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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I was blow away with this book. I did not want to put it down. I found myself gasping and ohhh and ahhhing. such a great thriller and a must read if you have not!
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
"What's it about?"
"It's Dean Koontz!"
"Yes, but what's i-"
"-Dean KOONTZ!!"
That really is all you need to know, here. It's Dean Koontz writing what Dean Koontz writes about. In every single book. Guns? Check! We can't trust in the authorities, civic or federal, so we have to handle it ourselves with . . . GUNS!? That's a big 10-4 check! Libertarianism? Oh you betcha, big checkerino there.
As others have pointed out, the "twist" is not at all a twist. It may have been back in 1985 when this was published under a pen name, but since that time, this particular "revelation" has been done many, many times by others and (probably) Koontz himself. Problematic when retroactively reworking an already published, realeased into the world, book - yes, there are now computers and rants about how instead of liberating us, technology has actually further enslaved us, but not worth re-warming this particular leftover.
Whenever I read one of his books, I get the sense of someone obsessively trying to work something out. Why revisit the same idea again and again and again, as though saying, "THIS time, I'm going to get it just right? This time, it'll be perfect!" Idee fixe or something?
"It's Dean Koontz!"
"Yes, but what's i-"
"-Dean KOONTZ!!"
That really is all you need to know, here. It's Dean Koontz writing what Dean Koontz writes about. In every single book. Guns? Check! We can't trust in the authorities, civic or federal, so we have to handle it ourselves with . . . GUNS!? That's a big 10-4 check! Libertarianism? Oh you betcha, big checkerino there.
As others have pointed out, the "twist" is not at all a twist. It may have been back in 1985 when this was published under a pen name, but since that time, this particular "revelation" has been done many, many times by others and (probably) Koontz himself. Problematic when retroactively reworking an already published, realeased into the world, book - yes, there are now computers and rants about how instead of liberating us, technology has actually further enslaved us, but not worth re-warming this particular leftover.
Whenever I read one of his books, I get the sense of someone obsessively trying to work something out. Why revisit the same idea again and again and again, as though saying, "THIS time, I'm going to get it just right? This time, it'll be perfect!" Idee fixe or something?
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
It's been a while since I've found a book this gripping. Even if I did know the ending from the very beginning. (Ignore the fact that I started the first three chapters in October and then forgot to read the rest of it until January. Once I started actually reading it, the book was gripping. Or maybe it was just that one scene with Dan yeeting himself all over the city as fast as possible. Maybe it's just been too long since I read a thriller. Idk. XD)
And Earl my guy. I love Earl, I want more books with Earls in them.
Plus, we stan a tale of murder where only child abusers are killed.
And Earl my guy. I love Earl, I want more books with Earls in them.
Plus, we stan a tale of murder where only child abusers are killed.
Ugh this was a schlog to get through. So, sooo many needless descriptions of how beautiful Laura was. How her auburn hair and big eyes just cried out for a big man to protect her. Keep in mind the woman in question is a well educated PSYCHOLOGIST!
Predictable plot, awful characters, and slow pacing. I expect more from Dean Koontz but that may be because I’ve only read more recent stuff. Just…yikes.
Predictable plot, awful characters, and slow pacing. I expect more from Dean Koontz but that may be because I’ve only read more recent stuff. Just…yikes.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Dean Koontz is very much hit and miss for me. When he hits, he knocks it out of the park (Life Expectancy, Odd Thomas) and when he misses, it's a total fail (Darkfall).
The Door to December, like most of Koontz's books, deals with the eternal battle between good and evil. I struggled with this one though, mostly because of the subject matter. As the mother of a 5-year old daughter, the theme of extensive child abuse and torture made me incredibly uncomfortable. But I enjoyed Koontz's writing style, and his characters, as usual, resonated with me. I particularly connected with Laura, and could easily relate to her enormous capacity for loving her daughter. I also thought Detective Haldane had a powerful protective streak that was enormously likeable and made him easy to root for.
I did think the book ended too abruptly, though. I would have liked more closure, and I wanted answers to some of my lingering questions. What happened to Ross Mondale? Did Melanie ever recover? It might have been nice to have an epilogue! (Though having said that, my edition of the book had an utterly hilarious Afterword by the author that almost made up for the unsatisfying ending.)
The Door to December, like most of Koontz's books, deals with the eternal battle between good and evil. I struggled with this one though, mostly because of the subject matter. As the mother of a 5-year old daughter, the theme of extensive child abuse and torture made me incredibly uncomfortable. But I enjoyed Koontz's writing style, and his characters, as usual, resonated with me. I particularly connected with Laura, and could easily relate to her enormous capacity for loving her daughter. I also thought Detective Haldane had a powerful protective streak that was enormously likeable and made him easy to root for.
I did think the book ended too abruptly, though. I would have liked more closure, and I wanted answers to some of my lingering questions. What happened to Ross Mondale? Did Melanie ever recover? It might have been nice to have an epilogue! (Though having said that, my edition of the book had an utterly hilarious Afterword by the author that almost made up for the unsatisfying ending.)
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced