Rating: 
Summary: a disappointment
Review: Koontz is one of my favorite authors, but this is a disappointment. I thought it would never end.
Rating: 
Summary: All the right stuff, but not quite up to snuff
Review: It is interesting to witness the maturing of Dean Koontz as demonstrated by his books over the years. As do we all, Mr. Koontz learns that the horror contained within the human species is far more terrifying than anything supernatural. I read the much anticipated new book over a weekend, and must admit that the nanobots were reminiscent of those in Cold Fire but the result in By the Light of the Moon though, were far more entertaining. Mr. Koontz writes a bright, brave strong heroine (a constant in his books) a standup comedian with a sarcastic sense of humor that doubles as her shield. Our reluctant hero is not as well trained as those men in previous books, no past military training, no guns, which is refreshing. And then there is the autistic brother, Shep, whom Mr. Koontz creates with tenderness and empathy. I especially enjoyed the introduction of Paris Lantern, (gee, who could that late night paranormal talk show host be really?) as I have enjoyed Mr. Koontz as a guest on a late night paranormal talk show. The book had all the right elements and yet it just did not click for me. The new Moonlight Club has the potential for many adventures, but I prefer the Christopher Snow XP man clan. Of course opinions are like elbows, everyone has one! I will look forward to the next Koontz work and will hope for new canine characters in the books- Koontz writes the best dogs, hands down!
Rating: 
Summary: Really Really Good
Review: This is the fifth novel I have read by this author and I thought it was really great. The characters were greatly developed and the humor in the book made it even better. The action keeps the reader involved and the story does not get tiresome. The only complaint I have is the ending, which I felt took a 180 degree turn out of no where. Don't know if Koonts plans on writing a sequal to the book as another reviewer suggested but I hope not because I do not believe it could live up to this one. Regardless, definetely read this novel, it will be worth your time. I also suggest Tick Tock by Koontz if youre looking for a shorter humorous read.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: I am a big Koontz fan having read all of his books. By the Light of the Moon was a big disappointment. The story's well written, and its initial premise was very interesting. However, as it developed it became very cartoon like and seemed to better fit a comic book (X-Men to be specific) than a Koontz novel. It would have been much better had it followed the suspense angle of having been injected by something and trying to determine who, why and what than turn into a fantasy involving people that were really not very interesting. I'll continue to be a Koontz fan because I typically find his stories to be very interesting and well written. By the Light of the Moon is, however, not going to be one of my favorites. I was so looking forward to the next Koontz book too!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Take It Too Seriously
Review: This book is a decent, light read. If you don't take it too seriously and you know where to skip over some of the overstuffed descriptive jargon, it is fun. Just wade through some of the verbosity in the beginning and you will be hooked. I enjoyed it and felt it was an improvement over the last couple of books which seemed to have a bit too much verbal "filler" and completely unbelievable characters. If you are looking for on-the-edge-of-your-seat old-style Koontz suspense you will be disappointed, but if you enjoy the mellow, morphed (perhaps psychotropically enhanced?) Koontz of his last "phase" it is a pleasant ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Dean Koontz where are you?
Review: I just finished "By the Light of the Moon". I rather enjoyed it but not as much as his earlier novels. I used to be a huge fan of his books until after "Sole Survivor". After that it seems like Dean Koontz has been on a weird downward spiral of books that just don't add up or live up to our expectations. He has become too formulatic and predictable. I gave this book 2 stars because I always love his characters and his colorful use of prose but this book did have a comic book angle to it, especially near the end. (**spoiler**) I wasn't expecting it to end in such a silly way but it did. I mean come on! The Midnight Club? And what was with them all discussing near the end about giving themselves alter-ego names? Plus I really rolled my eyes with the scene of the plane flying pass the moon giving off an image of a "tiny-winged silhouette" ala Batman style. I felt that Dean had watched "X-Men" a couple of times and couldn't come up with any idea's for a book and just used his old formula with a super-heroes twist and heard through his editor about Michael Crichton's latest idea of nanotechnology. I wish that Dean would get his head out of the teleporter and show us his real mind power!
Rating:
Summary: Flawed, but still a good read...
Review: I admit, after reading other reviews of the novel, several of which said that this was Koontz's best, I was dissapointed.
While the characters were funny and endearing, I didn't feel they were as well developed as, say, the couple from " Dark Rivers" or the characters from the Christopher Snow novels. I guess I was dissapointed that they had actual lives before being injected with the stuff, and that they had to give up their lives as if being a comedian and an artist aren't worthy enough- I say what's the worth of life without laughter and beauty. The character of Shep was interesting, but terribly inconsistent, and I was annoyed to find him a veggie at the beggining of the novel, extraordinary in the middle, and then reduced to saying "cake","ice" and "tasty" at the end.
While I enjoy the chased/ chasers aspect of the novel, the antagonists barely appear in the story( What- three times?), so it's easy to forget they exist. The tautness, intensity and cardiac arrest induced by, for example " Dark Rivers" or " Intensity", etc. is just not in this novel.
Part of the reason I enjoy Koontz's books is because of the humor, but in the beggining of the book, dare I say it, it was over the top and became irritating. The "I'm not a rapist, I'm an artist." bit was excellent, though.
I guess to sum it all up, I guess I was dissapointed that I wasn't reduced to a sodden mass of tears at the close of the novel. " By The Light Of The Moon" only left me satisfied- usually after a Koontz novel I'm reassured of the innate goodness of humankind, awed by the possibility of technology, impressed by the redemptive power of love and courage, or just plain moved.
Despite all the compliants listed above, "By The Light of The Moon" is still a great read and worthy of your time- Koontz at his not so best is still EXTRAORDINARY!- and I eagerly await his next work.
Rating:
Summary: Koontz-like, but a little better than usual
Review: I have read MANY Koontz novels, enjoyed about half, and could only recommend one (False Memory) to anyone not a fan of the genre. The reason I continue to endure his books is simple: they are light, easy reads; familiar territory that eases me into a Reading Cycle. There are a few things to expect with every Koontz novel: the hero and heroine will fall in love by the end of the story (if they're not already); an all-powerful killer or secret government organization is trying to kill them; the heroine will be fiery, independant and scrappy; and one of the heroes will be an artist. Dogs and autistic people show up regularly too.
By the Light of the Moon possesses all of these things. The characters, in this case though, rise a tad above their stereotyped cliche ridden personalities. Dylan is a decent guy, not overly goody-goody like usual; Jilly is a strong female with a troubled past (as usual) but doesn't overbear the reader. Shep is a well done autistic kid (young man), and the bad guys (black suburban driving super mercenaries) are mercifully kept in the background. The mad scientist is almost believable, though his motives are a bit shaky, and the Lantern character works--though he has a minor role. My biggest quibbles concern the overall plot; the terror of nanomachines injected into humans is interesting, but the results of the injections could have been better; and the whole story "clicks" together a bit too finely at the end.
In short, Koontz is improving, finally. Light of the Moon does not resemble his previous novels (he has a tendency to recycle ideas), and is a decent read. Recommended for Koontz fans, and for those who (like me) have read all of Stephen King's books. Better than Corner of the Eye, and on par with the Christopher Snow novels.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Koontz is back!
Review: I was disappointed with FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE and ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN, but the Dean Koontz I've grown to admire is back with his latest thriller, BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON. You can read any of the other "reviews" here for a plot synopsis, but I'd like to instead commend the book on several notes: he has finally gotten rid of a canine sidekick, which is a nice temporary reprieve. Secondly, the action is fast-paced and he doesn't go on ad nauseum with rambling details as he has been prone to do. I also like the "vague" ending, which leads one to believe that there could be a sequel somewhere along the line, or so I hope. I do see similarities to the movie UNBREAKABLE, where normal people become superheroes of sorts, and Shep's character is somewhat cliche (and gets on the nerves from time to time with his repetitions), but these are easily forgiveable. Let us remember that Koontz has taken a fascinating idea, that of nanotechnology (doing a better job of it than M. Crichton did in his latest, PREY), and also infuses that human emotion, the draw of thriller, an element of psychology, and good ol' fun. I haven't enjoyed a Koontz book this much since FALSE MEMORY. The key to his writing is taking characters we can relate to and putting them in scenarios that are reasonable, but mind-bending at the same time. At no point does he "talk down to the reader," and, what's more, explains things very well, not leaving questions hanging like the aforementioned works at the top of this critique have (at least in my case). Kudos to a job well done, Dean, and I can't wait to read what you come up with next! Don't make me wait too long, or I may have to call up Jilly to ask her what she sees in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading
Review: I enjoyed reading this novel. It was exciting but had a touch of humor as well. Great work, Mr. Koontz!
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