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tjr's review against another edition
1.0
Koontz is lately putting too much of himself, his views, into the narration of his novels, so much so that it is really distracting from the story. In this case I guess that’s to be expected, considering The Darkest Evening of the Year is about Golden Retrievers. However, being preached to in such a manner does not sit well with me. Moreover, the novel was lacklustre and odd, and it definitely lacked characterization on all fronts, including that of the dog.
In all honesty, I was really disappointed with this novel; the ending of The Darkest Evening of the Year was cheap, anticlimactic, and unsatisfying.
Koontz phoned this one in and in my opinion the old dog is forgetting his tricks.
In all honesty, I was really disappointed with this novel; the ending of The Darkest Evening of the Year was cheap, anticlimactic, and unsatisfying.
Koontz phoned this one in and in my opinion the old dog is forgetting his tricks.
wheels72's review against another edition
3.0
not as intense as the usual koontz but still a good story
locolibrarian's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. Couldn’t get into it. Koontz is a hit or me for me.
jbrito's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.75
debsnjules's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a day and a half to read this book. I really liked it despite what others said about the book. It made me cry too when I least expected it and Dean Koontz's books usually dont do that to me.
bookaddictrn's review against another edition
3.0
First Dean Koontz read. Interesting enough, but nowhere close to a favorite.
constantcatreader's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. Couldn’t get into it. Koontz is a hit or me for me.
ophelianox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
weaselweader's review against another edition
2.0
A perfect storm of psychopaths
No doubt about it! Coming out of the gate, Dean Koontz’s THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR starts strongly and certainly grabs a reader’s interest from the opening paragraph. It’s a domestic violence psychological thriller, it’s an animal abuse narrative, it’s a convincing romance, it’s a placid but nevertheless paranormal ghost story. But, unfortunately, it simply can’t live up to its own early billing. As the novel proceeds, Koontz corrals a whole ranch full of psychopaths operating with a hot mess of motivations under a bewildering variety of aliases that will leave readers, even those open to having their imagination well stretched, confused and wondering just where the novel is headed. Two psychopaths coming together, by coincidence if you will, is probably one too many for most novels. But three (count ‘em!!) is simply over the top and becomes what many readers will characterize as beyond the pale, at best, or perhaps simply ridiculous, at worst.
Dean Koontz has a towering reputation in the horror genre but this has to count as one of his weaker entries. Not recommended except to those who would read it for completeness.
Paul Weiss
No doubt about it! Coming out of the gate, Dean Koontz’s THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR starts strongly and certainly grabs a reader’s interest from the opening paragraph. It’s a domestic violence psychological thriller, it’s an animal abuse narrative, it’s a convincing romance, it’s a placid but nevertheless paranormal ghost story. But, unfortunately, it simply can’t live up to its own early billing. As the novel proceeds, Koontz corrals a whole ranch full of psychopaths operating with a hot mess of motivations under a bewildering variety of aliases that will leave readers, even those open to having their imagination well stretched, confused and wondering just where the novel is headed. Two psychopaths coming together, by coincidence if you will, is probably one too many for most novels. But three (count ‘em!!) is simply over the top and becomes what many readers will characterize as beyond the pale, at best, or perhaps simply ridiculous, at worst.
Dean Koontz has a towering reputation in the horror genre but this has to count as one of his weaker entries. Not recommended except to those who would read it for completeness.
Paul Weiss
manadabomb's review against another edition
2.0
It was a good concept, but not a great book. And the ending...oy. I think I got a cavity.