My daughter came through the living-room the other day and observed, "I just read another one of Koontz's early books, and he really has improved, a lot."Now that's not a blanket truth, a few of his early books are pretty good. I don't, personally, think this is one of them.It may be that I would have given the book 2 stars rather than 1 had the account of the "romance" not completely driven me up the wall and away from the book, so I put the book down. I went so far as to put it on my to be traded or sold stack. I like Dean Koontz as a general rule but there are times he leaves me completely cold. The way the book started seemed mildly interesting, though he was stretching things a bit (hey, this is "imaginative fiction" stretching doesn't bother me, suspension of belief is part of it), but the story wasn't grabbing me. After that when the "love interest" was introed and I saw how that was going to go I just put the book down. I wasn't willing to go through the repetitive predictable conversations that would ensue. Just me. As I said I suppose if that bothered you less even if you weren't fond of the book you might go 2 stars, but I couldn't see abandoning a book and giving it more than a single star.********************** SPOILERS BELOW LINE *************************(view spoiler)[Okay, subliminal advertising happens. I'm a graduate of a public speaking group much like Toast Masters and I herd a man give an attack speech on subliminal advertising 25 years ago, this book was written in the mid 70s. I am aware of and read about the tachistoscope tests/use in the 1950s. The 1957 results Koontz uses are the result that the marketer of the tachistoscope (James Vicary) reported. In 1962 the test was repeated in a separate theater by an independent researcher (a Dr. Henry Link). It showed that the "subliminal advertising" had NO effect on the audience and Vicary admitted he'd lied about the original result.Yes, there are attempts (still) at subliminal advertising (I suppose if you call hiding the word "sex" in advertising a subliminal message). I personally doubt the effectiveness of it. I looked up some adds, the scotch add from the 70s Koontz mentions is still on most of the sights that give examples. Each sight usually lists the same ones, a picture that if you block out a portion and turn it upside down is suggestive, two Pepsi cans stacked and when they are stacked you can see the word sex "sort of" down the side of the two cans. There are several sexually suggestive ice cube pictures shown each time... so it is out there. But from the reading I've done, you'd definitely need a drug to actually convince someone to buy your product in this way if they weren't already planning or prone to purchase it anyway.Now, the "romance". The "I've been burned and don't trust men/women anymore and if I never love I won't EVER get hurt again motif...I just couldn't take it again. If he agreed one more time not to "talk about anything serious" because he is such a "nice guy" one more time I'd have barfed...on the book. And then I couldn't have sold it to the used book store. So romance angle done to death... Subliminal advertising made into way more than it is...on star because I stopped reading the book. Now, please excuse me, for some reason I have an overwhelming thirst for a Coke-a-Cola. (hide spoiler)]
Most Dean Koontz novels are a source of brain candy for me...think the gooey, dripping kind that parents never want their kids to have because they know they'll be the ones scrubbing it off the couch or inside of the car. After I read them I usually forget about them in a month or so; I might keep one or two details that make me smirk whenever I see the cover of that book.NIGHT CHILLS was a bit different. This book disturbed me. I have no problem with violence within the confines of a horror novel; I mean that is one of the central themes in these types of books, right? But what I do have a problem with is: violence as a form of masturbation. Let me elucidate. Let's say there is a killer that has been overcome with some sort of demonic possession and he then goes on a killing rampage. Okay, the author has dutifully illustrated the nefarious nature of this demon and also shown the spiritual/mental/psychological weakness of said character. I get it, no problem. But what if you have a character that figures out a way to subliminally control people for his own means? Okay, I can see where the person now in power wants to show his abilities of playing god, small g. But what if this goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...(you get the picture), without a real juicy story to back it up. Well, that's exactly what happens in this novel. And it gets very tiresome reading about some psychotic playing puppet master. I WANT A STORY!! To be honest, I was getting rather bored with this novel once and set it down and then came back to it a few WEEKS later...never a good sign.So why the four stars? The reason is simple: The images of evil that permeate through this book were harrowing for me. Does that make it a good read? Not necessarily. But it does make it, IMO, thought provoking. Why the heck did I keep thinking about these images that I found repulsive and grotesque and filthy? Am I hardwired wrong? Is a there a darkness that resides within me that I don’t know about? I wish I had answers to these questions. What I can say is: This book makes the reader think about if they had the powers that allowed them to control somebody, would they enact the same savagery that this psychotic does? I guess I am in closer contact with the reptilian side of my brain than I thought because I wanted to think I would do good, be a super-hero, but the truth is, I cannot honestly say I would do good. As I said, disturbing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
What do You think about Night Chills (1986)?
Es un libro distraído pero sin más.La historia tiene interés especialmente por tener un fondo de realidad científica sobre el cual se basa la ficción escrita por el autor. Una base real que al final del libro relaciona con todos los libros y artículos que leyó para informarse sobre el tema. El libro es un thriller con algunos pasajes violentos, pero en ningún caso una novela enmarcable exclusivamente dentro del terror.Se lee muy rápido y de forma amena, tanto los escasos fragmentos descriptivos y de ambientación como los abundantes diálogos. Estructurado en 3 partes, la primera (la introducción de la historia) es la parte más lenta y plana de la novela; con todo al narrarse dos historias paralelas (una por cada personaje principal) se hace bastante llevadera. La segunda (la trama), ya es mucho más trepidante e interesante, pues en ella se narran sin tregua todos los acontecimientos que se producen cuando la historia se complica y se tuerce. La parte final (el desenlace) es un prescindible “final feliz” que a mí personalmente sobra.Los personajes se esbozan de manera muy superficial aunque esto ya se podía esperar de un libro básicamente de acción y para distraer. Como crítica puntual en este aspecto diría que me chirria la reacción posterior (para mi nada plausible) del personaje principal de Paul Annendale ante un suceso dramático y sorpresivo. Si bien es verdad que al final el autor lo justifica yo nunca lo encontré creíble ni normal... Sorprende la brutalidad del personaje antagónico, Salsbury, (el malo malísimo de la novela). También encuentro forzado por la casualidad como los personajes “buenos” descubren los planes y quiénes son los “malos”… Algunas de las escenas protagonizadas por él son realmente duras y desdeñables. Pero le da un toque dramático y extremo a la trama.Con todo, la novela es un buen divertimento y como tal cumple su función. No me arrepiento de haberlo leído.
—Marsten
The second book on this year's Halloween reading list was Night Chills by Dean Koontz. My disappointment at finding that, despite the cover and misleading synopsis, it's not a horror novel quickly dissipated as the story unfolded. Night Chills is a great read, highly entertaining and well-plotted with a likeable group of protagonists and all-too-realistic villains. One or two missteps frustrate, especially in lieu of the excellent writing surrounding them, but the damage they cause is minimal. P
—Alex Gherzo
been a few years since i read this story from koontz, a story that i loved, a story that i reread. there's some "stuff" in it about subliminal suggestions, or whatever the word for it is--i'd seen a movie that had to do w/this, as well. and perhaps you've seen the "things" that suggest the package of camel cigarettes (no, you need not sin and go and buy a pack, you can take my word for it)...okay, the pack of camels...a man is in the camel...or the playboy ads...all that sexual innuendo in the ice cubes and whatnot.not one of koontz's stories has been w/o suspense, intensity, and entertainment. this story has all that and more. night chills....ooooo, and like i said, i read it at least twice.if you don't like the idea expressed by the progressive nihilists, that koontz's stories "always" are about "government conspiracies"....well, you might read dostoyevsky's the devils in which dostoy chronicles the conspiracies of the devils.in that story, before the devils took over russia, much of the same kind of activity is at work, subliminal suggestions....ivan the terrible-sky....no one has to see him, but it keeps the people hopping.go for it.
—wally
