Reviews

Elsewhere by Dean Koontz

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EDIT: I just read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and it was so much better. It felt like this book was just a knock off of that one.

This just... didn't feel like a book. I mean it was fun and a good idea but it was so juvenile. The characters all said the same things over and over and were extremely one-dimensional. There needed to be some variety and depth. Amity in particular was not a believable character and I was SO annoyed any time we were in her head. Like we get it. You're not an annoying girl character in the books you read who need saving.

Also, things were accepted way too easily by the characters, and the plot felt lacking. I wasn't sure why we were supposed to care about this family in particular. (And I had no idea why Ed cared about them and Michelle). I didn't get the motivation behind anyone other than the antagonist (who was just straight-up narcissistic and evil, no intriguing qualities).

There were also quite a few missed opportunities. I think some scenes should have been cut down tremendously so there was room to explore other dimensions. They barely stayed in those and the plot of the book, that they explore them to find their mom/wife, isn't actually true.

I just felt annoyed and like I wanted to be done with the book. It was a decent idea but fell short.

jeffrhind's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed this and finished it quickly. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a Koontz novel before. A little derivative of sci-if like “Sliders” so it’s not really original but it was an entertaining page-turner. My only other complaint was the character of the daughter who was just too damn smart and her dialog just didn't match her age. Would make for a fun movie too. I will check out other novels by Koontz and see what he has to offer.

breezie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book? I liked the idea of it, and the execution. It was fast-paced and intense and I've always loved the idea of traveling between parallel universes. What I didn't like was the characters. They were annoying and I couldn't really find any reason to root for them. I also feel like the ending wrapped up way too fast.

wvdh01's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

mrsboyko's review

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5.0

PopSugar 2021 - Book with the same title as a song (Elsewhere - Sarah McLachlan)

Wavering between 4 and 5 stars here. I want to give it 4.5 - do I round up or down???

Round up because it was a good fast read - literally only put it down to get snacks. I liked Amity a lot, even though in my head it became Amityville Horror most of the time.

Round down because of the cliche bad guys and the tie it up in a bow perfect ending.

Whatever. Good read. I liked it. 5 stars it is. 5 Stars does not have to mean 100% great book.

kerstinreads's review against another edition

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3.0

Ich muss leider sagen das dieses Buch nicht ins Genre Thriller gehört. Es war mehr science fiction als alles andere. Sowas mag ich persönlich gar nicht.
Wäre dieses Buch in reines science diction eingeordnet gewesen, hätte ich es mir erst gar nicht geholt.

yazzie_27's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I have no clue what I have just read. It take me 2 months to finish this book.. base on my rate, I'm enjoying reading it but... I skip a lot, way a lot. so that's that.

sentient_space_trash's review

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1.0

I don't often write negative reviews but my goodness this was a TERRIBLE book. I remember liking Odd Thomas when I was a teenager, but now I'm scared to re-read it with my 32 year old eyes. The constant ridiculous metaphors that made no sense. The 11 year old that talked like a self-aware, worldly adult. The so-evil-its-unbelievable villain who spent the entire book ranting about how much he hated women and had no qualms about murdering children because his step mum was mean to him ??! (You can totally skip his chapters and not lose any plot by the way, which I ended up doing). The most frustrating thing about this book is that the premise had so much potential! I am such a sucker for multiverse thrillers. BUT THEY ONLY WENT TO LIKE 3 WORLDS, and they were all awful! Wtf dean Koontz. Just read Dark Matter instead, guys. Don't waste your time.

becsbookshelf's review

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4.0

Definitely my favourite Koontz novel so far.

Amity and her father Jeffery are just living life together because Amity’s mother left seven years ago and has never been seen again leaving Jeffery to play the role of both parents.

Ed trusted Jeffery and Amity with hiding one of his projects “the key to everything” and makes them promise they can never ever used it. One day the FBI knock on their door to “ask some questions” resulting in them accidentally activating the device and travelling to a parallel universe.

Everything is the same yet so very different. They duo travel though 7 different dimensions, running from the bad guy and trying to find the right timeline before it’s too late. There’s fighting and action but my favourite part was the relationship between the two of them.