Koontzland - Dean Koontz discussion

77 Shadow Street has been selected as our August 2016 Group Read.

Oh, this one was fun.

Reminder: 77SS is the Group Read for August.
Anyone planning to read this?

I read this book when it first came out, it was my first Koontz book. I didn't care for the sci-fi aspects but did like the characters.

I thought it had too many characters. I was really excited about 77 Shadow Street but then I remember being disappointed in the end. I am looking forward to re-reading the book soon. :-) I do like Dean's Sci-Fi ideas myself - very fun.

Oh, I liked the ending. You just have to follow that one conversation very closely.

Charissa wrote: "Oh, I liked the ending. You just have to follow that one conversation very closely."

I'll be sure to pay close attention this time around - thanks for the tip :-)

i read this back few years ago i really loved it but yeah it has way to many charcters but very good read

Just finished re-reading this; it's been a couple of years. I liked it much better the second time around. Yes, I still think there are too many characters and the beginning moves slowly. There are some residents of the Pendleton mentioned who are not present and it seems like more people added to the mix, but I guess it's realistic to expect that some people would be away from their homes.
I think I liked it better because I understood better the theme of the book and even though I knew this time who was responsible for the problems, I liked that it was a surprise.

One thing I liked about it was the inclusion of a character with autism and it seemed very realistic along with the way her new friend treated her.

Thanks Karen :-)

Goodreads has 77SS listed as Pendleton #1. I didn't know there was any talk of a sequel.

I am anxious to discuss the ending with others ... just speculation.

Karen B. wrote: "I am anxious to discuss the ending with others ... just speculation."

I am a bit behind on my Dean Koontz Group Reads :-) but I am still planning to re-read 77SS.

Dustin, I will wait for you to finish, let us know when you do.

Karen B. wrote: "Dustin, I will wait for you to finish, let us know when you do."

I will post here when I'm reading 77SS. I am currently planning to read 77SS and Prodigal Son in September :-)

I'll be waiting to hear what you think of it. This time of year is usually pretty busy for me, that's why I lurk on the boards. :D

I want to discuss what people think about the ending ... certain speculations I have.

I'm about 16% through the book now. I'm definitely wondering what's going on and getting a feel for the characters. I'm already looking forward to discussing the book! Very interesting so far.

Heather, I will tell you this without giving away spoilers. I read it before and didn't care for it and then read it again now and it popped out at me. Maybe I'm just a slow learner and needed two readings to comprehend it all.

Hopefully if that happens to me a good book discussion can get my thinking gears lubricated. Lol!

That's something I've noticed. Nobody, not me, not my reading partner, nobody that I know ever gets the full story after one reading. That's why I don't mind a re-read. The problem is, so many books, no way of knowing exactly where my copy is at any given time.

Charissa wrote: "That's something I've noticed. Nobody, not me, not my reading partner, nobody that I know ever gets the full story after one reading. That's why I don't mind a re-read. The problem is, so many book..."

Charissa, that is one of the things I like about this group. Many of his books I read before joining this group and discussions on here give me a new perspective.

Awesome! Thanks Charissa & Karen :-)

I just finished reading the book. Some parts were hard to get through, but in the end I liked it. Just a little too much jumping around for me. I'm pretty happy with the ending :) the ebook that I borrowed from the library has a bonus novella 'The Moonlit Mind'. The intro to the book says 'if you enjoyed 77SS you won't want to miss the story of Pendleton's sinister neighbors. It doesn't look very long, so I'm going to give it a read and see.

Dustin, I've often wondered about it being named as Pendleton #1 as well...

I just read the kindle description for The Moonlit Mind, and it appears to be a precursor for 77SS

Heather wrote: "I just read the kindle description for The Moonlit Mind, and it appears to be a precursor for 77SS"

The Moonlit Mind is Excellent. I have enjoyed this & other novellas. They were used to promote the novels and they are now available on audiobook :-)

I finally re-read this in January 2017 - so tell me what were the questions about the ending?

oh boy Dustin, you are asking someone with a mind like a sieve. It had something to do with a man visiting someone in a nursing home and wandering if it was going to happen all over again.

Karen B. wrote: "oh boy Dustin, you are asking someone with a mind like a sieve. It had something to do with a man visiting someone in a nursing home and wandering if it was going to happen all over again."

Yes. Yes. Your memory may not be as bad as you think :-)

The Ending of 77 Shadow Street
(view spoiler)[

We find Mickey Dime, accused of murdering several people at 77 Shadow Street in a Sanatorium. He is considered mentally unstable, transponder on his ankle, under constant supervision.

Charlie Criswell is Mickey's attorney. Mickey sends a note via Charlie to Dr. Von Norquist who had worked with Kirby Ignis, developing The Pogrom Technology.

The note read: Your vision of a transhuman civilization with a greatly reduced and sustainable population will be realized beyond your wildest dreams. You will change the world more than any man in history. I have seen it, as did Kirby Ignis.

One month after receiving the note, Dr. Von Norquist pays Mickey Dime a visit at Oak View.

Yes. Mickey was trying to get things started again. He gives Norquist specific messages from "The One" about future possibilities. It's as if Mickey is possessed at times.

Fielding Udell is also prepared to finance Norquist's work.

Norquist admits that he believes he is being watched lately.

"Maybe you're paranoid. You should get diagnosed." Mickey suggests.

Some time later we learn through Winny reading a newspaper that Dr. Norquist drove his car over a cliff and died.

The question is: Who killed Dr. Norquist? (hide spoiler)]

My theory is the same guy who killed Dr. Ignis.