By the Light of the Moon

Rating:
Summary: Cold as Ice
Review: Dean Koontz has been a favorite of mine since the late seventies. Quite truthfully, I find his books to be highly entertaining. By the Light of the Moon is frankly one of his best works to date. The only disappointment I felt after the last page was that the book had ended.

Dean Koontz does take a different strategy with his tapestry of plot. Instead of weaving back and forth with various strands of his plot as he did with Strangers and Mr. Murder, Koontz basically stays with his three main characters once they are introduced. As has been usual with Koontz as of late, his new novel only spans a few days.

Koontz starts his novel with a true North by Northwest feel in that he appears to place his characters in the wrong place at the wrong time. An unusual plot twist in the novel's last pages takes a surprise turn that will take most readers totally unaware, and Koontz shreds the wrong place at the wrong time into something else entirely.

Dylan O'Conner, an artist on his way to an arts festival, and his autistic brother Shep are ensconced in a hotel room. Nearby, Jillian Jackson is a comedian on her way to her next gig. Those three find a trip to get fast food and root beer to be a suddenly dangerous proposition. Attacked by an amok scientist, Dylan and Jillian are forcibly given injections that may-or may not-have positive consequences.

To compound matters, there is a goon squad that wants to kill the amok scientist and anyone with whom he may have had contact. Jillian, Dylan, and the synonym spouting Shep find themselves on the run and that strange things are beginning to happen within their bodies.

The next few days in the three character's lives are a wild non-stop roller coaster ride that is virtually a thrill a minute. Koontz has a unique way of peppering his suspense-filled pages with humor, especially in the personage of Shep O'Conner. One can easily compare the unusual character that is Shep with Tom (M-O-O-N spells Tom) from King's The Stand. Both characters are immensely charming and quite more than they appear to be.

Easily, these three characters rank as some of the most charming and unique personages found in the Koontz universe. Koontz somehow finds a way to allow the characters to grow and become three-dimensional during the book's non-stop action and brevity of time that makes up the story's setting.

This is also one of the few Koontz books that does not feature a loveable animal. The goon squad that chases Shep, Dylan, and Jillian never develop as characters because they remain a constant background threat. Normally, Koontz loves to get into his evil characters' heads and reveal their sickness. He pretty much avoids doing that with the exception of the chilling Dr. Frankenstein. (For those who have read the book, the pun with chilling was intended. Sorry.)

Those who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the Koontz universe could not hope for a better introduction. By the Light of the Moon is a master at work and is a wonderful weaving of suspense and comic relief.

Rating:
Summary: Mad scientists and more!
Review: Dean Koontz is an expert at blending suspense with humor; some efforts, such as `Tick Tock', are uneven, but in `By the Light of the Moon', Koontz gets it right. The plot is tight and the action starts from the first page: Dylan O'Connor is injected by a truly `mad scientist' with an unknown substance with uncertain effects. Dylan, his autistic brother Shep, and Jillian Jackson, a standup comedian who's also been injected, decide to find out who the scientist was, and what exactly they were injected with. The action takes place within hours, and as the effects of the injections become apparent, they have to outrun some kind of secret organization intent on killing them for what they have become. There is both tension and humor in this book, especially from Jill and her companion, Fred (whose end we never really know). My only quibble with this novel comes toward the end: it seems rushed, as if Koontz simply wants to end the story (and maybe set up a sequel?). However, for the most part, this is a great story, and a good addition to Koontz's other works.

Rating:
Summary: AN ALLNIGHTER
Review: Dean Koontz returns to his old loving formula in this riveting tale of acceptance among marginality. Dylan, Jillian and Shep are three of the strongest (and coolest) characters to come around since, well, the last characters of a DK novel. Again, the author's brillance shines as he gives his trio a unique talent to keep evil at bay. From the tension-built first scene to the suspenseful yet touching finale, BTLOTM is a gripping journey destined to become a one sitting read. Those who yearn to rekindle with the "old" Koontz can finally do so with this one. Enjoy.-----Martin Boucher

Rating:
Summary: Worst book I've ever read
Review: I gave this book one star because Amazon.com didn't give me an option to give less. This one is so bad it actually sucks stars from other books like a black hole.

I've read many Koontz books before and was absolutely shocked at the poor quality of the story. My response after reading this was, "Huh?" I actually threw the book in the trash to prevent others from reading it.

The book takes a long time to get moving after an intitial good start. After pages and pages of mundane reading, it finally evolves into an amaturish chronicle of idealized socialism. We all live happily ever after together in a big house, sharing all our stuff.

Was this really written by Koontz? It seems like a 9th grader's first attempt at writing...excpet that it lasts for several hundred pages.

Skip it for sure.

Rating:
Summary: The Old Formula
Review: I have read Koontz's books and for a hile had been a little disappointed, however By the light of the Moon lives up to all my expectations of a Dean Koontz novel :) I really enjoyed the fast (which is reminent of Dark Rivers of the Heart)pace and the awesome technology (Nanobots, which make all Koontz novels just that bit more believable? who knows what will happen in the future). However the ending was very superhero-ish and made me think of Mutant X (TV Show) with all their special powers and wanting to use them for good. Koontz hasn't done very many sequels, but this has a feel of part 2 coming up. I really enjoyed the characters in this novel and how they jelled together. Koontz often writes to a loose "formula" and this fits right in to it. Man, Woman and Dog (This case autistic brother)find trouble with new technology and must keep one step ahead at all times. Shep (autistic brother) brings a lot of light humour to the novel which breaks up the intencity of the action, just at the right moments. I laughed a lot during this novel. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: No more Dean Koontz for me
Review: I tolerated Odd Thomas, and I made it through that book. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for By the Light of the Moon.

Someone gave this book to me for Christmas; otherwise I wouldn't have even picked it up. I attempted to read it, and was completely bored. Fact it - it's dull.

There are a lot of Dean Koontz fans out there, but I am not one of them. I won't be making the mistake of reading another one.

If I could have given this book 0 stars, I would have done that.

Rating:
Summary: Very plainly..........
Review: In my humble opinion, it is the worst, or should I write least favorite book I've ever read. Shep this, and Shep that. The novel was extremely irritating to the point I just wanted to pull out the pages and sling it across the room. This is my second Koontz book I've read. The first was "From the Corner of His Eye", which was wonderful. It is on my list of top novels. This book, by my opinion, is garbage. Find out for yourself if you like it or not. I would strongly recommend getting and reading "From the Corner of His Eye" though.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended story!!!
Review: One of the best things about this book is that it's fairly short by Dean Koontz standards - approximately 400 pages - and it goes right to the point from the first sentence. The action practically begins in the first chapter and doesn't stop all the way to the end. If you've got a free weekend and you want some good entertainment through books, I highly recommend that you pick this one up.

Also, this is not the usual trend of gory fiction you would normally get from this genre, which is good. This story doesn't just focus on the suspense of the plot. It also focuses on the characters. The relationship between Dylan and Sheperd is poignant and touching. Dylan plays the role of the brother/father and Sheperd is the younger brother with a mental disability. Throughout the story Dean Koontz presents a quasi--3D portrayal of these two characters. I could almost feel them in real life. That's how solid Mr. Koontz' writing is in this particular story. I won't say much more because I'd be giving away the plot. All I can say is please read this book. You won't regret it. I promise.

Rating:
Summary: Really a 4.5 stars
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

STORY: After being injected with the mysterious "stuff", Dylan, Shep and Jillian are on the run from bad guys who will stop at nothing to kill them and on the run to find out about the fantastic transformations they are going through

MY FEEDBACK:

CONTENT - As usual the profanity and sex is left to a minimum or non-existent. But what there is of any of it is handled with deft humor that makes you further appreciate the craftsmanship of Koontz

CHARACTERS - Protagonists are very likeable and you root for them to overcome the obstacles

SETTING - For once a Koontz story that doesn't take place solely in Southern California. The setting adds possibilities for both the good guys and the bad guys and is used to this measure.

PLOT - Lots of twists and turn and not knowing how things will be resolved. My only complaint about the book is that the end was kind of anti-climatic. Like his Tick-Tock book this combines a lot of well handled suspense with good humor, which made the story that much more enjoyable

OVERALL

SPOILER TO FOLLOW . . .



Get it, read it, and . . .


if you liked the concept of M. Knight Shaylaman's UNBREAKABLE, then you'll like this story. If you didn't then you will be disappointed unfortunately


Rating:
Summary: A little too pat, but has its moments
Review: The three main characters of the book are Dylan, a hulking optimistic artist; his younger brother Shep, who is autistic; and a beautiful pessimistic comedienne named Jilly. Jilly's life intersects with the two brothers when the three are injected by the proverbial mad scientist with a mysterious fluid that soon has the threesome quickly finding themselves experiencing superhuman powers, even as they are on the run from a cadre of trained killers who are intent on keeping the mad scientists inventions from the world. By the end of the book, the three have evolved into something more than human, and they seek to use their gifts to improve the world.
Writing: I wanted to give Koontz every benefit of the doubt on this book, having just come off of the spectacular (by Koontz standards) Odd Thomas. What I found is that this book straddles neatly the improvements found in Odd Thomas and the pitfalls that have plagued his writing since the eighties. There is humor to be found throughout the book, particularly in the use of exaggerated and thickly strewn metaphors. Some of it works, and some of it doesn't. I didn't really mind it once the book got going, but what I couldn't forgive as easily were the characters, which were only different from the cardboard cutouts that have peopled his earlier works in details and professions. Dylan and Jilly are philosophical opposites who are attracted to each other. Yet, they're both seemingly incapable of moral uncertainty, and not just because they are compelled to do the right thing. Dylan is a model older brother, caring for the too-adorably autistic Shep with no thought to his own needs. Another big criticism is the verbal sparring between Dylan and Jilly, which is so contrived that it wouldn't seem out of place on an old-time radio show. For example, as men with guns are bearing down on them soon after they first meet, Jilly trades barbs with Dylan as he tries to convince her that he is not a serial killer (there is no reason for her to believe that he is one).
I also can't help seeing a similarity between Koontz's books and the films of M. Night Shyamalan. Odd Thomas is about a man who says, in a joking reference to the movie Sixth Sense "I see dead people." In this book, Dylan can see the crimes of people with whom he has physical contact, exactly like Bruce Willis's character in Unbreakable. I can't wait to see if another book by Koontz in this time period deals with a large-scale alien invasion.
Despite these criticisms, the book takes a fun idea and moves us fluidly from one action scene to another. The pacing is very well done, and it was certainly a page turner. I plan to still give more of the recent Koontz a try.