Official Dean Koontz WebsiteOrder âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Fantasy Book Criticâs REVIEW of âThe Good Guyâ
I grew up on a farm and as far back as I can remember we always had a dog. Some memories are more precious than othersâthe super-smart German Shepherd we called Cha-Cha or the very beautiful, very loyal half-Siberian Husky/half-wolf Rooskyâbut I loved each and every one of them and as a young reader that love extended to literatureââWhere the Red Fern Growsâ, Jack Londonâs âWhite Fangâ & âCall of the Wildâ, âOld Yellerâ, et cetera. #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz is also a profound lover of dogs and one of his most endearing trademarks is the frequent use of canines in his booksââWatchersâ, âThe Takingâ, âFear Nothing/Seize the Nightâ starring Christopher Snow, âDark Rivers of the Heartâ and âMidnightâ immediately come to mind.
Recently, Mr. Koontz and his wife suffered a loss with the passing of their Golden Retriever of nine years Trixie. Trixie was more than just a pet thoughâshe was part of the family as evidenced by her continued presence on the Dean Koontz Website, the Trixie Koontz pen name (Life is Good: Lessons In Joyful Living, Christmas Is Good), the Canine Companions for Independence facility (Oceanside, CA) renamed the Dean, Gerda, and Trixie Koontz Campus, and so on. While Mr. Koontz hopes to one day write a book about Trixie, in a way âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ, Deanâs newest novel, already embodies the spirit of Trixie. After all, Mr. Koontz describes Trixie as âsweet, clownish, innocent, mysterious, and startlingly smartâ, all attributes shared by the Golden Retriever Nickie in âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ. CoincidenceâŠI think not :)
Mr. Koontzâs books are known for their fast starts, but âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ takes a little while for the good stuff to get going. Itâs after readers are introduced to dog rescuer Amy Redwing and her architect boyfriend Brian McCarthy which includes saving Nickie and a family from an abusive, drunken father that the mundane starts shifting into more suspenseful, uncanny territoryâthe bizarre emails that Brian receives, the supernatural drawing abilities that Brian suddenly develops, Nickieâs unusual behavior toward Amy and other dogs, the mysterious autistic-like girl Reesa, etc. From there, Mr. Koontz methodically sucks the reader in deeper, introducing an interesting cast of charactersâthe sociopathic couple Moongirl & Harrow, a private investigator, a hired assassin, Piggyâ, hinting at the secrets each of them harbor, and increasing the bookâs intensity while venturing further and further into the realm of the extraordinaryâŠ
Compared to his other books, Mr. Koontz doesnât really bring anything new to âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ. For instance, you have the male/female protagonists with a remarkable ability for witty banter; villains with unique characteristicsâMoongirl only makes love in complete darkness and likes to burn things & people to keep from getting bored, Vernon Lesleyâs Second Life is more real to him than his actual one, Billy Pilgrim is an avid reader especially books âsteeped in ironyâ, Bobby Onions is a new-school P.I. and thus uses a more âupdatedâ vernacularâ; Nickie of course is a smarter-than-normal dog; thereâs the disabled children with special abilities; revelations of shocking secrets; themes about faith, love, vengeance & redemption; and various other recognizable Dean Koontz idiosyncrasies. Despite these familiar elements, Mr. Koontz does a good job of mixing & matching creating a book that may be identifiable to readers, especially long-time Koontz fans, but at the same time is still a fresh and fulfilling experience.
Personally, Iâve always enjoyed it more when Mr. Koontz indulges in the fantastical and when you add my love for dogs, âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ should have been a surefire winner. Alas, the book just didnât quite do it for me. As much as I loved Nickie, the powerful nature of the story and its uplifting message, a couple of factors lessened the novelâs emotional impact. One was the characters. Like Mr. Koontzâs last novel (The Good Guy), it was the bad guys that were the most interesting personalities in âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ when it should have been Amy & Brian considering the heartwrenching situations they found themselves in. And two, I didnât really like the way the book was concluded, not the actual events that took place, but the manner in which it was told. It just seemed too abrupt and detached, when I was expecting something much more poignant. Personal complaints aside, what can I say, itâs Dean Koontz! I finished the book in a day, nearly in one sitting, and if youâre a fan of the author, a dog lover, or someone who appreciates a tug-on-the-heartstrings thriller, then I recommend the haunting, magical journey that is âThe Darkest Evening of the YearââŠ
NOTE: For Mr. Koontzâs next release, Odd Thomas fans should be rejoicing as everyoneâs favorite ghost-talking, short-order cook returns in the sequel âOdd Hoursâ (May 20, 2008) followed by the graphic novel âIn Odd We Trustâ (June 24, 2008). I canât wait!!!
Recently, Mr. Koontz and his wife suffered a loss with the passing of their Golden Retriever of nine years Trixie. Trixie was more than just a pet thoughâshe was part of the family as evidenced by her continued presence on the Dean Koontz Website, the Trixie Koontz pen name (Life is Good: Lessons In Joyful Living, Christmas Is Good), the Canine Companions for Independence facility (Oceanside, CA) renamed the Dean, Gerda, and Trixie Koontz Campus, and so on. While Mr. Koontz hopes to one day write a book about Trixie, in a way âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ, Deanâs newest novel, already embodies the spirit of Trixie. After all, Mr. Koontz describes Trixie as âsweet, clownish, innocent, mysterious, and startlingly smartâ, all attributes shared by the Golden Retriever Nickie in âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ. CoincidenceâŠI think not :)
Mr. Koontzâs books are known for their fast starts, but âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ takes a little while for the good stuff to get going. Itâs after readers are introduced to dog rescuer Amy Redwing and her architect boyfriend Brian McCarthy which includes saving Nickie and a family from an abusive, drunken father that the mundane starts shifting into more suspenseful, uncanny territoryâthe bizarre emails that Brian receives, the supernatural drawing abilities that Brian suddenly develops, Nickieâs unusual behavior toward Amy and other dogs, the mysterious autistic-like girl Reesa, etc. From there, Mr. Koontz methodically sucks the reader in deeper, introducing an interesting cast of charactersâthe sociopathic couple Moongirl & Harrow, a private investigator, a hired assassin, Piggyâ, hinting at the secrets each of them harbor, and increasing the bookâs intensity while venturing further and further into the realm of the extraordinaryâŠ
Compared to his other books, Mr. Koontz doesnât really bring anything new to âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ. For instance, you have the male/female protagonists with a remarkable ability for witty banter; villains with unique characteristicsâMoongirl only makes love in complete darkness and likes to burn things & people to keep from getting bored, Vernon Lesleyâs Second Life is more real to him than his actual one, Billy Pilgrim is an avid reader especially books âsteeped in ironyâ, Bobby Onions is a new-school P.I. and thus uses a more âupdatedâ vernacularâ; Nickie of course is a smarter-than-normal dog; thereâs the disabled children with special abilities; revelations of shocking secrets; themes about faith, love, vengeance & redemption; and various other recognizable Dean Koontz idiosyncrasies. Despite these familiar elements, Mr. Koontz does a good job of mixing & matching creating a book that may be identifiable to readers, especially long-time Koontz fans, but at the same time is still a fresh and fulfilling experience.
Personally, Iâve always enjoyed it more when Mr. Koontz indulges in the fantastical and when you add my love for dogs, âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ should have been a surefire winner. Alas, the book just didnât quite do it for me. As much as I loved Nickie, the powerful nature of the story and its uplifting message, a couple of factors lessened the novelâs emotional impact. One was the characters. Like Mr. Koontzâs last novel (The Good Guy), it was the bad guys that were the most interesting personalities in âThe Darkest Evening of the Yearâ when it should have been Amy & Brian considering the heartwrenching situations they found themselves in. And two, I didnât really like the way the book was concluded, not the actual events that took place, but the manner in which it was told. It just seemed too abrupt and detached, when I was expecting something much more poignant. Personal complaints aside, what can I say, itâs Dean Koontz! I finished the book in a day, nearly in one sitting, and if youâre a fan of the author, a dog lover, or someone who appreciates a tug-on-the-heartstrings thriller, then I recommend the haunting, magical journey that is âThe Darkest Evening of the YearââŠ
NOTE: For Mr. Koontzâs next release, Odd Thomas fans should be rejoicing as everyoneâs favorite ghost-talking, short-order cook returns in the sequel âOdd Hoursâ (May 20, 2008) followed by the graphic novel âIn Odd We Trustâ (June 24, 2008). I canât wait!!!
9:51âŻAM | 
Posted by
Robert |
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2 comments:
I go through Dean Koontz spurts. Yeah his writing follows a formula but it can be incredibly entertaining. In fact, I'm tempted to drag out my collection and read a few...
I'm so used to reading at least one Dean Koontz book a year, it's almost become a way of life ;) As long as he keeps producing, I'll keep reading!