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3.06 AVERAGE
3.06 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking
I didn’t like the writing style, it seemed too comical/glib. I was not drawn in by the way in which the author developed the characters.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz felt like hanging out with your funny uncle who won’t shut up, keeps interrupting the movie to make bad jokes, and somehow thinks he’s the star of the show. Imagine, if you will, a less terrifying, less well-written version of Stephen King's It—stripped of depth but dressed in the illusion of cleverness. That’s where this book lives. While there is a supernatural thread woven through the story, it’s neither scary nor compelling. Instead, Koontz inexplicably chooses to break the fourth wall repeatedly, inserting himself with a snarky commentary that mostly falls flat. Occasionally, skipping speaker tags in the dialogue brought a slight smirk, until it became more confusing than clever. Worse, Koontz’s frequent interjections about writing, word choice, or supposed humor grind the narrative to a halt and feel condescending rather than creative.
What truly made this a painful read was how deeply unlikeable the whole package became. The characters—particularly the so-called "amigos," were individually fine, but their group dynamic was so repeatedly emphasized that it felt forced and irritating. As for the central mystery, it had promise, but when it finally unraveled, it did so with such baffling speed and nonsense that it barely registered. Koontz, once of my go-to authors for page-turning brilliance like Watchers, now feels like a stranger desperately trying to reinvent himself in all the wrong ways.
What truly made this a painful read was how deeply unlikeable the whole package became. The characters—particularly the so-called "amigos," were individually fine, but their group dynamic was so repeatedly emphasized that it felt forced and irritating. As for the central mystery, it had promise, but when it finally unraveled, it did so with such baffling speed and nonsense that it barely registered. Koontz, once of my go-to authors for page-turning brilliance like Watchers, now feels like a stranger desperately trying to reinvent himself in all the wrong ways.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated