Intensity by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dean Koontz is one of my recent favorite writers. He is the only writer that I love and admire in the psychological/horror thrillers.
He himself has mentioned that intensity was one of his best works, so I had to read it.
He was not wrong, the book is a benchmark for suspense thrillers. Absolute rendition of psycho-thriller with just two main characters and a usual plot, but considerable dedication into the character developments.
Chyna Shepherd, the protagonist was one of the best creations I have read and also a wonderfully convincing portrayal.
Edgler Foreman Vess, the antagonist, was unlike all the other psychopaths who used to have some form of a flashback in their past where they would have started to derail into this killing machinery. But, Vess was a different being. He’s a pure psycho who loves to kill just because he can and he wants to. No past trauma, no trigger points. Immaculately well-written character.
Now, the plot, a vulnerable and aversive protagonist vs a formidable and psychopathic antagonist.
From the very first page, the plot started burning through my fingers. It was all too good and ultimately suspenseful. Templeton’s house sequences could easily be the best suspenseful read where the readers are left hanging at every page.
When the flow of the plot turned the other way – when Vess knows about Chyna and she doesn’t know that he knows. Then the lion’s territory – My God! I could swear I was sweating during their face-off. The story moved at a definite pace of suspense.
Chyna’s escape plan and severely challenging maneuvers was mind-numbing. Ariel’s lost character was justifiable and the end of “holding on to hope” drove home the intended point.
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Tag: dean koontz
Book Review: Strangers by Dean Koontz
Strangers by Dean Koontz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh, whoa! Where do I even start with this one?!
Ok, I was researching for some of Dean Koontz’s best thrillers and I came up against many. The gist behind the cover of “Strangers” was really simple yet intriguing beyond imagination. I decided to buy and read it.
First impression on receiving and opening the book – By God, it is huge and cramped like anything. The fonts were so small and congested that I wondered why they published like this. This was later justified from the author’s afterword at the end.
I started off the book and I got hooked with the start itself. Because of the practical difficulty in reading the small fonts and congested passages, I took time, but the book was brilliant.
The characters were all so realistically written and well-developed with all their arcs neatly carved out. Dom, Ginger, Jack, Ernie and Jorja/Marcie were all simply stunning and full of thrill and suspense.
The paranormal nightmares and events happening in a suspenseful and thrill manner were very neatly written. I have to appreciate the author for his literary skills. He weaves words that paint the emotions we are expected to feel as an audience.
The plot is ingenious and brave. I loved the the theme setting so much and was so hyped up that I was waiting for the inevitable downfall which usually comes with such a strong plot, but in vain.
Dean had written a perfect thriller with no elements missing. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read throughout and even though the book was bulky, the story was worth it.
I have to give it to Dean for pulling this off without any scrapes. The suspense never ceased to exist throughout the book. Every scene and character was thought off well and written with severe passion and I couldn’t point out any faults.
The running of all the characters to Tranquillity motel and assembling for the end invoked palpable tension. The showdown at the Depository hill was neatly written without any “anti-climax” which I thought it would be.
I am now an ardent fan of Dean Koontz, and to think that this book came out in 1988, made me worship him more.
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Book Review: The Eyes of Darkness
The Eyes of Darkness by Leigh Nichols
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have no clue how I got this book. I have already become Dean’s big fan after just two books which were absolute page-turners.
This book, it seems was written by him when he was a writing under a pseudonym and I just trusted his work, so jumped right into it.
The first half of the book was absolutely chilling. Very well written and the narrative style was classic Koontz. The depiction of paranormal elements was really good.
The second half was not as interesting, because the revelations were amateurish to say the least. Not very thrilling or cold-blooded. Danny and his plot was suspenseful at the start but went on to become very okay later on.
The characters of Elliot and Tina were stunningly conceived. The believable portrayal of main plot was laudable.
Then I came to the final pages were the main element was revealed that shook me like anything. The Wuhan virus part was shocking if anything but. Then I read the foreword to realise that this book was actually written way back in 1980. It shocked me even more.
Premonition kind of vibes with Dean Koontz – how was this even possible? Commendable work to say the least!
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Book Review: Lightning by dean Koontz
Lightning by Dean Koontz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I researched for some new authors to try hands at, and I came across Dean Koontz only in 2020. I finished my first Koontz and that book made me shiver with its ingenious and one of a kind horror element and the way with which his writing infused the needed feelings of dreading instill inside readers hearts. The man became my savior because nobody has written horror thrillers, even a bit interesting as this guy has done.
Now coming to this book, Lightning – I initially couldn’t sit through the first 50 pages, where the author was trying to start building the characters as well as the suspense enveloped with them. Then slowly I realized, his writing was again impeccable and made me sit at the edge of my seat throughout the entire course of the book.
First of, I would like to challenge the readers to find the genre of this book, because that in itself is a suspense with this one. The book offers unbelievable combinations of suspense, intrigue, crime, sci-fi, thrill, kills, love, bond, miracles, life, relations, history, etc.
I loved the theme the author had selected for this novel – an immensely difficult plotline which would need herculean amount of efforts to convince the readers. Alongside, the sequences play out in the way that had woven a tale of incredible suspense, that did not let us down from the start.
The main characters were fabulously written, be it Laura Shane or Stefan Kreiger – I fell in love with both of them. Laura, the endurer, the fighter and the gifted one; and, Stefan, the mysterious, secretive and suddenly the Angelic one.
Every question that might arise within the mind of an experienced reader had been thought of ahead and Koontz has delivered justice to his taken sci-fi route to the main plot. Though, he has taken several liberties to bend the concepts to fit into the fiction he was creating, it sat well with his world.
No disappointment and now a strong believer in Koontz works too!
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Book Review: What The Night Knows by Dean Koontz
What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is my first ever Koontz. I was fascinated by the twisted story-line on the back cover, which made me go for this book. I usually research a lot before committing myself to a new author and his work, so it always gives me a sense of apprehension and doubt whenever I finish with all my favorite authors and I go fishing for newer ones out there. I guess I made a good choice with Dean Koontz, because “What the Night knows” is a fantastically dark and sickly plotted supernatural horror thriller that made me quiver at times when I took it up at nights (so, I had to finish the book during daytime).
Koontz has a gift for literary juggling because he seems so talented with words and metaphoric expressions that make you wonder in excitement how the man manages to scare us and fall in love with his words at the same time – which I personally feel is a difficult thing to accomplish.
The main theme is so dark that even we feel threatened inwardly by such a horrific nightmare. John Calvino is the protagonist, but this is one of those stories where you are more involved with the antagonist rather than than the savior.
I personally loved the portions where the author involved kids and their world, thereby putting us at the edge of a narrowly steep cliff of terror, as we are constantly feeling afraid if something might happen to the kids in the story. I loved Minette and Zachary especially.
The possessive power and battling the unknown powerful nemesis elevated the plot from mere fiction to a thriller ride from which you scream to exit but also want to see through till the end.
The final hundred pages were like high speed bullet train, flowing with no mercy for the readers mental capacity. Although the climax was a bit mystical, magic happy ending – the way he spun the tale to that destination was simply superb, Loved every bit of it. To be frank, compared to this book, I think “The Shining” can only be called a child’s play.
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