as a "host" so he can be born into human form. The whole idea is disturbing and mesmerizing. Perhaps that's why I liked "Demon Seed" so much. After being made into a movie in 1977 (which I haven't seen, but plan to), "Demon Seed" was revised into the current edition you're looking at right now. I never read the original version, but in the afterwards of this book, Dean Koontz claimed it was so bad that it caused him to "develop the squint-eyed look of Clint Eastwood" from wincing so much. Well, I can't say the book is that bad now--although it's still not one of his best books. But if you're a Koontz fan, then you should definitely give this one a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Demon Rewrite
Review: Koontz wussied-out, when he completely rewrote his wonderful 1973 novel of the same name into this Politically-Correctified "update." The original I would give at least four stars, and if you can find it anywhere don't miss out. It suffered slightly from some over-science-fictioney terminology, but its basic story of a mad supercomputer tyrannizing a captive woman for rape and attempted reproduction had real raw power and a driving edge. It was the first book of Koontz's I ever read, and I still pull it off the shelf now and again for another go. It's still one of my favorites. The rewrite turns the supercomputer into a sociopathic fourteen-year-old voyeur (a potentially interesting observation on artificial intelligence, but it doesn't work here), and the hapless victim into a wisecracking Rambo, completely ruining everything that initially made the story such a winner. Koontz used to write much more realistic characters, which is what made his early fiction so powerful. Today, he too often idealizes his characters to pander to a Yuppie audience, and it frequently - as it does here - undermines the credibility of his work. The 1977 MGM film version, starring Julie Christie, differs from both Koontz versions (it's closer to the first), but is quite good.
Rating: 
Summary: Find the Original! one of the only good books he ever wrote
Review: I'm going to keep this review short. Please find the original version of this book, it is 100 times better. He should have renamed this Turkey Seed, he rewrote this book and it totally sucks. I'm not a big fan of Dean Koontz, his books aren't scary, smart,challenging or original, I spend more time rolling my eyes or rubbing my forehead in exasperation as the stupid plots unfolds. Mr. Koontz is a hack, he writes for intellectual pygmies with an IQ of 70 on a warm day and there are plenty of them out there who are keeping him fat and wealthy. (These are the same people who voted for George W. Bush... D-U-M-B!!!) Try Thomas Tryon,Robert R. McCammon,Simon Clark,Don and Jay Davis,John Skip and Craig Spector,Thomas Tessier,or John Shirley they are by far superior! u)
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Koontz
Review: It's been a long time since I've read some classic Koontz. His most recent books just aren't the same as The Bad Place, Coldfire or Key to Midnight. (Read those!!) So, Demon Seed, I thought, having never read the original, was pretty good. As I was reading, I kept thinking of the Kubrick film, 2001 Space Odyssey. The plot and writing was a bit...laughable at times. Over-all though, if you just decide to read it and take it for what it is, it's not bad. The only other complaint I have is, is that we only got to hear in 2 chapters in the beginning from the voice of Susan. Why bother? There needed to be more from her point of view, at least at the end. I kept waiting to see what she was thinking, but it never happened, it was just weird. Overall though, it was a quick fun read. A bit of classic Koontz, I think.
Rating:
Summary: Unique... Loved it!
Review: 73 v 15 stars: NC-17 beautiful "raw power"
77 v: right after movie (have not read it)
97 v 5 stars: PG-13 human help needed ;P I own the original, it was wonderful. Everyone definitely needs to read the '73 version. Totally different. '73 version more futuristic, house computer has total control, no need for human servants, cameras everywhere (two in bath which Suzy liked it that way) and Proteus only needed Suzy to carry out his plans (no human help.) Proteus tells it from 3rd person point of view, Suzy from hers and have a better relationship if you can call it that. Those are the only two main characters in 182 pgs and only two side ones the home computer Mechanic (hilarious) and Olivia (stubborn). I didn't think it needed an upgrade but 97 explains more things and Suzy history gets a different twist. I liked Suzy original history better. Agreeing with a previous reviewer, yes this has been politically corrected by giving Suzy a different personality and computer pleading for life like baby (not a child)It is still a great book to buy and read. Both books show how most humans only think of themselves as the only higher-intelligent-emotional beings in this world. It shows of a being (of child like mind) not being taken care of and trapped as a slave for humans bidding. Because of that it makes its own assumptions of how the world is and without emotional guidance it goes on a rampage. No matter how much knowledge it has; it is still an unloved male child (monster but not of its own making, just like any other unloved being would react) P.S. I liked HAL (Dave is an ....) and KITT (Michael don't let me get started but he actually got nicer as it progressed. Bonnie is how it should be lol) I recommend DVD Metropolis and Kikaider. Read online Knight Rider "Soul Survivor" by elfin its awesome; female human initiates lol Nothing that I have seen or read yet (officially published) can take the place of such raw power and fear as Demon Seed '73
Rating:
Summary: Not as easy to read as most Koontz novels or as good
Review: This 1997 altered re release of the 1973 original isn't as easy to read as most Koontz novels. This novel is written as a computer talking in first person to its creator Alex, pleading with him to be let out of the box it is imprisoned in. It recounts how it stalked Alex's ex wife Susan, took control of her house's cameras and security system, and then held her prisoner so it could impregnate her and recreate itself as a human. It also took control of a deathrow inmate named Shenk who it controls through chips in his brain who act as its hands. The main flaw of this novel is since the computer is pleading for release from its prison of the box you know that it wasn't successful from the beginning of the book. Written in first person talking style makes the book less enjoyable to read as well. Since Koontz went to all the effort to update the movie star references so that the book would seem more modern you'd think he would have polished the rest as well being that he had 24 years more writing experience since the initial version. It would have been a lot better if you were not aware it was in a box prison until the end. There's better books out there with computers with human abilities such as the Blue Nowhere by Jeffrey Deaver. This is an all right book if you're not into surprises. If you don't like being able to work out the plot of a book from the beginning then give this one a miss.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea, could have been done better
Review: This book had a wonderful idea. But, the lack of characters and the slow pace of it led to a very long read, of a short book. I have read much better from Koontz.
Rating: 
Summary: demon seed the book
Review: When I first saw the book's title I thought that it was about someone being possessed. The title of the book is Demon Seed, and the author's name is Dean R. Koontz.
There are many different ways that the author used one specific writing element and that element was personification, but the only thing about that is that the personification was always to one thing and that thing was the computerized house. In the book there are two main characters. The two main characters are Susan and her husband's creation Adam two. The main setting of the story is in Susan's mansion. The plot is w hen Adam two took over Susan's house he wanted to have a human body. The way that I feel about this book is that all together it was a great book. My favorite part was when the house got Susan to go down to the basement and she didn't know where she was going.
Rating:
Summary: If this is POOR, I want to see THE ORIGINAL
Review: This was a very good novel by Kootz. He described the paranoid woman very well and gave an interesting view from the AI standpoint. Not many characters, but they were very detailed. Decent flow, but bogged down at times; clearly a very early work in progress by DK. However, I gave it a 4-star because I am not a sci-fi fan and it made me want to continue reading. If this is the revision, I would love to get my hot little hands on the original version. Anybody out there know where I can score a copy? E-mail me please and make a friend for life.
Rating:
Summary: What A Waste of Paper
Review: Quite a long time ago I read a few Dean Koontz novels. Then I promptly forgot about him and moved on to other things. Recently, however, I've picked up a few of his novels. And while most have been decent escapist fiction, they've reminded me why it was so easy to walk away from his novels to begin with - they're not bad but neither are they earth-shattering. In a recent attempt to give Koontz another chance, I picked up Demon Seed (it was the first one I saw on the shelf). I can't begin to describe how bad this novel is. Let me say that the idea is good. When Demon Seed was originally written, the idea hadn't been played to death. At the time of conception, it was creative. Or marginally creative - HAL had already gone nuts in 2001: A Space Odyssey close to ten years before. But as far as I know, few people had thought of the potential peril caused by the mechanisms that insulate our lives. So that was an accomplishment. The novel itself, however, was a horribly written, badly developed piece of trash. If I didn't object to the concept of burning books, I'd have lit this one the minute I finished it. There's virtually no suspense, readers have a pretty good idea how the story will play itself out by page five and the dialogue is just plain bad. Don't get me wrong - I've read other novels by Koontz that I've really enjoyed. This just isn't one of them. Instead of reviving and updating Demon Seed, Koontz should have asked that it be mercifully destroyed by the publisher.
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