False Memory: Amazon.co.uk: Dean Koontz: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

Not a continuation of the "Moonlight Bay" series (Seize the Night and Fear Nothing) as many fans were expecting, False Memory is nonetheless just as powerful and compulsive as anything he has written before.

Martie Rhodes is a successful young computer games designer with a loving husband, Dusty, and a seemingly normal life. Her best friend, Susan, however, suffers from agoraphobia, (fear of open spaces), and relies on Martie to get to her weekly therapy sessions. Suddenly and inexplicably, Martie herself begins exhibiting worrying signs of a mental disorder, fearing herself capable of inflicting great harm on her loved ones. At the same time, Dusty's brother Skeet also succumbs to irrational mental behaviour and tries to throw himself from a roof. It soon becomes clear that the four are involved in something much more than a sinister coincidence.

Koontz's great skill, as he demonstrates so well in this novel, is creating believable characters and thrusting them into seemingly impossible but--for the period of the story--completely plausible situations. The plot is as carefully layered as the most intricate orchestral compositions and Koontz conducts the proceedings with almost unbearable tension. One of his greatest abilities as a writer, however, is tapping into the dark paranoia of society. Living in an age where we are becoming increasingly desensitised to death and violence, Martie's fear of herself, known as autophobia, seems a terrifying warning that soon the only thing we will have left to fear is ourselves.

Deeper meanings aside, this is easily one of his best thrillers. The prose moves at a breakneck speed and the denouement will leave you with a pounding heart and chill down your spine. Koontz delivers exciting, boundary breaking fiction better than anyone else in the game and False Memory (though at times shocking and disturbing), is a perfect example of a master author in top form. --Jonathan Weir --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Amazon.co.uk Review

Martie Rhodes is a successful young computer games designer with a loving husband, Dusty, and a seemingly normal life. Her best friend, Susan, however, suffers from agoraphobia, or fear of open spaces, and relies on Martie to get to her weekly therapy sessions. Suddenly and inexplicably, Martie herself begins exhibiting worrying signs of a mental disorder, fearing herself capable of inflicting great harm on her loved ones. At the same time, Dusty's brother Skeet also succumbs to irrational mental behaviour and tries to throw himself from a roof. It soon becomes clear that the four are involved in something much more than a sinister coincidence.

Koontz's great skill, as he demonstrates so well in this novel, is creating believable characters and thrusting them into seemingly impossible but--for the period of the story--completely plausible situations. The plot is as carefully layered as the most intricate orchestral compositions and Koontz conducts the proceedings with almost unbearable tension. One of his greatest abilities as a writer, however, is tapping into the dark paranoia of society. As we approach the Millennium, and an age where we are becoming increasingly desensitised to death and violence, Martie's fear of herself, known as autophobia, seems a terrifying warning that soon the only thing we will have left to fear is ourselves.

Deeper meanings aside, this is easily one of his best thrillers. The prose moves at a breakneck speed and the denouement will leave you with a pounding heart and chill down your spine. Koontz delivers exciting, boundary breaking fiction better than anyone else in the game and FalseMemory(though at times shocking and disturbing), is a perfect example of a master author in top form. --Jonathan Weir

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3.9 out of 5 stars

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

the best book I've ever read 17 Sep 2005

By Macca

Format:Paperback

I chose the book because it was on the best sellers shelf at WH Smith and it was thick enough to get me through the holiday... I read the 800+ pages in less than two weeks whilst working as a waitress some 50+ hours a week!!!

I felt that the 'memory loss' intrigue was dealt with so carefully and obviously so well researched that you had to believe it was true and, worse, it could have been YOU!!! With this book the quote 'master of our darkest dreams' takes a fuller, more (in)human dimension. False memory is a literary jewel.

Prepare to enter a reading transe - that's how i felt when I read it - and I still supect there might be subliminal messages in the book to make you finish all the 816 pages of the paperback!!! It will leave you despeartely wanting more...

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Slow on the start, but gripping later on. Interesting and worth a read 4 Jan 2011

By Mawons

I struggled to read the beginning of the book as everything felt tedious. I nearly stopped reading, the pace was too slow, and the length could have been cut by half.
However, by the middle of the book, I was so gripped with the events and characters, I just could not stop reading. I found character development strong, interesting, and funny at times.
There were also moments of brilliance in the book, and my only gripe is that, it could have been shorter and more effective hence 3 stars rather than 5. I wish there was a midpoint between 3 and 5 but alas!, there isn't. I would definitely read more books by this author though as his books have always been engaging and interesting.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Does make you think......! 25 Aug 2007

By Mr. D. J. Angell-collins

I am a big Dean Koontz fan and have read the majority of his books. I agree with some reviewers in that you do get some of his stories that wander on the same story lines. This book is slow to start but it's just background building and in my opinion well worth the time!

Once your into the story and things start sliding into place you'll never put it down! You'll finish the book wondering (worrying?) about whether it could happen to you! Some things are taken to the extreme ( lets face it if they weren't it wouldn't be a good horror/thriller if some things weren't out of the ordinary!) but the main story will leave you with that feeling of someone watching you!

If I could I would give it a 4.5 stars just due to the slow start!

Enjoy!

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