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destinae's review against another edition
3.0
First of all-- if you haven't already read the blurb/premise for this book, don't. It gives far too much away and in my opinion misrepresents the heart of the novel.
About halfway through this book, I was really surprised by how low it is rated. This book isn't a color-inside-the-lines thriller. To me, it is an examination of mortality and grief. It is an overblown testimony of the way that we struggle to understand and accept the sudden and sometimes unfair health conditions and deaths of ourselves and those around us. We scramble through these disorienting and disquieting moments and cling to conspiracy, or capital, or whatever will redeem us in the end. We destroy ourselves even as the sickness pollutes us.
At its best, this book is genius. This has been my introduction to Koontz, and despite the negative points that I will touch on next, it has sold me on reading more of his writing. This man can write the HELL out of a sentence.
This book is also weak. Surprisingly, the most difficult parts to read were those of the suspense and intrigue. The twist at the end-- which I won't post-- was bewildering. It felt cheap and snuck in, flopping ashore after a smattering of red herrings. I can always respect when an author limits the character's perspective and the reader's, but this felt to me that it extended beyond an unreliable narrator. I hate to use the word 'contrived' as a criticism, as any work of fiction is by nature contrived, but it didn't feel *earned*. Even when it is explained, none of the evidence provided feels adequate.
A good plot twist should tell the reader, "you should have seen this coming"-- not, "you never would have seen this coming". But this is a small thorn in the side of an otherwise truly brilliant story.
About halfway through this book, I was really surprised by how low it is rated. This book isn't a color-inside-the-lines thriller. To me, it is an examination of mortality and grief. It is an overblown testimony of the way that we struggle to understand and accept the sudden and sometimes unfair health conditions and deaths of ourselves and those around us. We scramble through these disorienting and disquieting moments and cling to conspiracy, or capital, or whatever will redeem us in the end. We destroy ourselves even as the sickness pollutes us.
At its best, this book is genius. This has been my introduction to Koontz, and despite the negative points that I will touch on next, it has sold me on reading more of his writing. This man can write the HELL out of a sentence.
This book is also weak. Surprisingly, the most difficult parts to read were those of the suspense and intrigue. The twist at the end-- which I won't post-- was bewildering. It felt cheap and snuck in, flopping ashore after a smattering of red herrings. I can always respect when an author limits the character's perspective and the reader's, but this felt to me that it extended beyond an unreliable narrator. I hate to use the word 'contrived' as a criticism, as any work of fiction is by nature contrived, but it didn't feel *earned*. Even when it is explained, none of the evidence provided feels adequate.
A good plot twist should tell the reader, "you should have seen this coming"-- not, "you never would have seen this coming". But this is a small thorn in the side of an otherwise truly brilliant story.
harrietj's review
2.0
The last three Koontz books I've read have all starred a hugely wealthy but really boring man. Even the houses are described the same way. They always have a big conservatory-type reading room full of palm trees. That's so specific. Stop repeating it. And plotwise, this one doesn't even really make sense if you look at it too closely. Why would Violet go after Ryan and not Doctor Hobb? Nonsensical.
The writing isn't good. Who saw the line 'the darkness darkled into something darker than mere dark' and didn't edit it out? It's also got the weirdest most saccharine ending I've ever read. Puppies and disabled kids? Come on. And the romantic lead is so underdeveloped. She really is only in the book to reflect how great Ryan is. Yuck.
Seriously, why am I still plowing through all these Koontz books? None of them are good. More fool me, I guess.
The writing isn't good. Who saw the line 'the darkness darkled into something darker than mere dark' and didn't edit it out? It's also got the weirdest most saccharine ending I've ever read. Puppies and disabled kids? Come on. And the romantic lead is so underdeveloped. She really is only in the book to reflect how great Ryan is. Yuck.
Seriously, why am I still plowing through all these Koontz books? None of them are good. More fool me, I guess.
jimbowen0306's review
1.0
Words cannot describe how bad this book is.
In the book, Ryan Perry is a dot com multi-millionaire who discovers that he has to have a heart transplant. After a year of growing panic (will he get a heart, what caused the heart problems), he flies to China to get his new heart. A year later, a strange Chinese looking woman starts sending him messages about his heart, and trying to spook him somewhat (she breaks into his house to leave "love hearts" for example). Unsurprisingly, this bugs Perry. What is bugging her about the heart and why is she so stressed anyway?
The story should be scary, could be scary, but it just isn't, and that's a big problem for a horror story.
In the book, Ryan Perry is a dot com multi-millionaire who discovers that he has to have a heart transplant. After a year of growing panic (will he get a heart, what caused the heart problems), he flies to China to get his new heart. A year later, a strange Chinese looking woman starts sending him messages about his heart, and trying to spook him somewhat (she breaks into his house to leave "love hearts" for example). Unsurprisingly, this bugs Perry. What is bugging her about the heart and why is she so stressed anyway?
The story should be scary, could be scary, but it just isn't, and that's a big problem for a horror story.
lynecia's review against another edition
2.0
I thought I hated Koontz' writing with a passion. Having never read anything by him ever, I was taken aback by the (pseudo) literariness of the prose and thought, "how dare he?" after all, isn't he one of those pop-fiction, wanna-be thriller writers? You know, those books with far-fetched plots yet predictable storylines. Anywho, I thought Koontz doesn't know what he wants: he wanted to be this poetic wordsmith and then at times masterful thriller writer - aside from his pretentious writing style pissing me off, I think the book was all over the place. However, once the book got going I found myself wanting to know how it was going to end, so I relented. I don't hate his writing with a passion. The story line did keep me on the edge of my seat but after I yanked myself from the throes of the story I realized that it wasn't very good. I see why his books sell so much, but I'll keep my snobby judgements of his fans to myself.
hollsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
kendall_reads8's review against another edition
3.0
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book so much. I used to love Koontz but he kinda lost it there for awhile, at least in my opinion. Not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if I read the book as opposed to listening to it. For me, some books are just better heard then read.
quibblerbookclub's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
traceyanneg's review against another edition
3.0
I was loving this book until about half way through where it began to stretch too much for me. I think Dean Koontz took a few too many liberties with the plot in this one.