By the Light of the Moon

Rating:
Summary: Reads To Much Like A Comic Book
Review: This book sounded more like a comic book than a novel. And Dean Koontz is getting to caught up in the September 11, terroist .... I mean the climax of the novel in the church was very corny. I won't spoil it for people still reading the novel. (comic book) Watch out, it's a bird, no it's a plane, no, it's the midnight club, with shepherd(the autistic teleporter). No offense, but this book was just horrible and the ending really made me want to toss it out a window.

Rating:
Summary: Has Stephen King read this?
Review: Having come off the great, one-day, page turning read of "One Door Away from Heaven", I found this book to be tepid and only mildly interesting.

Mostly this has to do with Mr. Koontz's on again off again descriptive vomiting. Maybe I am not the sharpest tool in the shed but I can usually pick up on a scene without a ten page description of the current surroundings. Or the ad nauseum thought processes of the characters. However, this trait does not hold true in all of his books so I can't say it is a fatal flaw. It seems to be either book filler or the author exploring his descriptive vocabulary. Either way it is not a constant event.

Also, Stephen King fans might note the obvious rip-off of "The Dead Zone" in Dylan O'Conner's special abilities. Hopefully Mr. King is a close friend and won't take exception to the obvious theft of his character!

...and I whole heartly agree with my fellow reviewers in the synergy this book has with Crichton's "Prey". Koontz, with his obvious over the top descriptive desires, could have come up with something better. Maybe Crichton just beat him to press and he didn't feel like revising. Who knows?

Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: See book description above.

Dean Koontz's last few novels have been somewhat average. This time around he has come out of his rut (not a big rut, of course) and served up some fantastic reading. The subject is the ever popular nanotechnology, though with Koontz you get the nanotech with a big dose of the supernatural. Koontz writes this novel with a certain flare. The prose, as well as the dialogue, is top-notch. Jilly ("I should warn you I know Karaoke"), Dylan, and his autistic brother Shep, make for an original and very likeable group of protagonists.

Dean Koontz has written one of his best novels and I highly recommend this to all his fans and to those looking for a fast paced thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Truffles for the mind and soul
Review: This is a magical book following in the tradition of his last offering, One Door Away From Heaven. It lifts and moves and allows us to believe in wonder. Koontz uses words they way we all thought that faries and and wizards use magic in ways that that take our breath and inspire wonder and most always work for the good and the just, making life just ever so much better for having been said.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to Swallow at First
Review: ... but I liked it. What seemed so extraordinarily unrealistic at first is some of the super powers the main characters have. I highly doubt that an enhanced mind could give you 'Star Trek' like powers (you know what I am talking about if you have read the book).

THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS A SLIGHT SPOILER
One thing I really like is when Dean Koontz finally explained how it was that the 'stuff' gave Dylan, Shephard, and Jilly their super powers. It was almost like he knew that Michael Crichton was writing the book 'Prey', and wanted to correspond his book within a month of Crichton's.

Rating:
Summary: BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON - Dean Koontz is back in form
Review: As a long time reader of Dean Koontz books, I have been somewhat disappointed with his most recent novels. Although by most standards they are very readable, they lack much of what has made Dean Koontz a solid best-selling author for so many years - strong characters, tight storytelling. I found the author's recent books to be overly descriptive and somewhat flowery (sorry, but it's hard to describe the exact nature of the problem - also note, I still read them all!).
I am very pleased then to say that his most recent novel, By The Light of the Moon is not only his best in recent years but may be his best since Dark Rivers of the Heart.
The characters - Dylan, Shepherd and Jilly - are brought together after they have been injected with nanobots, microscopic biological machines, which bring about unique changes in our characters. Dylan is able to identify events already happened or yet to come in the residue left by a person's touch on various objects. Jilly develops precognition. Shep, Dylan's autistic brother, develops the most exciting ability. He can "fold" from "here" to "there". He seems to be able to grasp the edge of reality where he is and fold it out of the way while folding into another location. While this "folding" can be accomplished in either space or time, the ability to "fold" into other dimensions is hinted at, creating exciting possibilities for these characters in the future. The author describes this process so eloquently that it reminds one of Stephen King and Peter Straub's young Jack Sawyer "Flipping" into the Territories in The Talisman and Dark House.
The author follows these character's actions with little interruption by the band of black Suburbans following them (full of thug golfers (you'll see!)). This is somewhat unusual for Dean Koontz who usually keeps the tension up by moving frequently from one cast of characters to another. Not so in this book. It works very well, however. The action is fast paced and "can't put it down" exciting.
Some might be disappointed by the ending which sets us up for additional stories, but I loved these characters so much that I can't wait for more.
Dean Koontz has with this novel created a new band of superheroes, but done so in a way that we care greatly about them and look forward to getting together with them in the (hopefully, near) future.

Rating:
Summary: Another fun ride by Koontz
Review: Read the first page and you'll keep on reading. By the Light of the Moon is typical Dean Koontz, a page turner that will keep your finger wet. Like other Koontz stories, this one is full of drama, suspense, and a thrill a second. It incorporates an extensive chase that lasts most of the book which is similar to One Door Away From Heaven. And like One Door Away From Heaven, By the Light of the Moon is full of inspiration, believable characters and wonderful locations.
The novel begins with young artist Dylan O'Conner, his autistic brother Shep both being attacked by a demented scientist at a motel and injected with a mysterious substance. Also attacked and injected is Jillian Jackson, an attractive young comedian. They are warned to take off immediately because, the doctor informs them, he is being hunted down by people who want him and his discovery killed. And the chase is on.
If the book has a problem it is the ending. But, as others have pointed out, this may set up a sequel to this story. That would make most Koontz readers very happy. You'll want a full pot of coffee and lots of munchies for this book.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat formulaic, but still pretty good
Review: (3 & 1/2 stars) I definitely enjoyed this new Koontzbook, but not quite as much as his last one, One Door Away From Heaven. The plot unfolds in a manner very familiar to the author's regular readership. Three people are thrown together by mysterious circumstances, and then they're on the run, fleeing from a faceless and vaguely menacing enemy. As in nearly all of Koontz's novels, there is an unknown phenomenon at work, something that is not really explained until the book is at least two-thirds complete. When it is finally explained, I was dismayed to find out that the secret involves the same theme as Michael Crichton's latest book, Prey. Having just read that one a couple of weeks ago, it was frustrating to see that the two writers based their stories on the same idea.

Despite the bestseller redundancy, though, By The Light does have several positive aspects that kept me reading it. The "powers" developed by the three characters are intriguing to think about (although Jilly's power is poorly established in the first half of the book). The relationships between the characters are generally gratifying to experience as they are happening. There is genuine suspense and excitement along the way. All in all, this is not one of Mr. Koontz's best novels, but still decent enough.

One final thing that I pondered while reading this book.... Dean Koontz creates these (usually) likeable characters in his books, but then we never see them again once the particular book is finished (with a couple of exceptions). It would nice if he would bring some of the best ones back again in future stories.

Rating:
Summary: the best yet
Review: My all time favorite Koontz was Dark Rivers of the Heart, but he has surpassed that with this new novel. I absolutely could not put it down. Very different from Crichton's Prey which also deals with nanotechnology. A must read for Koontz fans, and if you've never read him, what a place to start!!

Rating:
Summary: Screams for a sequel
Review: Let's face it...there's a lot to love about Dean Koontz's writing. Some people become his ardent fans because of his unbelievable imagination. He can take the reader on a journey so filled with vivid detail that it feels like being transported right into the book's setting. Where does he get the ideas?

Although the plot and imagery would be reason enough to read his novels, the thing I enjoy most is the characterization in his better books--and this is one of them! These characters live and breathe, and make you like them (or hate them). In By the Light of the Moon, the relationship of two brothers is portrayed so beautifully that I wish I could know them. The younger, autistic brother Shep is unforgettable. How I hope there will be a sequel to this wonderful story. I heartily recommend it!