audiobooks

Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

STORY: Christopher Snow and his dog Orson aren't your typical "heroes" but they do their best to survive in their hometown of Moonlight Bay, where science has gone awry from the nearby military base.

MY FEEDBACK:
1) I really like Christopher Snow, his dog Orson, his "dream" girlfriend Sasha, and his funny buddy Bobby. Each of the characters has a sense of humor and enjoyable qualities that make the reader connect and care for them.
2) The first-person told story works pretty well and kept my attention more than if this were told in the third person. I had an immediate bond with the protagonist and this allowed Koontz to keep the reader in the dark as much as he keeps Christopher Snow in the dark on a lot of issues. It added to the mysteriousness of the mystery, if you know what I mean.
3) Problem with this story is that Koontz goes on and on with every bit of setting description and tangents through the thoughts of the character. Though some of the thoughts are funny and entertaining, the story extends a typical 5 page scene into a 25+ page scene.
At some points I was screaming, "Get to the point". While at other points the drawing out of the scene added to an extended sense of suspense that became intense and like eating raw lemons there is a part that says in your mind, "Why am I doing this to myself?", and another part that thoroughly enjoys it no matter how much it makes your face pucker.
4) Keith Szarabajka did a great job of acting out this book, which probably added to some of the moments of suspense and well delivery of humor. Great job, Keith.

OVERALL: I liked the characters enough that I continued on to the next story in this first time "series" by Koontz.

One of the top-notch books to come out of the Dean Koontz factory, this books succeeds in creating a surreal world with an unlikely hero - a guy who has a rare disease that prevents him from being exposed to sun light and restricts him to roaming at night.

Well, night is when the most interesting things happen in a Koontz story and more so in this one, keeping in mind the affliction of our hero.

Koontz spins a great yarn. The sense of horror is sometimes so palpable that it makes you go check your closets and pull at the locked doors to make sure they are secure. This guy knows how to scare the beezees out of you. That much is a given.

I recommend reading this tale during nights. Adds the extra chill to the whole experience.

Koontz (Sole Survivor, LJ 2/15/97) presents a masterly tale of one night in the California coastal town of Moonlight Bay as experienced by Chris Snow. Saddled with a genetic defect that makes direct sunlight toxic to him, Snow is a nocturnal creature whose father has just died. When he discovers that his father's corpse has been stolen, he begins pursuit. Koontz expertly illuminates Snow's nocturnal world and friends, and incrementally, cleverly, the crises erupting in Moonlight Bay take shape. The plot is wonderfully unpredictable, and though the surfer slang wears thin after a while, the narrative remains taut. Although the ending leaves some questions unanswered, this is still good entertainment.