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sandranir's review against another edition
2.0
A sheer disappointment as I really love books I've read so far by Dean Koontz.
The plot and the main characters were intriguing enough to hold my attention at the beginning of the book but then I dwindled off. May be it was a case of "it's me, not you book"; but half-way through, I wasn't sure I would finish it - but I did. I think I found Christopher Snow too young for my taste, and expected another development entirely, may be something verging on the supernatural?
The plot and the main characters were intriguing enough to hold my attention at the beginning of the book but then I dwindled off. May be it was a case of "it's me, not you book"; but half-way through, I wasn't sure I would finish it - but I did. I think I found Christopher Snow too young for my taste, and expected another development entirely, may be something verging on the supernatural?
jennc's review against another edition
2.0
What was this even? I’m so confused. Violent, creepy and just plain weird.
sinimini's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
a_lyric_to_a_song's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
topdragon's review against another edition
3.0
Once again, Dean Koontz proves he is a hit or miss writer.
This first book of the so-called "Moonlight Bay" trilogy has an intriguing main character, (Christopher Snow), an interesting premise involving secret experimentation at an abandoned military base using retroviruses to enhance intelligence in animals, and a nice setting on the California coast. Unfortunately, it just never quite lived up to its promise. It seemed like every time my interest started to peak, the main character waltzed off into several pages of introspection on his life and what it all means.
Granted, Christopher Snow's life is unique in that he suffers from a rare genetic disorder that leaves him dangerously vulnerable to light. Consequently he lives by night; even too many candles in a room make him squint. That's a great concept for a character but the plot wandered about quite a bit before settling on the obvious telegraphed path that had to unfold eventually. This one was close to earning only two stars from me except for some nice scenes with Christopher's best friend, Bobby, (a surfer dude), and a pretty cool fight with monkeys at the end. Monkeys, especially monkeys with heightened intelligence and an evil streak always make for great horror fiction.
It seems even Koontz has abandoned this trilogy since the second book was published in 1999 and nothing since. Reportedly, Koontz had said in 2000 that he was half way through book 3 at that time. Hmmm...
This first book of the so-called "Moonlight Bay" trilogy has an intriguing main character, (Christopher Snow), an interesting premise involving secret experimentation at an abandoned military base using retroviruses to enhance intelligence in animals, and a nice setting on the California coast. Unfortunately, it just never quite lived up to its promise. It seemed like every time my interest started to peak, the main character waltzed off into several pages of introspection on his life and what it all means.
Granted, Christopher Snow's life is unique in that he suffers from a rare genetic disorder that leaves him dangerously vulnerable to light. Consequently he lives by night; even too many candles in a room make him squint. That's a great concept for a character but the plot wandered about quite a bit before settling on the obvious telegraphed path that had to unfold eventually. This one was close to earning only two stars from me except for some nice scenes with Christopher's best friend, Bobby, (a surfer dude), and a pretty cool fight with monkeys at the end. Monkeys, especially monkeys with heightened intelligence and an evil streak always make for great horror fiction.
It seems even Koontz has abandoned this trilogy since the second book was published in 1999 and nothing since. Reportedly, Koontz had said in 2000 that he was half way through book 3 at that time. Hmmm...
vanfox723's review against another edition
1.0
Surprised I finished it. I’ve read a few of DKs books and a lot of them revolve around characters who can’t go out in daylight, and this is no different. This is probably just me, but his use of unnecessary words is very annoying. For instance rheostat instead of dimming switch, ascertain instead of find out…he uses words people don’t normally use in every day conversation. If it were only occasionally, it wouldn’t be too bad, but it seems he goes out of his way to use that type of vernacular (see what I did there?). Anyway if you are looking for a story without much depth, action, suspense or character development, this is a book for you.
ph0enixlynn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookishwyvern07's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
stormborn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0