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jdsutter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Heads-up: lots of strong language. But this was a pretty fascinating take on the multiverse theory that I quite enjoyed. It's full of literature references because the father/daughter MC duo are big readers, which I appreciated.
welpidk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? No
3.0
mimsterzoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
I found this suspenseful, tense and compelling. I see a lot of mentions regarding tropes in this book, but I was here for the suspense and sci-fi fantasy and it delivered. It was akin to watching a movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Bullying
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Car accident, Animal death, and Gaslighting
The possibilities of hellscape vibe are well drawn as the story moves along. I wish I’d seen this book in 2020, but maybe now is a better time to consider its implications.ctiner7's review against another edition
So I did not finish this book. I am extremely disappointed. First off, this is considered a sci-fi, which is not Dean koontz' normal genre.
The reason I did not finish this is because it is eerily similar to the tv series "Sliders" from the 90s. It felt stolen. The story was the same exact thing except it was a father and daughter instead of 3 friends and the professor. Unoriginal and disappointing.
The reason I did not finish this is because it is eerily similar to the tv series "Sliders" from the 90s. It felt stolen. The story was the same exact thing except it was a father and daughter instead of 3 friends and the professor. Unoriginal and disappointing.
m4film's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jerantium's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
charlie9_9's review against another edition
5.0
read an arc version i won from goodreads so not sure if there were any changes but i feel there dosen't need to be any. The character development was good and the action kept you going. when you are done reading you are left thinking what if.
s_sheppard18's review against another edition
2.0
I liked that the protagonists are a father-daughter duo, and that the romance aspect of the plot was more of an extra tangent for the father than a driving force of action. The story itself was good enough to read all the way through, but I finished it more with a feeling of "this is boring but I want to know how the author decided to end the story," than "I'm desperate to know what happens to these people!" I mostly read Koontz when I'm looking for a good story, not necessarily a good piece of writing, so I at least mostly got what I paid for, despite the ending feeling like a bit of a cop out. This is probably my least favorite of Koontz's novels I've read.
The real drawback to this book was how flat the characters were. I didn't feel engrossed in the world of Amity and Jeffy at all, which is what I'd prefer in a sci-fi action adventure novel. Although the protagonists were relatable and lovable, there was a distinct lack of realistic depth. During the sections of the book from Amity's perspective, there are glimmers of extra dimension which come close to making her narration realistic and compelling, but then that realism is broken by the author beating a dead horse to hammer home some small character facet that feels like it came from a bullet point list of "character qualities" on a 5th grade book report. Jeffy was less compelling than Amity, but was still tolerable to read. I should have kept track of the number of times they mention that Jeffy restores old radios, or Amity is worried about her pet mouse. I kind of want to tell the book, "I know that already, give me something else. There's more to this guy than being a dad who likes old stuff and reads a lot with his daughter."
The flattest characters were the bad guys- especially the main antagonist. The more that Koontz revealed about the antagonist, somehow the less believable and one-dimensional he became. By the end of the book, the main antagonist of the story is essentially a caricature of "evil incel with too many resources for his own good." He's not interesting or engaging; he's just a gross, predictable, plot device. Considering how much of the plot hinges on this guy's personal vendetta, you'd think we could have a morsel of something to make him relatable or empathetic.
The real drawback to this book was how flat the characters were. I didn't feel engrossed in the world of Amity and Jeffy at all, which is what I'd prefer in a sci-fi action adventure novel. Although the protagonists were relatable and lovable, there was a distinct lack of realistic depth. During the sections of the book from Amity's perspective, there are glimmers of extra dimension which come close to making her narration realistic and compelling, but then that realism is broken by the author beating a dead horse to hammer home some small character facet that feels like it came from a bullet point list of "character qualities" on a 5th grade book report. Jeffy was less compelling than Amity, but was still tolerable to read. I should have kept track of the number of times they mention that Jeffy restores old radios, or Amity is worried about her pet mouse. I kind of want to tell the book, "I know that already, give me something else. There's more to this guy than being a dad who likes old stuff and reads a lot with his daughter."
The flattest characters were the bad guys- especially the main antagonist. The more that Koontz revealed about the antagonist, somehow the less believable and one-dimensional he became. By the end of the book, the main antagonist of the story is essentially a caricature of "evil incel with too many resources for his own good." He's not interesting or engaging; he's just a gross, predictable, plot device. Considering how much of the plot hinges on this guy's personal vendetta, you'd think we could have a morsel of something to make him relatable or empathetic.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0