Koontzland - Dean Koontz discussion

My library just purchased a copy of Winter Moon and I've got it! I've just started reading this - it may take me a while because usually I can only get through books quickly if I have a book on CD to help me or if the book is especially intense :-) The trees on the front cover of Winter Moon look just like the big trees in my backyard - so this is sure to be fun!

I recently bought that one. It is a rewrite of "Invasion", one of the early Koontz titles.
One must admire Dean for making great openings. Winter Moon has a fantastic first sentence:
"Death was driving an emerald green lexus."
Hope the rest of the book is as good.

So are you currently reading this Maciek? That is a good opening line.

Thanks for your explanation about Winter Moon being a re-write of Invasion. I didn't know why Goodreads had Winter Moon as being first released in 1975 but It was published in 1994 and so far it reads like the story takes place in the 1990's. I had originally placed this book on the polls as a 1990's then I moved it to the poll about books from the 1970's. Does anyone have an opinion of which poll it should rightfully belong on?

No, not yet. I plan to read it soon, because that line is just too good. :)
Well, since it was published in 1993, it should belong to the pool about the 90's, right ? That's my opinion.

That's where I had it until we were voting for February group read and Donald pointed out that Goodreads has it listed as originally published in 1975. It'll probably go back on the 90's poll - I'll know more when I actually get reading it. I'd like to hear from someone who has read Winter Moon - you know who you are :-)

This says about all regarding _The Taking_ and _Winter Moon_.

Title:The Taking.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Pub:Publishers Weekly
Detail:251.19 (May 10, 2004): p.37(1). (317 words) From Academic OneFile.

Full Text:COPYRIGHT 2004 Reed Business Information


THE TAKING

DEAN KOONTZ. Bantam, $27 (338p) ISBN 0-553-80250-X

In 1975, the now defunct Laser Books issued Invasion by Aaron Wolfe, aka Koontz (who later expanded that novel into Winter Moon, 1994), a breakneck tale of alien invasion centered on an isolated farm. Koontz's new novel also concerns alien invasion, and a comparison of the two books offers insight into the evolution of this megaselling author's work. Invasion was mostly speed and suspense--a brilliant if superficial exercise in terror. The new novel also features abundant suspense, as a couple in an isolated California home endure a phosphorescent rain and learn that, around the world, something is attacking humans and laying waste to communications. It's only when they drive to a nearby town that they learn of a global alien invasion; the tension ratchets as a weird fog descends and the aliens not only manifest physically but animate the dead. For years, however, Koontz has aimed at more than just thrills; today he is a novelist of metaphysics and moral reflection. His aliens are inherently evil as well as scary; standing against them are the human capacity for hope and the forces of goodness and innocence (here, as elsewhere, embodied in dogs), and near novel's end Kooutz puts an overtly religious spin on his tale. Koontz's language has changed over the years, too, and not always for the better. While his care with words engenders admiration, his love of metaphor and alliteration can slow down the reading ("the luminous nature of the torrents that tinseled the forest and silvered the ground"). Also missing here is the wonderful humor that elevated his last novel, Odd Thomas, and some other recent work. Koontz remains one of the most fascinating of contemporary popular novelists, and this stands as an important effort, but not his best, though its sincerity and passion can't be denied. Agent, Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media. (May 25)

Named Works: The Taking (Book) Book reviews

Source Citation
"The Taking." Publishers Weekly 251.19 (2004): 37. Academic OneFile. Web. 26 Jan. 2010. .
Gale Document Number:A117037237

I'm thinking it belongs with the 1990's books - 1994. Invasion was 1975, but Winter Moon is 1994.

Thank you for the review Tom. The Taking is one of my favourite DK books, if Winter Moon is in the same vein and has similar atmosphere it'll be more than good.

I have Winter Moon on my tbr list...but I have alot of books to read before that so it will be a while :(

Welcome back Jinnifer :-) It's okay, this topic will be here waiting for you whenever you get to Winter Moon :-)

Thanks Dustin!!!! ;)

Maciek wrote: "Thank you for the review Tom. The Taking is one of my favourite DK books, if Winter Moon is in the same vein and has similar atmosphere it'll be more than good."

I would argue that it is, Maciek. I look forward to hearing about your (and Dustin's) opinions on this one, because it is also one of my favorites, along with The Taking. I think it is one of his true horror books, along with The Taking and Phantoms. As for the opening line, I am certain I mentioned it in another thread on here, so you stole my thunder! X-( ;-)

Sorry ! ;)
It seems that we are in the minority that appreciates The Taking. Most reviews that I've read were describing the book as unreadable, while I fund it full of darkness and pure horror at moments. I'm curious about Winter Moon - I'll read it as soon as possible.

Maciek wrote: "Sorry ! ;)
It seems that we are in the minority that appreciates The Taking. Most reviews that I've read were describing the book as unreadable, while I fund it full of darkness and pure horror at ..."

Yes, please do read it ASAP. I am actually excited for you to read it! :-) Have you read my review of The Taking? If not, I would like to hear what you have to say about it. I wrote it quite a while ago, so I can't recall everything I said about it. It is the only official book review I have ever written. I dedicated it to Becky, who is someone on goodreads I think you would really like and I think I recommended her to you as a friend.

I've just read your review of The Taking and I agree with it almost completely. The things you mentioned didn't annoy me that much; the "explanation" was pretty obvious if you grasped the hints along the story (I noticed them, but only after the end - was just too immersed in the narrative). This is the only book of his that actually scared me (I was reading it deep in the night). It's propably one of the few books that ever scared me !

Maciek wrote: "I've just read your review of The Taking and I agree with it almost completely. The things you mentioned didn't annoy me that much; the "explanation" was pretty obvious if you grasped the hints alo..."

The clues made it obvious in hindsight, but hindsight is 20/20, friend. There was no reason to realize what was actually going on other than what the characters suggest is going on, except for the supernatural stuff and the personal emotional attacks on the lead protagonist, which made it seem that something was toying with her. Even if the clues had made what was going on obvious, I was also too immersed in the story to come to the realization. I think you will find that Winter Moon and Phantoms provoke a similar terror in you, though probably not to the same extent as The Taking. I always read/listened to it right before I went to sleep, which is what I do almost exclusively with Koontz books.

I'm going to re-read The Taking soon :-)

I finally finished reading Winter Moon over the weekend and gave it 5 stars. I think the quality of the writing in Winter Moon was actually higher than average for Dean Koontz. Many of the descriptions and imagery in Winter Moon are simply beautiful. In classic Dean Koontz tradition, Winter Moon is filled with humor and "Koontzisms" - thoughts and wisdom.

Here are some of my favorite passages:

"...he was part of a family whether he wanted to be or not, the family of humanity, more often than not a frustrating and contentious clan, flawed and often deeply confused, but also periodically noble and admirable, with a common destiny that every member shared." - Chapter 10

"Maybe, when all was said and done, the imagination was the most powerful of all weapons. It was the imagination of the human race that had allowed it to dream of a life beyond cold caves and of a possible future in the stars."

"Home was not a perfect place. But it was the only home they had and they could hope to make it better." -last page of Winter Moon

"That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes us, because we can never forget. Cursed with memory. It starts when we're old enough to know what death is and realize that sooner or later we'll lose everyone we love. We're never the same. But somehow we're all right. We go on."
- last page of Winter Moon

"Hell of a thing to have to experience, hell of a thing to have to see, to be reminded you're a human being and all it meant to be one."

Dustin wrote: "I finally finished reading Winter Moon over the weekend and gave it 5 stars. I think the quality of the writing in Winter Moon was actually higher than average for Dean Koontz...."

I'm so glad you liked it, Dustin! Did you also find it to be one of his few true horror books? I know I got very anxious during certain scenes, particularly the stairway scene.

Yes, this would definitely fall into the Horror category. Although it also could be called Science Fiction too :-) I can see why you liked it so much with those references to Arthur C. Clarke and Childhood's End.

here are just two examples:
"He now preferred writers who could look beyond this horizon, who knew that humanity would one day reach childhood's end, who believed intellect could triumph over superstition and ignorance, and who dared to dream." -Chapter 10

"To his surprise, he found Heinlein and Clarke to be entertaining and thought-provoking. He preferred the crustiness of the former to the sometimes naive humanism of the latter, but they both had value." - Chapter 8

Dustin wrote: "Yes, this would definitely fall into the Horror category. Although it also could be called Science Fiction too :-) I can see why you liked it so much with those references to Arthur C. Clarke and C..."

I forgot about those references. I would disagree that Clarke's humanism is naive though.

Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "I would disagree that Clarke's humanism is naive though. "

I thought you might :-)

Dustin wrote: "Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "I would disagree that Clarke's humanism is naive though. "

I thought you might :-)"

Yes, in fact I would call it inspirational.

I don't know how many people have seen Walt Disney's Watcher In The Woods starring Bette Davis but I found several references to the film in Winter Moon. The following phrases come from chapter 10:
"Something was in the woods", "the entity in the woods", "He felt he was being watched" and the most obvious - "the watcher in the woods".

The film was actually very good and scary until the ending when "the watcher" was finally revealed - at that point the film became laughable. From watching the special features on the DVD, I learned that a different director took over production - and it certainly shows!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081738/

I am reading Winter Moon now and I am enjoying so far. The story is building and getting dark...good stuff.

***SPOILER ALERT***

I finally got around to writing my short 4-star review of Winter Moon, here is my reaction:

"Winter Moon is a gripping, suspenseful tale with a good dose of horror thrown in which makes it interesting. I was not sure if I was going to like the book but then the story reached a new point for me halfway in and Koontz gave me paranormal entertainment that built as the story progressed."

I definitely enjoy a good paranormal tale and if aliens are involved, generally I am hooked. I liked that there were some truly creepy scenes since I love some good horror in my books. I would have given it 5 stars but I really was not enjoying the early chapters very much. Once things got going, there was no stopping...

Matt R. wrote: "I finally got around to writing my short 4-star review of Winter Moon. I definately enjoy a good paranormal tale and if aliens are involved, generally I am hooked. I liked that there were some tr..."

Please post your review here too. By the way, you should probably mark that part about the nature of the villain as a spoiler.

You may have heard of Christmas in July or some such backwards celebration well in Koontzland we clearly like to keep things Odd, so we are have Winter Moon in Spring! I'm looking forward to re-reading this book & hopefully you are too! Winter Moon is our April 2013 Group Read.

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "...well in Koontzland we clearly like to keep things Odd, so we are have Winter Moon in Spring! I'm looking forward to re-rea..."

lol Dustin...at least it was nominated in the winter! That was my thinking when I nominated/voted for it, at least. ;)

It is a very cold and wintry setting to be reading in April :-)

Well, don't tell anyone, but I wish it could be cold and wintry all the time! Winter is by far my favorite season, the colder the better. :)

Oh no! I don't like the Winter at all - it is so depressing! I am so glad it's Springtime coming!!!!!!

The groundhog said Spring was coming and now it's snowing this weekend. I am pissed off. I want my warm and sunny days!

I feel like Winter Moon is one of Dean's most overlooked books and I think it's actually quite a well-written tale.

I'm glad to hear that, as I just placed a hold for it at my library. I should get it in time for the April group read. :)

And I detest warm and sunny days. The sun is not my friend. We don't like one another at all. ;)

Jen wrote: "I detest warm and sunny days. The sun is not my friend."


.... but we can still be friends :-)

Well I am looking forward to reading it because either I don't remember reading it at all. Or it's the one I started and it didn't hold my interest. There is only one Koontz book that I ever had that with. Usually I couldn't wait to finish them and would stay up into the middle of the night because I didn't want to put the book down. I want to give this one a chance. Sometimes though I get the Koontz titles all mixed up in my mind but the blurb of the plot sounded like something I never read. (Sometimes getting older and feeling the memory starting to slide isn't such a bad thing. So far every Koontz book that I re-read for our monthly read here has been an enjoyable experience and I would remember things as they were happening.)

Icebound is the only one I started and couldn't finish and the title is similar to Winter Moon :-)

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: ".... but we can still be friends :-)"

Karen B wrote: "(Sometimes getting older and feeling the memory starting to slide isn't such a bad thing. So far every Koontz book that I re-read for our monthly read here has been an enjoyable experience and I would remember things as they were happening.)"

lol Dustin ;-)

And Karen, I hear you only in my case, getting older had nothing to do with it. lol! (Though my memory is getting worse as I get older, which is pretty scary, since it was never all that great to begin with!)

Winter Moon is set mainly in Montana during the Winter.

Jen wrote: "my memory is getting worse as I get older, which is pretty scary, since it was never all that great to begin with!) "

Have you read False Memory by any chance?

I'll be reading Icebound for the first time as part of the mini group read later this month. I have high hopes for it, given the wintry-ness of its title. :)

Montana in winter... Sounds lovely. (Truly.)

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Have you read False Memory by any chance?

"

Nope. Has it already been a group read? I'll have to check it out sometime. Maybe a mini group read could be organized for it?

False Memory was featured way back in the beginning of Koontzland (actually even before Koontzland was created) in November 2009. I would read False Memory again so anytime you want to - I'm in - find us one more victim and it's a mini-group read! I haven't read False Memory since 2009 so I'm due to re-read it again.

I'll go for it as a mini-group read but mid-April if that is okay.

Karen B wrote: "I'll go for it as a mini-group read but mid-April if that is okay."

Hell Yeah! I posted in the Mini-Group Read Thread. I will head over there now and we will do this!

Sounds great, Dustin...thanks!!

I'm so happy I found this group. :) I love reading books with you all and am really looking forward to reading Winter Moon in April (plus all the other monthly and mini group reads!)!! :)

Jen, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I am in several groups and often don't follow the group reads. This is the only one. In just the last year I have really started to tell myself I am only going to read what I want to read.
But if you saw my Kindle library ... I think I have enough books to last another lifetime of reading.

I just finished Odd Interlude today and I'm actually ahead of schedule not that I have a one hour bus commute the past month and am listening to more audiobooks again :-) I decided I better not start Winter Moon yet so I am trying The Moonlit Mind, unfortunately I'm not impressed so far. I just came off the exciting roller coaster of Odd Interlude and The Moonlit Mind just ain't got the same spark. I am looking forward to reading Winter Moon soon :-)

My TBR list became larger than my Read list the other day and I'm finding that rather intimidating, lol. I know I've read more than is on my list, but I just can't remember all the hundreds of books I've read over the last 30+ years. :)

I'm a speedy reader (never been tested) and tend to finish most books in a day or two (or rather, within three to 10 hours after starting a book, depending on length, quality of writing, and content).

My biggest problem with this group is that I'm so excited to read all our monthly and mini choices that I have to schedule my placement of holds on the books at the library so that I don't get them too soon. It's hard to wait! Now that we've chosen Winter Moon I just want to read it right now!! ;)