Rating: Summary: Read Lightning, Watchers, Mr. Murder, The Bad Place. Review: I love Dean Koontz. I own most of his books, and have read the rest. But after Mr. Murder, Dark Rivers Of The Heart, and Intensity, this!? Sole Survivor wasn't terrible (if it was someone's debut novel) but it was not his best work and indeed I would probably rate it as his weakest. For various reasons: One, for some horrible horrible reason he seems overcome by the (and this may be the worst insult) John Saul-ian need to kill EVERYBODY for no reason. Even mindless slasher movies and the endless Die Hard-type films kill people for a reason. But I mean, come on: Rose's death? A mile away from this Jedi-type healer? I felt ripped off. Two, and maybe this is just me, but the God bits just seemed overly cheesy and old. How about a new perspective? Koontz poses a lot of questions about spiritual awakening and denies the readers his hypotheses. Three, Sole Survivor just seems like imaginative residue, all that was left after the preceding great novels. SS was A bit of Dark Rivers, a little Intensity, and towards the end a whole lotta Firestarter and Desperation (SK). A note to Joe Carpenter: read Harlan Ellison's PAINGOD. Not suspenseful, not interesting (as in NEATO!), not very imaginative. I think Mr. Koontz should take a rest, maybe a couple years. Just to refresh himself. He might be burning himself out. I mean, a secret government laboratory breeding psychic children, and one who can enlighten with but a touch? And I thought it would be aliens! Go figure
Rating: Summary: I've read better by him... Review: I never thought I would say this...but - I didn't really care for this novel! Do I dare say...I was somewhat bored?!?! Ack! I love Dean Koontz novels, but maybe I was too overjoyed with "Intensity", that maybe nothing else will compare? Sorry Dean
Rating: Summary: Pretty Bad Review: My first Koontz novel - and my last. His writing style is simply terrible. It is as if he were paid by-the-word. This same plot could have been rendered much more successfully in one-half the volume. Many times, I found myself chuckling and rolling my eyes at the flowery, repetitious over-the-top descriptions. Shows some promise at the very beginning, but soon loses everything
Rating: Summary: OK, BUT STILL A DISAPPOINTMENT Review: While this is far better than the terrible "Inensity" it is still a disappointment, because it covers too much of the subjects Koontz already has explored. The tone of the novel is very much like "Dark Rivers of the Heart": Paranoia, a huge, immensly powerful organisation, standard chase scenes (the usal pay-in-cash-or-they-can-track-down-your-credit-card he and Grisham so often uses) and the finale is too much escapism to enjoy it, similar to the novella "Strange Highways". Also disappointing is the use of the grief of the main character over the loss of his wife. Koontz could have explored this much more, instead of just using it as a psychological (plot-) device.
And: The main idea (THIS BOY, I won't spoil it here) is not exactly terribly new...
Why do I give it a 7? It is still a good read, albeit not a terrific one.
p.s.: Mr Koontz, are you getting a little bit lazy? This is your second novel which clocks in at about 300 pages.
Rating: Summary: My first Dean Koontz book Review: I don`t know what a dyed in the wool Dean Koontz fan expects, since this is my first. I am sorry I haven`t read him before. I could not put this book down once I started reading. I will be sure to attempt to catch up on those books I`ve missed
Rating: Summary: Best Koontz book I've read yet so far, waiting for more! Review: A Boeing 747-400 carring 330 + people goes down with no warning, how? Total destruction of the plane and all passengers, yet one woman walks away without a mark. HOW?!? One man tries to find solace one year later at his family's grave and meets her. Suddenly he's being chased, shot at, and followed. Everyone he meets who knew someone or had relatives on that flight sees a picture and suddenly starts dropping like flies. This and more keeps you in suspense as you try to figure out who or what is behind all the deaths. Why are people killing themselves for seemingly no reason? What is it about the plane crash that doesn't ring true? What are they seeing in those pictures?This and more will hook you and keep you reading all the way until the end. What will Koontz come up with next?!
Rating: Summary: He's back! Review: I would describe myself as a huge Koontz fan, having read every fiction book available (I have even collected a few not available in the U.S. when I traveled in Thailand!) I have been disappointed by his last few books, but was so excited by Sole Survivor that I couldn't put it down. While it is not as detailed as some of my more dense favorites like Strangers and Watchers, it has the same mystical feel. I enjoyed the character development and enjoyed several surprises. I hope there is a sequel so I can follow the characters' progress
Rating: Summary: Another "Can't Put It Down" by Koontz! Review: I have enjoyed all of his book, and anxiously await new titles.
I was pleased and surprised at the ending of this book, and I believe that one day something like this will be possible.
Rating: Summary: Interesting read, 4-5 chapters of good suspense. Review: This was the first Koontz novel I read. It was recommended as being similar to Crichton and it was. Koontz got a little bogged down in description and had a tendency to go to the extreme of realistic situations. Overall I was moderately entertained but was disappointed with the ending
Rating: Summary: Another great book by Dean Koontz Review: Sole Survivor, as with all of Koontz's books peeks your interest and makes you really think if the context of his book is factual. A child with healing abilities and able to keep someone else safe when all the other passengers of their plane are killed was rivoting. I didn't want to put the book down. I also wondered if it was possible to genetically engineer a child with specific abilities. He portrays two children on opposite sides of a broad spectrum, one who used her abilities for good and another who used his abilities to hurt others
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