Winter Moon

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: The plot intertwines the chaotic city of Los Angeles with the eerie solitude of a Montana Ranch. It combines mystery and horror into one suspenseful, spooky read. I recommend it. The only negative is the ending which does not quite resolve all of the questions the reader would expect to find out about at the end.

Rating:
Summary: DEFINITELY NOT YOUR BEST, DEAN
Review: This is a mediocre effort by the king. It had the SHINING thing going on with the little kid with ESP and a vague, nondescript monster trying to kill the protagonists. Ho-hum. Not great, but not too terrible either. Dean, take your time - you can do better. Check out the BAD PLACE for vintage Koontz.

Rating:
Summary: Yawn
Review: Dean Koontz delivers exceptional writing in the majority of his novels. This one is an exception. I tried three times to sit down and read it. I could not get interested in it.

Rating:
Summary: Winter Moon - lacks closure
Review: I am a huge Koontz fan, and the whole time that I was reading this, I was enjoying it. The characters were okay, the plot was not bad, but the ending was horrible. I can't express in words the dissappointment I felt after completing this book. Many of my questions were not answered when it was finished; there was no closure. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what the monster was...this is undoubtedly my least favorite Koontz books out there

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing...
Review: Perhaps the most worthwhile part of this meager offering from Koontz is his bleak perspective on the downward spiral of civility in our society. There isn't much more to recommend after the first hundred pages. Koontz quickly switches gears away from the MacGarveys' struggle with the living, breathing monster that is L.A., and concludes with a tired alien/ghost story. The lackluster and unsubstantiated ending is particularly disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Wanted: one good editor
Review: What a disappointment. This would have made a tight, suspenseful short story, but is stretched way too thin to be a successful novel. Nearly a hundred pages given to a subplot involving a drug shootout and the neurotic exploits of a cop's wife? Come on, was that really necessary? This subplot has no bearing whatsoever on the remainder of the story. The plot was unfolding in Montana not in LA. No, it didn't even lend itself to advancing character development since the characters are very boring and stilted (Ed being the exception). I found myself skimming through much of the first half of the novel. I believe this book is a good example of cut-n-paste editing in order to meet a deadline.

Rating:
Summary: Generally entertaining tale - old short story background?
Review: The writing here is pretty good (quite suspenseful in places) though the plot was fairly dry. The events surrounding Ed as he tried to figure out what was happening at his ranch were the best. I found it amusing that this character eventually is looking at science fiction books trying to find stories about people in similar circumstances. Indeed, there was one (old man and his dog wintering in an remote water-powered mill - remember this one, Dean?). I wonder if the character's actions aren't the result of DK recalling this fine old story. Wish I remembered its author. But I digress, overall the book is good though it tends to be similar to several other DK novels.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing to pride yourself on, Dean.....
Review: Though I am normally immediately enthralled in Koontz's vivid storytelling by the bottom of page one, Winter Moon left me yearning to reach the end not for my usual motive of discovering how the story wraps up, but for being able to justify my purchase of the novel. Much like The House of Thunder, the plot of Winter Moon seems derived from the bottom of the author's usually well-stocked barrell of intriguing theme. Though it did entertain me, Winter Moon was nothing short of a grown-up Hardy Boys story. Not that the Hardy's were ever that bad.....

Rating:
Summary: Great but what a lame ending
Review: This is one of my top 10 favorites of Dean Koontz's, and I've read about 75% of his books. However, the ending was disappointing and didn't leave me with a satisfied feeling. But other than the ending, I liked the characters and the way the book moved. I like his old style of writing better than his new style. His last two books have been a bear for me to read, and I don't like the characters as much. Let's hope he doesn't lose his touch!

Rating:
Summary: Put your brain on hold
Review: A thing from another dimension enters a ranch in Montana and explores us. It can take over animate and inanimate things, and doesn't know the difference, so it animates corpses. This would make a good short story, and it was once. It makes a mediocre novel. He just fills in extra words to reach novel length, with no new substance. All in 8th grade English. The one bright spot is his technique of keeping you reading on by stringing bits and pieces of expectation in front of you. Otherwise, it's not imaginative, original, or especially entertaining. Sorry, not recommended in the face of so many other better novels on the market.