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Phantoms

Dean Koontz

Start date: July 1, 2021

Finish date: July 31, 2021

Discussion: July 2021

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July 2021

Phantoms
By Tina , Creator · 2 posts · 1 views

last updated Apr 02, 2025 09:25PM

Opium and Absinthe
By Tina , Creator · 1 post · 6 views

last updated Jul 02, 2021 04:12PM

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Apr 02, 2025 Tina Haigler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: judge-a-book-by-its-cover, classics, paperbacks-from-hell

"The scream was distant and brief."

This was refreshing and just what I needed to get over my reading hump. 4.5 stars!

For those of you who don't know, in 1996 when I was just 13 and a freshman in high school, I sat down with my very first Stephen King book. I know this is by Dean Koontz--bear with me. The book was Rose Madder, and I couldn't put it down from the moment I picked it up until I finished it and reread all my favorite parts. I was absolutely captivated from that point on; I read every "The scream was distant and brief."

This was refreshing and just what I needed to get over my reading hump. 4.5 stars!

For those of you who don't know, in 1996 when I was just 13 and a freshman in high school, I sat down with my very first Stephen King book. I know this is by Dean Koontz--bear with me. The book was Rose Madder, and I couldn't put it down from the moment I picked it up until I finished it and reread all my favorite parts. I was absolutely captivated from that point on; I read every Stephen King book published until probably 2002, when as an adult I decided to branch out and expand my horizons. This book by Koontz genuinely makes me wonder how different my reading list might've looked if I would've found this book first. Would it consist mostly of Koontz instead of King? Alas, I guess we'll never know.

I've been told this is one of his best books and I'm inclined to believe it. I've only read one other by Koontz and to be honest, I don't really remember it, but I'll remember this one for a long time. I loved so many things about it: the writing style, the pace, the amount of words I had to look up the meaning to (not too many and not too few), most of the characters were likeable, believable, and relatable, the skeptical and scientific approach of the characters, the monster isn't shown in the beginning and the monster was unique (at least in my opinion), plus the author used actual history to lend credibility to the mythos; I mean the list just goes on and on. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is in the middle it felt like we had to start over with the skepticism and disbelief when new characters were introduced so a lot of time was wasted, and some of the side characters probably weren't necessary; they could've been combined into one or left out entirely.

What a fun and exciting read! I highly recommend this book to horror and suspense fans, especially creature feature lovers, and to anyone who isn't familiar with Koontz: let this one be your first.

"Jenny listened to the mill wheels and wondered what mysteries and miracles, what horrors and joys were being ground out at this very moment, to be served up in times to come."

*Side note: I had no idea that Koontz and King had so much in common. They are both from New England, they are roughly the same age (two years apart I believe), they have a similar amount of books and a lot of their books have been made into movies, not all of their books are horror (both dabble in other genres as well) and they also share a very similar writing style. I wonder if they are friends or consider themselves rivals. Interesting, don't you think? ...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Robin rated it really liked it

Jun 30, 2020 Cristian Stoica marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jan 14, 2025 Jess Penhallow marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: chessington, dittons

Dec 18, 2020 David marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

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