Dean Koontz Book Reviews

As you can tell by reading my other reviews, I almost always want more from Koontz’s books. I normally like the book so much that I want a sequel or a prequel. Icebound was not the typical Koontz novel. This is one story where I wanted less. I think this would be a great short story. As a novel, I was not a big fan. The premise of the story is good: a group of researchers stranded on a drifting ice berg, 60 bombs ready to explode at midnight, a crazy murderer, and a daring rescue attempt. I like all of what is listed. What I did not care for, was how drawn out the whole things was.

This book is very different from other Koontz novels in style. I have heard people complain about Koontz books being all the same over and over. If you are one of the people who think that, this may be the book for you. Koontz even lists in his ‘note to the reader’ that there is no other book like this. He also says that he hopes readers don’t like the story too much, since it is the only one like it. Well, he succeeded there! I have not heard too many people who liked the book. I don’t dislike it, in fact I think it has one of the most exciting endings of all of his books, but I do wish it was shorter. I think that I would enjoy the book more if it was a short story, with more focus put on the researchers instead of a full novel with focus on a Russian submarine.

This book can only be described by its title; Intense! This has to be the most intense novel Koontz has ever written. We first meet Chyna, she has a tattered past and has only one person whom she is able to trust. Chyna is with this one friend (Laura) and is going to meet Laura’s family. She immediately loves Laura’s mom and dad and looks forward to having a nice visit. The problem is, is that the first night she is there the entire family is murdered by one of the scariest villains in any story (Koontz or non). She ends up hitching a ride with this villain and then the story unfolds.

I loved this story! There is a cat and mouse quality throughout this book that demands and keeps your attention. My advise is not to read it when you have to get other things done, because once you hit a certain point it is virtually impossible to put it down. If you like an Intense read, then you must get this book.

It had been a long time since I read this book, so it was almost like reading it for the first time. This is an exciting story. It starts with a man who has lost his family in an airplane crash and is not getting on with his life well. This man, Joe, is completely lost without his family and has closed himself off to everyone and is basically waiting to die. On the anniversary of the crash everything changes for him; he meets a woman named Rose who claims to have been on the plane with his family (even though NO ONE could have survived the crash), he starts to dig into the details of the crash and finds many things that don’t add up. Soon he finds that he is on the run and is not entirely sure whom (or what) he is running from.

This novel is very strange and intriguing. You can relate to poor Joe throughout the story and you just want everything to go right for him. Rose is a great character that you can’t help but be horrified by towards the end of the story. This book has a strange mix of science vs. religion mixed in with drama and action. This is a great book and remains high on my ‘best read’ list of novels.

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