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A review by mike_68
Night Chills by Dean Koontz
4.0
I read this novel a long time ago in the 80's, but I always remembered "I am the key" "I am the lock" catch phrase but not the novel from which it came, so when I came across a copy, I had to re-read to refresh my memory.
Early work by Dean Koontz but was one that started his psychological-thriller-horror path as a writer. Still exploring science/Sci-fi with subliminal mind control as an extension of subliminal advertising used in the late 1950's, being the topic of this one. Koontz early novels were always heavy in religious elements and this novel is no exception. Unusually Koontz probably overkills the sex, sexual desires, rape and assault, and child killing aspects make it a very dark and disturbing novel. One could argue that this novel was an initial Splatterpunk genre novel, that developed in the 1980's. (4 years later Richard Laymon, a friend of Koontz, started his career in Splatterpunk so maybe this novel was inspiration for him). It hasn't aged well, so in an era of dominance by female readers, it will be criticized. But it a must read for those that love Dean Koontz's work.
Early work by Dean Koontz but was one that started his psychological-thriller-horror path as a writer. Still exploring science/Sci-fi with subliminal mind control as an extension of subliminal advertising used in the late 1950's, being the topic of this one. Koontz early novels were always heavy in religious elements and this novel is no exception. Unusually Koontz probably overkills the sex, sexual desires, rape and assault, and child killing aspects make it a very dark and disturbing novel. One could argue that this novel was an initial Splatterpunk genre novel, that developed in the 1980's. (4 years later Richard Laymon, a friend of Koontz, started his career in Splatterpunk so maybe this novel was inspiration for him). It hasn't aged well, so in an era of dominance by female readers, it will be criticized. But it a must read for those that love Dean Koontz's work.