337 pages, suggestion
I am really glad that this book was a recommendation, because I would have no idea how to classify it otherwise. It crosses multiple genres and is written as though it were four separate stories, which do eventually intertwine. The structure of the stories makes for short chapters and creates a constant page turner.A large part of the story focuses on Grady Adams, a solitary carpenter and Cammy Rivers, his friend and the vet in their small Colorado town. Also prominently featured is Grady's Irish wolfhound, Merlin. One day, while walking Merlin, Grady comes upon two mysterious yet miraculous creatures. He is both intrigued by and a little frightened of these creatures, although they seem to be simply curious about Grady and Merlin.
With the introduction of the creatures, later named Puzzle and Riddle, this book begins the threads of several different stories. The stories are all eventually joined by at least one primary similarity, and most of the characters do come together in the same central plot by the end.
I must say that I have never read anything by Dean Koontz, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I did get the impression that this wasn't his normal style of writing, but it was still enjoyable. There were many things that appealed to me in this story; the element of fantasy, the nature of the story itself, the descriptions of the beautiful Colorado quiet country. I liked the quality of having four separate plots, with each chapter essentially focused on another character. Telling the story in that manner certainly made it a page turner, and I wasn't surprised that it only took me two days to read it.
The characters were fairly complex, especially for this type of story. I was often wrong in my guesses of what the characters would do and what made them tick, and Koontz was able, in one book, to plumb the depths of the human spirit as well as the heights. Although there were certainly sad and appalling parts of this story, it was a relief to read a book that had a happy ending, especially after reading 1984. I would certainly recommend this book to a friend, and I would probably read something by Koontz again, but this was not a life-changing experience for me, so I will have to go with a 3 out of 5 stars.
With the introduction of the creatures, later named Puzzle and Riddle, this book begins the threads of several different stories. The stories are all eventually joined by at least one primary similarity, and most of the characters do come together in the same central plot by the end.
I must say that I have never read anything by Dean Koontz, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I did get the impression that this wasn't his normal style of writing, but it was still enjoyable. There were many things that appealed to me in this story; the element of fantasy, the nature of the story itself, the descriptions of the beautiful Colorado quiet country. I liked the quality of having four separate plots, with each chapter essentially focused on another character. Telling the story in that manner certainly made it a page turner, and I wasn't surprised that it only took me two days to read it.
The characters were fairly complex, especially for this type of story. I was often wrong in my guesses of what the characters would do and what made them tick, and Koontz was able, in one book, to plumb the depths of the human spirit as well as the heights. Although there were certainly sad and appalling parts of this story, it was a relief to read a book that had a happy ending, especially after reading 1984. I would certainly recommend this book to a friend, and I would probably read something by Koontz again, but this was not a life-changing experience for me, so I will have to go with a 3 out of 5 stars.
I went through a period in high school/college where I was obsessed with Dean Koontz, though I haven't read any of his books in years. My hands-down favorite is still Winter Moon though.
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