Book Description
It may be one of the worst winters in recent memory in Paradise, Michigan, but Alex McKnight is looking forward to spending some quality time with his new girlfriend, Natalie Reynaud, an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police. But a chance encounter with a mysterious old man, Simon Grant, turns chilling when he seems to know a lot about Natalie and her family. When Natalie and Alex return to their room later that evening, they discover the same hat the old man was wearing lying outside their room filled with ice and snow and containing a cryptic note: I know who you are! A day later, Simon Grant is found frozen to death in a snowdrift. Natalie and Alex are stunned. The mystery is just too much of a coincidence for Alex to ignore. His trail leads him to a blood feud buried decades ago in Natalie's family's past-an event that can still drive men to kill each other....
Customer Reviews:
Extremely entertaining -- great book to curl up with by a fire!.......2006-12-15
Another great installment in Hamilton's mystery series featuring ex-private detective Alex McKnight. In this one, Alex has just fallen hard for an Ontario police officer named Natalie Reynaud. A big snowstorm is on its way (these novels are all set in snowy Missouri), so their plan to meet up in Ontario for the weekend is out. But the two decide to meet each other halfway at a hotel in Soo, Michigan, instead. When they get there, they encounter a strange elderly man in the lobby of the hotel. He keeps staring at them, then smiling and tipping his hat. After a drink or two, Alex and Natalie head up to their room where, outside the door, they find an old-fashioned hat full of snow with a note that says, "I know who you are." It's clearly from the old man, so Alex goes back down to try to find him. Only, instead, he finds the old man is gone. The next morning, they get the news -- the old man was found frozen to death a few blocks from the hotel, and the doorman has been telling everyone it was Alex's doing.
The next thing Alex knows, he's caught in the middle of a century-old family feud. As it turns out, the old man's father was killed eighty years ago and his family has blamed Natalie's family for the murder ever since. The old man's sons find out who Natalie is, and soon she disappears, leaving Alex to assume the only thing that makes sense -- that she's been kidnapped by the old man's family, who are hell-bent on taking her life in revenge. The snowstorm has made it virtually impossible to get anywhere safely, but Alex has to find Natalie. Before he does, though, he'll come across three more dead bodies and almost lose his own life in the process.
I know I've read at least one more novel in this series and enjoyed it, so I have no idea why it took me so long to get to another one of these. I won't make that mistake again, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more! This is the perfect book to cozy up with on your couch by the fire on a snow day (which is what I was doing with it two days ago myself). Definitely recommended!
Michigan thrillers........2006-01-19
Wow! Ijust loved this novel. Hamilton captures the feel of northern Michigan perfectly. What is it with these Michigan authors?, my two favourite books of the season so far both by Michiganders, 'Ice Run' and Bradlet T Platts 'Deadstream. Both unputdownable and must reads.
A good read without a lot of fluff or filler.......2005-10-15
Hamilton does a fairly good representation of Upper Michigan and the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan/Ontario and area. Clearly he has spent enough time there to cite specific locations and directions, and he captures the atmosphere pretty good, if somewhat cliche. The location lends a different backdrop to basic plotlines, and he works that backdrop into the stories in this series. A refreshing approach to a well used genre.
This is a good weekend read and very enjoyable -perfect for an afternoon by the pool or a rainy weekend at the cottage. It is a little on the 'easy reading' side of things, and not as involved plotwise as something by Ludlum or Clancy, but it is very easy to fall into the story very quickly, or pick it up again after a break. A good style for a tired mind after a busy week. I have recommended this series to others and will continue to do so as I look forward to the next book.
-Start at the beginning, as parts of the stories build on each other.
A Cold Day In Paradise 2000
Winter of the Wolf Moon 2001
The Hunting Wind 2002
North of Nowhere 2003
Blood is the Sky 2004
Ice Run 2005
another winner.......2005-07-11
What can I say? This latest from Steve Hamilton is a winner. Our intrepid semi-PI Alex McKnight is in love and nothing will stand in his way. From a mysterious old man and his hat to the inevitable show-down, Hamilton weaves a story of past betrayals and present events all in the icy land of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (if ever there was a constant "character", the UP is it!)Pick up Hamilton's first McKnight novel and you will be hooked.
latest in an excellent series.......2005-06-03
Every book in this series is very good and Steve Hamilton shows no signs of running out of inspiration.
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Ice Run (Alex McKnight)
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD
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ASIN: 1593559380
Release Date: 2004-06-01 |
Book Description
Alex McKnight is in love. Even though he met Natalie Reynaud, an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police, under difficult circumstances, they share a common bond of solitude, as well as the same nightmare - they're both cops who buried their partners. It's Alex's first real relationship in years, which in some ways is terrifying. But Natalie has her own fears to deal with - and her own secrets.
They brave a violent snowstorm to spend the night together in a historic hotel in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. There, they meet a mysterious old man who seems to know a lot about Natalie - and about her family. But they won't be getting any answers from him - he'll be found frozen to death in a snowbank the very next morning. From this single incident, an old blood feud will be reignited, one going back decades to an event buried in her family's past - an event that even now can still drive men to kill each other.
As much as Natalie doesn't want Alex to become entangled in this web of lies and hatred, there's no way he can let her face this danger alone. This is a man who has gotten beaten up, shot at, and even dragged behind a snowmobile, all because he's a sucker for a friend in need.
How much further will he go for love?
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Ice Run: An Alex McKnight Mystery (Alex McKnight)
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced
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A Stolen Season: An Alex McKnight Novel (Alex McKnight Novels)
ASIN: 159737427X
Release Date: 2005-06-28 |
Book Description
Alex McKnight is in love. Even though he met Natalie Reynaud, an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police, under difficult circumstances, they share a common bond of solitude, as well as the same nightmare - they're both cops who buried their partners. It's Alex's first real relationship in years, which in some ways is terrifying. But Natalie has her own fears to deal with - and her own secrets.
They brave a violent snowstorm to spend the night together in a historic hotel in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. There, they meet a mysterious old man who seems to know a lot about Natalie - and about her family. But they won't be getting any answers from him - he'll be found frozen to death in a snowbank the very next morning. From this single incident, an old blood feud will be reignited, one going back decades to an event buried in her family's past - an event that even now can still drive men to kill each other.
As much as Natalie doesn't want Alex to become entangled in this web of lies and hatred, there's no way he can let her face this danger alone. This is a man who has gotten beaten up, shot at, and even dragged behind a snowmobile, all because he's a sucker for a friend in need.
How much further will he go for love?
Book Description
Steve Hamilton is one of the rising stars of crime fiction. His Edgar and Anthony Award-winning series featuring private investigator Alex McKnight took a dramatic turn in last year's acclaimed Blood Is The Sky. With Ice Run, Hamilton raises the stakes once again, creating another masterpiece of modern crime fiction. It's March in Paradise Michigan, and Alex McKnight is happier than he can remember in a long time-because of a woman, Natalie Reynaud, the Canadian police officer whose partner died in Blood Is The Sky. When Alex and Natalie take a romantic weekend to an old luxury hotel, they find an ominous message in their hotel room-someone has left a picture of Natalie's father and grand-father atop a handwritten note: 'They were here, so was I. I know what happened.' Alex and Natalie must now face a terrible Reynaud family secret, a secret that has driven men to kill for decades. Taut and atmospheric, Steve Hamilton's Ice Run stakes out compelling new ground in crime fiction.
Customer Reviews:
extraordinare setting.......2006-12-21
Reading this book when the wind blew you felt it, when Alex was out walking up a hill in a snow storm you felt weak in the legs and frozen in the face. When Vinnie stood up off the snow mobile and shook himself like a dog looking like a snowman you could visulize what he felt. Yes, Mr. Hamilton is a fine writer and his plotting is first class also. I will be reading the last book he has written next and can say I will wait impatiently for the next one.
Another winner for Steve Hamilton.......2006-10-19
It's January, and Alex McKnight is hoping to beat the first really killer storm so that he can spend a romantic weekend with Natalie Reynaud - a weekend at the Ojibway Hotel in Soo, Michigan. This is Alex's suggestion, made when Natalie offers to come to his place for a change. He looks around and sees, "One single bed. The old couch, sagging in the middle. Two rough wooden tables. This sad wreck of a place, after fifteen years of living all by myself. This is what she'd see. My God.", and realizes that his relationship with Natalie isn't ready for her to see this. Not yet.
As with so many things in Alex's life, getting to the Ojobway isn't easy and takes much longer than he had expected, but he does make it. He and Natalie have dinner, where an elderly gentleman seems to know Alex. Alex doesn't recognize him, and neither does Natalie. They are unaware that the man leaves the Ojibway and winds up freezing to death . They don't know why he leaves his hat, a really good homburg, full of snow and ice, on the floor outside their hotel room.
Alex takes the hat to the police when he realizes that it belongs to Simon Grant, who is the man from the hotel. After telling Chief Maven the story of the man and the hat, and his curiousity about why Simon Grant seemed to know him, Alex gives Chief Maven the hat to return to the family. Chief Maven tells Alex to leave it at that, not to bother the family, to just walk away from the whole thing. Past readers of Steve Hamilton's books featuring Alex McKnight know that this isn't going to happen.
The truly curious twist is that Simon Grant truly didn't know Alex McKnight. He recognized Natalie. Once this fact surfaces, the reader learns a whole lot more about Natalie, and her family, and why she is the person she is. This goes a long way toward explaining the attraction that she has for Alex, and vice versa.
Ice Run focuses a great deal on the past, a past of which Natalie has only a very partial awareness. The circumstances of Simon Grant's death, and the subsequent three-on-one beating given to Alex by Grant's family after the funeral, impel Natalie, reluctantly, to speak to her mother after a silence of five years. The ripple effects of Natalie meeting her mother are catastrophic for the three families involved. The intricacies of the plot make it difficult to say more without saying too much.
All of this takes place in the dead of winter in northern Michigan, the manifestations of which become almost another character in Ice Run. The beating Alex suffers at the hands of Grant's children is brutal. While Alex loses no body parts to frost-bite in Ice Run, there are several scenes where winter in all its savage and impartial splendor nearly kills him. And yet he persists.
Ice Run showcases Alex McKnight's character. There are other people around him (Vinnie, Leon, Jackie) who sometimes see to the heart of the matter at hand more quickly than Alex. Natalie is certainly better at assessing a situation with some degree of common sense, recognizing when to dance around a situation as opposed to barging in head first. But Alex, once he's made up his mind, pursues the truth with a dogged determination, a persistence in the face of adversity and common sense which most of us (I suspect) lack. He's no Galahad - he lacks the looks, and the guile. But he embodies, as few men do, the best parts of what we consider to be the knightly code of honor. He believes, literally, that the truth will set you free. What he endures in the pursuit of truth matters not in the long run. And Alex endures a hell of a lot in Ice Run.
Ice Run is the sixth in the Alec McKnight series. It is not necessary to have read the previous five in order to enjoy Ice Run, although I certainly recommend it, if for no other reason than the wonderful writing. Hamilton keeps getting better and better; it is a joy as a reader to watch that improvement as each book comes out. If you like a good plot, multi-dimensional characters, an incredible setting, and writing that sweeps you into another world . . . then Hamilton should be on your list. Ice Run should be on your list.
"Never sleep with a woman who has more problems than you," .......2005-04-25
warns Jackie, friend of Alex McKnight and Vinnie Leblanc and owner of the Glasgow Inn, venue for heady discussions and macho teasing between the main characters.
Previously we are introduced to Constable Natalie Reynaud, who like Alex loses a partner. Alex goes to comfort her and, well I guess he does. And so starts "Ice Run," Alex having fallen for the attractive Constable.
But it would take someone of lesser intellect than the characters, and ANY reader, to note that Natalie doesn't feel the same way. This is not like Tangier in "The Nautical Chart" or Mattie in "Body heat." She's not using our favorite retired Motor City Detective. She's just . . . . not all there. There is something about her that is incomplete and Mr. Hamilton presents this nicely. He tells us that 'she has some serious issues' and he'll tell us in a couple of hundred pages what they are. Unfortunately Alex doesn't hear that or can't put it together so he stumbles around for what seems the whole winter.
He gets caught up in the periphery of her life, he takes another terrible beating, and he immerses himself in the ghostly world of family secrets.
This is a well written book and I gladly feel it is of 5 star caliber. I think I would like more of Vinnie in the 7th selection. The two blood brothers play off of eachother well, alright, somewhat like Hawk and Spenser and Elvis and Joe. But there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you get a more dimensional view of the main ingredients through the eyes of a partner. In this genre, that's probably not so with a girlfriend.
Well written; nice twists; again an almost James Dickey - like description of the wilderness. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury
4+ As chilling as a frosty glass of lemonade on a hot.......2004-10-04
summer's eve; ICE RUN has us ski-boarding after Alex McKnight in this latest of the Steve Hamilton's series. Just the pace of the book is enough to warm you! Let me tell you; if I found a hat (wouldn't matter what kind) on my doorstep with a note that read "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE"; I'd run for cover and stay there.
But not Alex! Off he goes in the worst snow storm of the season in the UP of Michigan; crossing the Canadian border every few hours as easily as I cross my t's. Back and forth in search of the story behind the old man who left the hat and the note outside his hotel room door and then proceeded to wander out into the way-below-zero night only to be found the next day frozen to death.
This all happens while he is rendevousing with a woman with whom he thinks he is in love, but for the life of him cannot figure out. One minute she is saying "Come here, Alex" and the next she is pushing him away and doesn't want to see him anymore. But...and this adds to the allure of the novel...the mystery revolves around HER and is slowly seeping into her everyday life from her very complicated past.
The forward rush of the prose seems to make a path through snow and ice...his bone-crushing opposition made my bones ache...his turmoil with Naltalie adds pathos...and of course his friends, as always, add character and color to an already exciting story line.
Steve Hamilton has never disappointed me. Although ICE RUN is the sixth of the series ; each novel, because of his superb and comprehensive style could easily stand alone.
I hope there is a lot more of Alex left in the talented pen of Steve Hamilton. Kudos to a great teller of tales mysterious and compelling!
chilling.......2004-09-06
It's January in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and as it is wont to do in January a blizzard is taking place. Alex McKnight has made plans to meet the woman in his life, Natalie Reynard, in a historic hotel in Sault Ste. Marie. There they meet a mysterious old man who leaves them a cryptic message in an old fedora filled with snow. The next morning the old man is found frozen to death in a snowbank. When Alex goes to the old man's funeral, his relatives beat the bloody daylights out of him. Natalie's father was murdered in Soo fifteen years earlier and it is not too long before the incidents are tied together.
What sets Steve Hamilton's books apart from other in the genre is the atmospheric setting of the books. I actually felt cold in ninety-degree heat while reading this book. It is wonderfully descriptive and I could really feel the winter of northern Michigan. In this installment, the romance of Natalie and Alex is an integral part to the mystery. As a result, the mystery suffers somewhat as it never rises to the level of suspense I have come to expect from Steve Hamilton. Even though I would not consider this the best book of the series plot-wise, it is still a fine addition to the evolution of the characterization of Alex McKnight.
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Thin Ice: Zombies in LA: Nowhere to Run or Hide
J. M. Rusin
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1425935583 |
Book Description
This is about Kelly and Joe, they decided to go on a camping trip, but Kelly notice something was really wrong, but Joe did not think anything was wrong! The night came and the zombies surrounded the cabin, and they were trap. Joe said don't worry we will be save!!!! Kelly said I Will called for Help on my cell phone, but no signal. Now Kelly was really worry, becasue Zombies were everywhere!!!! Then Kelly notice a car, ands we are traps, what are we going to do? Walking on Walks of Fame and seeing the Zombies coming toward them and grabbing there legs. I WANT YOUR BRAIN!
Customer Reviews:
WHAT?.......2007-03-16
This is an insault to all zombies books and fans everywhere! I have read alot of zombies books being a big fan but this byfar is the worst book ive ever read. a waste of fifteen dollars. the reason i gave the book one star is because the review would not take unless i gave the book one.
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Ice Run
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: Orion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0752859943 |
Book Description
It is February in Paradise, Michigan, and for the first time since moving there, Alex is taking a hard look at his life, and realizing just how much he's been hiding from. This is what happens when a middle-aged solitary guy falls in love. The woman is Natalie Reynaud, an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police whose partner has recently been killed. As far as the OPP are concerned, Natalie is responsible for her partner's death. She needs a break - from the past as well as the present. Alex and Natalie spend a romantic weekend in a hotel in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. But just as everything seems to be going wonderfully, they are disturbed by someone who knows all about Natalie, and about the previous generations of her family. An old blood feud is reignited, one that goes back more than forty years to a dark episode buried in her family's past - events whose repercussions still drive men to kill each other. As much as Natalie doesn't want Alex to get involved, there's no way he can let her face this danger alone. This is a man who has been beaten up, shot at, and even dragged behind a snowmobile, all because he's a sucker for a friend in need. How much further would he go for a woman he loves?
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Ice Run
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: Orion
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ASIN: 0752865404 |
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Ice Run
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: ORION PAPERBACKS
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0312937512 |
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Ice Run: An Alex McKnight Mystery (Alex McKnight)
Steve Hamilton
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Lib Ed
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ASIN: 1593559399
Release Date: 2004-06-01 |
Book Description
Alex McKnight is in love. Even though he met Natalie Reynaud, an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police, under difficult circumstances, they share a common bond of solitude, as well as the same nightmare - they're both cops who buried their partners. It's Alex's first real relationship in years, which in some ways is terrifying. But Natalie has her own fears to deal with - and her own secrets.
They brave a violent snowstorm to spend the night together in a historic hotel in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. There, they meet a mysterious old man who seems to know a lot about Natalie - and about her family. But they won't be getting any answers from him - he'll be found frozen to death in a snowbank the very next morning. From this single incident, an old blood feud will be reignited, one going back decades to an event buried in her family's past - an event that even now can still drive men to kill each other.
As much as Natalie doesn't want Alex to become entangled in this web of lies and hatred, there's no way he can let her face this danger alone. This is a man who has gotten beaten up, shot at, and even dragged behind a snowmobile, all because he's a sucker for a friend in need.
How much further will he go for love?
Average customer rating:
- Interesting Quick Read
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- A good read, but not one of Koontz's best
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Darkfall
Dean Koontz
Manufacturer: Berkley
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Night Chills
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House of Thunder, The
ASIN: 0425214591 |
Book Description
A blizzard brings a city to a standstill-and ushers in an evil that defies imagination.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Quick Read.......2007-06-12
One of his older books, first written under his pen name Owen West (I missed reading the first time around), but great Koontz story-line and fast paced. Little bit of everything-love story, police detective work, family, and of course something scary out there that wants to get you!
a fun read, which you should probably not read before bedtime.......2007-05-30
One of Koontz's earliest novels that was originally titled "The Pit" by his persona Owen West, has been retitled "Darkfall" and is now published along with other Koontz titles. I picked up this paperback after reading and enjoying Koontz's "Odd Thomas" series. The writing of "Darkfall" is just as dark and evil as I had expected.
Koontz's use of imagery throughout the novel is outstanding. I was able to (unwillingly) step into the novel and be part of the action. I truly felt as if I was traveling with the characters throughout the story.
The demonic characters where slowly revealed to us as the gates of hell were opened through a glowing pit dug by the evil character Lavelle. Lavelle practices voodoo, but other than a few references to his rituals, I found that there was much research lacking by Koontz.
The characters Jack and Rebecca were well developed and I felt a strong connection to them, even to the evil forces of Lavelle. There was a strong story line of good vs evil that was carried through the entire book. A lesser love storyline was also present and I found myself enjoying the character development through this route.
Having a 12 year old child, I found one character, Penny, who is 11 years old to be unbelievable. See seemed to present the maturity and dialogue of a much older teen. This was especially evident at the end of the novel.
Overall, this was a fun read, which you should probably not read before bedtime.
Skip this one.......2007-05-26
I usually like Koontz, but not this one. There is absolutely no suspense, no mystery, and the characters are one dimensional. The most shocking thing in the book had nothing to do with the creatures or voodoo-- it was to find out that the two bland leading characters had feelings for each other.
I almost always finish books (including other Koontz books) in one or two sittings. This has been sitting around for a couple of months. I eventually got all the way to the last chapter and haven't yet been motivated enough to read these last five pages.
:(
It Proves My Point.......2007-04-23
Darkfall, originally published in 1984, is a typical Koontz thriller with lots of spooky critters and terror. Without going into the plot, it is actually a very good read. It is exciting and fun. Most importantly, it proves my point that Koontz was a better writer in 1984 than he is today.
I suspect that at the time this book was written, the publisher could have cared less whether he met any deadline or not. Much unlike today when he ends a book with -- well -- with nothing but a "goodbye folks, the end, I gotta get this book to the galley and keep the publishers happy!!".
After the second Odd Thomas book, I had thought that Koontz had been put away in an asylum somewhere and the book was actually finished by his wife or a ghost-writing brother-in-law....or whomever. The third Odd Thomas comes out and I thought that maybe someone had sneaked in a typewriter to his hospital dormitory and he was able to get in a few words from the "old" Koontz. But, alas, we wait. Maybe he will return after he finishes counting his money and complaining about something.
In any event, YES -- this is the old Koontz. And it is a good book.
And, NO ... he still hasn't called me yet.
Denny Myers
Yukon, Oklahoma
A good read, but not one of Koontz's best.......2007-03-27
I enjoyed Darkfall, I'll say that. It was a fast-paced, interesting story, with lots of scarry and suspense. It isn't one of Koontz's most well-written novels. It's interesting to see how he's developed as a writer over the years. The difference between Darkfall and a novel like Odd Thomas or The Taking is drastic and noticeable. And that's okay. I like seeing the evolution of a writer throughout his or her career. If you're looking for a good story to scare you and give you something to look forward to reading at night, Darkfall is a great choice.
Amazon.com
Be prepared for spine-tingling overload, as three of Dean R. Koontz's scariest stories are combined into one terrifying edition. Complete and unabridged, the three novels incorporate the essential elements of a Koontz classic: ordinary people living uneventful lives suddenly flung into a supernatural web of ghoulish horror. The Servants of Twilight pits a devoted mother against a bizarre cult intent on harming her son. Who will triumph in this tale of good versus evil? Don't be tempted to turn to the final page of this delightful yet horrific story! Darkfall plays with a fundamental human fear--that of being watched and stalked by an unknown force. This is pure, unadulterated, heart-stopping terror--nothing subtle about it. "Part of him wanted to see it, had to see it, needed to know what in God's name it was. But another part of him, sensing the extreme monstrousness of it, was grateful for darkness." Read at your peril. Koontz's third novel in the collection is Phantoms, which places the reader in a small California town, a place of swollen corpses and missing persons. Here people die "in the middle of a scream." But how they died, and why so many more are missing is just the beginning of this morbid mystery. Dean R. Koontz: Three Complete Novels is not for the faint of heart! --Naomi Gesinger
Book Description
For the first time ever, three bestselling Dean Koontz novels—The Servants of Twilight, Darkfall, Phantoms—are available in hardcover and complete in this single volume. Koontz's novels are spine-chilling and terrifying stories about ordinary people caught in nightmarish situations. Although Dean Koontz writes about the "dark side," the endings to his fast-paced, stay-up-all-night reads always show the forces of good prevailing. But it's what happens between the covers of the book and in the imaginations of the readers that has earned Dean Koontz his position at the top of bestseller lists across the country. When you begin a Dean Koontz novel, you're never sure where he's going to take you...
The Servants of Twilight
A mother and son are approached by an old lady in a southern California parking lot. It's a chance encounter that erupts into a nightmare of terror as a mother strives to protect her only child when he is threatened again and again...
Darkfall
In a city, paralyzed by a blizzard, something watches, something stalks, and the clock is ticking...A fast-paced twisting story with one of the most frightening chase scenes ever.
Phantom
The found the town silent, apparently abandoned. Then they found the first body strangely swollen and still warm. One hundred fifty were dead, three hundred fifty missing. But the terror had only begun in a tiny mountain town of Snowfield, California.
These three masterful novels of suspense are guaranteed to keep you reading until you turn the last page. There's no going back once you begin a Dean Koontz novel...
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book!.......2007-09-24
This book was awesome. It kept me engaged for several weeks, which is saying alot for a huge reader like I am.
Usually I find a book, a good 300 pages, at least, and I clobber it. It it is any good (I give it 100 pages to be good, or I am done) I will devour it, in a couple of days time. It is is *fairly* good but not too good, it might take me a couple of weeks as I will be doing something other than reading it when I have my late night reading time. For a really good book, though, it might take me a couple of nights to read it. For this book, since it contained 3 novels, it took me a couple of weeks. Honestly I was glad, because that was a couple of weeks where I didn't have to think about my next reading fix!!!!
Buy it... you will not be disappointed!
Three Complete Novels.......2007-03-10
This made a wonderful gift and it was given to a true fan of Dean Koontz...
Beautiful Combo.......2005-12-03
This book is probably one of the best I ever had because the novels compiled are all very thrilling and fun to read. I have read it twice and there is nothing else to do than to admire the way Dean R. Koontz writes. If you want to read something out of the ordinary, a bit on the supernatural side, along with a lot of action and twists, this is the one you need.
Three terrific books.......2005-09-08
Wow, Phantoms, Darkfall, and The Servants Of Twilight all in one! I've read 23 Dean Koontz book so far and I can tell you that these are all five star books.
PHANTOMS is about a deserted town in the mountains where a woman and her teenage sister arrive to find most of the residents either missing or brutally murdered-even in locked rooms.
DARKFALL is about a man named Baba Lavelle out for revenge who is using voodoo to terrorize a man named Jack Dawson by sending goblin-like creatures after his two children. It's pretty intense with the things crawling through the air ducts and chasing after the family relentlessly.
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT is about a cult lead by a crazy old woman named Grace Spivey who is convinced that a six year old boy named Joey is the anti-christ. The family and the private eye struggling to protect them are terrorized and sent on the run, and their lives will never be the same. But wherever they go, Grave and her followers always find them....
You really can't go wrong with this set. I suggest you buy this collection, and then read:
Intensity
Watchers
Whispers
Hideaway
False Memory
Twilight Eyes
Three confrontations with the forces of evil.......2005-04-28
This omnibus edition contains nothing apart from the text of the three books; no foreword, no afterword - not even the individual afterwords that Koontz has taken to including with re-issued editions of his older books.
This is a pity, because DARKFALL and SERVANTS were both written under pseudonyms, and Koontz' revised editions often include the story of the original author's tragic end. (There are at least five versions of the fate of "Leigh Nichols", including a tragic limbo accident.)
The individual books in this omnibus share a few characteristics apart from being written around the same time. All three with what might be termed the forces of Satan, though the situation is (of course) more complicated than that at times. Once the action gets rolling, each story occupies a very short timeframe: about 25 hours for DARKFALL, a few days for most of PHANTOMS, and similarly for THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT. Each has a kind of epilogue after the main event to give a little closure (although in DARKFALL's case it's quite short, not even a separate chapter).
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT was first published in somewhat different form as TWILIGHT under the byline "Leigh Nichols" in 1984. The title role is a well-meaning religious sect, determined to destroy the anti-Christ. But "the anti-Christ", in this case, is a six-year-old boy, a sweet kid being brought up by his single-parent mom. Joey at first seems to be a random selection on the part of the Servants' leader.
When the Servants begin stalking Christine and her son, she hires a private investigator, Charlie Harrison, since everyone has to sleep sometime. Most of the remainder of the book is an extended chase scene, although the object is to flee rather than to catch anyone. Several of Koontz' other books have this kind of structure; SERVANTS falls into the earlier versions' simpler pattern, in which relatively isolated bad guys (rather than vast conspiracies) are chasing the good guys. Like many of Koontz' protagonists, the leads (Charlie and Christine) have troubled family backgrounds like that of the author. The main villain is schizophrenic.
--
DARKFALL was first published under the byline "Owen West" in 1984, prior to THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT. Like several of Koontz' earlier works, DARKFALL wasn't published under Koontz' preferred title (DARKNESS COMES, in this instance, although the story has also been known as THE PIT, which lent itself to some unfortunate jokes at the author's expense).
As in THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT, one of the protagonists of DARKFALL is a single parent, in this case Jack, a straight-arrow cop who is just beginning to take an interest in romance again after losing his wife to cancer. There are some similarities to the dynamic in DRAGON TEARS; Jack's partner is a very tough woman who had a rough childhood, and she's the "bad cop" of their good cop/bad cop act. (Unfortunately, it's *not* a deliberate act by the characters; like Connie in DRAGON TEARS, Rebecca really *does* lack political savvy in dealing with people.)
As in DRAGON TEARS, the partners have run into some odd phenomena on the day the story takes place, which can't be explained by any normal events. In DARKFALL, the partners are investigating a series of brutal murders in which the victims are all involved in organized crime, but the weird phenomena don't tally with a normal gang war or even a revenge killing. But the head of the family arranged for the murder of an investigative reporter some time back, whose brother turns out to be a voodoo priest from the islands...
Of the three stories in this omnibus, organized religion comes off best in DARKFALL. It happens to be the light side of voodoo that gets star treatment, though - does that matter? :) Jack and Rebecca get professional help, as it were, from a local voodoo practitioner; he comes up with an interesting philosophical defence of his religion.
--
PHANTOMS, the last story in the book, was actually published first, in 1983. Although Koontz had written several books in the interim, this was the first book under his own name since WHISPERS, and he was trying deliberately to write a very different book.
PHANTOMS was meant to be an over-the-top horror story, with a full-blown monster *but* with a scientific explanation for everything that takes place. Small town? Check. Everybody missing except a handful of main characters? Check. Gory? You bet. If you read this one alone on a dark night, don't come crying to me if you can't sleep. You've been warned.
--
For more detailed discussion of the contents of this book, I recommend consulting reviews for the three individual books.
Content warnings: Like a number of Koontz' books, these contain a few explicit sex scenes and quite a lot of violence. Organized religion gets somewhat unusual treatment.
But these are Koontz books. Bad things happen, some people are rotten, and organizations may fail to protect people properly, but individual good guys can manage to come through horrific episodes without being turned into monsters, even if they may suffer greatly in the process.
Comfort books. The first two rate about 4 stars, but PHANTOMS brings down the average.
Average customer rating:
- Pedstrian and dull.
- Darkfall - Not Really Scary for a Horror Novel
- Some great storytelling
- Falls Flat
- JIMMY JAMMED
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Darkfall
Stephen Laws
Manufacturer: Leisure Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Laws, Stephen | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Deep in the Darkness
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ASIN: 0843952180 |
Customer Reviews:
Pedstrian and dull........2007-07-06
this is typical british horror. by that i mean that there are no scares only suggestions. the suggestions are tepid. this is nothing new. it wasn't new in 1992 and it is especially stale now. normally, fantastical stories have a long shelf life because, while the settings may be dated, the ideas remain compelling. but these are not engaging ideas and they are not executed compellingly at all. the narrative drags. all the way. there is a hint of something macabre. then the payoff comes and, oh, look, it's nothing special. the characters in genre horror are normally at the service of the events, the plot, and this novel is no exception. which is a pity since anything fresh would have enlivened the proceedings. one-dimensionality only further disengages enjoyment. the descriptions are muddied and unclear with turgid uninspired prose as the melodrama unfolds at a glacial pace. you don't have to care about anything in a book like this, not about the people, the places, the things, except one thing--you really have to care about what happens next. i didn't. the horror wasn't horrifying and the prose was bland and the plot didn't go anywhere a reader even passingly acquainted with the genre--in film or in books, which is tragic--hasn't already experienced before and better.
it's not an offensive book. in fact, it's very inoffensive. very polite.
and maybe for me, that's most of the problem.
Darkfall - Not Really Scary for a Horror Novel.......2005-12-31
Think of all of the energy one lightning storm can hold. Imagine if that amount of energy could affect the physiology of people and places? That's exactly what Stephen Laws did in his novel "Darkfall." A corporate high rise in England sits empty on Christmas Eve. Just moments before, the building had been full of office parties and employees. After a particularly harsh round of thunder and lightning, everyone in the building, except the janitor, disappeared into thin air. The police are called in, but what can they do? Hopefully find the answer to this menacing phenonmenon before anyone else disappears.
The description of this novel really does it more justice than the author did. The writing, well it was just plain bad. The plot had potential, but the author thoroughly bungled it. The entire storyline came off as cheap and fake. I was really hoping for a good mystery, but all this novel has to offer is bad writing. I am not sure I would recommend it to anyone.
Some great storytelling.......2005-10-15
A skyscraper caught in a storm is effectively blocked of from the outside world following the dissappearance of everyone inside. Something about the storm has caused people and building to merge; the result being gruesome monsters that are out to capture and absorb the survivors. Darkfall really delivers on action; it's a fun read with some harrowing situations. A little more elaboration on _why_ would give this book the 5th star.
Falls Flat.......2005-09-30
I read this book after hearing that a movie studio bought the film rights to produce it, saying it was a mix between The Thing and Die Hard. Well, in theory, that's sounds like fun, but Stephen Laws did not pull it off. The mythology Laws tries to create is initially interesting, but eventually just becomes too silly.
What started out very promising, fell flat halfway through the novel. I quickly became bored with the 150+ page chase scene up and down the stairwell and elevator. Horror is about atmosphere and suspense. This was more science fiction with a comic book villain awkwardly thrown in for danger. Disappointing.
JIMMY JAMMED.......2005-06-25
DARKFALL has all the markings of a great read. Excellent idea. Great set up. Well drawn charcters, mystery, suspense, backstory and the general sense of unease and tension as the story builds and builds... and then walks off a ledge right about the halfway point.
Up until then, there's a fantastic vibe of doom. Of things getting out of hand, that the world may indeed be in serious danger... but all of that goes out the window when Rohmer, lead man in the governments secret research and paranormal confrontation and containment team rolls through the door. He's everything we've seen before (and since this book was first published in 1992 - he's old enough now to be a zombie - so dead he is on page). Tall, blond (mentioned many, many times), he knows more than he's saying, and he's teamed with a series of people who are weak, craven, scared, and are prone to run at all the right moments so they can be snatched up, eaten, abosrbed into walls and then scream and scream and... scream. There's a lot of screaming in this book - there's a lot of rain, thunder, lighting, banging noises, glass shattering, running, hiding, running, falling, running and I think, oh yes, more running. All within the confines of one office building. In fact, it seems as if Laws suffered not so much as a writers block, but a "writers echo" as he's locked his principals in this building and is forced to simply repeat the same kind of action one hundred different ways (really - just count how many times he has to tell you how the rain looks on the windows, or how the DARKFALL storm swirls, revolves or turns around the office building) until we reach the end... which never seems to arrive. And the suddenly it does... close book.
There's gore. There's creep. There's strange - it's all in here, and it's shame that this book centered on one building and just a handful of people. Rohmer is cardboard. Cardiff, the hero, is at first well textured and vibrant - but then reduced to simply "hero" and put through the motions. Anyone else is simply along for the ride, or to be put into harms away either to add to the body count or be saved. Typical stuff for such a book that started off so cracker-jack. Worth reading right up until Rohmer makes his grand entrance, after that... you walk alone.
Product Description
Book Club Edition.
Average customer rating:
- A Masterful and Epic Saga
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Darkfall (Thunderscape, No 2)
Shane Lacy Hensley
Manufacturer: Harpercollins (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Henslely, Shane | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
ASIN: 0061054593 |
Customer Reviews:
A Masterful and Epic Saga.......2001-02-11
This book was my introduction to the world of Aden, a fantasy world on the brink of Steam Age technology when its civilization was all but destroyed by the Darkfall. Battered but not broken, the people of Aden struggle to fight against both the forces of the Darkfall as well as the tyrants that have seized power in its aftermath. The story of Grimlak the paladin and his companions is truly an epic saga. Their tale begins as an undercover mission into the realm of Urbana, where they must rescue a high-ranking mechamage who wishes to defect. As they race to escape Urbana's sinister forces, they learn there is more to their mission than they thought. Before their story is over, they fight Ice Pirates alongside the Frost Elves of Sea Reach, are captured by the Watchers of the Eye, win a Splatter tournament, and descend into the darkest pits of Kyan's insect hives. This is one of the finest and most enjoyable fantasy novels I have ever read, and I encourage anyone who is a fan of the genre to pick up this tale of a fascinating variant of the typical fantasy world. You won't be disappointed.
Product Description
4 Book Set By Dean R. Koontz; Intensity; the Husband; False Memory; Darkfall.
Product Description
Multiple books shipped as one item. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
Average customer rating:
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Darkfall
Dean Koontz
Manufacturer: Berkley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8WHB8 |
Average customer rating:
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Darkfall
Manufacturer: Berkley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H1LEAM |
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