Dean Koontz Book #2 Review
Title: Night Chills
Publication Year: 1976
Number of Pages: 367
Opening sentence: The dirt trail was narrow. Drooping boughs of tamarack, spruce, and pine scraped the roof and brushed the side windows of the Land Rover.
Main characters: Paul, Mark & Rya Annendale, Sam & Jenny Edison; Ogden Salsbury, Leonard Dawson, General Ernst Klinger
Basics of the plot: Set in the fall of 1977 in Black River, Maine; 3 men (Salsbury, Dawson, & Ernst) have set up the town as a testing ground for a new subliminal "key-lock" program that essentially allows them to have complete control over anyone they encounter. When Salsbury starts using the program to his own sexual ends and get caught in the act, things quickly spiral out of control. The only five people in the town unaffected by the drug/subliminals (the Annendales & Edisons) soon find themselves having to fight to get out of town alive.
Style: Sci-fi
My review: A very interesting/creepy look into the possibilities with subliminals - and this was written in the 70s! I can't imagine what someone can do with them now. (Even Koontz himself notes that not all of the science in the book is made up). This book moves along at fairly steady pace as it bounces back and forth between the three men setting up the experiment and the present day families in Black River, until their paths all converge. There are themes of trusting loved ones and a very strong theme against using science for one's own gain. I will note that this particular novel is very graphic in several places, as most subliminals use sexual images, and some of Salsbury's encounters are described in detail. Not for younger readers!
If you've known me long at all, you know that I'm a huge Dean Koontz fan. In fact, I've set about getting all of his fiction novels currently in publication, and I'm getting pretty close to that goal. I've read Koontz enough now that I can see common themes throughout all his work, and I am curious to see how those themes developed over time.
Here's how it will work:
- I will read/re-read all of Koontz's fiction in the order of publication. I'm not giving myself a time limit to do this - there will be 72 novels total by the end of 2014, and I have other things to do/read.
- I will track things like plot, opening sentences (Koontz has some doozies!), main characters, plot points, and style*; I'll also give my 'mini review' of each book.
*Koontz's books are typically categorized as "cross-genre," but I find many of his novels lean more toward one or two - this is what I'm calling the "Style."
Title: Shattered
Publication Year: 1973
Number of Pages: 289
Opening sentence: Only four blocks from the furnished apartment in Philadelphia, with more than three thousand miles to go before they joined Courtney in San Fransisco, Colin began one of his games.
Main characters: Alex, Colin, & Courtney Doyle; George Leland
Basics of the plot: Alex and Colin set out on cross-country journey to join Courtney in San Francisco. They soon realize they are being followed by a mysterious maniac (Leland) bent on killing them before they get there.
Style: Chase/Suspense
My review: This one goes along at a pretty decent pace, with sections of page-turning action. The story is told from both the perspective of Alex (the 'good' guy) and Leland (the 'bad' guy), which is a fairly common technique Koontz uses in his novels. The main theme is overcoming fear to save those that you love. A little more simplistic than some of his later novels, but still a good read.
