Wilderness

Innocence #0.5

by Dean Koontz

A chilling short story prequel to Dean Koontz’s forthcoming full-length novel, INNOCENCE. Addison Goodheart is only eight years old, but he already knows he is not like other people.

Addison Goodheart is a mystery even to himself. He was born in an isolated home surrounded by a deep forest, seeing no one but his mother, who barely accepts him. She is haunted by private demons and keeps many secrets – none of which she dreads more than the young son who adores her.

Only in the woods, among the wildlife, is Addison truly welcome. Only there can he be at peace. Until the day he first knows terror, the day when his life changes radically and forever…

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Fantasy

39 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2013

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

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to say? Well I guess that I should start by telling you that I used to be a huge Dean koontz fan but eventually got a bit burned out on him, particularly on his "all humans are pure evil and all animals are pure innocence" kind of feel that his books give off. This short story was no exception to that, a boy was born deformed and the mear sight of him make any human instantly want to kill him. His mother bans him from the house and he lived with the purely innocent animals. Reading this short story was kind of like hanging out with a hardcore Christian that just wanted to spend the entire time telling you why you are going to hell. I get the whole evil of the human race thing but I just can't buy it that everyone who sees this deformed child would instantly be filled with a murderous rage. The story was entertaining but very short and really not so much of a story as it was just a character introduction. It makes mention of what will happen in the novel even though it effects this story in no way and at the end I kind of felt like I had been tricked into buying a promotional tool for the novel because really that's all this is. I guess what I am really saying is that it don't read like a short story, it reads like the first chapter of a novel which is what most authors would give away just to try and hook you on the story so you would buy the novel.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innocence and Wilderness (Group Read - January 2020 - 2 books)

Second read - January 2020

Rereading, I see Addison(8-son) with more fear & survival, of being alone from mom, of his living at home surroundings & the chases of the wolves different.

1. His life in a small Antarctica (See my footnotes) house with “forbidding” crawlspace to survive, sleep, eat.
2. His Fear being alone & “outside” of a mom that - a mom will grow ill or die by accident from him.
3. “Wilderness” is bleak & grotesque being Paranoid (See my footnotes) chased by the “Evil hunter” & many wolves for survival.

First read - February 2017

Addison Goodheart(8) shows a "Wilderness" is a track of forests/trees -and- it is a human hostility. His "unhappy" mother put him out of house, to sleep, to eat, etc. he eventually leaves her behind. Surprised wolves are more friendly than humans, when one wolf warned him from a "evil hunter", his first human outside of mom. Addison must escape the hunter. Addison comes back home to learn that wilderness has endless surprises & mysteries.

Innocence book
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Goodreads Innocence Series
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1862...

Footnotes - Research Additions 2020

1. Antarctica island is covered 98% of a sheet of ice at least 1.6 km (1.0 mi) thick.
2. Paranoia is an instinct or thought process believed to be influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of madness, delusion and irrationality...

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addison Goodheart was turned away from his mother at a young age because he was born a freak. When he is in the woods, he is found by a psychotic hunter who will stop at nothing to kill him. Will he survive the wilderness? Read on and find out for yourself.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook online and the ebook is available wherever books are sold so definitely check this out if you enjoy thriller short stories.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's really not much to this 30 page story. I have enjoyed previous Dean Koontz novellas including Darkness Under the Sun which promoted What the Night Knows, The Moonlit Mind which promoted 77 Shadow Street and the three Odd Interlude Novellas. Wilderness lacks the length or subject matter to meet the novella criteria. Wilderness is clearly a promotional tool to boost the interest/sales of Innocence.

I believe humanity is better than represented here in the form of a hunter. I have not been overly impressed with Dean's 2013 releases but I will maintain hope for the future.

The 2013 releases of Dean Koontz including Deeply Odd, Wilderness and Innocence have strengthened my belief that religion is not necessary for people to be good, full of wonder, and a benefit to others. Please listen to IMAGINE by John Lennon.

Happy New Year 2014 :-)

2017 Thoughts: I enjoy the ideas that Imagination is a Wilderness, the inclusive Tapestry, the wonder & connection of nature and animals which is lightly touched upon in Wilderness. However, everything else I have previously stated still applies.

[Russell Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. Another timely Kindle release from Koontz, in that this mini-book clearly serves as the starter before the main course, 'Innocence', is released in January.

Being a staunch supporter of all things Koontz and also a completist, I will undoubtedly still be buying the book when it comes out. However, this will mostly be out of curiosity to see if it is any better than this painfully mediocre effort.

Somewhere along the way, Koontz lost his mojo and has yet to reclaim it. Too many of his books are now padded out with lengthy, banal paragraphs of description, which makes for tedious reading. It pains me to say this but, unless Innocence turns out to be a thoroughly thrilling page-turner, I too may be forced to give up on my favourite author - and I really don't want to do that.

Sort it out, Dean. Please.

[Gareth Is Haunted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short prequel to 'Innocence'. This serves its purpose as a companion piece but doesn't really add anything new.

'Many hearts contain great beauty and the smallest measure of darkness. In many other hearts, beauty brightens only remote corners where otherwise darkness rules.'

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pointless, lame story that "sets the stage" for Koontz's new novel, INNOCENCE--a book that I will now be giving a wide berth.

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunted by mystery A great short story says a lot with a little, and leaves things open ended in a way that can keep your head spinning for infinity in the best way. This short story was excellent, it did the things that make this format special in conveying a particular vibe. Koontz expertly weaves meditations on coming of age and feeling trapped within the context of being hunted by a mystery.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Apparently a prelude to a larger story I have yet to read.

Only 30 pages, a young boy who is deformed in some way has been kept hidden from the world by his mother. while out in his beloved woods near his secluded home, a hunter discovers him and tries to kill him. He evades the hunter and returns home.

Content concerns: Murder.

[Orkney Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dean Koontz does it again with a short story introduction to his upcoming release "Innocence". Here we meet Addison Goodheart, an eight year old boy shunned by his own mother because of the way he looks. Described as an abomination and living in the middle of nowhere his mother is the only other human being he has ever known, until the day he is left to wonder the woods and encounters the psycopathic hunter.
We never get a phsical description of young Addison,leaving us to ask ourselves,do we really want to know? Is it okay for us to ask ourselves this question in the first place? Is he as abominable as we are made to think or could it be a singularity some might see as beauty?
Read it if you want some great suspense from a master of storytelling, you won't be disappointed and like me, will want the release of "Innocence" to arrive much sooner.

[Paula Cappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Each life is a spool of thread that unravels through the years, and it is by a thread that we are so perilously suspended." So says Addison, a wretched young boy who is too hideous to look upon, even his mother has to send him away. Heart-breaking from page one! These words of life "unraveling like a thread perilously suspended" certainly do sum up the high suspension of this story. I couldn't stop reading it. Wilderness is haunting and intimate with imagery you won't forget. I like the themes of human nature vs. Mother nature. And the wolves here are so mysterious, so beautiful, I'm curious to read more. A thrilling read from a master writer.

[Diane Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Left me with too many questions. I know it is the prequel to Innocence. My biggest wonder is if Addison's mom hired a paid assassin to do what she could never do. He clearly is a paid assassin and it is not hunting season. Of course I was dying to know what was so horrible about him. I believe the mother killed herself out of guilt. I can not decide what guilt. That her plan went wrong and Addison was still alive or the fact that she could not spend another day knowing she just wanted him fdead in the first place.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small appetizer to Innocence by Dean Koontz. It got me curious, why does Addison Goodheart spark such rage in other people and will the hunter be in the novel? Smart move by Koontz, make one curious enough so one has to read his novel to find the answers...

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I re-read this short story in 2020 for the third time. I forgot about reading it for the second time in 2017, but have memories of my first experience in 2013 and the strong opinions I had.

The reason for re-reading in 2020 is the selection of Innocence as The Koontzland - Dean Koontz January Group Read. I wanted to go into this with an open-mind. I don't feel as strongly opposed to the stories that didn't go the way I wanted to in 2013.

I am keeping my initial 2-star rating for Wilderness meaning "It was okay". I maintain my initial feelings that Wilderness is simply too short and that humanity is better than represented here. It does serve to open the door to Innocence which I look forward to revisiting after more than 6 years of closing the book with less than appreciation.

[Matt McRoberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

WILDERNESS was a good set up story for the Addison character and lets the reader get to know him a little before seeing him in Dean Koontz's next novel Innocence: A Novel. The story had a bit of action as well and I wonder if the hunter will make an appearance in the full length novel.

Overall a good short read. A good start for what hopefully will be a great novel with INNOCENCE later this December.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice teasing prequel for the forthcoming Innocence novel.

Eight year old Addison Goodheart was born in an isolated home surrounded by a deep forest, even he’s mother barely accepts him.

It’s a great introduction to the world and has certainly peaked my interest.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoops, I already read this one. Prequel to Innocence by Koontz.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read introducing his book Innocence, which I did not care for. This story had little substance. It kind of went nowhere.

[Jennifer Barstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good prelude to the book Innocence.

[Amanda Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay short story, doesn't really hook me to want to read the book that comes after, Innocence.

[Anita Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story which one could call a prequel or at least a tease of the novel, Innocence. Here, we learn about Addison and the incidents during his early childhood years that shaped his future and led him to his destiny in "Innocence."

Good read. Quick.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really quick read to introduce Addison Goodheart, he is then one of the main characters in Koontz's book Innocence (which I had already read). There was no problem in picking this up after the main read because although this is background material regarding Addison, the really critical information is covered in the main book. The story line just gives the reader a peek into an incident that occurred to Addison when he was eight. Up to that point, he had only ever seen one other person...his mother. He knew that his appearance caused great upset to people, although the reader never knows why. In fact, some days his mother makes him sleep outside the house because she needs a break from him. On this particular day he encounters the second person he's ever seen and that person attempts to kill him. An entertaining short story.

[Kimberlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like everyone does this, but I'm going to start by saying I'm a long-time Koontz fan, probably to qualify my review in some way.

While I suppose this is an adequate teaser to a book I haven't read yet (and therefore can't give a better opinion on), there were a few issues I had with the content. And I realize I'm being a little nitpicky, but by now I feel we should be beyond this point:

- Goodheart? Really? Isn't that a little on the nose?
- Why? What is motivating this hunter?
- The overt foreshadowing is starting to bug me.

I actually like that they didn't describe what Addison looked like. The imagination is an amazing tool and sometimes words just get in the way. I'm interested in seeing what Innocence has to offer, but I'm not sure what to expect.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dean Koontz.

WTF. After giving you my adolescent years, and faithfully reading all your books at my public library. Arguing how much King sucked and paled in comparison. I got did :-/

I realize the story was short. But just to cut off as abruptly as it did after the adrenaline rush of a chase. I would have thrown my Kindle if i knew it wouldn't break. Dag on it. At least describe what he looked like... almost felt that maybe he was something wonderful instead of horrible and that's what frightened people off...

[Book Tea 🫖 with Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilderness it's a short story about a boy name Addison. The only person Addison has ever known in his life is his mother. Addison was also born with a birth defect. In this short novel, a hunter spots Addison and begins a mad goose chase.

I enjoy anything Dean Koontz write, but this ebook was to short for my taste. I also heard....HEARD a rumor this is just a taste of what his upcoming book Innocence is post to be about. if that is true, then I am dying to know and learn more about Addison. It was.a lot of unanswered questions, to me.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me, but I was not into this short story. My first intro to Koontz, and I feel it wasn't up to par with his novels from all the great stuff I hear about them. This felt more like a promo piece, its purpose only to draw readers into his full length Innocence. There were some interesting turns of phrase, but at times it felt like Koontz was trying too hard to be eloquent. Again, could be me, but if this was all I had to go by to judge whether I want to read more Koontz, I'd have to take a pass. Sorry, Dean.

[looneybooks79 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little tale of Addison Goodheart before his adventures in ‘Innocence’

Addison, a recluse and an outcast, and his mother live secluded from the rest of the world. She can’t take living with him all the time so she orders him to leave the house until she’s ready to have him with her again. When he is eight years old, he encounters a hunter during one of these days and has to hide because the sight of him appalls the hunter…

3,5⭐️

[Dustin]

Dean Koontz and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship (I love most most of his earlier work, but find his more recent offerings to be underwhelming and contrived.) My great friend, Tracy, however, recently convinced me to give his latest novel, Innocence, a go. Then she informed me that Wilderness is a short, e-book prequel.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

After starting Innocence my hubby grabbed it out of my hands before I had finished 2 chapters. Now, I'm glad he did. I had no idea this ebook was an introduction to the character in the book. Had this on hold at the library so when it came I downloaded it and quickly read. I think the novel will be as good as my husband tells me. I'm just not one that enjoys reading short stories!