False Memory

Rating:
Summary: Old material repackaged - good yarn
Review: Does anyone have a count on how many of Koontz's works have dealt with psychological terror induced by nefarious means? That theme crops up again and again. The novels are growing in length but not in depth and breadth. Koontz needs to take a time out and develop an original story before dashing out the next one in neck-break time.

You want cliches? How about an evil psychiatrist, "specially designed drugs", the tender, literate blue collar worker with the beautiful wife, the emotionally and mentally crippled helpless souls, the victim no one believes, the satanic parents, etc. Considering it all, it is a suprise the story turned out as well as it did.

It is presented in his classic "switch action" technique - his story / her story / his story... The premise of drug induced zombies has been approached from almost every conceivable angle and this one is far from original. One detects previous works in each book and this is no exception. So many have been released that repetition cannot be avoided. The bad guys are remarkedly similar.

The trouble with popular authors is the eventual slide from quality to quantity. I am not asking for an Elizabeth George or Bram Stoker. I do ask for a little imagination and originality. The author has shown he is capable of creating works of great power (The Watchers, Strangers, Lightning). He owes his public something more.

Rating:
Summary: Almost too eeire
Review: This is probably the most explicit Koontz novel I've read. I hated the first third of this book as it was almost to sinister and disgusting to read. It was more painful and gut wrenching than entertaining. I almost put the book down when it detailed someone committing rape. In spite of it's awful beginning, the book got better.

I don't think there has been a more evil villian in a Koontz novel than this one. The way Koontz describes his sinfulness down to his every thought is the amazing writing you've come to expect in his novels. And like many of his novels, the ending is clutch. These aspects made the book a worthy read.

Rating:
Summary: my intro to terror
Review: This was my first reading of Dean Koontz, and it prompted me to read some of his other works. I was very impressed with the writing, the characterisation, and the suspense in the novel. As in some of his other works, there is a sinister quasi-government organisation, but this time it's personal. I really loved the main characters Dusty and Martie, and koontz's description of all the characters really brought them to life. The book deals with very disturbing and frightening themes like rape, child abuse, murder, and mind control, and some people could be disgusted, but the basic goodness of human beings shines through all the horror. There are other memorable characters in the book, like Dusty's half brother Skeet, the lovable self destructive addict, Fig, the monosyllabic alien hunter, Dr. Mark Ahriman, one of the most complex characters i've ever come accross in fiction, and Valet the dog, Dusty and Martie's touchstone, a fully fledged character in his own right. The action in the book mirrors that in The Lord of the Rings, the video game Martie is working on, as she and Dusty journey to a meeting with evil in their own personal Mordor. After reading the book a second time I understood the motivations a lot better and i'd reccomend this book to anyone who loves a good story and excellent writing.