Fuoco freddo

by Dean Koontz, Bruno Amato (Traduttore)

Jim Ironheart, un tranquillo insegnante, è "costretto" da un inspiegabile impulso a recarsi nell'Oregon per salvare un bambino in pericolo. La giornalista Holly Thorne assiste al gesto eroico, impressionata dal coraggio e dalla destrezza del giovane. Quando poi costui rifiuta di farsi intervistare, rimane colpita dalla sua modestia e decide di saperne di più. Qualche tempo dopo, viene informata di un'altra analoga impresa, questa volta a Boston. Su un giornale compare anche la foto del salvatore: è Jim. Convinta di avere tra le mani lo scoop della sua vita, la cronista si lancia all'inseguimento dell'uomo, scoprendo che negli ultimi tre mesi ha compiuto ben dodici "interventi" in altrettante città. Di quali strani poteri è dotato?

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Fantasy, Paranormal

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.

Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com

Reviews

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Fire is a beautiful story encompassing the complexities of accepting the past and moving forward into the future.

This is the Dean Koontz I love! I initially listened to this as an audio book and was thrilled to re-experience the story in print. Cold Fire was published in 1991, after The Bad Place and before Koontz starting coming out with 2-3 novels each year. Some issues examined in Cold Fire include: Environmentalism, Religion and Mental Illness. Like many Koontz novels, this work crosses over many genres including: Science Fiction, Mystery, Suspense and Adventure.

It appears that Koontz has created a fictional work within his work of fiction: The Black Windmill, reportedly written by Arthur J. Willott. We of course know that Koontz is and expert at creating fictional names and works, claiming they were written by someone else but really the author is Dean R. Koontz. Another example of this is The Book of Counted Sorrows from which the following quote appears twice in Cold Fire to introduce readers to both part one and two of the story:

"In the real world
as in dreams,
nothing is quite
what it seems."

A windmill is a central focal point of this story and the imagery is wonderful :

"Night pressed at the narrow windows, which were almost like castle embrasures in the limestone walls. Rain tapped against the glass. Suddenly, with a creak of unoiled and half-rusted machinery, the four great wooden sails of the mill began to turn outside, faster and faster, cutting like giant scythes through the damp air. The upright shaft, which came out of the ceiling and vanished through a bore in the center of the floor, also began to turn , briefly creating the illusion that the round floor itself were rotating in the manner of a carousel. One level below, the ancient millstones started to roll against each other, producing a soft rumble like distant thunder".

Another great imagery example from four pages earlier in the story (this one much shorter): "Night floated down like a great tossed cape of almost weightless black silk".

Some of my other favorite quotes:

On Religion: "I'm reluctant to believe that some statue of the Holy Mother wept real tears in a church in Cincinnati or Peoria or Teaneck last week after the Wednesday-night bingo games, witnesses only by two teenagers and the parish cleaning lady. And I'm not ready to believe that a shadow resembling Jesus, cast on someone's garage wall by a yellow bug light, is a sign of impending apocalypse. God works in mysterious ways, but not with bug lights and garage walls."

On Evil: "There's too much darkness in some people, corruption that could never be cleaned out in five lifetimes of rehabilitation. Evil is real, it walks the earth. Sometimes the devil works by persuasion. Sometimes he just sets loose these sociopaths who don't have a gene for empathy or one for compassion."

On Books: " Around her, thousands of times and places, people and worlds, from Mars to Egypt to Yoknapatawpha County, were closed up in the bindings of books like the shine trapped under the tarnished veneer of a brass lamp. She could almost feel them waiting to dazzle with the first turn of a page, come alive with brilliant colors and pungent odors and delicious aromas, with laughter and sobbing and cries and whispers. Books were packaged dreams."

And this bit of conversation: " 'When we get where we're going, you won't carve me up with a chainsaw and bury me under the windmill, will you?'
Apparently he understood her sense of vulnerability and took no offense, for he said with mock solemnity, 'Oh, no. It's full-up under the mill. I'll have to bury pieces of you all over the farm' ".

My only criticism of Cold Fire, is the occasional bits of overdone horror which seem to be tossed in, not necessarily flowing with the story, following are two examples:

"Sensing something above her head, Holly looked up. A large web had been spun above the door, across the curve where the wall became the ceiling. A fat spider, it's body as big around as her thumbnail and its spindly legs almost as long as her little finger, greasy as a dollop of wax and dark as a drop of blood, was feeding greedily on the pale quivering body of a snared moth."

and

"Without warning, a vision burst in Holly's mind with such force and brilliance that the library vanished for a moment and her inner world became the only reality; she saw herself naked and nailed to a wall in an obscene parody of a crucifix, blood streaming from her hands and feet (a voice whispering : die, die, die), and she opened her mouth to scream but, instead of sound, swarms of cockroaches poured out between her lips, and she realized she was already dead (die, die, die), her putrid innards crawling with pests and vermin -"

Many Koontz novels have a supernatural element and some, like Cold Fire also have a Science Fiction theme. I'm not a big fan of Science Fiction but have really enjoyed Koontz' trademark genre mix. If you enjoyed or are interested in reading Cold Fire, I would also recommend the following Dean Koontz novels: Lightning, The Bad Place, By The Light of The Moon, and Brother Odd.

Some other favorite passages from subsequent readings:

Where's your traditional Samaritan spirit, you shithead?
_______

"Would you cut off the limbs of your sister, cruelly section her flesh, and build your house with pieces of her corpse?"

"No, I wouldn't," Holly said sincerely, "Besides, the city probably wouldn't approve a building permit for such an unconventional structure."
______

Jim's heart was hammering. Not because the pharmacy seemed likely to be a place where anything significant had happened to him in his childhood, but because he sensed it was the first stone on a path to the truth.
_______

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore -
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

To the real birds above, Jim whispered, " 'Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.' "

[Argent Talonn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Cold Fire
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Publishing Year: 1991

Review: I have read Cold Fire several times over the course of my life, and the names of the main characters: Jim Ironheart and Holly Thorne have become ingrained in my imagination. As per usual, for a Dean Koontz story, the reader is kept as much in the dark as the main character. The plot revolves around a mysterious compunction that causes Jim to travel to places and be prepared to help people. The urge to do good is what drives him, but he has no idea where those urges come from nor what is the final rationale.

The big reveal may or may not be worth it to some people, but can a compunction to do good, to act in a way so selfless as to be altruistic be unsatisfying? I'm not sure, I just know that the majority of this novel was extremely satisfying with the horror elements so prevalent as to cause Jim to question his sanity. How horrifying it seems to need to drive to a different state, stop in the middle of a cornfield and wait for something to happen that requires action.

What I have described is the way Jim Ironheart has saved lives. Some supernatural farce is providing a divination rod compelling Jim to travel to places and take with him some masking tape, binoculars, and chewing gum (more or less). I find the entire story fascinating.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another of Dean Koontz's thrillers. Back in the 80s, Koontz detested being called a horror guy, because he felt it would pigeonhole him. He wrote "thrillers" was what he would say, but I would say to myself "Okay, so you write thrillers with horror elements." The first two-thirds of the novel reads like a fast-paced, supernatural, adventure, superhero story, but then the last third slows down and explains via exposition what is going on. At first, I was disappointed by the reveal, but as I allowed for the narrative to work on me, I began to understand, and could see how the seemingly impossible becomes the possible. Jim Ironheart and Holly Thorne have become memorable characters for me, and I can see revisiting this story at some further time in the future. (I have already read this story numerous times in my life.)

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story had me intruiged and it was easy to pick up again as I wanted to know what would happen next. There where things said by the characters that I didn't much enjoy but the story overall was an interesting one. But I didn't get on with the ending. There where parts that was good but most of it felt both to much going on and I didn't like the way it went. It had a trope I just do not like as an "revelation" in the end of the book.nit wasn't the worst of its kind but didn't like it. With the ending I felt more like a 2 stars or 2.5 stars but because I enjoyed most of it I gave it 3 stars.

[Jay Schutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A self-appointed superhero with clairvoyant powers is controlled by alien entities of both good and evil, or some sort of God. Or is he?
A decent story written in the usual Koontz style, but not one of his best in my opinion.

[Fonch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen I ask forgiveness I ask forgiveness for taking so long to write a critique again. It is that it is not so easy to write and read at the same time. I have lot of overdue criticism, and I am very vague sentences wanted to write, but as I promised to write. I've decided to start with a critique that I liked "Cold Fire". That has taught me one thing, that a writer should never be underestimated. Already not told me I know if my friend Krisi Keley, or Julie Davis (command an affectionate hug to both, Mrs. Julie a loving embrace of Texan bear :-)). https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... they told me, Dean r. Koontz became more mystical, as Father Brown, winning more when it gets mystical
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... & from_search = true
So far I had liked Dean. R. Koontz. A novel, even up to much, but I had not demonstrated, was a writer of the first rank. Even the two novels, I liked him were on the border of the 3-4. One was interesting, and gave to think "twilight Server" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... (this is one of the drawbacks, that as Dean Koontz has a million of pseudonyms does not appear I full on Goodreads, but is it)
(read to overcome one of the challenges I do not know if a hug I command whom Audrey, or my friend María Clara) was very original a cult of fanatics taking of kill the Antichrist before it reveals. It was a point of starting, and with their dilemmas. I think, that it can not finish with no life by evil that is, although he is the Antichrist. The second dilemma how to know the sect who is the Antichrist? We don't know who he is until he will not disclose. I think, that it would try to imitate Jesus, on the subject of the Antichrist, I recommend the prologue of the novel by Michael D. O´Brien of "Elijah in Jerusalem" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... & from_search = true then it was "Odd Thomas" whose https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true
movie is one of my favorites, although did not like to own Dean Koontz (at least that was what I thought hear, or read). To me I loved it. "Odd Thomas" was the story of a paranormal detective, that could see ghost, and that worked as a click at a restaurant while he helped a police officer (Wyatt). The best is that he had a beautiful love affair with a girl named Stormy (Bronwen) rare, but very good-hearted, and is also becoming a hero that saves lots of life, as our beloved Ignacio Echevarría, who died in Islamist bombings of London. Perhaps the end one of the most beautiful to read. Although the novel was rarer, than the novel. Gave more prominence to Ozzie, to Wyatt and Elvis to be European as not.
But usually the Dean R. Koontz novels tended to have this structure: young couple confronts a monster, or supernatural almost Lovecraftian creature that is created by a sinister organization, which operates in secret, as the modern current societies, and sends two assassins to kill the couple, who sweats theirs to finish with the monster always in Gothic, and terrifying, scenarios when they get rid of the infernal creature to appear the murderers, who are neutralized by a friend or a infiltration of the secret society. Then comes the peace is restored order, and all were happy forever. If you have read the wonderful novel by Shusaku Endo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... _ "scandal" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
will be observed, that in this novel a character named Kano (same as the alter ego of Shusaku Endo/sure writer), who could not see suu had work until the final novel in sure/Endo. Something similar happened to me. Dean R. Kontz liked, at times, but it did not come to be in the Pantheon of my favorite writers. With everything I liked his novels included "Eye of Darkness" which I was about to suspend https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... All I liked, but once they had to give a little push, but finally Dean. R. Koontz has managed, to show me the good writer, that I was supposed to be it. This novel is absolutely perfect, divided into three parts, as if it were a triptych of Jan van Eyck. It is the story of a man (I love the name, and its Germanic varienta more) Jim Ironheart, who like all the characters in Koontz is closely linked to the supernatural, and uses his powers to save people from death. In one of those events reporter Holly Thorne knows his partner replica. A woman, who starts with enthusiasm his profession, but loses his vocation, but finds a reason to live, when he meets Ironheart that will share much. The Ironheart reaction is rejection, but more attraction. . The first part of the book is flawless, perfect, even though it may be sinister, rare, or creepy. There are attacks of Koontz to radical environmentalism personified in a poet that fame has been uploaded to the head. The description of the darker side of journalism journalism, and interests, is also very interesting and as becomes the journalist in someone without morals, which takes advantage of the tragedies, for conserguir a first. It is very interesting, think in your depression or De Profundis Holly lives in a parody of the novels of Damon Rumyon (humorous writer popular in United States, but very unknown in Spain. Perhaps know about it by that episode of the Simpsons where Homer makes of bodyguards, and must protect the Mayor Quimby about mobsters, while Mark Hamill appears in a musical Guys and Dolls, which is based on a work by Damon Rumyon. My father who is a lover of the film one of his favorite movies is the musical them, played by Jean Simmons, Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra) Rumyon world comprised of journalists, movie stars and mobsters. He also appeared in the book "Humorists" by Paul Johnson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... .Damon_Runyon wonderful thing about the book, and here they could not tell that it was before, if the chicken or the egg. If Dean R. Koontz who inspires to M. Night Shyamalan (particularly his films the protege, and the sixth sense), or is the other way around, or if the same idea both of them at the same time, happens what I call multispreadism (that has nipped the theories of Vera Gordon Childe Ex oriente Lux https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) there are times that this novel reminded me of one of Japan's Miyuki Miyabe "Crossfire" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... because Ironheart has a very dark side, sometimes don't know if he is a hero, or an Avenger, which is dangerously close to criminals who fought, as Charles Bronson, or Junko Aoki. It is true, that the situation in which loses the nerves are terrible, and only in the last third will understand, because Ironheart acts as well. There are images, which seem to come from the worst nightmares of the individual.With a very sinister mill, which looks like something out of "Krabat" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... or Sleepy Hollow (more than Tim Burton, from the novel by Whasingthon Irving movie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... there is a transcendental moment in which Koontz novel is an ode to the free will, and a slap to the predestination and free will.) Remember that Koontz, and here is appreciated. There is a beautiful story of a priest, and as his encounter with Ironheart is fundamental, for his faith. The second part is where it seems that the novel could spoil, and where it is speculated would happens to Ironheart as in"The Necromancers"by Robert Hugh Benson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... proposes several solutions. A divine, another fantastic, succeeding a third, making that you plot is even more fascinating, and disturbing even if possible. By the way, here should review, and praise Dean. R. Koontz love for the cinema of the 80s. We see that from the second part Ironheart loses prominence and Holly Thorne, equal wins in the case of Vicky and Gonzalo in the famous saga of my friend Manuel Alfonseca https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... the Sleuths of the transition https://www.goodreads.com/series/1836.... Despite the supernatural, that G. K. Chesterton dismisses his works that part is very chestertoniana. Holly is rejecting explanations, which I I would have swallowed, but it as Father Brown refuses to believe them. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... I've also has fascinated by the theme of amnesia who also tried Gene Wolfe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/4945... , and my beloved Juan Manuel de Prada https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . In fact, this novel, despite the fantastic has much in common with "the seventh veil" and "Lucia at night" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... because it is very hitchcockiana, very psychoanalytic, especially the third part in which dominates Holly Thorne. The end may not be best and most emotive reminding me to a film by Nicholas Ray, and James Mason stronger than life Bigger than Life. One thing that I really liked, but I can't say it, because you sad if I novel. Take years to forget a novel as it is, that it is devoted to Dean Koontz, as one of the greats, and not as a mere imitator of Stephen King. With this novel Koontz enters the prestigious club of writers with five stars, and this as a strong candidate to be the best novel of the year. Read and enjoy Goodreads user health of Koontz.

PS. This is the first of five novels of Dean R. Koontz, I have to read. PS 2. I have bespoken most reviews among them Congo, I'm going to dedicate to someone, and "against the tide" of Elisabeth Camden, which I will devote to other people, but, even so, I still left many books for commenting. PS. 3. I love receiving likes, but before giving to the like wait for it to finish my reviews. Thank you:-).

[Karl Marberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book was suspenseful and solid. The book slowed down considerably in the second half and the experience felt dampened for quite a while. Ultimately, it ended with decent payoff and symbolism.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Fire is a book that seems to get a little overlooked by Koontz fans these days. It is certainly a distinctive entry in the Koontz bibliography — it’s the windmill one! — but I don’t often see it in top ten lists. Why, I don’t know. Written in the middle of what many consider this author’s golden age, Cold Fire is a quick-moving, white hot thriller: one I wholly enjoyed, despite a few flaws.

This book grabbed me even quicker than most other Koontz novels, which is saying something; he is known for gripping his readers straight away. Jim Ironheart is a man with a strange ability — he knows when certain people are doomed to die, and he is compelled to save them . . . at any cost. Why? Well, the unraveling of Jim, what drives him, and what is hidden in his past is more shocking and trippier than what Koontz usually goes for. Kudos to him for twisting and exceeding my expectations, and proving all my predictions wrong.

Jim is pursued by Holly Thorne, a cynical and pushy reporter. This character gets a bit of flak from Koontz fans, which I suppose I understand — she isn’t Koontz’s normal meek and mild blonde female character, with radiant good looks. Holly is willful and unafraid to get what she wants. For me, she is a nice change of pace from this author’s usual female leads.

What Cold Fire is is a superhero story, told with great energy and care. In this novel Koontz mixes suspense and romance and horror, and he does a pretty damn fine job. Despite a saggy middle and some cornball dialogue here and there, this novel kept me engaged and, on the whole, it was a fun and unpredictable ride!

[jade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me first start off by saying that Dean Koontz is someone I turn to whenever I’m looking for a light yet frightening read. I don’t expect his books to be amazingly good literary works with deep characters, lots of development, intricate plot twists, and so on. I expect his books to be scary, page-turning, and enjoyable to read. But unfortunately, that said…

This book was quite a disappointment to me. It started off as most of Koontz’ books do: characters with predictable names are introduced, as is the supernatural phenomenon that’s going to be prevalent in the book, and off we go! And the book does start off well, with an interesting protagonist (Jim Ironheart) who can sense it when something terrible is about to happen – and is then drawn to it in order to prevent it. Almost a forced hero, really. He meets our female love interest quite soon: a journalist interested in covering his story, and together they start travelling in order to prevent disasters that Jim knows are going to happen.

I very much enjoyed this first part of the book, especially as the female love interest, Holly, delves further into the person that is Jim. Many aspects of his character are explored, especially his supernatural abilities, and once more and more is revealed, it really got me curious about what was actually at the core of his character. I expected something frighteningly exciting, as I always do from Koontz, and felt like the story was building up to this, too, with both its religious and alien allusions.

And then the story does a complete turn for the worse: the big reveal practically renders the entire build-up completely useless, providing me with annoyance and an anti-climactic feeling, and the psycho-analytic drivel it puts forth as a back-up of all that has occurred just felt ridiculously out of place, and terribly forced. The big reveal and the ending didn’t feel like a logical conclusion to the first part of the book at all; though I’m all for good plot twists and new perspective on things, it’s the author’s job to make this work, to make it believable. And it wasn’t like that with Cold Fire’s ending, and that is what’s so disappointing about this book for me.

I know Koontz can do better than this, and I felt cheated by the ending, and the way the book endlessly dragged while awaiting the big reveal. The first part of the book was quite enjoyable, as was the character of Jim Ironheart, until Koontz took everything and threw it away, giving us something completely different and unbelievable in its stead.

I would recommend this only for die-hard Dean Koontz fans, honestly.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

La base de la historia me pareció muy buena, me atrapó desde el inicio y mucha partes me gustaron, pero siento que se fue difuminando y desarrollándose en demasiadas direcciones a medida que avanzaba, como dando manotazos de ahogado, para luego escoger una opción que no terminó de convencerme, tanto en explicación como en ejecución.
Además hubo aspectos que sucedieron demasiado rápido y volvieron un tanto inverosímil ciertas situaciones.

Y el final absolutamente no me ha gustado.

Me gusta Koontz, pero este no fue del todo para mí.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Fire is a good, somewhat overlooked novel with nicely blended elements of horror, suspense, mystery, intrigue, science fiction, and spiritualism. It kind of foreshadows the urban fantasy/paranormal romance craze that swept publishing a decade or two after it appeared. The two major characters, psychic Jim Ironheart and reporter Holly Thorne, and quite likeable and you just have to root for them. Their dialog is sometimes quirky, but endearing, and Koontz's thematic symbolism is fun if occasionally heavy handed. (Windmill, windmill, got it.) I thought the first half stood up better than the second, but it's a fine, entertaining story. And how many more people could Clark have saved if he hadn't spent so much time working at a newspaper?

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koontzland - Group Read - June 2019
My second read reminds me that - Jim Ironheart - this book’s “main” character saves everyone’s life - a invulnerable & unconquerable “hero” helping others.

Jim does not want Holly, the “nosy” reporter’s attention, she sees him save people’s lives from danger. Jim’s clairvoyance powers, e.g. When boarding a DC-10 to save 2, Holly follows him, Jim’s initial goal was to save selected passengers in the front rows, she forces him to save the entire plane before the crash, one of the book’s longest sections. With psychic power, he turns on & off, that can bring visions of danger & death.
Holly determines leave reporting, to save others like Jim & learn to feel “rage” against what people do to others, just like Jim does to help others.

Jim’s the most wanted person, she has ever meet, Jim’s loneliness will be filled w/her.
Holly does help him feel better being “orphaned” & his own family deaths. At the end, they become more attached to each as he travels, she follows, their paths cross & bringing their lives closer.....



I made a few changes below.

My June 2016 read
I thought this is one of Koontz best. Jim Ironheart is a hero saving people.
Holly Thorne, a Portland Press reporter, sees Jim miraculous save Billy Jenkins crossing the street at McAlbury School from a drunk pickup truck driver.

Jim does not want a interview & makes Holly frustrated. Then Jim saves Susie & Lisa from being captive in a motorhome from 2 perverted men. Holly sees a Boston Globe headline "Man saves boy, Nicholas O'Conner, from power plant explosion", Holly finds his life saving missions from explosions & murders.

A very good long part of the book is when Holly follows him Flight 246, Jim boards to save 2, Holly follows & makes him help pilots to save the entire flight that was ready to crash. Finally, Jim tells Holly - The Friend "spirit" guides him who to save. Jim & Holly begin their love. Holly has a nightmare of Atlanta's Dixie Duck Restraurant massacre.

They go to his hometown, New Svenborg, CA, grandparent's farmhouse has a windmill (he lived there after his parents died when 10 years old). They enter "the black windmill", hear bells, feel vibrations and meet Jim's The Friend "spirit". What does The Enemy "spirit" do?

Grandmother, Lena's gravestone has dates showing she is dead. Granddad, Henry's gravestone does not have a date to show he is dead. He is in Fairhaven nursing home, it's difficult for Jim to face him.

The end items are important....

The Significance of Holly's nightmare with Atlanta's Dixie Duck Restaurant....
Jim's - The Enemy & The Friend - Cold Fire?
Will Jim & Holly continue to love & what to do together? A surprise I did not expect....



Audiobook - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Id4gg6L...
Audiobook - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta_F6hK...

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like I said in my updates, I couldn’t believe I’d appreciate this book as much as I did now. Especially not after the “reveal” (that admittedly have broken quite a few Koontz that were not broken from the start).

I think this has to do with the hero in this one not being ultra good, but actually have some human traits. Well, that and the absence of dogs and/or mega-precocious kids. Yes, we’re still treated to some insta-love and cheesy dialogue and too drawn-out dramatics, but when the intensity is this good and the story kind-of holds together, I’m willing to overlook that. And to suspend disbelief in the Taisun crane.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is another to join the shelf entitled new authors I have encountered through Goodreads friends. In a line from left to right where extreme left is ' absolutely brilliant ' and extreme right is ' oh in the Name of all that's holy what the hell was that supposed to be ' Mr Koontz sits fairly squarely in the middle. I am pleased to have read one of his enormous works...over 500 pages....but as always with these multi-tomed writers, having seen so many on the bookshop shelves I was always hoping I would enjoy him more and thus open out a huge future of treating myself to one of his stories once a year or so. As it is, having read this one, I am not sure if I will indulge again and so he joins Alexander McCall Smith and Patrick O'Brian on my 'Oh well I tried ' shelf.

He is certainly a page turner and the pace of the novel is quite exciting. He builds up tension very cleverly I found with his repetitive technique and that is not in any way a back handed compliment. I genuinely did get carried along by the story, well I did until the end. The ending was really unconvincing. The story is of a lone ranger type saviour who keeps turning up at just the right time to save innocent lives from violent and unexpected death. He meets a disgruntled and down at heart journalist who becomes fascinated by the whole story and she stalks him, finds him, they fall in love and then they set of to try to sort out what is happening and why. Some of the phrases used clunk and crunch in the reading, Holly, the heroine, thinks in what Koontz evidently imagines are clever and witty images but I feel sometimes less is more and one or two of the images he uses himself in the narrative are real stinkers;

eg:- ' And in the park, for one terrible moment, she had thought that his fragile shell of sanity would crack and spill the yolk of madness '

Koontz keeps you guessing and theories and ideas are brought to the surface and then shot out of the water and so gradually the story and action hones in on one place and one tragic incident from the past which, coming at the end of a trail of tragedy is the spur for what was to lie in the future. It was all very cleverly put together but that was the problem for me; it did just seem a construction. Some of the terror and suspense was very effective and the main idea was, I would guess, quite original but something didn't convince me.

This sort of novel is perfect for a huge long journey. You would be caught up in it and swept along and would not need to think overly so tiredness and the lack of concentration that produces would not be the huge drawback it would be if you were attempting 'War and Peace'. I enjoyed it as an exciting story and the initial accounts of his heroic deeds were very well done but the ending just didn't work for me.

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es el segundo libro que leo del autor. El primero, hace más de veinte años no me gustó nada y este, pues tampoco.
Aún así le doy tres estrellas (2'5 un aprobado raspadillo estaría mejor) porque siempre puntuo un poco a la alza pero sobre todo porque tiene momentos que me gustaron mucho, realmente entretenidas, sobre todo la primera parte del libro pero se fue volviendo para mí tedioso y descriptivo en exceso. No conseguía que me atrapase. Tal vez la idea es buena pero el modo de contarlo a mí no me llegó, no me emocionó y acabarlo fue más cuestión de cabezonería que de interés real.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Ironheart hears a voice telling him to go to specific locations in order to save a person or more. Holly Thorne is a reporter who crosses Jim’s path leading both to mystery, danger, and horror in a pretty good novel from Koontz though this time not involving a dog of any note that I can recall.
A lot of harrowing situations and the proverbial evil that is a hallmark of all Koontz novels leading towards a finish.

[Lu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hrm. Again, grown-up books are tricky. I've really been trying to find some I can appreciate, but this one didn't measure up. It was a suspense/mystery/pseudo sci-fi thriller type. And it was written by Dean Koontz who gets at least one whole shelf to himself at my tiny library.

This is the story of a man who somehow knows the future--he doesn't control when he'll know or what he'll know: but each time he follows the "directions" he saves someone's life.

Then he meets a reporter for a small time newspaper who likes his eyes (yes, you read that right) enough to follow up on him. She discovers that he's been saving people around the country. So she sets out to do some investigative reporting.

So far...mostly normal. And then...the sci-fi bizzarro part kicks in--it's all very intriguing and I certainly didn't want to put the book down because I had to know how it ended.

Once I knew...I wasn't very satisfied. I've enjoyed many teen/children's novels more and had to endure less scary scenes (actually, only two were really troubling because they involved some super scary bad guys...shudder) and without a sex scene.

My overall reaction: blah. Has anyone read any other Dean Koontz novels that you can recommend?

[Kitty | MyCuriousReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fan of Koontz, not a fan of Cold Fire.

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid supernatural thriller from Koontz. After reading some of his newer works recently and being disappointed its good to go back to some of his older books to know why I like him so much.

Jim Ironheart receives premonitions and feelings directing him to certain places and people who are about to die. He is called upon to save these people moments their death. He does not know where this calling has come from or who is directing him. There's also a more evil power surrounding him called "The Enemy" who he must keep at bay. After a nosey reporter gets wind of his miraculous life saving attempts and inserts herself into his life it takes Jim back to his childhood full of horrific memories....back to the windmill...back for a chance at remembering what he has been trying to run from his whole life.

It was fast paced and riverting especially at the beginning. The ending is all wrapped up a bit to nice for my liking but still a fantastic read. 4 stars.

[J.S. Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY CRAP THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME.

I have read a lot of Koontz. And I mean a LOT. He is my most-read author. I have now read more than thirty of his novels, and I plan to read many more.

This one was different. It was like an acid trip. I have never actually been on an acid trip, but I would imagine that being on one is somewhat like reading this novel. (Did I even read this novel? Am I really J. S. Bailey? Or am I really a forty-five-year-old man named Biff tied up in a straight jacket staring out the window of my padded room looking at the sparrows perched on the edge of the courtyard birdbath?)

[Is it THAT obvious that I've read a lot of Koontz?]

Sorry. Sometimes I get carried away. Who are you again?

Anyway, Cold Fire did not turn out at all how I had expected. Jim Ironheart is an awesome dude. He risks his own life to rescue people he doesn't even know. He seems to be an instrument of a higher power. He struggles with many of the questions that I myself grapple with: Why does God allow so much evil to be in the world? What is the purpose of suffering? Why, why, why?

I won't tell you more of the plot, except for in the forthcoming SPOILER. PLEASE do not read the spoiler unless you have also read Thr3e by Ted Dekker, because I am going to spoil it, too. Also, I would advise you not to read the spoiler unless you have already read Cold Fire. But I think that one was probably already obvious.

For those of you who know me, or those of you who follow my reviews, it may be obvious that I am a hardcore Dekkie. Though I have not read as many of them, overall I have enjoyed a larger percentage of Ted Dekker's books than I have of Dean Koontz's. I am also aware that Ted is a huge Dean Koontz fan, because he mentioned it in an interview I once read. Using my powers of deductive reasoning, I am going to assume that Ted has also read Cold Fire.

The reason I say this is because Cold Fire and Thr3e have virtually identical plot twists. Jim in Cold Fire and Kevin in Thr3e have crafted their own versions of reality without knowing it. They are absolutely bat$h!t crazy and haven't a clue. They each house two other personalities inside their minds that aren't their own: Jim has The Friend and The Enemy (the Good and the Evil, with poor Jim stuck in the middle); and Kevin has Samantha and Slater, who serve the same purpose. The Evil tries to overcome the good. Jim and Kevin both lost their parents at a young age and created the multiple personalities to cope with their issues, and in the end they both nearly self-destruct.

Then I look at the publication dates. Cold Fire was released in 1987. Thr3e was released in 2003.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Um...life line?

[Jona Lectores Constantes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ay, no me convenció del todo. Toca un montón de tramas y subtramas. Si se hubiera quedado con un tema y hubiera desarrollado ese quizá lo hubiera disfrutado más. Además se me hacían eternas algunas escenas… toda la acción que se suponía que ocurría se perdía por lo lento. Eso sí tiene otras partes muy buenas, llenísimas de acción y tensión (MUY SANGRIENTAS TAMBIÉN), los personajes están bien desarrollados y siento que no sobra ninguno. Me recordó un poco a las películas de Destino final que las amo jaja.

Un buen libro, pero ahí nomás. 3⭐️

[Joshua Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dean Koontz never disappoints with his fluent story writing and multi-layered character development. Cold Fire however, was one of Koontz’s more emotional books, touching on a lot of heavy themes, and it was a refreshing change.

Cold Fire proves again that Koontz’s early work cannot be matched - a fantastic read!

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не знам защо с Кунц рядко си пасваме. Започвал съм буквално десетки негови книги и съм ги зарязвал на произволни места. Не отричам литературния му талант, точно защото от време на време попадам на нещо като това, или „Пазителите“, или „Пророчеството“, всяка от които докосна нещо в мен.
Холи Торн е журналистка, която случайно се среща със симпатичния непознат – Джим Айрънхард, когато той спасява дете от пиян шофьор. Докато разследва странната му дарба, която му показва къде ще се случи нещастие, двамата успяват да се харесат. Когато обаче се заравят в миналото на Джим ги чака неприятна изненада.
Книгата е изпъстрена с много сюжетни обрати, които правят простичката човешка история едно много напрегнато приключение. Паранормалният елемент мени няколко пъти доста успешно проявлението си, докато стигнем до финалната изненада.
Другото добро попадение беше, освен цитатите от несъществуващата „Книга на преброените тъги“, които присъстват в доста от произведенията на автора, имаше и цяла несъществуваща детска книжка „Черната мелница“ с оригинален сюжет, около която се завъртя историята.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one of those books that I think started out well. I liked the way it was unfolding, I liked the main character (though he was quite shallowly drawn) and I was really quite annoyed with Holly.

To be annoyed with a character there has to be something there. In this case she was a little more solid than Jim, even if annoying.

Unfortunately soon I was thinking "oh, are we going here?" And, we did. This isn't a bad book, but it could have been so much more. Koontz is a good writer and I enjoy his work. When I criticize it there's always a sort "ya, but you don't have a published work, so who are you?" feeling about it. It's just that he has done some excellent work, and this one started out so well.

I didn't dislike it, I even liked some of it, but I probably won't reread and as I said...I see so much potential in the story here. 3 stars.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Koontz and I have always credited it with getting me hooked on the horror/mystery genre. The characters were realistic and likable. The romance between them despite their frightening situation in the windmill was superb. Never forgot it.

[Ivan Lutz · Rating 2 out of 5]

lako se čita ali lako ce se i zaboraviti. Bez veze.... Dvojka zbog prve polovice knjige.

[Maciek · Rating 3 out of 5]

like Three and a half or 3, 3/4.

Does anyone remember a TV show called Early Edition ? It was about a man who found a newspaper on his doormat, every morning. However, he never ordered any subscription...and each newspaper was an "early edition", carrying the date of...tomorrow.
The hero of this TV drama did his best to prevent all the accidents described in the paper...which seemed to be delivered by a ginger tabby cat.

The protagonist of Cold Fire, Jim Ironheart, has an ability to predict disasters that threaten lives of people. The curious fact is that Ironheart always knows the exact identities of people he goes to save...

Since this is a Koontz novel, there has to be a female protagonist who would serve as a love interest for the hero. Enter Holly Thorne, a female reporter who learns about Jim and decides to write the biggest story of her life (she's a rather mediocre, struggling journalist). However, when she meets him she abandons her attempts and falls in love with him. She stays with Jim and uncovers the truth that's most unexpected.

The good stuff:

The use of visual imagery is stunning. The scenes and surroundings are described in vivid detail. The novel is worth reading alone if you like Koontz's writing style - he's definitely on the easy reading shelf, but has such way with words...at least in 1991.

The bad stuff:

Koontz, like Dickens, tries to give his heroes meaningful names - but fails miserably because his symbolism is so obvious. he strives to create an average guy, who would have a common name such as John or Jim, but to emphasize his bravery and devotion he gives him a meaningful name - Ironheart. What's wrong with Kovalsky ?
Of course he made him an expert in Tae-Kwon-Do, which is presented to be an agressive martial art along the lines of Krav-Maga, shooting guns, driving cars, etc etc etc. All the hero stuff.

Holly Thorne, the reporter who goes after Jim, is introduced as an unlikable, self-loving bitch. Here's an excerpt to illustrate the point how she treats hell co-worker who just wants to give her some comfort by talking to her.

"Me," Tommy said, "I haven't had the life I planned on, either. You think I figured to wind up head of maintenance for the Press, just a glorified janitor?"

"I guess not," she said, feeling small and self centered for whining at
him when his lot in life was not as desirable as her own.

"Hell, no. From the time I was a little kid, I knew I was gonna grow up
to drive one of those big damn old sanitation trucks, up there in that
high cab, pushin' the buttons to operate the hydraulic-ram compactor."
His voice became wistful. "Ridin' above the world, all that powerful
machinery at my command. It was my dream, and I went for it, but I
couldn't pass the city physical. Have this kidney problem, see.
Nothin' serious but enough for the city's health insurers to disqualify
me."

He leaned on his broom, gazing off into the distance, smiling faintly,
probably visualizing himself ensconced in the kingly driver's seat of a
garbage truck.
Staring at him in disbelief, Holly decided that his broad face did not,
after all, look sweet and innocent and kind. She had misread the meaning of its lines and planes. It was a stupid face. (Emphasis mine)

She wanted to say, You idiot! I dreamed of winning Pulitzers, and now
I'm a hack writing industry puff pieces about the damn Timber Trophy!
That is tragedy. You think having to settle for being a janitor instead
of a garbage collector is in any way comparable?"

If I could, I'd have smacked the selfish bitch across th face. Good it's only a book. There's more:

"(...)Eddie said. Looking back and down at
his right leg, he added happily, "Look at that calf, hard as rock."
As if she hadn't been looking at it all along.
"The fat layer between my skin and the muscle underneath, it's hardly
there, burned it all away."
Another reason she didn't mind lying to Eddie was because he was a vain,
self involved jerk."

Says the girl who despises her co-worker's humble dreams. Bravo, miss vanity, bravo. What's wrong with having a great body ? What's wrong with being proud of hours of hard work that paid off ?

Despite knowing Ironheart for a short while Holly stalks him, and falls in love with him, has sex with him right after he told her about the death of all his nears and dears (LOL), all in about two weeks.
Koontz can't write romance; it's on Harlequin level, and I think that even utterly bored housewifes would find it cheesy and unrealistic as hell.
Also, Holly turns out to be an excellent psychologists and starts to psychoanalyze poor Jim. Her explanation is that she once interviewed a psychologist. I once drove a car, so I think I'm going to be the next Colin McRae.

The resolution is abrupt, which is a trademark of Koontz, who spends hundred of pages writing about fantastic stuff, and chooses the most obvious, juvenile and cheesy resolution which takes around half a page. I liked the very ending though.

Overall, it's a nice B-book that will keep you entertained but won't change your life or stay in your head for years.

[Brenda H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dean Koontz has been one of my favorite authors since I first picked up Watchers over 30 years ago. He is generally good for an interesting, scary and often thought-provoking read. Based on the description of this book, I expected more of the same. The beginning of the book was great – it had excitement, suspense and mystery – unfortunately it didn’t last. By about two-thirds of the way through, things fell apart for me.

As the book opens, the reader is introduced to Jim Ironheart, a man who is experiencing a ‘premonition’ of sorts. He knows he has to go to the airport but doesn’t know where he’s going until he gets a pull from a location on the departures board, and realizes he needs to fly to Portland. Once in Portland, Ironheart arrives just in time to save the life of Billy Jenkins. Unfortunately, one of the witnesses is Holly Thorne, a journalist.

Jim is able to make his escape and leaves Holly wondering who he is and how he came to be in Portland in the nick of time. Then, she sees a report of another miraculous rescue – this time a mother and daughter in the Mojave Desert – and the savior’s description fits Ironheart. From there Holly is able to piece together a series of similar events and decides that she needs to investigate further.

Jim’s history and personality are revealed through Holly’s investigation and the reader receives more information on his supernatural abilities. There are religious undertones as well as potential for alien involvement. The excitement builds as Jim and Holly face off and she tries to figure out what makes him so special.

And then… things went wrong. Suddenly, Holly became an amateur psychiatrist and is trying to “fix” Jim. Jim’s personality becomes unpredictable – at one moment, excited and wanting to know more, then petulant and childish. The reveal was a letdown after the build-up of the first half of the book and doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the story.

I'm giving this 3 stars for the first two-thirds of the book. This is definitely not one of Koontz's best but it also won't keep me from reading more by him.

Rating: 3 stars

[Matias Cerizola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuego Frío.- Dean Koontz

"Esas formas oscuras e irregulares contra el cielo sombrío formaban una imagen que podía provenir de un poema de Edgar Allan Poe. En su infancia, Jim era un apasionado de Poe, y había memorizado los fragmentos más macabros de su poesía. La morbidez tenía su fascinación."

Jim Ironheart tiene un don fuera de lo común, en determinados momentos le surge la necesidad de estar en un punto del mundo en particular y de esta forma lograr salvarle la vida a personas que están a punto de perder la vida, sea en accidentes o sea por acciones de terceros. Jim tiene premoniciones. Al presenciar uno de estos acontecimientos, la periodista Holly Thorne decide investigar a Jim, y casi en simultáneo ella empieza a tener pesadillas sobre un viejo molino y sobre una entidad malvada llamada El Enemigo.

Fuego Frío se publicó originalmente en el año 1991 y sobre su historia se escribió un guión cinematográfico sin filmar hasta el momento. Un detalle para mencionar es que la edición (Javier Vergara Editores) que leí, respeta la portada original creada por el artista Don Brautigam, a quien los rockeros conocemos por sus portadas de clásicos del rock como Master Of Puppets, Dr. Feelgood y The Razors Edge entre otros.

Siempre hay que confiar en Dean R. Koontz. Ok, algunos libros son irregulares, pero por lo general es un autor que no defrauda y Fuego Frío está dentro de los veinte mejores seguro, siendo que Dean ha publicado en algún momento hasta 8 libros por año (bajo seudónimos incluso) y pública desde 1970, es una buena posición de ranking.

Si bien hay algunos elementos de terror, Fuego Frío es en realidad un Thriller Sobrenatural, género que el autor maneja muy bien, y que termina siendo también un homenaje a los libros clásicos de terror y ciencia ficción y cómo impactan en los jóvenes lectores que los descubren.

🤘🤘🤘🤘

[Patrice Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. There was constant action and mystery. I've always enjoyed Dean Koontz writing and this book reminded me of all the things I loved about him since the first book of his I read. All through out the book I was really rooting for the main character. He's a likeable enough guy. Plus, who wouldn't appreciate a guy who risks his life to save people he's never met before.
At first, I thought that the female charachter was annoying. But, in most novels, there has to be some sort of love interest. Love can bring anyone from the brink of insanity back to the real world. Sounds pretty cheesy but it works in this book. Although she seems useless in the beginning, she turns out to be an important person for Mr. Ironheart.
Their names are also pretty obvious. "Ironheart" amd "Thorne". They were completely who/what their names made them to be. She was like a thorn in the man with an iron heart's side. It's okay to allow Dean Koontz this since it doesn't detract from the story too much or is even mentioned in the book. They more or less act their names.
The journey in this story is great with a lot of action sequences that leave the reader just wanting more and unable to put the book down. Wanting to know who this "Enemy" is made every scene worthwhile. There were no charachters introduced that were not necessary. And the main characters were flushed out enough to actually care about. I liked this book and would recommend it to be read.