Tick Tock

by Dean Koontz

Tommy Phan is a successful detective novelist living the American Dream in southern California. One evening he comes home to find a small rag doll on his doorstep. It’s a simple doll, covered entirely in white cloth, with crossed black stitches for the eyes and mouth, and another pair forming an X over the heart. Curious, he brings it inside.

That night Tommy hears an odd popping sound and looks up to see the stitches breaking over the doll’s heart. And in minutes the fabric of Tommy Phan’s reality will be torn apart. Something terrifying emerges from the pristine white cloth, something that will follow Tommy wherever he goes. Something that he can’t destroy. It wants Tommy’s life, and he doesn’t know why. He has only one ally, a beautiful, strangely intuitive waitress he meets by chance—or by a design far beyond his comprehension. He has too many questions, no answers, and very little time. Because the vicious and demonically clever doll has left this warning on Tommy’s computer

The deadline is dawn.

Ticktock

Time is running out.

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

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

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

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy fun reading!


LAUGHING WHILE CREEPING OUT!

This is a great novel, only that curiously when I bought this book, I bought also, another novel by Dean Koontz titled "Life Expectancy" (you can see my review of that book here: Life Expectancy .

I comment this, since I found both novels quite similar.

Not exactly the general story and developing but the mood of the storyline.

I totally adored Life Expectancy and I jumped right after that book to read this one and I was like "Mmh, I'm feeling like deja vú".

But don't get me wrong, the stories are totally different but I think that since before of these two books, I hadn't read a Dean Koontz book with such many humor elements, usually you find characters quite likable and some amusing moments where you smile, but so far, my Koont experience was strictly of creepy horror, not creepy fun.

And I don't tell this as something bad, since I think that's kinda expected to do standard horror, but crafting stories with clear horror intention, but with such rich funny sense, it's quite cool.

Even recently, you find a lot of this in movies and TV series, but at least me, back in 2007, it wasn't something so usual.

But I totally embrace it.

So, initially, I thought that Life Expectancy was like unique on that angle, but right after I read that one, I found here, in Ticktock, another horror book with rich humor elements.


THOSE WONDERFUL WOMEN

Another thing that I found quite similar is the female companion character of the main protagonist.

On both books, the main protagonist finds a spectacular female character with great personality.

So, while I loved both characters in each novel, it didn't help to my "deja vú" feeling.

I know that Dean Koontz re-use a lot of elements, like smart dogs, protagonists who like to read and/or are writers, over-detailed towns, etc... and I love his work for all that.

As I say, "Tick Tock" is a wonderful horror story with a great humorous ambiance, quite entertaining and a really page-turner.

In fact I read it quite quickly. So, I still recommend it a lot. Just try to read this book, Ticktock and Life Expectancy with some time in between of each of them.

Quite advisable, if you read something else, of a different genre, in between.

I'm sure that you'll enjoy both books!!!

Have creepy fun!!!

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This actually starts off pretty well. It’s an interesting premise. Unfortunately, there’s no there there.

It does stand out in Koontz’s repertoire for featuring a non-white person as the protagonist. But it all descends into gimmicks and tropes. The characters have no development and are completely archetypal.

It veers into the camp realm quite fast.

Reading in the Afterword that this was supposed to be fun/funny was pretty cringe. DK has had some misses—and this one is unquestionably one of them. I’d only recommend this one to diehard fans who must read all of his material—or if you’re looking for something completely unserious.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like horror and suspense but are looking for something light and humorous in the genre? Did you just finish a massive, heavy novel and you need a quick getaway? Give Tick Tock a try - it is clever, unusual, and often hilarious. You may or may not like it, but does it hurt to give it a try?

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy Phan buys a new Corvette and, pleased with his purchase, he cruises around for awhile in his dream car. After he gets home the doorbell at the front of his house rings. When he answers the door no one is there, but someone has left a strange cloth doll with a note attached to it on his doorstep. After bringing the doll into his house Tommy lives to regret it.

This was a fast-paced, sometimes funny, and really strange read. It was sort of a horror-comedy. I liked Tommy. I enjoyed his inner thoughts (which were mostly hilarious---but I don't know if they were supposed to be) as he dealt with his "doll" suddenly coming to life. The girl Tommy eventually befriends, Del Payne, was a friendly, gutsy, and totally kooky girl. Some people who read this book will like her, some people will find her annoying. Her character was a bit "out there", weird---she was sort of an oddball. I did like her cute dog Scootie. The doll/demon/creature gave this book some spooky moments and Tommy's obstinate Vietnamese mother was funny at times.

An offbeat, silly, fun read!

[Lucy'sLilLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a strange book. At first I thought this was too bizarre to enjoy but in the end I did quite enjoy this. If you like more believable horrors this definitely isn't for you. There is a dark humour element to this book which I enjoyed. There isn't much gore in this book and I wouldn't even say it was particularly scary it is much more on the comedic side.

The characters in this book are just as strange as the plotline and it just continues to get stranger and stranger, although not one of Dean Koontz's best books it was fully enjoyable and I was interested where the story was going.

The ending was a little lacklustre and rushed which is why I couldn't give it more than a pretty average 3 stars.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a mess. This book is just all over the place. From the nonsensical story line, to the overly goofy characters, Everything in this book can't seem to make up it's mind about what to be. It's not scary enough to be a horror novel, and the strangeness and bad puns want to make it a comedy, but it isn't very funny. I really feel as though the major plot points were chosen at random, perhaps through the "pull some words out of a hat and make a story about them" method. You can make a good story that way, but if you do, it's because you have used a lot of care and patience plotting out where these disparate elements come together. In this case, you end up with a jumbled mess, with new ideas introduced at random and the most out of nowhere ending I've ever read. When I finished this, I wanted to walk up to Dean Koontz, wave the book in his face and ask "What the heck was that all about?"

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book offends me greatly. I was offended at the first 30 pages of foreigner stereotypes (give a Vietnamese mother a food obsession, over-protectedness and an inability to form predicates despite otherwise idiomatic English and you get Koontz' ridiculously pathetic attempt at being "diverse.") Hideous!

As horror it's also pathetic. Too much happens too soon. There's no build-up or tension. An inane monster (sort of) terrorizes two idiots when they're not engaged in the most banal dialogue ever. I was praying the protagonists would get mauled. Jane Austen wrote scarier novels.

Honestly, this is one of the worst books I've ever read. Like a b-movie I was just fascinated by how increasingly dumber and dumber the plot twists got and how screwball the characters were. When I finished the book I said a prayer for all the trees that died to make this literary turd.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and I found it thrilling! 9 of 10 stars

[Paul E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This apparently was Koontz attempt at a "screwball comedy" with of course elements of horror. And there actually is some screwballness to it. It is a rather unhinged cocktail of horror, mystery and comedy. Though his attempts at comedy are rather archaic or at the very least old-fashioned. And his attempts at a strong ingénue character are not very satisfying. Actually, his female characters as a rule are more sarcastic, androgynous characters that voice strangely enough like a middle-aged white dude. Haha go figure. Anywhoo... Koontz wanted to copy a formula of Hitchcock meets Looney tunes in a dark alley, and I'll give him credit, at some parts he almost succeeds.

The story starts with Tommy Phan, a successful Vietnamese-American novelist trying to distance himself from his heritage, who receives a mysterious rag doll at his front doorstep. And that's about the last normal thing to happen in this story. Soon Tommy's night spirals into a frantic, surreal chase. Enter Del, our ingénue, a wildly eccentric blonde stranger with a very sarcastic wit, a big van and many secrets that she alludes to throughout the story. From there construes a night of zany chaos with many bizarre horrific twists.

Underneath it all I feel there is an exploration of identity, culture and family expectations. And yes an attempt at romance plus an adorable dog. And a horrific Beast!

3 stars.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Dean Koontz book, and what an introduction! This book defines what Dean Koontz is all about. He'll reel you in from the first page to the very end, transport you into a world that you're so sure is this but turns out to be that. In this book you actually begin to fear a stupid little rag doll that is more terrifying than Penny Wise (from Stephen King's It) and terribly persistent, and when you find out who's controlling it... Honestly? This book will slap you over and over and over, and you'll like it.

Some important notes that bear mentioning: reviews are highly subjective, including mine. My opinion is meant to give an overview of what I saw/felt when I read it. What I see might not be what you see, and what I like might not be what you enjoy, which is fine. My advice to anyone looking into a book? Read the premise; if it interests you enough, give it a chance, and it may surprise you—or not, but at least then, you'll know.

[Jay Schutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced supernatural thriller with humor that only Koontz could write. Takes place in less than 24 hours. Very enjoyable.

[Maciek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very absurd, fast-paced and engaging. A book which you can read in a few hours, not be bored, put it away and then read it again after a month or two because you've already forgotten it. Quick, fun, ideal for travel.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Koontz novels. It's not as well-remembered or as highly regarded by literary folk as many of his others from the '90s, but I loved the kooky blend of humor with horror. I suspect that he had recently hit such a level of success that the publisher was willing to let him do pretty much as he pleased. The protagonist is a writer, a conceit much more common to King than to Koontz, but it has many other quirks and hallmarks familiar to Koontz fans, such as the breezy rich lifestyle of Southern California (it opens with Tommy Phan buying a new Corvette), a cool dog (is Scootie really a good canine name?), a problematical mother, an odd but brilliant girlfriend (Del Payne), etc. The creepy little doll is straight out of The Twilight Zone via Goosebumps. Koontz's writing is very good, and Tommy's interior monologues are riotous. Good humor is rare in suspenseful novels, but Koontz succeeds quite well in Ticktock.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't particularly crazy about this the first time I read it. It's an odd book with some slightly bizarre humor. I knew that he wrote this because the other books he was writing got too intense but I was intrigued by the afterword. Apparently his goal with this was to combine a supernatural thriller with screwball comedy. This explains soooo much.

This book is the sole reason that I always hesitate over bringing an unknown package into the house, even though I read it over 15 years ago.

Tommy Phan is a Vietnamese-American who wants nothing more than to be as American as possible, to the great dismay of his mother. At the start of the book he's just bought a Corvette and he's talking to his mother on his car phone. She berates him for being a bad son and tries to force him into coming over for dinner. She complains about his detective character in the book that he's just sold and accuses him of eating too many cheeseburgers and chasing blondes. He manages to evade going over for dinner and in a fit of rebellion he orders two cheeseburgers at a local diner.

Later that night Tommy hears someone on his porch and goes to check it out. He finds a gingerbread shaped rag doll on his porch and he brings it in the house. Hence my paranoia because the thing comes to life and then spends the rest of the night trying to kill him, which it must do before dawn. Ticktock.

It's a fun book but it's not one that I can get deeply attached to. It's perfect for whiling the day away with a few laughs.

However, whatever you do, do not use the audio!!! It was beyond atrocious! The narrator was the same guy that I loved so much in Night Watch, but good god! It turns out that where, to my ear at least, his Russian accent is quite good, he totally freaking sucks at Vietnamese. Seriously. He sounded like an American with a mouth full of marbles trying for a Chinese accent and calling it Vietnamese. Truly. Freaking. Terrible. It's a bit difficult to get truly absorbed in a book that sounds like a slushy version of Joy Luck Club. Did I mention it was absolutely awful? To top it off, there's a great deal of banter that is of the screwball comedy variety. But instead of deadpan comments that show that Del knows more about what's going on than Tommy, the narrator constantly adds inflection that makes it flirtatious or smug or whatever. Anything but straight and perfectly serious.

So... read this when you need a laugh but nothing deep. And don't.... Oh, am I repeating myself?

And because the quote made me laugh:

"You steal my son," said Mother Phan.
"No," Del said, "I stole a Honda and later a Ferrari, and then we borrowed the Peterbilt that the demon stole, but I didn't steal your son."

[Lynsay Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first books I read by Dean Koontz and I really enjoyed it. The hair on the back of my neck was raised from start to finish. It's fascinating to read how he was able to pull out the terror and bring across the creepiness of this little voodoo doll. Great book and I highly recommend it.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy Phan is a successful detective novelist embracing the American dream, to the disapproval of his mother and family who feel as if he's abandoned his Vietnamese heritage. With the rise of crime and gang culture in his area, things take a dire turn for him when a mysterious rag doll is left on his front porch. Believing this to be a sign that his life is being threatened, things take an even more terrifying turn when the doll comes to life and attempts to brutally murder him with demonic powers. On the run from the doll, he encounters a charming and mysterious girl named Del who just might hold the key to saving his life and guiding him to his ultimate destiny.

The main story and the big bad monster weren't very interesting and the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but the characters in this story were so charming and fun to be around that I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit in spite of its flaws. The chemistry between Tommy and Del was something else. Tommy is calm, reserved and polite; Del is chaotic, full of energy and loves the thrill of constant danger. Tommy's family is conservative and in touch with the old ways, Del's family is eccentric and believes in alien abduction, talking to ghosts and living on the edge.

The chemistry between these two plays out like a hilarious buddy cop film, fused with a wholesome romantic comedy layered with sci-fi horror sprinkled on top. It's outrageous and bizarre, but Tommy's internal struggles with staying faithful to his family's culture while striving to embrace American culture, paired together with the unpredictable antics of Del and her wacky family of misfits while under the constant threat of an alien monster trying to kill them made for a fun and memorable time.

Not the horror story I was expecting, but I ended up loving the cornball comedy rollercoaster.

My Rating: 3.6/5

[Janie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning, the first 25 pages or so, the book seemed to be a little wordy, a little draggy, and then boom you enter a world of doom with a creepy little white demon doll! Chapter 2 was definitely the highlight of the book for me.

I thought it was pretty cool how Tommy compared himself to his detective character in his book. He was the complete opposite of him, but you could tell he wanted to be like him. He had a great character in the story, but I would have liked to see him become a stronger character.

I also like Del a lot too. I loved the air of mystery that surrounded her and her family, including the dog. I think the 'humorous' aspect of the book took away from the whole 'creepy' premise of the story though. It scary/creepy just kinda disappeared. So that was disappointing for me. It went from 'edge of my seat' straight to comedy club material. I also was disappointed with the ending of the story as well. Not what I expected at all.

Overall it is a pretty entertaining book. Fast and easy to read and follow. But because I feel like it was not what it could have been. I gave it 3.5 stars.

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

This is a fun trip into Vietnamese and American Cultures with a good deal of the mystical and magical. Amid the silliness, there is wisdom. Here is a novel about traditions and learning to see the world in new awareness.

Favorite Passages:
What a drag it was to be limited by reality. Tommy sighed and wished that he could step magically through the pages of his own books . . .
________

Again Tommy had the queer sensation that he was riding the bobsled of fate, rocketing down a luge chute toward some destiny he could not begin to understand.
________

"Are you a New Age type or something - channel spirits, heal yourself with crystals?"
"No. I merely said reality is perception."
"Sounds New Age," he said, returning to watch her finish her own task.
"Well, it's not. I'll explain someday when we have more time."
"Meanwhile," he said, "I'll wander aimlessly in the wilderness of my ignorance."
_______

"Relax, Tommy. There's always enough time if you think there is."
"What's that mean?"
"Whatever you expect is what will be, so simply change your expectations."
"I don't know what that means, either."
"It means what it means," she said, enigmatic once more.
_______

He went to have a closer look, and discovered that the beautiful grain was like rippled ribbons that appeared to undulate as he shifted his head from one side to the other.
_______

Her eccentricities and her habit of peppering her conversation with cryptic babble and non sequiturs had convinced him that she had a few screws loose in the cranium, but now he suspected that the worst mistake he could make with her would be to write her off as a flake. There were depths to her that he was only beginning to perceive - and swimming in those depths were some strange fish that would surprise him more than anything that he had seen to date.

He recalled another fragment of their conversation, and it seemed to have new import: Reality is perception. Perceptions change. Reality is fluid. So if by "reality" you mean reliably tangible objects and immutable events, then there no such thing . . . . I'll explain someday when we have more time.

He sensed that every screwball statement she made was not, in fact, half as screwball as it seemed. Even in her most airheaded statements, an elusive truth was lurking. If he could just step back from her, put aside the conception of her that he had already formed, he would see her entirely differently form the way that he saw her now. He thought of those drawings by M. C. Escher, which played with perspective and with the viewer's expectations, so a scene might appear to be only a drift of lazily falling leaves until, suddenly, one saw it anew as a school of fast-swimming fish. Within the first picture was hidden another. Within Del Payne was hidden a different person - someone with a secret - who was cloaked by the ditsy image that she projected.

The satori, tidal wave of revelation, loomed, loomed, loomed - and then began to recede without bringing him understanding. He had strained too hard. Sometimes enlightenment came only when it wasn't sought or welcomed.
_______

Trying to get the discussion back on track, he said, "Are you really an artist?"
Sorting through the other coats in the closet, she said, "Is any of us really anything?"
Exasperated with Del's preference for speaking in cryptograms, Tommy indulged in one himself: "We're anything in the sense that we are everything."
"You've finally said something sensible."
_______

Although no thunder or lightning had disturbed the night for hours, cataracts still crashed down from the riven sky.

The queen palms hung limp, drizzling from the tip of every blade of every frond. Under the merciless lash of the rain, the lush ferns drooped almost to the point of humble prostration, their lacy pinnae glimmering with thousands upon thousands of droplets that, in the low landscape lighting, appeared to be incrustations of jewels.

Scootie led the way, padding through the shallow puddles in the courtyard. In the quartzite paving, specks of mica glinted around the dog's splashing paws, almost as if his claws were striking sparks from the stone. That phantom fire marked his path along the walkway beside the house as well.

The Art Deco panels of copper were cold against Tommy's hand as he pushed open the gate to the street. The hinges rasped like small whispering voices.
________

"Obviously, they were marked for an unnatural extraction."
"Extraction?"
"From this world. If the thing in the fat man hadn't gotten them, then they would have been taken in some other unusual way. Like spontaneous combustion. Or an encounter with a lycanthrope."
"Lycanthrope? Werewolf?" He wasn't able to deal with her weirdness just now, so he changed the subject.
_______

"What if I told you there are a few nights when I've had missing hours, blank spots, where I just seem to have blacked out, gone into a fugue state or something. All abductees report these missing hours, these holes in their memories where their abduction experiences have been erased or suppressed."
_______

"What about ghosts?" he asked.
"What about them?"
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
"I've even met a few," she said brightly
"What about the healing power of crystals?"
She shook her head. "They can't heal, but they can focus your psychic power."
"Out-of-body experiences?"
"I'm sure it can be done, but I like my body too much to want to leave it even for a short time."
"Remote viewing?"
"That's easy. Pick a town."
_______

"Everything is more than it seems, but nothing is as mysterious as it appears to be."
_______

"He's just not prepared for this. He doesn't watch The X-Files."
"You not watch X-Files?" Mrs. Dai asked, astonished.
Shaking her head with dismay, Mother Phan said, "Probably watch junk detective show instead of good educational program."
_______

"Negative thinking disturbs the fabric of the cosmos."
_______

"This is reality, tofu man, because reality is what we carry in our hearts, and my heart is full of beauty just for you."

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the abridged audiobook version. I keep meaning to get around to reading the entire book but something else always grabs my attention and the narrator read this book with such glee that I'm afraid I'd be disappointed.

Tommy Phan has just about everything he ever dreamed of; a successful career as a novelist, a brand new Corvette, and all the trappings that money can buy. His life would be perfect if only his Mother would stop making him feel guilty for forgetting his Vietnamese roots.

When Tommy returns home one night, after a particularly bad nagging phone call from Mom, he finds an innocent rag doll lying on his doorstep and brings it in for a closer inspection. This is when things start getting really weird. In no time at all Tommy, an eccentric woman who saves his butt, and her chocolate lab whose favorite toy is a farting hot-dog, are running for their lives from the devil's spawn. They have until dawn to outrun the demon.

I really have to read the unabridged version of this book. I hate knowing I missed even one hilarious word. Unlike Koontz's most recent releases that were sometimes painfully dark, twisted and so intense I couldn't read them alone TICK TOCK is a more of a screwball comedy that reminded me of some of my favorite campy B horror flicks. I had visions of PUPPETMASTER & NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD while reading and was reminded of my favorite kind of B movie demon: The beast that wouldn't die. This is not a criticism. There is nothing like a good campy B horror movie!

Koontz creates the most likable off the wall characters: the guilt ridden down to earth Tommy Phan (I don't know anyone who hasn't experienced the "guilt" phone call), Deliverance Payne who continually surprised me with her strangeness, Scootie the face licker, and Tommy's Mom who has some of the most hilarious lines in the book. Which brings me to the dialogue - some of the funniest I've ever read. Too often humor can seem forced or stilted but never in this book. The characters were so kooky the wild dialogue flowed naturally. Some of my favorite scenes weren't the suspenseful chases or the gore filled shoot-outs but the bantering and bickering between the characters. TICK TOCK has a little bit of several of my favorite genres: horror, comedy, suspense, and a good old fashioned romance.

I found there were a few unexplained plot points in the abridged version I read and I'm hoping they will be cleared up when I read the full version or maybe I'll just hope for a sequel.

[Kev Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★½
Tick Tock: The Minutes Drag in Madness

This started well, with a creeping sense of menace as Tommy comes home to a strange doll and quickly finds himself under threat. The early chapters build suspense nicely, and once he escapes the house there is some genuine excitement in his attempts to outrun the demon. At that stage I thought I was in safe Koontz territory.

Then Del enters the picture and the book takes a turn that is hard to accept. Others have described this as screwball comedy, but I found it more irritating than funny. The humour feels forced and quickly wears thin, much like Del herself. From that point the story loses its footing. It piles on increasingly bizarre events without giving the reader any real explanation. Characters act on knowledge we are never shown how they gained, and there is no effort to anchor the madness in anything resembling logic.

The ending pushes things even further, going beyond crazy with the showdown and the fate of the demon. Instead of feeling tense or satisfying, it comes across as overblown. The book is padded with too many meaningless interactions and exchanges, which only adds to the sense that the story has gone off course.

I have enjoyed many of Koontz’s novels, including some where he blends humour with the bizarre, but here it overwhelms everything else. Perhaps I missed what others see in the comedy, though I know I’m not the only one who struggled with it. For me this sits below the standard of his stronger work, and it is not a book I would ever suggest as a first step into Koontz.

Entertaining in places, yes, but overall a 2.5 star read that shows how far he can stray from the kind of story he does best.

[Tasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a man named Tommy who lives in California. One night he gets a doll that shows up on his door step. Then out of no where it comes alive and is on a mission to kill Tommy. Now, Tommy is running for his life meeting new people and trying to figure out why this thing is trying to kill him.
This book kept me reading because I wanted to know what would happen to Tommy and if he would survive the evil doll trying to kill him. I tryed to predict the ending, but predicting is a 50/50 chance because he could live or he could die. Also, as the book when on and he met new people he figured more and more things out about the doll that later helped him figure out how to defeat the enourmous evil doll.
My favorite character in this book had to be the doll because it was really funny with things that it did and it made me laugh a lot. In the book every character was funny and none of them i didnt like. So, i dont really have a least favorite character.
This book captivated my attention a lot, but the part that kept me captivated the most was when the doll first showed up on his doorstep and when he brought it in the house it would move. It captivated me because i wanted to know what was with the doll and what was going to happen to it and how it would effect Tommy. Reading this book made me feel really tense because when Tommy was running for his life sometimes the doll would get really close to getting him. I didnt want Tommy to die because then the ending would probably be really stupid.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes horror books that are funny and really entertaining. Also, to people who dont mind a lot of suspense. Dean Koontz wrote this book to entertain people and who ever reads the book.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty weird story and takes an interesting turn. I loved the fact that the hero was Vietnamese-American, and he sounded like a real cutie. It uses a little bit of Vietnamese folklore which was neat as well. Not my favorite by Koontz, because I thought the ending was strangely absurd and I laughed, and I'm not sure I was supposed to be laughing. It starts out serious and descends into hilarity, and the change in tone was a little jarring for me. Good book all around and great hero.

3.5/5.0 stars.

[Adrianna [SypherLily] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me just make a list:
Stereotypical on race. Poorly executed horror/comedy mix. Unidentifiable characters. A think-as-I-go plot. Nonexistent world/environment building and character development. Laughable romance, if you can even call it that. An ending not worth reading toward...in the slightest. A book I wish I could un-read and have my time back.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dean Koontz created a real page turner in TICK TOCK. Heck, even the cover art works well with the book on this one. It's an all around winner. I'll tell you up front one complaint that keeps it from being a 5 star - it's only one book.

The book chronicles the night from hell for Tommy Phan. Starting with the purchase of his first corvette the ride just keeps going from there.

This book is not what it seems at first. When I picked this up I expected a horror story, with focus on Tommy and a demonic pursuer. I was set up for one scare after the next as Tommy is chased and tormented.

It was so much more than that. This is drama, horror, and love story rolled into one. It's a story about social moors, tradition, and family as well.

Tommy is forced to confront his past and traditions. Along the way he hooks up with Del, a woman with a unique family and history. The demon thing gives chase at first to just Tommy but soon it's chasing them both across the city and beyond.

Make no mistake, there are chilling demon tormenting moments, scary monster eating innocent scenes, and relentless pursuit. But just the same, there is a bit of magic, a few wild car rides, and a trip to Las Vegas.

All that's missing from this story is Elvis.

The title implies something to do with a ticking clock or computer countdown. Oh, there's a countdown the computer and clock having nothing to do with the story. That's my other gripe. Though the story takes place all in about 18 hours, the count down isn't shown on clock, computer, or really even a watch.

If you like Koontz, you'll enjoy this. It's quirky, scary and fun.

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another supernatural story from Dean Koontz. In this novel, Tommy hails from a traditional Vietnamese family but he has become Americanized. His mother doesn't approve of his ways. Without knowing why he is thrust into a supernatural nightmare. If he can live to see the next dawn he will survive this nightmare.

This one was a reread for me. When it first came out I thought it was okay but this time I enjoyed it so much. If you have read this author's books you will recognize all his trademarks like the chase between evil and good, the enigmatic woman, and of course the intelligent dog. This novel isn't as scary as his other works because he added humor to the mix and at times I did giggle out loud. The main character isn't the most memorable character but his supporting cast was terrific and getting to know them was a pure delight. The difference between the characters was a nice display of contrast.

This is a short quick read. I know that people have said Koontz isn't the same writer he once was. This book is one of his earlier works and harkens back to the way he did write novels. Fans of Koontz will enjoy this novel and also fall in love with the dog Scootie.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dean Koontz is one of my many favorite authors. I haven’t been disappointed in any of his books and this one is certainly no exception. While it doesn’t seem to be typical of Koontz other books…it does have some supernatural elements and a few tense scenes but overall it's not as “heavy” as many of his others. I didn’t care much for Tommy to start with but he does grow on you and before long you find him to be a great character. He’s a Vietnamese-American… a struggling author that finds himself pulled into strange events beyond his understanding and certainly out of his control. The entire book is a semi-scary story with a lot more humor than Koontz fans are accustomed to…but absolutely worth the time to read it.

[Thomas94 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true page turner, could not put it down. Kept me wanting more and getting a great read all the way to the end. Definitely a must read for all Koontz fans.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie, when I first read this years ago I actually loved it. I see the weaknesses now in the re-read though and gave this four stars. Also there is a dog and I just maybe sighed so hard I caused my poor cat's fur to ruffle. Aside: Not my fault she likes to get close when I am reading. Tick Tock actually shows that Koontz has a sense of humor. There are parts of this that are funny though when you find out the why behind this mess you are going to shake your head.

"Tick Tock" has Tommy Phan on the run for his life. Tommy is a successful writer who is dealing with his mother's constant disappointment that he is not a traditional Vietnamese son. Due to his success she is upset that Tommy has forgotten where he has come from. Tommy comes home and finds a rag doll on his steps and stupidly decides to bring it inside with him. When the doll turns into something monstrous, Tommy finds himself on the run from it along with a weird woman named Deliverance who seems to know more than she is letting on and her dog she calls Scottie. If Tommy can live til dawn, the rag doll monster thing won't be able to hurt him.

I felt bad for Tommy. I used to get those phone calls from relatives telling me how I forgot about them and now that I am all successful I don't come home anymore. Bah. Tommy pushing back against his mother by eating a cheeseburger was hilarious.

Tommy is worried about Deliverance (Del), but they are both really funny together. I didn't guess Deliverance's secret, and I doubt readers coming into this cold will either. It really does come out of nowhere and you are going to love it. Deliverance is very much a kick ass female heroine in this one. I think many of the reasons it didn't bother me in this book was because everything is being played for laughs. I started to chuckle and outright laughed several times while reading this one.

The writing was really good and I think that this may be the first and maybe last Koontz novel that featured a POC. I really wish that Koontz had followed up on this one, or even put out more lighter fare. This one is not bogged down by being overly descriptive and off the wall like later Koontz books. You are dealing with a horror book with fantasy elements in it and things tie together nicely.

The ending was pretty brilliant and also funny as hell. I don't want to say too much cause just a little bit will spoil you.

One of the main reasons why I didn't give this five stars, Tommy should have put two and two together a lot quicker to realize what was going on. Really again with the dog thing Koontz?

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good suspense thriller/chase book as the main characters try to escape "TickTock" the "Deadline to Dawn". The main characters are Vietnamese. Tommy Phan finds a straw/rag doll with stitches on heart/eyes on his step. Then his new Corvette is run off the road and he is saved by waitress he just met, Del (Deliverence Payne, the waitress) wants to help for her love of thrills, chases & adventures. When the stitches popped off the doll turns into a devil but they try to get the stitches back onto the rag doll. Does it sound like you ever should ever pick up & keep a strange straw doll with you? The end is good with their relationship I didn't expect.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this book was meant as a bit of an outlet for Koontz after coming off more exhausting writing like "Dark Rivers of the Heart", but I think it's a disaster. His intent was to make sort of a screwball comedy, and while I like the comedic elements in his book "Mr. Murder", I found this one exhausting for me to read.

The main problem is the lead female character Del. She's annoying. INCREDIBLY annoying. Imagine if every time you talked to a friend or significant other, he/she said something like, "Well, Steve would agree with that." But you had no idea who Steve was and had to ask. Again, imagine this happening EVERY time you talked. If I was the main character, I would be making EVERY effort to get as far away from this person as possible.

When you finally reach the end of this dreck, you learn something REALLY incredulous that somewhat helps to explain why Del is such a weird individual. As if a cloth doll coming to life wasn't incredulous enough. And that's problem #2 - the doll/entity is a VERY small part of the story. It's just a backdrop for the main character, Vietnamese-American Tommy, to have conversations with Del. I would estimate 90% of the book revolves around silly conversations and 10% is action. No joke.

Added bonus: I listened to part of this as an audiobook, and while the reader did NOT give an accent to Tommy, he DID give one to his older brother (same parents).

This is probably the worst Koontz book I ever read, or at least in the Top 5. I am starting to wonder if I would like "Mr. Murder" if I read it now since I first read it in my 20's. Seems my taste in Koontz's humor may be changing. It won't be the last Koontz book I read, but I certainly will choose the next one more carefully.