This is a strange book, strange in a good way, but strange nonetheless. It starts out with a single mother (Christina) and her six year old child (Joey) on a shopping trip. Suddenly they are accosted by a crazy old woman who starts yelling at them that Joey must be killed! They soon find themselves in the middle of a bunch of religious fanatics who think that Joey is the Antichrist and must be killed. The police are not much help so Christina enlists the help of a private detective, who is at once smitten with her and her boy and vows to protect them.

 This story has so many twists and turns that will keep you enthralled throughout the story. You can’t help but ask ‘What Next?’ when you are reading what this family has to go through. Joey is the epitome of a ‘Classic Koontz Kid,’ he is smart and mature for his age –yet still cute as can be. The ending of this story is very odd. I don’t know if I’m completely satisfied with it, but being as that I can’t quite place where this feeling comes from, I’m inclined to consider it quirky. If you are looking for a different kind of read that still has a lot of the signature Koontz style, then pick up a copy of this book.

This is a great book and -I think- it is the only Koontz book that takes place entirely outside of the United States. It gives the book a different air. This is a fun espionage book that has a lot of twists and turns. It’s hard to guess all of the plot twists that are in this novel, you are most likely to be caught off guard at least once. 

My copy is the re-released version of this book, so I have not read the original, but I don’t feel that I missed anything. Koontz included an afterword explaining that he only updated the book and did not re-write it. 

The characters in this book are colorful and likeable. There is an edge to almost all of them and we get to see some of the differences between Japanese and American cultures and upbringing. I would like to see Koontz do another book outside of the US, because this one was amazing.

This is a very strange book, but a typical one for Koontz. This story has all of the Koontz goodies and favorites; a hero and heroine who have a wonderful love for each other, each are strong and wealthy. The hero has military training to get him through. The heroine is going through a messy loveless divorce with a mad (yet brilliant) man. Her husband, the formerly mentioned mad/brilliant man, is obsessed with youth and fears death. He also works in… surprise, surprise genetic engineering.

 The problem? The husband gets hit by a truck and dies. The real problem? The husband is SO obsessed with youthfulness that he has injected himself with an experimental element, to keep himself young, and he has come back from the dead. He starts to go through some ‘changes’ and swears revenge on his wife, because he blames her for everything.

While this book is typical, that doesn’t make it any less fun to read. You are not going to find a lot of new concepts in this story, but if you are a fan of Koontz, then you will like it. This is not an exceptional novel, but it is very enjoyable and colorful and, as always, gets you thinking.

Copyright © 2005-2006 acfrogg.  All rights reserved.