Koontzland - Dean Koontz discussion

There's still time to read Dean Koontz's newest novel - BREATHLESS! I have already read it; I gave it 3 stars.

The copy I`ve ordered hasn`t come yet! I suppose Christmas is causing the delay. If I don`t get it in the next few days, I may be forced to leave it altogether & move on the next read. My To-Read-List is fairly high, & I want to make a start on them. Hopefully I`ll get `Watchers`in time. I`d still like to hear what people thought of the book.

Martin, I'll probably read Breathless in the near future as well. I plan to pick up a copy of Watchers at my local library for Jan.

Still no word of `Breathless`. I`m afraid I`ll have to give it a miss. Hopefully I can get `Watchers`. The problem over here is getting his older books. I can order a lot pf them from the library. The problem with that though is that you still might not get it! It`s easy enough to get his newer material though thank god!

Here is my last post on Breathless which I posted in the old Dean Koontz group over a week ago:

I finished Breathless today and I'm wondering: was the senator character ever really explained? It's my understanding that Liddon Wallace is not the senator - please correct me if I'm wrong.

And that's another thing there are two characters with similar names who seem to be polar or moral opposites: Liddon Wallace and Lamar Woolsey. The first time Liddon was mentioned I thought I was reading about Lamar - it was confusing to have such similar names.

I gave this book 3 stars - the story really needed to be expanded. I consider Breathless "Mediocre Koontz".

Koontz must like using the name "Nora" for characters in his books. There was a Nora in Breathless, a Nora in Watchers and there's supposed to be a Nora in the graphic novel, Nevermore. Maybe there's even more Noras but those are the 3 I recall.

In Breathless, A Golden Retriever Rescue was mentioned near Denver. I think it might have been GRRR - Golden Retriever Rescue of The Rockies. If it wasn't it was a fictional Rescue because GRRR is the only one in the area. http://www.goldenrescue.com/index.html

On Christmas Day our family went to a friend's house for Dinner and they had a Golden from GRRR. My wife especially fell in love with the dog - it was one of those smaller goldens, female with a darker coat. Now our family might get a Golden Retriever from GRRR too :-) We're looking into it - we'll see what happens.

I guess I was wrong :-) I found another Golden Retriever Rescue based in Denver - which we are also looking into. Still, I think it was GRRR which was mentioned in Breathless but I have returned my copy to the library so can't check to confirm. Here's the link to Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue:
http://www.goldenretrieverfreedom.com...

*****spoilers******

Interesting. I read this book in November and gave it 4 stars but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was about until I looked up the description just now. Either my old age is really catching up with me or I wasn't as impressed with the book as I originally thought.

I think it was those charming creatures, Puzzle and Riddle, that pushed me to give it an extra star. (I adored the tribbles on Star Trek, too.) Merlin was my favorite character. I never tire of Koontz' dog characters. Which is odd because I'm not really a dog person.

Maicie wrote: "Either my old age is really catching up with me or I wasn't as impressed with the book as I originally thought. "

we'll just say it was the latter :-)

Please tell me that there will be a sequel to explain what Koontz left out. What was the event on the golf course that left the attorney with ripped clothes? Why were the government officials getting ready for doomsday? What was the point of Henry, he didn't add anything to the plot? How did Tom get from saving the wife to finding his parents? So many questions left unanswered. I enjoyed this book as I do most Koontz books but I don't understand why he rushed this ending. I kept wondering how it was going to end as the pages became thinner and thinner and still no resolution in sight. Loved the dog though.

I don't know. I haven't heard any word that there is plans for a sequel. Breathless was weird and not in a good way this time :-)

I liked Breathless a lot and here are some of the reasons. It stretched me just enough and made me revisit the little I knew about theories of evolution. It left some puzzles unsolved and I think this was a deliberate strategy. Finally, the resolution was very late in the book and the strands did not come together until then. This was frustrating, but in a good way.

I'm glad you liked it. I was disappointed - Breathless is not one Koontz's better books in my opinion. I'd probably have to say it's one of my least favorite Koontz books. Of course I loved Merlin, Puzzle and Riddle but I still think the story needed to be expanded.

I liked Breathless, loved Merlin, Puzzle and Riddle as most readers did. I concur that it begs for a sequel. Me. Koontz, if you happen on us, PLEASE give us more? I'd also like to see the two human protagonists (forgot their names) get together, maybe adding a Golden or one of the new critters to their family.

I find that I was a little dissapointed in Breathless... I feel like he could have really added on to it and gave it more depth... It almost seemed like he thought "well I better hurry and finish this one up" I don't know maybe it's just me...

Briana wrote: "I don't know maybe it's just me...
"

It's not just you ;-) I've read several people's reviews who said the same thing

Here is the review I wrote and posted right after Dustin's over on the old DK group:

I also gave it three stars and consider it the worst Koontz book I have read thus far. Not only were many of the characters not tied together, as they are in other Koontz novels, but I did not feel much of a personal connection to any of the characters, which is very unusual for a story written by Koontz. What is so frustrating is that the first 60% or so of the book was great and felt like traditional Koontz, but the last 40% or so was practically garbage and felt very rushed, fragmented, and lacked direction. It seems to me that the sole purpose of this book was to serve as an attack against Darwinian evolution, which was very poorly accomplished. For once, it seems that Koontz did not do enough research on a topic before writing about it and certainly not before attacking it. He just made himself look foolish and desparate to reconcile his admirable scientific understanding with his theistic beliefs. I thought the whole idea of spontaneous generation had been scientifically disproved well over a century ago (sarcasm implied). I am bitterly disappointed by this book and in Koontz for having written it.

Dustin wrote: "Koontz must like using the name "Nora" for characters in his books. There was a Nora in Breathless, a Nora in Watchers and there's supposed to be a Nora in the graphic novel, Nevermore. Maybe there..."

That is a clever observation. Nora also almost spells "Aaron" backward. ;-)

Dustin wrote: "...On Christmas Day our family went to a friend's house for Dinner and they had a Golden from GRRR...."

That must have been a pretty great meal to warrant capitalization. ;-)

Who is the deleted member in this thread? I'm just curious.

Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "Nora also almost spells "Aaron" backward. ;-)
."
What does that have to do with anything, really :-) Who's Aaron?

Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "Who is the deleted member in this thread? I'm just curious."

As far as I know, there have been two people who have left - I don't know who they are, but Lori says one was named Helen.

Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "Dustin wrote: "...On Christmas Day our family went to a friend's house for Dinner and they had a Golden from GRRR...."

That must have been a pretty great meal to warrant capitalization. ;-)"

Sometimes I just do that (capitalize words that shouldn't be) without realizing it :-)

Dustin wrote: "Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "Who is the deleted member in this thread? I'm just curious."

As far as I know, there have been two people who have left - I don't know who they are, but Lori says one wa..."

I'm glad Helen who wants a labradoodle is still here :-) I just double checked in the Dog Gone Good Discussion to make sure her comment was still there. Well, at least we can know that whoever left - also seems to have left goodreads as well, not just Koontzland. It's nice that at least the comments remained :-)

Dustin wrote: "What does that have to do with anything, really :-) Who's Aaron?"

Nothing, I was just making a joke. Maybe Koontz knows and really likes someone named Aaron, so includes his almost-name backward in some of his books. :-D

I found another Nora in The Good Guy - which I just finished reading for the second time yesterday :-) I think Koontz has a thing for people named Nora. My grandfather had a thing for the name "Joann" pronounced: Jo-Anne. I had three aunts named Joann and they were all on my mom's side of the family. My grandfather named one of his 10 children Joann and two of my uncles married women named Joann. Did I mention I grew up in Utah?

Dustin wrote: "...My grandfather had a thing for the name "Joann" pronounced: Jo-Anne. I had three aunts named Joann and they were all on my mom's side of the family. My grandfather named one of his 10 children Joann and two of my uncles married women named Joann. Did I mention I grew up in Utah?"

lol

Jinnifer, I read the comments you wrote about Breathless in the old Dean Koontz group. The comments about Jim and Henry were hilarious :-)

ok guys i have been mia for quite sometime and I just now finished Breathless last night...WHAT!?!?

There is a God and He spoke everything into existence so therefore there is no big bang, no chaos theory, and no Darwinian evolution. Had I have known this book was going to be based off of this theory or argument I would not have picked it up.

I was ok the stories up until the last couple of chapters and it just stops...I dont understand why he chose to end the book in this way.

Everyone of the story lines was left hanging....
Needless to say I hate it that i so strongly disliked one of his books.

Liddon wasn't the senator i don't think. The story ABSOLUTELY needed to be expanded in every instance. I am still not real sure the whole mess of Jim and Henry...that was just weird.

Was Jim really Jim with mulitple personalities or was it Henry that really killed Jim and was so mentally stressed that he blacked out and was hearing things.

I was so disappointed in the thing!! And he didn't even let us know why Lamar was so distraught with himself for all those years.

Dustin wrote: "Jinnifer, I read the comments you wrote about Breathless in the old Dean Koontz group. The comments about Jim and Henry were hilarious :-)"

So Dustin what did you think about Jim and Henry??? LOL

Jim and Henry - I think they were both real - identical twins. I took it literally and didn't see it any different.

"It's like some circus from Hell is setting up for a two-day stand. They don't have any elephants, their acts are boring, and their clown isn't funny."
-Grady Adams in Breathless

"She wasn't going to consider the duck. She had never treated a duck. She didn't know how ducks thought or if they thought much at all. The duck was at the best a distraction. To Hell with the duck."
-Breathless

Yes, you might as well give it a try Shawnee :-)

btw, Shawnee, I was wondering how you got your name? Do you have some Native American Heritage? Near my son's school all the streets have names of different Native American Tribes. His school is on the corner of Mohawk and Sioux and there is a street called Shawnee Place :-)

Jinnifer wrote: "Was Jim really Jim with mulitple personalities or was it Henry that really killed Jim and was so mentally stressed that he blacked out and was hearing things."

I've been thinking more about your theory Jinnifer - I didn't pick up on that - I'd have to re-read it and see if it fit, but if it was true it would explain why there is no further mention of the senator. I would like to think Koontz is trying to make us look deeper and find hidden meanings in his books like Breathless and Your Heart Belongs to Me rather than think Dean is losing his sanity. Do you have any explanation for the ending of Breathless? The anti-Darwinism etc?

This is a long shot but in Brother Odd, Koontz tells a story about thinking something into existence with layers of chaos and under the chaos is thought and order etc - he shared similar ideas in Breathless - do you think he's trying to connect his books? Koontz would be brilliant if he hid missing information in another novel, but I'm afraid I'm trying to think something into existence that just isn't there :-) Anyway, I didn't get Breathless or Your Heart Belongs to Me - if there are explanations rather than Dean Koontz losing his mind - I'd love to hear them.

Grady said, "I didn't know Homeland Security maintained its own paramilitary force."

"Oh, we don't, Mr. Adams. Setting up a training academy would be quite a long project and expensive. We contract them from a private company with excellent screening procedures to be sure we're getting only agents devoted to America and to the safety of the American people."

"Maybe we should get our politicians from the same company," Grady said.
-Breathless, by Dean Koontz

Dustin wrote: "I've been thinking more about your theory Jinnifer - I didn't pick up on that - I'd have to re-read it and see if it fit, but if it was true it would explain why there is no further mention of the senator...."

I don't understand what Jim and Henry have to do with "the senator." I doubt any amount of thinking about Breatless will improve it any, just induce nausea.

Henry had this deal with the senator blah blah blah, the senator's role is never really explained. Well if Henry was really just Jim with a mental illness then the unexplained senator is therefore explained :-)

Dustin wrote: "Henry had this deal with the senator blah blah blah, the senator's role is never really explained. Well if Henry was really just Jim with a mental illness then the unexplained senator is therefore ..."

I don't buy it.

Well I was just hoping it might be true so there was some explanation :-)

Dustin wrote: "Well I was just hoping it might be true so there was some explanation :-) "

Yes, I understand that you are desperate to make the book make sense, but I think your efforts are futile. ;-)

Dustin wrote: "btw, Shawnee, I was wondering how you got your name? Do you have some Native American Heritage? Near my son's school all the streets have names of different Native American Tribes. His school is on..."

A neighborhood on the NW side of Chicago has Indian names for streets. I think you live in CO tho, yes?

Shawnee wrote: "...She named me Shawnee because she liked the name of that tribe and didn't want to name me Cherokee and have people call me "Cherry"."

So, do people call you Shawn then? ;-)

Tom wrote: "I think you live in CO tho, yes? "

Yes. Boulder :-)

I am about 60 pages from finishing Breathless and I am enjoying it so far. I don't know why so many are cutting it down...maybe I have to wait until I get to the end? I don't find it like Watchers at all yet. Someone said the first part of the book was an exact copy of Watchers. I just don't see it as that at all.
Vicky

Loofahcat2 wrote: "...Someone said the first part of the book was an exact copy of Watchers. I just don't see it as that at all."

That was me who said that. Think about the similarities. There is an ex-military expert marksman, who lives with a dog that has a prominent (though not as prominent as Einstein) role in the story, and falls in love with a woman who lives nearby and was tortured (physically, in this case, it seems) in her younger years, but overcomes that trauma to fall in love with the man. Meanwhile, some mysterious creatures are stalking the man and dog, though they turn out to be benevolent. Also, there is a narcissistic sociopath. Plus, there is an African American government agent (though he is actually a "scientist" contracted occasionally by the government) featured prominently. Granted, there are many differences between Breathless and Watchers, but there are far more similarities between them than would be expected or that exist between either of them and any other Koontz novel.

I see what you mean; there are a lot of similarities. I wouldn't call it an exact copy, but I understand your point. However, doesn't Dean always have a sociopath or two in his books? :) :)

Vicky