audiobooks

I have never read a Koontz book before, and know very little about him other than his name. I picked up this book because it promised a spooky read. The opening was very good (though other reviewers have alleged that it is a "rip-off" of an SK novel - I've never read the novel in question, so I don't know). I settled in to be engrossed and entertained. HOWEVER, as I moved farther into the book, I began to realize that the plot was moving towards a preachy, insipid, eye-roll-inducing conclusion. Ugh! I will never pick up another Koontz book. What a waste of time. (PS I completely agree with the other reviewer that mentioned the deeply weird "global warming" rant that happens in the beginning of the book - that little scene serves as a warning for the Far Right nonsense still to come.)

As I read Left Behind and some of the books in that series that followed, I realized how badly the writing and their understanding of certain biblical principals is. Being an avid Koontz fan I was very happy to see him address similar subject matter with his brilliant writing style. His descriptions for despair and evil's hold on this world were only equaled by the elaborate façade of an alien invasion. It's a wonderful work of fiction, well written, and with a spiritual message of hope.

Its always a pleasure to see these different directions that Koontz takes such as with Dark Rivers. Bravo!

Also while on vacation, I started and finished The Taking by Dean Koontz. This is his latest supernatural thriller novel, and it's not bad. Not his best, but I still like his style.

A couple wakes up in the middle of the night as a strange torrential downpour starts. It feels oppressive and doesn't stop. Even some of the wild animals in the woods around them (like wolves) start acting strangely and seek shelter in their house. News stories from around the world show that this is not a local occurrance, and pretty soon TV and radio stations starting going off the air, along with the power going out. They go into town to try and band together with others, but people are acting strangely. There are odd creatures that are starting to grow out of fungus that isn't natural to the area (or anyplace else), and these creatures seem bent on evil and killing. They can even animate dead bodies and communicate through them. Throughout all this strangeness and killing, the couple is safe, along with the dog that is helping them find children that have been abandoned. Although they don't know why, the creatures seem to be unable to harm the children or the people/creatures that are helping them. The story progresses through the buildup of the alien creatures and what will happen to earth when they are done.

While this isn't probably his best work, I still like his style of writing. He paints vivid scenes with his words, and I enjoy building the story in my mind as he writes. The plot line seems to be a little short, with a lot of writing about not much action. If I didn't like the writing so much, I'd probably give it an average. But since I learn a lot about style every time I read a Koontz novel, I'll bump it up one star from there.