Phantoms: A Thriller

There are many Koontz books that I love, including this one now. It's incredibly entertaining and well written; as much as any and more than most of his books I've read to date. I finished it very quickly. Not a boring moment. The heavy supernatural element to this book is great, something I wish the Author would always embrace. Within the last month I've also read Ashley Bell (One of Koontz's newest) and Lightning (another of his classics). Both of which are great, but Phantoms is better! This is why I've been a fan for a decade.

If you think Dean Koontz writes escape literature, ( I did until recently ) you are right, but this book is so much more. It is science, psychology, spiritual, and incredible food for the imagination. The Characters are all fascinating and the twists in the plot are totally unexpected. It is a murder mystery but the biggest mystery isn't the murder. I read the book a number of years ago. Luckily I have a short memory and just enjoyed reading it a second time this month.

Kept me turning the pages.

It held me in suspense. Made me keep turning the pages for more. I looked over my shoulder a few times while reading it.

I would have given it 5 stars, but I think the characters were a bit flat.

The sister, Lisa, of 14 years old behaved and talked way beyond her years. Koontz should have cast her as at least 19, perhaps 20.

I wish Koontz as well as other writers would choose more common names for their characters. I have never in my life known anyone named Bryce or Tal.

Well worth the read.

This was my first attempt reading Koontz and I gave up 1/3 of the way through. His writing is clear, crisp, and concise but the characters were unrealistic. For example, his attempt at dialogue from a teenage girl made me cringe.

This is a great book, light years better than the movie. I was hesitant to get this after having seen the movie -- not that the movie was particularly bad, but they just could not do this book justice in an under two-hour movie with a low budget. The book is so much more than the movie, although what is kept in the movie is pretty true to the book. If you like thrillers with a hint of horror and some science fiction thrown in, and you also like Dean Koontz, get this book. You won't be disappointed.

My daughter read Phantoms recently and convinced me (wasn't hard) to also read it. After a few pages I thought the story sounded kind of familiar. Then as I read on, I knew I had read the story years ago, but couldn't remember any of the details. It was like reading it for the first time. Dean Koontz is a masterful story teller and I love the suspense and lessons he imparts in his tales.

When I first started reading this book I thought that for the first time I was not going to enjoy a Dean Koontz novel, however after a couple of chapters I was once again hooked. Lots of characters, and stories within the story that somehow all merge together. So, this is another winner for me!

What a wonderful story, or should I say four stories in one. There is bound to be someone you fall in love with. For me, it was a boy and his dog, maybe the crippled girl. you can't put this book down, and the worst part about this is, like every story it has to end. This is Koontz at his best, but then again, I think everything he writes is Koontz at his best.

My step mother, an avid reader from WAY back, introduced me to Koontz about 3 years ago. After reading many of his newer books, I decided to "step back" & read some of his earlier work & have not been disappointed!! This story is gripping from beginning to end & not once did I skip any pages or paragraphs, as I have done with several of his newer books. He tends to ramble on & on in some of his newer books in my opinion. The only complaint I have is that the Kindle version clearly was not proofread. So many mistakes in the Kindle version from misspelled words to missing words! I would recommend buying the book rather than the Kindle version, but, either way, this is a must-read!!

Koontz blends the beautiful and the ugly, the frightful and the fantastic, and the bitter with the sweet, but never leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Faith and the world of Quantum magic blend together to create a story wonderful and woeful, wraithful and amiable.

This book is an interesting melange of genres. It is at once mystical, suspenseful, horror filled, part sci-fi, and tinged with the supernatural. Add to this a little boy with beautiful eyes, who is a child prodigy, gifted beyond his years, and capable of entering parallel universes or realities; a child who can literally walk in the rain without getting wet. Add yet another unusually gifted child prodigy named "Angel" who was conceived out of a violent rape. Mix in the rapist, who is also a socio-pathic killer, a priest turned cop who is aware of the existence of parallel or alternate realities, because he has the ability to send inanimate objects there, and stir in a woman whose goodness is almost legendary. What do you have? You have a best seller on your hands!
The book is a very quick, easy read. You won't want to put it down. The only real criticism is the fact that about twenty five years are crammed into the last dozen pages. It is as if the author had a limit on how long the book could be and had to have it end before it exceeded the limit. Having taken about six hundred pages to get to a certain stage, it was a little jarring to go at warp speed for the last dozen pages. Still, all in all, it is a good read.

The characters feel real. The story intriguing. I couldn't put this book down. I have loved books for 50 years and not many at this late date pull me in as this one did. Quite enjoyed it. Thanks!

Aside from missing the fact that God has available to Him infinite depths of time so that one second can be expanded as much as is needed for whatever God want to do in that second, including listening to every word of every prayer being prayed in that second, so that he doesn't need to keep just a corner of His eye on anyone, but give them His full undivided attention, excellent read and good theology.

Keep your "eyes" open, wide open while reading this book. You will feel like you are one of the family as you travel thru time with the "family". Don't put it down because you won't be able to walk away. Enjoy!

Looking for a stocking stuffer? This is one of my original fave Dean Koontz's books from the 1980's. Its characters, plot and pacing will never let a fan a Sci-Fi down it is so well constructed and engaging. When he is writing well no one can top his supernatural stories.

I wanted to cruise down Koontz Classics lane and was delighted with this and Watchers as being my TOP TWO PICKS.

Enjoy the reads!

Dean Koontz has written a fascinating story. The range of places he takes the reader leaven. me in a state of wonderment. I too think we are all watched from the corner of His eye and am made glad. I would recommend this work to anyone who wants to acknowledge the evil and the good in our "place."

The same scenario happened here which happens with so many Koontz and King books. So often their books start out with a few stunning chapters, clever, scary and promising, preventing the reader from putting the book down. Here, the ancient premise of timeless, Earth-haunting Evil is used, and I was soon drawn into the story. The characterization is excellent, as always with both Koontz and King.

But (and I really mean: this happens with several of their books) it's as if they reach a point where they're not sure where to take their story to: how to end it believably.

I always feel that their books should be edited to be slightly shorter. Although the slowly-unravelling end was scientifically clever, I could eventually no longer suspend my disbelief ... This creature or creatures, or millions-of-years old "thing", was simply too implausible. If this had happened in a science fiction story playing out on an alien planet ... yes, it might be better. Here, on Earth, it was all a bit much.

However, I do like Koontz and I did finish the book. If you have a lively imagination (I do have it too!) you will enjoy it. Even if the last part is a bit hard to swallow.

Looking for a stocking stuffer? This is one of my original fave Dean Koontz's books from the 1980's. Its characters, plot and pacing will never let a fan a Sci-Fi down it is so well constructed and engaging. When he is writing well no one can top his supernatural stories.

I wanted to cruise down Koontz Classics lane and was delighted with this and Watchers as being my TOP TWO PICKS.

Enjoy the reads!

Dean Koontz has written a fascinating story. The range of places he takes the reader leaven. me in a state of wonderment. I too think we are all watched from the corner of His eye and am made glad. I would recommend this work to anyone who wants to acknowledge the evil and the good in our "place."

The same scenario happened here which happens with so many Koontz and King books. So often their books start out with a few stunning chapters, clever, scary and promising, preventing the reader from putting the book down. Here, the ancient premise of timeless, Earth-haunting Evil is used, and I was soon drawn into the story. The characterization is excellent, as always with both Koontz and King.

But (and I really mean: this happens with several of their books) it's as if they reach a point where they're not sure where to take their story to: how to end it believably.

I always feel that their books should be edited to be slightly shorter. Although the slowly-unravelling end was scientifically clever, I could eventually no longer suspend my disbelief ... This creature or creatures, or millions-of-years old "thing", was simply too implausible. If this had happened in a science fiction story playing out on an alien planet ... yes, it might be better. Here, on Earth, it was all a bit much.

However, I do like Koontz and I did finish the book. If you have a lively imagination (I do have it too!) you will enjoy it. Even if the last part is a bit hard to swallow.

As usual Dean Koontz tells a compelling story.It is mostly difficult to put this book aside for later reading.
His characters are all very interesting, and the way he describes them either leads you to love or despise them.
The ending is not entirely surprising but one you will hope for.

Thank goodness Koontz did not write a book with subjects so sick that it makes one want to puke ala some Stephen King books. Not that these characters had no flaws, there were many and were well explained. Overall, a good story with many twists and turns. Mr. Koontz often overloads your senses with more detail than necessary and does so in this tale, especially toward the conclusion.

I loved the characters in this story but would liked to have seen the Timothy Flyte character recover from his broken legs to revive his career and have success by proving his theory of the existence of the ancient enemy. Overall it is a good read though.

However, once the different parts of the plot begin to merge, the story is quite chilling. The novel forces you to think about some of the darker aspects of approved medical curriculum that are shocking. I do fell though that the novel is a bit heavy on the dog aspects.

Nothing about this series of stories is like anything of his, I have read before. Each story stands on it's own. They make for a good bedtime reading, but not really the spine chilling scarry thrillers I'm used to from a Dean Koontz clasic. I'm only half way done but I suspect the individual story lines will merge. If they do, there is the potental to put this one in his top ten best.

Koontz has tapped into a new vein of gold. With "Innocence" and "From the Corner..." he explores new worlds and brings forth treasure. The descriptive writing so complete you can smell and feel the scenes, and the light in his characters shines brightly and brings a hope to your heart. But he still knows how to write about the darkness.

When written in 2002, Mr. Koontz was at his older, more supernatural style. He's changed his style somewhat over the past few years. Whether you prefer the old or the new, one thing is certain. Mr. Koontz is one of a select group who can very masterfully weave his tales from his imagination to the reader very successfully.
That holds true here. In the very small seasonal hamlet of Snowfield, Dr. Jenny Paige arrives home with her 14 year old sister to find her housekeeper dead; the town utterly silent. Upon further inspection, more bodies show up in unnatural death masks. Jenny gets hold of the local Sheriff's Dept. After their arrival the mystery grows only deeper.

We come to find an entity with an ability to change shapes & strike unexpectedly to be at the bottom of the strange goings on. The entity comes to the attention of biochemists & an archeologist later in the story. Where & who will be stricken next is anyone's guess. Has this happened before in other parts of the world through the ages?

The characters come to life & become very real to the reader. The reader can easily depict the scenario in the town. The author's descriptions are that good. The antidote for this killer is interesting, as well as a couple of the town's local bad guys. They find a vested interest in the killer. In essence, they have arrived.

As much as I liked this novel & the fate awaiting the bad guys, there were two things I was not crazy about. I found too much dialogue spent on the creature's descriptions. At times it seemed to go on ad infinitum. I also found the last few pages did not fit the novel at all. There was a perfect point where Mr. Koontz could have ended this story and ended it very well. Instead he chose to keep going, ending instead with a bit of corn which was more befitting of a romance novel. Quit while you're ahead? Yep.

That said, it's still an excellent read which is not to be missed

I very much enjoyed this book. in fact I laughed, creed, was afraid, and felt safe all in the reading of From The Corner Of His Eye. Loved every word, and that is unusual even for Koontz. I have already told several people about this book and I'm sure I will tell more. I can't wait to read my next month book, my only complaint is price not because his books aren't worth what I pay, but because I can only afford only so few.

I have read several books by Dean Koontz and have loved them all and except 77 shadow street. That book was awful! Phantoms is a great read. I had a hard time putting it down at times, the suspence was killing me. Dean Koontz is my favorite author and I will continue to read as long as he is writing. Another great story!