Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Classic Koontz - But Brilliant all the same!, 14 Sep 2006
As usual Dean Koontz's style of writing can become the main focus of why this book may be brilliant. As one reviewer has stated - this really isn't the type of story that you are used to reading by him. But I actually take this as rather refreshing!
This book, along with another of his books "Icebound" I feel are thoroughly understated, they are a different sort of story for the author - but his style still seems natural and as good as ever.
It was actually enough to kindle my interest in the subconcious, and I would particularly recommend this to anyone of similar mind. As this delves into areas such as suggestion and hypnosis - as well as several media scams involving subliminal advertising.
A brilliant read, and quite a lot more factual than most Koontz books!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'S BACK...!!!, 5 Nov 2002
This is a highly suspenseful book, written in clear, spare prose. It is an easy read and a definite page turner. It is a plot driven book, however, with little character development.The plot itself is simple. A beautiful screenwriter, Hilary Thomas, is confronted in her own home by an intruder named Bruno Frye. It seems that Mr. Frye has been stalking Ms. Thomas in the belief that Ms. Thomas is his long deceased mother, Katherine, who has ostensibly come back from the dead in order to kill him. He feels that he must kill her, before she kills him. Of course, Ms. Thomas has no clue as to why Frye has singled her out. She is aware only of his murderous intent, and she is afraid, very afraid. On Frye's first go around with Ms. Thomas, she survives. On the second go around, Frye does not. Thinking herself to be safe, as Frye has seemingly gone to his maker, she is shocked when he, yet again, confronts her with deadly intent. Why this is happening and how, will certainly keep the reader turning the pages. Some of it is predictable, but it, nonetheless, makes for an absorbing, easy read. This is one of the author's better, early efforts. Readers who enjoy suspenseful novels will not be disappointed.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
My first Koontz-- very average!, 15 Oct 2004
Granted, I was thoroughly mistaken into believing that this was a supernatural thriller (going by Koontz's reputation), but even being a psychological drama that this book finally becomes, it weaves a rather tame-and-lame yarn. However, its saved from being an absolute disaster by Koontz's thoroughly lively style of writing. With not an iota of pretention, there's lots and lots of dialogue and the detailed character sketches that the author sets out to draw are thus justified. I felt for all the characters of the book-- good and evil-- which is proof enough of how much flesh the charcters do have here. The novel's prime insight is into the long-term effects of childhood sufferings and traumas and how different individuals are affected by it, come adulthood. The problem with the book is, that this insight comes a bit too late (in the last 1/5th of the book) after a lot of meandering (In fact the slow build-up seems to be leading towards something para-normal, but it all climaxes in a psycho-social drama!) and when it finally does come, the pages seem rather too turgid with content. In fact, the dialogues in this last part get so lengthy and so so presumptive, that both the pace and the enjoyment factor dip to an all-time low. Another gripe I have from the book is that the twists aren't as exhilarating as one would have liked and are too few and far between to even call this book a thriller (as the title claims to be) and the author does precious little to take his characters out of their stereotypical moulds once they are placed in it. So, the surprises aren't big or jolting, the action sequences are quite pedestrian and by the end of it, one feels having read a well-written screenplay of a daily soap than some creepy thriller. But as I said, its "well-written" and enjoyable enough for a one-time read. Koontz is not a bad author and I am sure he's written better, more thrilling stuff, but to me Whispers is rather too soft, too tepid to scare or to thrill.
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