Being a huge Stephen King fanboy, I am almost obligated to hate Dean Koontz. It is one of the biggest literary feuds, King vs. Koontz, and fans of both authors rip at each others throats whenever possible. Like many hardcore fanboys, I'm ready to tear anyone that likes Koontz apart (at least in my mind), and whenever I meet someone that says they like Dean Koontz I laugh on the inside, HOWEVER! That was my attitude back when I was 13 years old, and now six years later I realize that before I can critique the rival of one of my all time favorite authors, I must first read at least one book by him. And so, I asked one of my friends (who likes Koontz) what Koontz's best book was, and he told me that Intensity was pretty much his magnum opus. Thus, I set out to read it and here is what I have to say after the first fifty pages: Koontz is by no means a bad author, but Intensity did not make me want to read anything else by him.Many complain about the book's insane amount of detail, and I agree. Koontz is very passionate about his descriptions, and he writes in almost a poetic style. Usually, this wouldn't be bad, but in the genre of horror/thriller you can't over describe. This insane amount of detail worked in his favor when it came to describing the various scenes of murder and torture, but other than that he can go off on the smallest of things, right down the the exact attire of the characters. If it isn't important to the story, don't mention it, period. Too much detail can really slow down the pace of a story.The most important element in writing for this genre is pace, and "Intensity" certainly lacks a good pace. For example, it takes nearly forty pages before anything remotely interesting happens. Most of the time Koontz focused on the backstory of main character Chyna, and how much she was abused as a child. He wants to make absolutely sure that the reader knows that the main character was weak as a child and is still weak as an adult, haunted by the trauma of her early life. I'm sure he was going to use this to make some sort of redemption story about how she finally conquers her fears and becomes strong, but it dragged on. When it finally got to the interesting things, IE the family murder, I feasted on the details, but they sadly only lasted a few pages. One of the biggest problems I had with his writing style is the fact that he pretty much tells the reader how they should feel about EVERYTHING that happens, or he will explain in unnecessary detail what the character is feeling when it is really a matter of simple emotion. So, when Chyna came across the carnage of the family murders, she should feel fear, and possibly be scared. Yeah, everyone should, but Koontz will go into a tangent lasting paragraphs about everything the character is thinking, even the most trivial of thoughts. I understand it is to set the mood and get the reader to feel on the edge of their seats, but it didn't work well with me. Another thing that got me is how long it took for him to say something. A simple act such as walking down a flight of stairs could be talked about for two full pages before the act is actually done.I probably actually read in full maybe 20 of the 50 pages I managed to read, otherwise I skimmed without missing any important details and still understood what was going on, kind of like how many are skimming this review right now. I guess what I am trying to say is that Koontz is an amazing writer when it comes to his details, but when I come for a thriller I expect breakneak pace and something to always be happening that is interesting. Maybe I don't have the attention span to work with for Koontz.Sadly, I will more than likely not finish this book. Instead, I shall watch the film "High Tension" (loosely based off this book) one more time. At least that film has a psycho lesbian.
Fabulous. Scary. Incredible heroine.Readers who liked The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo should like this. The two heroines (Lisbeth in Dragon Tattoo and Chyna in Intensity) were similar in their actions. Chyna chose to fight what seemed impossible. Instead of running and trying to get away (like normal people) she went after him with the barest of weapons. She was resilient, resourceful, brave. She called it reckless caring. In the beginning of the story, Chyna is trying to get away from Edgler a serial killer. But when she hears that he has kept a sixteen year old girl prisoner in his basement for a year, Chyna decides to follow him, go to his home, and free the girl. A theme I liked is Lisbeth and Chyna refusing to be victims. In Dragon Tattoo I was scared at times. In Intensity I was scared almost all the time.About a third of the way in I was so scared that I considered stopping unless I had assurance that there would be a good ending. So I jumped to the end and read the last half hour. It was great! The author tied things up well including the aftermath. Then I went back and read the rest of the book. It was still terribly frightening, but I was able to survive because I knew the ending would be good. Reading the end early in no way hurt the story for me. It made it better.Just because I liked this does not mean it’s my preferred genre. I do not want a daily diet of constant scariness and intensity.Edgler enjoyed destroying beauty. He would torture victims with knives and tools. The author does not show the torture/killing scenes in detail. Instead they are told or referred to and the reader sees the bodies after. I was fine with that. But I also would have been ok with more details and gore.A few times Chyna recalls life with her mother Ann. Ann lived a nomadic life with different boyfriends, drinking, and drugs. One boyfriend killed people in Chyna’s presence. Ann enjoyed watching murder. Chyna growing up with Ann was a story of hiding, self protection, and not being cared for. In contrast, I loved the way Chyna treated and cared for Ariel.I love that Koontz does not use tired cliches. He creates his own. They please me. Here are a few examples:She was in an old testament mood, unwilling to turn the other cheek just now.She was baking and nourishing a loaf of panic, plump and yeasty.The car will tumble ass over tea kettle if it goes over the edge.The narrator Kate Burton was fabulous. She used a style so appropriate for the intense sentences with pauses. She enhanced the experience.DATA:Narrative mode: third person. Unabridged audiobook reading time: 11 hrs and 35 mins. Swearing language: (rarely used) strong including religious swear words. Sexual content: one scene vaguely described, no details. Setting: current day California and Oregon. Book copyright: 1995. Genre: suspense thriller. Ending: good guys win.
What do You think about Intensity (2000)?
I like scary books. Stephen King is amazing. Peter Straub easily induces chills. I read Red Dragon—where Hanibal Lecter is first introduced—when I was probably too young and without my parent’s permission. But books don’t scare me. At least not until the night I started reading Intensity by Dean Koontz. The main character, Chyna Shepherd, has come to Napa Valley with a friend, Laura Templeton, to visit Laura’s family farm. Like me, Chyna finds it difficult to fall asleep in a strange place. So she is awake to hear the first scream. So faint, Chyna almost doesn’t recognize the sound. Even after the second cry, she’s convinced the noises are coming from outside. At the soft thump, Chyna instinctively recognizes that evil is inside.Following the stifled cries and the soft thump, silence sifted down like snowfall. The hush was eerily deep, as unnatural as that in which the deaf lived. This was the stillness before the pounce, the quietude of the coiled snake. In another part of the house, someone was standing as motionless as she herself was standing, as alert as she was, intently listening. Someone dangerous.I recognize the scene. My mustachioed woman has returned. I am officially spooked. But I’m also hooked, and I can’t put the book down.Footsteps. Evil is coming. As Chyna slithers silently under her unmade bed, I am right there with her among the dust bunnies. I scrunch my nose against the urge to sneeze. No one can know we are here.Wait a second, I can sneeze. I am at home in Bowie, Maryland—not the Napa Valley. I am letting my imagination run away with me. I am also slightly ashamed. Chyna is much braver than I am.Evil has killed Laura’s entire family. And he has done unmentionable things to Laura, who is still alive.No one can know what they would do in such a horrific situation. I hope I wouldn’t run away, or worse, hide, choosing not to help my friend. I hope I would be as strong as Chyna. The next 100 pages are so “intense” my hand holding the book is cramping.When the man carries Laura outside and puts her into an RV, Chyna heroically sneaks aboard. My heart breaks with hers, when Chyna realizes she is too late and her friend is dead. And now the RV is moving, and Chyna is trapped with not one, but two bodies.About this time, I’d probably pee my pants. Thankfully, we’re stopping at a convenience store—okay, time to reel my imagination back in. And perhaps a bathroom break is in order.After two more brutal murders (this guy means business) Chyna again has the chance to escape. But evil has bragged to the store clerk about a 16-year-old girl he is holding captive in his basement. It’s decision time. Does Chyna hide and take the chance that evil will get away—escaping punishment for what he did to Laura and her family? And what about the innocent teenager, who evil calls Ariel? In Chyna’s own words:Throughout her childhood, no one had ever held out a hand to her. No one had ever cared that she was trapped, frightened, and helpless.Chyna refuses to do that to Ariel. Chyna will take a stand against evil.Read my full blog at: http://www.2manybooks-notenoughtime.b...
—Monique J.
I have never considered Intensity among my favorite Dean Koontz books, but it is a beautiful story. There is very little supernatural element to to this one.(view spoiler)[my favorite part is the female elk which are portrayed as mysterious guardian angels - really the only supernatural element - so you can see what attracts me to Koontz stories :-)"The elk's heart-shaped face was barely visible from a distance of only eight feet. It's eyes, however, shone." (hide spoiler)]
—Dustin Crazy little brown owl
To be honest I don't see the quality of writing so many people say exists. Plot is interesting enough. Chyna, a young student, is staying with her friend's family. During the night family is murdered, Chyna tries to help her friend only to find out she is dead as well. Chyna then hides in murderer's RV, hoping to kill or capture him, only to find out he is keeping another girl captive. Of course then Chyna has to try to rescue her.Pretty straightforward and interesting, however it seems Koontz didn't know what to do with plot so he "treats" us with overly long and overly detailed descriptions of places. Some detail always brings place to life in reader's mind but it seems here Koontz wanted u to be able to rebuild room and RV as he imagined them by ourselves.But the worst part is repetative decription of same thought process in main charater minds. Yes Chyna, your mother didn't love you, hung out with some dangerous people making you hard to trust others and forming friendship and you feel you let Laura down. Yes, we got it first time, first 5 times added some extra detail, next 10 times it looks like Koontz just has to fill pages. Yes Edgler, you want to feel sensations in life, you strive for outside impulses and stimulii. We got it first time, first 5 times added some extra detail..... well, you get the picture.I understand that such thought process takes place of usual dialogue since here characters speak very little and Koontz couldn't just write "Edgler started his RV and 3 hours later arrived at his destination" but he could choose something else to fill the space rather than repeating what Chyna or Edgler though 5 pages ago already.
—Luka Novak
