Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nearly, but not quite a return to form for Koontz, 26 Jun 2009
Being a big fan of Dean Koontz and having read pretty much all his books, I must admit that a couple of his last novels (Your Heart Belongs To Me and The Darkest Evening Of The Year) have been pretty poor and in my opinion probably the worst stuff he has written, luckily Relentless is a much better read.
I won't go into the plot too much (the Amazon description sums it up pretty well) but Relentless is very much Koontz by numbers, with a family (husband, wife, kid, plus dog - all perhaps a little too perfect) being chased and tracked by a psycho murdering nutcase from A to B and onwards, hence comparisons can easily be made to a number of Koontz other stories, however this is probably the sort of thing Koontz does best. I found the final part of the book to be a bit of an anticlimax, with the plot squared away very quickly, seemingly a characteristic of many of Koontz latest novels. Additionally the ending includes a very silly element, which is hinted at throughout the story, and I was really hoping Koontz wasn't going to go with at the finally, however he does and subsequently, for me, this spoiled the story a little. Hence Relentless is nowhere near as good as Koontz best stuff (Watchers, Phantoms, Midnight, etc) but I still found Relentless to be a good, quick paced, read and certainly the most enjoyable Dean Koontz book I've read for a good while, if only he had sorted the rather ridiculous ending it could have been a great book. If I could give half marks it would get 3.5 stars rather than the 4 I have given it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Return For Koontz, 2 July 2009
After being slightly dissapointed by Koontz's last couple of books (and very dissappointed by the previous) I am pleased to say that Koontz is - in my opinion - back on form with his latest book.
After first being introduced to the books loveable central characters - Cubby, his wife Penny and their child prodigy son Milo, along with Penny's eccentric relatives and their dog (of course), Lassie - the thrillride starts, and Relentless lives up to it's name.
Cubby's latest in a series of bestsellers has just been released and received a very scathering review from famous (and famous for his viciousness and derogatory comments towards books and authors of which he does not approve) book critic, Shearman Waxx. When Cubby tries to find out more about the man, it leads to a mildly embaressing incident in which Shearman is almost urinated on by Cubby's six-year-old son.
I cant say more than this without giving away spoilers but from this point the plot speeds up considerabley as the villian relentlessly persues our protagonists intent upon wreaking havoc on their lives and destroying everything and everyone Cubby loves, before finally getting Cubby himself.
A very good book and a good explaination/twist at the end. Deffinatly reccommended for Koontz fans.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Same old stuff, 22 July 2009
Having read all of Dean Koontz' books I found this one dull and predictable. It features the same old charactors, bright protagonist with perfect wife and family, oh and don't forget the super clever dog. The story moves fairly briskly through a number of close calls with the homicidal maniac that seems to be one step ahead of them all time along with a complicit policeforce.
I don't mind his stories being unbelievable. if I did I couldn't read him or Stephen King or any Sci fi for that matter. No, my main complaint is that he seems to be running out of ideas and retreading past stories. I know it is difficult to churn out two books and year but perhaps he should slow down and write one really good one every 18 months - 2 years.
If you've never read Koontz before then you'll probably enjoy this and rattle through it in a couple of sittings like I did. However I recomend you start with Watchers or Lightning, in fact anything but this one.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
