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Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Dean Koontz has surpassed his longtime reputation as â??Americaâ??s most popular suspense novelistâ?(Rolling Stone) to become one of the most celebrated and successful writers of our time. Reviewers hail his boundless originality, his art, his unparalleled ability to create highly textured, riveting drama, at once viscerally familiar and utterly unique. Author of one #1 New York Times bestseller after another, Koontz is at the pinnacle of his powers, spinning mysteries and miracles, enthralling tales that speak directly to todayâ??s listeners, balm for the heart and fire for the mind. In this stunning new novel, he delivers a tour de force of dark suspense and brilliant revelation that has all the Koontz trademarks: adventure, chills, riddles, humor, heartbreak, an unforgettable cast of characters, and a climax that will leave you clamoring for more. Dylan Oâ??Connor is a gifted young artist just trying to do the right thing in life. Heâ??s on his way to an arts festival in Santa Fe when he stops to get a room for himself and his twenty-year-old autistic brother, Shep. But in a nightmarish instant, Dylan is attacked by a mysterious â??doctor,â? injected with a strange substance, and told that he is now a carrier of something that will either kill him...or transform his life in the most remarkable way. Then he is told that he must fleeâ??before the doctorâ??s enemies hunt him down for the secret circulating through his body. No one can help him, the doctor says, not even the police. Stunned, disbelieving, Dylan is turned loose to run for his life...and straight into an adventure that will turn the next twenty-four hours into an odyssey of terror, mysteryâ??and wondrous discovery. It is a journey that begins when Dylan and Shepâ??s path intersects with that of Jillian Jackson. Before that evening Jilly was a beautiful comedian whose biggest worry was whether she would ever find a decent man. Now she too is a carrier. And even as Dylan tries to convince her that theyâ??ll be safer sticking together, cold-eyed men in a threatening pack of black Suburbans approach, only seconds before Jillyâ??s classic Coupe DeVille explodes into thin air. Now the three are on the run together, but with no idea whom theyâ??re running fromâ??or why. Meanwhile Shep has begun exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. And whatever it is thatâ??s coursing through their bodies seems to have plunged them into one waking nightmare after another. Seized by sinister premonitions, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to crime scenesâ??just minutes before the crimes take place. What this unfathomable power is, how they can use it to stop the evil erupting all around them, and why they have been chosen are only parts of a puzzle that reaches back into the tragic past and the dark secrets they all share: secrets of madness, pain, and untimely death. Perhaps the answer lies in the eerie, enigmatic messages that Shep, with precious time running out, begins to repeat, about an entity who does his work â??by the light of the moon.â? By the Light of the Moon is an audio of heart-stopping suspense and transcendent beauty, of how evil can destroy us and love can redeem usâ??a masterwork of the imagination in which the surprises come page after… (more)
User reviews
While this book would warrant five stars from any other author, I gave it four because the first half of the novel lacked some of the pulse-racing plot points of his best books (like "Odd Thomas") and because the senseless act of violence that his heroes must thwart lacked a real connection to the rest of the story. Even an A-minus effort from Koontz is a worthwhile read, however, and we can only hope that this author continues his work by the light of the moon, spinning his brilliant tales.
-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Maker"
Once again a well written and fast paced novel by Dean Koontz. I liked the characters and overall pace and plot. But the story never seemed to
Stunned, disbelieving, Dylan is turned loose to run for his life...and straight into an adventure that will turn the next twenty-four hours into an odyssey of terror, mysteryâand wondrous discovery. It is a journey that begins when Dylan and Shep's path intersects with that of Jillian Jackson. Before that evening Jilly was a beautiful comedian whose biggest worry was whether she would ever find a decent man. Now she too is a carrier. And even as Dylan tries to convince her that they'll be safer sticking together, cold-eyed men in a threatening pack of black Suburbans approach, only seconds before Jilly's classic Coupe DeVille explodes into thin air.
Now the three are on the run together, but with no idea whom they're running fromâor why. Meanwhile Shep has begun exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. And whatever it is that's coursing through their bodies seems to have plunged them into one waking nightmare after another. Seized by sinister premonitions, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to crime scenesâjust minutes before the crimes take place.
What this unfathomable power is, how they can use it to stop the evil erupting all around them, and why they have been chosen are only parts of a puzzle that reaches back into the tragic past and the dark secrets they all share: secrets of madness, pain, and untimely death. Perhaps the answer lies in the eerie, enigmatic messages that Shep, with precious time running out, begins to repeat, about an entity who does his work "by the light of the moon."
BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON is a novel of heart-stopping suspense and transcendent beauty, of how evil can destroy us and love can redeem usâa masterwork of the imagination in which the surprises come page after page and the spell of sublime storytelling triumphs throughout.
Dylanâs 20 year old autistic brother Shepard is a faithful, sympathetic sidekick. Shepâs heartbreaking condition makes him talk like a thesaurus rambling different definitions of words and constantly repeating phrases, particularly to do with the title of the novel. The relationship between Shep and his brother is strong, poignant and pokes readers square in the chest. A few times Koontz had me hoping by the end of the book maybe, just maybe, there might be some miraculous cure for Shepâs condition. I wanted a cure for Shepâs autism. Bad.
And then there is the traveling comedian, Jilly. Sheâs tough and doesnât get along with Dylan at first. Jilly was also kidnapped by the creepy genius doctor for long enough to inject with the same mysterious stuff. Dylan, Jilly and Shep are on the run from bad people who want to kill them because of what they might do on the stuff. Donât get on me for all the italics, Iâm borrowing from Koontz. If/once you read the book youâll be stuck doing that every time you type the word too.
So thatâs the first 100 pages of By The Light of the Moon and itâs good. The setup sucked me in. I was hooked, compelled to see what this trio would do and where they would go on their adventure. Enough to work through the next 200 pages which, unfortunately, donât have the equal swift pacing and energy of the beginning. Sure, thereâs a ton of character expansion and conflict between the trio and readers arenât sure whether or not to like Jilly.
And letâs not forget poor Shep. What about Shep? I asked myself one too many times in the middle of the story what if Shep wasnât in By The Light of The Moon? Yes, he has these cryptic repeating messages which add the eerie factor but was he necessary to the overall story? What if Koontz had left Shep on the cutting room floor of his first draft editing? Would that much of the story have been lost or changed?
I wonât spoil the ending but will admit that Koontz proves why heâs a master storyteller in the final 100 pages. He puts the car back in gear and goes full throttle and by the ending readers are left wanting a sequel. You can see on the Koontz website readers have been asking him as repeatedly as Shep would ask: will there be a sequel?
This is how the great authors like Koontz roll.
Iâve been reading Dean Koontz for over 20 years and Iâve seen him change as a writer. His strongest horror writing was in the eighties (The Watchers, Phantoms, Whispers, Strangers era), when he first made it big on the scene.
Back then Koontz was tenacious, hungry, willing-to-chew-up-the-reader writer smashing his keyboard like guitarist at the end of the concert. That was Dean R. Koontz, remember him? It isnât quite the same author of Dean Koontz books today. Maybe the âRâ that was dropped stood for âRâaw? Koontz was never as unhinged as some of the other popular horror writers (Barker, McCammon, King) but his stories were scarier than they are today.
To summarize: By The Light of The Moon. would have been a better read for me at about half the words. Maybe the sequel that Iâm sure Koontz will write someday and sell a ton of copies (and yes, Iâll probably buy one too), will be a better replacement for the middle section of this book.
The final confrontation with the bad guy, utterly ruthless and yet with a compelling gift, was a totally unexpected thrill, despite the fact that we all know it had to happen.
If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.
I liked the book although I don't think it's Koontz' best book. It's about a guy, Dylan, and his autistic brother, Shep, who are on a road trip. An older man breaks into their hotel room and injects them with "stuff". Then they meet Jilly who has also been injected with "stuff". The next day takes
I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook. It kept my rides interesting and I would recommend it.
Mr. Koontz provides the reader with his usual edge-of-your seat suspense. But in this novel, he takes you on a mysterious scientific adventure, and a little less of a
You will meet and come to know each character well, and will be right there with them on this adventure.
Stephen Lang has become one of my favorite narrators, and was a great choice for this novel.
This is a great novel if you want to experience Dean Koontz at his best.
Now Iâm wondering about this. This novel now seems rather different for me, maybe because Iâve grown and matured as a person (Iâd like to think).
The overly descriptive