Koontzland - Dean Koontz discussion

I'm going to be reading this amazing book very soon and we're hoping to feature it as a mini-group read. One group member, Linda, has agreed to read also, but in order to feature a title as a mini-group read, at least 3 people must participate. Please look in your heart and soul and consider reading this book - it would be really great and fun. Remember, you have nothing to fear but fear itself so please join us in Fearing Nothing! Thank you ever so much.

Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz

Please Please Please Anyone please join me and Linda as we read FEAR NOTHING. Really, You have Nothing to Fear! Post ASAP if you are willing to read this book in the very near future. Thanks!

Thanks to Raelynn, Fear Nothing is officially a Mini-Group Read!!!! Anyone else who wants to join us is very welcome:-)

Fear Nothing will be featured as a group read April 3rd - May 3rd, 2011!!!! Think about it everyone :-) You can join us anytime.

I really enjoyed Fear Nothing and enjoyed even more its sequel, Seize the Night. I liked not only the scifi theme of the story (not a surprise to those who know me here), but also the characters and their personalities. These two books, often referred to as the Moonlight Bay or Chris Snow series, are among my very favorites of Koontz's work.

I've started. I notice some similarities between Chris Snow and Odd Thomas. Both have lost their parents (in different ways) but have a strong girlfriend to stand by them. Both have a positive attitude despite circumstances they face.

MYSTERY TRAIN

Where the monkeys at?

Maciek wrote: "Where the monkeys at?"

I found a monkey in Chapter 12 for you:

*SPOILER ALERT* *MONKEY EPISODE BELOW*

"It was Christmas Eve four years ago..... I heard this sound behind me, an odd little chirrup, and then something like a sigh, and when I turned, there was the monkey sitting right on this table."

"Good heavens."

"A rhesus monkey with these awful dark-yellow eyes. Not like their normal eyes. Strange."

....

"There was a bowl of fruit on the table - apples and tangerines. The monkey was peeling and eating one of the tangerines. Neat as you please, this big monkey placing the peelings in a tidy pile." ...

"It snatches an apple out of the bowl and throws it at me," she said, "really whales it at me. Hits me on the mouth. Splits my lip." She crossed her arms over her face as if she were even now under assault. "I try to protect myself. The monkey throws another apple, then a third, and its shrieking hard enough to crack crystal if there were any around." ....

"When Rod hangs up the phone, the monkey raises its ugly little eyes from the gun, looks straight at him, a challenging and angry look, and then coughs out that damn sound, that awful little laugh that makes your skin crawl. Then it seems to lose interest in Rod and me, in the gun. It eats the last segment of the tangerine and starts to peel another one." ...

"The monkey never bit me," she insisted, "never clawed me, never even touched me, for God's sake. But they won't believe me. I'm not sure even Rod believed me. They won't take any chances. The made me. . . Rod made me submit to sterilization." ....

"What was wrong with the monkey?"

when at last Angela spoke, her voice was hardly louder than a whisper: "It wasn't a monkey."

I knew that I had heard her correctly, yet her words made no sense. "Not a monkey? But you said - "

"It appeared to be a monkey."

"Appeared?"

"And it was a monkey, of course."

Lost, I said nothing.

"Was and wasn't," she whispered. "And that's what was wrong with it."

Thanks! Up the monkeys!

I finished , there are some similarities between Odd Thomas and Chris Snow, but I think they both stand alone on their own personalities. I enjoyed this book, I was surprised to find out the "drama" that was kept from Chris. I don't blame his mother at all for doing all that she could to help her son, after all she was a scientist, and we all know how curious scientists can be. I give this book 3 stars!!!

Linda wrote: "...after all she was a scientist, and we all know how curious scientists can be."

Yes, from what I know of Walter Bishop (FRINGE TV SERIES on FOX), what I've read in Dean Koontz books and our own Jason of the Borg :-) - They are very curious.

Yes, Jason has stealthily stolen mine and Dustin's brains and exchanged them. Now Dustin's me and I'm Dustin. We switch back at weekends to play polo.

Maciek wrote: "Yes, Jason has stealthily stolen mine and Dustin's brains and exchanged them. Now Dustin's me and I'm Dustin. We switch back at weekends to play polo."

TMI!!!!

Sorry, I didn't mean to disclose that. I mean you didn't mean to disclose that. I mean...

Maciek, unfortunely I can't even pretend to be you - it requires too much effort or I would :-)

Don't I know that! LOL! Or don't YOU know that??? hmmm...

Maciek wrote: "Yes, Jason has stealthily stolen mine and Dustin's brains and exchanged them. Now Dustin's me and I'm Dustin. We switch back at weekends to play polo."

No, I just made you think I exchanged your brains. ;-)

Alex wrote: "The monkeys are mooning me."

Are you reading this one now?

Alex wrote: "The monkeys are mooning me."

The Monkeys are still mooning you 3-4 years later?

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "The Monkeys are still mooning you 3-4 years later?"

:-D

Fear Nothing is-without a doubt-one of my favorite Koontz novels.:)

Alex wrote: "The monkeys are mooning me."

I remember that, it was hilarious!

FEAR NOTHING has been chosen as our December 2012 Group Read :-)

Alex (Al) wrote: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOE!!!

(Dies) I want to read House of Thunder!!

lol"

You can always read The House of Thunder but I'm afraid it did not win as our official group read selection this time :-) Keep nominating The House of Thunder and eventually it will be chosen.

I'm kinda excited about this. I haven't read it since it originally came out in, gosh, '97?!

Nice, I've been meaning to refresh my memory of this series after the Odd Interludes ...

just picked up my copy from the bookstore yesterday-will start it early next month.

i've never read this-looking forward to it.

** Minor spoiler **

I love the fact this barrels right in. Four pages from the start, and our hero is being chased by anonymous and well provisioned bad guys. Classic Koontz.

I got my copy of FEAR NOTHING today..and finished reading THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR just minutes ago. I will start on the December read tomorrow!

Very excited. Just about to start and though I've read it before I don't really remember it. Here goes!

Tony wrote: "** Minor spoiler **

I love the fact this barrels right in. Four pages from the start, and our hero is being chased by anonymous and well provisioned bad guys. Classic Koontz."

Four pages? Happens only on page 65 in my version ;)

Johnny wrote: "Tony wrote: "** Minor spoiler **

I love the fact this barrels right in. Four pages from the start, and our hero is being chased by anonymous and well provisioned bad guys. Classic Koontz."

Four p..."

LOL, maybe it felt like four pages!

i'm 100 pages in-please tell me there is going to be more dialogue/interaction between the characters-i get really bored with books in which the main character is mostly thinking about things and describing stuff (or in this case describing the landscape while running)

I'm at the same spot you are, Rachel, and I was just thinking I'd have to reconsider my initial thoughts about this novel. I still like the concept, the idea, the overall story of Christopher Snow, but there really are quite some boring passages. The landscape like you say, the sewers, ... With so many descriptions, I loose all feeling of direction and I have no idea where he is or where he's going.

I am now reading this book

i wasn't sure if i was going to continue this book but i'm trying to hang in there -the part i read last night was interesting- i liked that our hero finally had a conversation-even if it was about a monkey.


btw-i thought monkeys (even crazy monkeys who may not really be monkeys) liked bananas- not tangerines lol

whats up with this damn monkey,cant stand it >)

Just finished this book and it was amazing

I'm 41% of the way through this book and, though I've read it before, I really don't remember the details. I do remember Christopher Snow and I really like the parameters that Dean Koontz has set for this character. Night scenes in scary books are always more sinister, but having the protagonist be allergic to the sun I find an intriguing proposition. Usually, the night creatures in books and films are the antagonist, where they can exercise their formidable, if somewhat vicious and sadistic, advantages over their poor unsuspecting victims. Here, Koontz gives our protagonist the night, but he does not give him supernatural powers with which to defend himself against the sinister forces in the story. In fact, he gives him nothing other than a personality that we can admire and an emotionally sensitive dog (whom I love, btw). Though I do agree that he spends rather a lot of the book inside Snowman's head, I like that. It is a constant reminder that Christopher Snow is alone in the world. He has his dog, his friend, and his girlfriend, but being alone is what has made Christopher Snow into the person that he is. His XP has always kept him on the periphery of what is perceived as "normal life" and, in this instance, I think it aids the haunting atmosphere of the story. With many other books, I may find this amount of telling as opposed to showing to be tedious, but the quality of Koontz's writing keeps me immersed in the story, almost as though I am watching events unfold from just behind the Snowman's shoulder. I'm really enjoying reading it again.

Emma wrote: "I'm 41% of the way through this book and, though I've read it before, I really don't remember the details. I do remember Christopher Snow and I really like the parameters that Dean Koontz has set f..."

Perfect assessment, Emma. I wholeheartedly concur with all you've said on this one; a Koontz favorite of mine.

I have to admit I thought the book started of really slow. I was about 25% in when it finally took off. I don't want to put it down now.

For those who finished or are re-reading, what do think of Orson and his (view spoiler)[ connection to WATCHERS (hide spoiler)].

Why do you think Koontz just puts it there and doesn't do anything with it?

Tom wrote: "Emma wrote: "I'm 41% of the way through this book and, though I've read it before, I really don't remember the details. I do remember Christopher Snow and I really like the parameters that Dean Koo..."

Thank you Tom. Forgot how much I liked this character.

Well Tony, I think it's just a fun reference to one of his most popular books. No one has ever paid much attention to this detail. When I read it, I was totally ecstatic! This book is a hidden sequel! But I never found much enthusiasm about it elsewhere.

I'm halfway now, after page-long explanations about surf gods and how Bobby got the house.

i have to say this book wasn't really for me

the book has a great premise and a likable hero and sweet dog but too much of this book took place in the character's head for me to enjoy it.

i did like the reference to watchers and he even refers to one of the animals as the other which i believe is the same term he used in watchers as well

johnny-do you like the book as much the second time reading it or were you bored like me by all the description?

I'm starting this book today. I hope it's good. Looking forward to reading the discussion thread on this one.

Something I remember thinking when I read this, and the sequel set in that creepy army base...

(view spoiler)[
Am I the only one who thinks that Chris's mum might not be dead? She was working on some secret project, 'died' in a car crash, but is she really locked away somewhere underneath Fort Wyvern, somewhere even deeper than Snow has explored?
(hide spoiler)]

someone should post a picture of the monkey that was recently found wandering in a mall parking lot-it's the same ind of monkey from the book although this baby monkey was wearing a fashionable shearling coat-apparently he was recovered hanging out in front of an ikea lol

did anyone else see this story on the news/web?

I agree with everyone about to much of the story being in Chris's head. I do like the plot so far and the good parts are really good. The whole problem I have is the slow parts seem really slow. It is a roller coaster for sure - really good to really slow and so on.

Got to finish it to see how it turns out, but I find myself wanting to rush through it just to finish it.