Ticktock: A Novel

Aside from his series (Odd Thomas) and his pairing (Christopher Snow), this is my favorite Dean Koontz book. The ending has a touch of cheese to it, but the interactions of the characters keeps me coming back! Whenever I'm down, I just grab the book, open it somewhere in the last 2/3's, and within a page or two I'm laughing. I've gone through four copies, loaning them out, and finally purchased a copy for my Kindle so I would always have one!

For the few reviewers that griped about this story, get a grip! This may not be the most serious or intellectual of Koontzs' stories, but it is a great read and kept me in my chair until the very end. With it's tense scary moments and it's fun light moments, it offers two books for the price of one. I highly recommend!

This story is about scientists who are trying to find a way to harness arctic ice for melting for crops in drought stricken countries. After setting deep charges to blow a huge chunk of ice free, something catastrophic happens. As if staying alive isn't enough, they are stuck in a life threatening storm. Plus, they have a psychopath in their midst. Well written book. Good enough that this was a reread for me.

The very first chapter was GRIPPING because I am shopping for a Corvette right now. But the "bad guy" in this one was not "real" or even suspense-grabbing enough to keep me flipping the pages. Oh.... I finished it alright; because I'm trying to read all of Dean Koontz' work.
But if you're doing the same.... I would save this one for last. Just my $0.02

Icebound was definitly a walk off the beaten path for Dean Koontz but he carried it off in style. I loved the charactors and the tension. I got the book Christmas eve and finished it Christmas night. A definite "have to" for Koontz fans everywhere.

This book, written in the style of Alister MacLean, is unlike anything else Dean Koontz has published. While it is well written, I find myself missing what I read Dean Koontz books for - suspense, deep characterizations, and the compelling need to keep turning the pages all night long. Wish I'd paid more attention to the descriptions before I bought this one.

One of my all time favourite reads – and I have re-read this title five times since its purchase back in 1998! It has a lighter tone to Dean Koontz’s regular novels, but don’t get me wrong, there s still lots of horror, suspense and action – Ticktock is full of satire and dry wit. I got caught many times laughing out loud on the tram, hanging off the lounge, and giggling in my darkened bedroom when I really should be asleep. This is a page turner! Expect to be lifting your feet from the ground in expectation that some creepy crawly is about to reach out of the shadows from under your chair (or bed) to hook claws into your heels.

Our reluctant hero, a Vietnamese American called Tommy Phan becomes the unwitting victim in a supernatural chase. He is emasculated, not to mention infatuated, by a waitress-come-gun toting action star Deliverance (Del) Payne that Tommy crosses paths with. Del doesn’t trample all over her co-star, letting him shine and bumble along, supporting him as best she can. It is a lot like the Get Smart duo of Max and 99… if they were thrown in a horror movie. I especially loved the appearance of Scootie, Del’s dog and his contributions to the conversations by pfft’ing his rubber hotdog. Each of the cast is given opportunity o shine: each to use a unique and surprising survival skill as well as add to witty banter. They are alive, colourful and leap from the page in expertly crafted words.

Together these three manage to destroy Tommy’s house, a corvette, a van several houses and backyards on their path trough the city, packed to the armpits with pistols and shotguns (maybe I exaggerate, but that’s what this book does to you… it is all types of awesome).

Don’t expect this book to make a lot of sense – think ‘Big Trouble in Little China.’ It’s just a fun romp through the streets with a murderous demon thing on your tail! The end result is a thoroughly entertaining story with an unexpected twist that will have you smiling too.

After the disappointing Sole Survivor, Ticktock brings back
some of the sheer fright that was seen in some of Koontz's
better works such as Midnight and Watchers. This book
mixes a supernatural thriller with some of Koontz's finest
humor. There are some scenes, mostly in the last half,
that will have you laughing as if Koontz was a gifted
comedy writer as opposed to a horror novelist. His flair
for humor, which has been seen on many occasions, is
the highlight of this book. As for the supernatural
thriller part, the book is fast-paced and quite excting
up until the very end. In my opinion, the ending was
too much of an easy way out of an otherwise increasingly
intense chain of events. A very good read though, and one
that shows more than Sole Survivor that Koontz still has
a lot more to offer his fans.

Being someone who's obsessed with the books and authors he loves (and Koontz is certainly among them) I collect and read and cherish and research tons of stuff about them, such as finding different opinions on what books are their best (I love top 10 lists) and just excited to be an avid reader who gets to enjoy this author's prolific career anytime I choose to. Tick Tock has always intrigued me. Written in 96, Koontz was already topping the New York Times best-seller list in hardcover. So why would an original work be released in paperback? Was the quality not as good as Intensity, the book written before this? The ratings on the store are decent, the plot seems decent, so I didn't get it. In the afterword, Koontz claims that the book was too short to ask the reader to pay hardcover price (Innocence, Breathless, among a few others are no longer than this, but that's a question for a different day.) Anyway, after finishing my last book I started to scan my piles and bags full of fiction to decide what to read next. Out of nowhere I think "Maybe I'll read Tick Tock" and it was done. It just felt so right. On top of that, I have officially read 30 of Koontz's books.

So about the novel . . . this book is incredibly fun, and even more so completely outrageous. The things that happen as the story progresses make you stop and say "Oh my god, that's ridiculous!" And believe me, it is. But the book is great precisely because of this. This isn't Relentless, where it's billed as a super serious thriller yet has the most annoying humor at the worst parts (a man cracks a joke minutes after an intruder breaks into his home and tasers him). This book is supposed to be a screw-ball comedy/supernatural thriller, and it absolutely is. I really liked the afterword also by Koontz, which basically confirms everything I felt about the story.

It's amazing how since I've varied my reading greatly compared to a couple years ago, how much I've grown to appreciate good writing. Even if he isn't the most inventive writer out there, there's no doubt about it, Koontz was born to tell stories. In Tick Tock the writing is crisp, it's detailed but not overbearingly so, the dialogue is witty(crazy as well). The humor is wonderful, and yet there's still a good supernatural/horror aspect for fans of the scary side of Koontz.

Close to end of this book, I had this pinned as four stars. After all, it's a pretty light plot, certainly not "serious" literature of any sort. But then I thought about it, I'm nowhere near a "serious" critic, I read because I want something enjoyable, something that I have a blast with, and trust me when I tell you, I had a blast with Tick Tock. There is a point in the book when the main character's mother is about to get in on the action and I literally couldn't wait to see what happened. If a book is so enjoyable, why wouldn't it get a five stars? This is one of the first Koontz books I ever bought, back in 2011, and I'm glad I finally knocked it off. I would probably say this is his most overlooked book, and Koontz fans who've read the big ones (Watchers, Lightning, Odd Thomas) should definitely put this on their list.

Fortunately, this wasn't my first Dean Koontz book. If it were, it would be my first...and my last. Normally, I can count on Koontz to provide me with a chilling story, a taut plot, and unforgettable characters. Now, I just want to forget this whole thing.

By his own admission in the introduction, Koontz wanted to do something different with this book. He sought to meld together a variety of genres and write a light-hearted, romantic, horror story. If that sounds a bit strange, that's the perfect explanation of this book. Just strange.

Tommy Phan is a first-generation American, trying desperately to forget his Vietnamese heritage. He buys a Corvette and goes home to find a doll on his porch. The doll turns out to be a demon that tries to kill him. He tries to escape, wrecks his Corvette, and is rescued by a waitress with paranormal powers.

A bizarre plot sequence. The mix in genres was unsettling to me and the book never really got any better than just "okay". Because I know what a master Koontz is, I'll have to research better and not read any more of his literary experiments. "Tick Tock", for me, meant watching the clock drag by as I tried to finish this story.

This book is thrilling and yet laugh out loud funny. It is beautifully descriptive. It is by far the best book I've read in a long time.

I'm adding to my original post as I've read a good many more books this year and Tick Tock continues to call at my memory. It was the most enjoyable piece of fiction I have read and Dean Koontz is now my favorite author having just completed another one of his novels. This book is full of twists and surprises. I have never laughed out loud so much in ever reading any other piece of fiction. It is well written with beautiful prose and a great story told in a way that left me feeling warm and fuzzy by the end of it.

Except for the long exposition about the main character Tommy Phan and his background, I thought this started out pretty well. Tommy finds a creepy little doll on his porch. Then things get scary. The little voodoo doll comes alive and tries to kill him. How cool is that? The action is good and the evil little creature is frightening and menacing.

However, a major reason this story didn't work for me was that I couldn't suspend my disbelief regarding the main female protagonist Deliverance Payne (yes, that's her name). She is a kooky woman that Tommy meets while trying to escape the creature that is after him. She is mysterious, beautiful and seems to know about everything. She is a sharpshooter, a driver worthy of race car status and always keeps her cool. And that's just the start of it. I just didn't connect to her or the enigmatic way she would answer Tommy's questions with either another question or existential sayings. This was the way most of their dialogue went. Tommy would repeat everything she asked and instead of just answering the question he would ask questions of his own.

There is also a lot of exposition and explanations that I feel could have been delivered in a different way besides "telling."

The end was cute, but again, a lot of the events and many of the explanations for Del's secrets didn't resonate with me. I did like the mystery behind the doll, which I felt was believable and the resolution as well.

The narrator was good, but I didn't connect with the way Del's voice was depicted. I thought Paul Michael did a great job with Tommy's mother, Mrs. Phan. She is actually my favorite character. She is from Vietnam and constantly chastises Tommy for forgetting the old ways and being too American. She is very stubborn and funny.

In Koontz's defense, in his afterward, he said his intent was to make Tick Tock a "screwball comedy." One of the ingredients of a screwball comedy is to have the two characters have conversations that seem at odds. Maybe if I read it instead of listening to it, it would have been more successful. Maybe I was expecting more of a straight horror/thriller with no room for jokes.

However, don't take my word for it, check out what my husband thought of it below.

Ticktock, published in 1996, was a book that just happened to get packed and lost with many of our belongings. However, I finally found it again and was happy to read it.
The first noticeable aspect of this novel is the out-of-genre for Koontz. It starts as the typical horror story, but it turns into a horror comedy which was unexpected and delightful.
Ticktock is a brilliantly written scary/thriller novel in which the author has skillfully incorporate a wild mix of humor. This story is more cheery compared to many of the other Koontz books. But still, it embraces enough of the scare element to have the reader on edge.

The main character, Tommy Phan, is a naturalized American that came from Vietnam as a child with his family. He, unlike his family, wants to live the American Dream and has become a successful detective novelist. His problems with his family are nothing compare to what he has in store when he finds a strange doll on his porch one stormy night. Finding the doll is the beginning of the end of his life as he knows it. However, it’s not what you may think, and not all of it is bad. A Definite must read if you haven't.

Being someone who's obsessed with the books and authors he loves (and Koontz is certainly among them) I collect and read and cherish and research tons of stuff about them, such as finding different opinions on what books are their best (I love top 10 lists) and just excited to be an avid reader who gets to enjoy this author's prolific career anytime I choose to. Tick Tock has always intrigued me. Written in 96, Koontz was already topping the New York Times best-seller list in hardcover. So why would an original work be released in paperback? Was the quality not as good as Intensity, the book written before this? The ratings on the store are decent, the plot seems decent, so I didn't get it. In the afterword, Koontz claims that the book was too short to ask the reader to pay hardcover price (Innocence, Breathless, among a few others are no longer than this, but that's a question for a different day.) Anyway, after finishing my last book I started to scan my piles and bags full of fiction to decide what to read next. Out of nowhere I think "Maybe I'll read Tick Tock" and it was done. It just felt so right. On top of that, I have officially read 30 of Koontz's books.

So about the novel . . . this book is incredibly fun, and even more so completely outrageous. The things that happen as the story progresses make you stop and say "Oh my god, that's ridiculous!" And believe me, it is. But the book is great precisely because of this. This isn't Relentless, where it's billed as a super serious thriller yet has the most annoying humor at the worst parts (a man cracks a joke minutes after an intruder breaks into his home and tasers him). This book is supposed to be a screw-ball comedy/supernatural thriller, and it absolutely is. I really liked the afterword also by Koontz, which basically confirms everything I felt about the story.

It's amazing how since I've varied my reading greatly compared to a couple years ago, how much I've grown to appreciate good writing. Even if he isn't the most inventive writer out there, there's no doubt about it, Koontz was born to tell stories. In Tick Tock the writing is crisp, it's detailed but not overbearingly so, the dialogue is witty(crazy as well). The humor is wonderful, and yet there's still a good supernatural/horror aspect for fans of the scary side of Koontz.

Close to end of this book, I had this pinned as four stars. After all, it's a pretty light plot, certainly not "serious" literature of any sort. But then I thought about it, I'm nowhere near a "serious" critic, I read because I want something enjoyable, something that I have a blast with, and trust me when I tell you, I had a blast with Tick Tock. There is a point in the book when the main character's mother is about to get in on the action and I literally couldn't wait to see what happened. If a book is so enjoyable, why wouldn't it get a five stars? This is one of the first Koontz books I ever bought, back in 2011, and I'm glad I finally knocked it off. I would probably say this is his most overlooked book, and Koontz fans who've read the big ones (Watchers, Lightning, Odd Thomas) should definitely put this on their list.

Fortunately, this wasn't my first Dean Koontz book. If it were, it would be my first...and my last. Normally, I can count on Koontz to provide me with a chilling story, a taut plot, and unforgettable characters. Now, I just want to forget this whole thing.

By his own admission in the introduction, Koontz wanted to do something different with this book. He sought to meld together a variety of genres and write a light-hearted, romantic, horror story. If that sounds a bit strange, that's the perfect explanation of this book. Just strange.

Tommy Phan is a first-generation American, trying desperately to forget his Vietnamese heritage. He buys a Corvette and goes home to find a doll on his porch. The doll turns out to be a demon that tries to kill him. He tries to escape, wrecks his Corvette, and is rescued by a waitress with paranormal powers.

A bizarre plot sequence. The mix in genres was unsettling to me and the book never really got any better than just "okay". Because I know what a master Koontz is, I'll have to research better and not read any more of his literary experiments. "Tick Tock", for me, meant watching the clock drag by as I tried to finish this story.

This book is thrilling and yet laugh out loud funny. It is beautifully descriptive. It is by far the best book I've read in a long time.

I'm adding to my original post as I've read a good many more books this year and Tick Tock continues to call at my memory. It was the most enjoyable piece of fiction I have read and Dean Koontz is now my favorite author having just completed another one of his novels. This book is full of twists and surprises. I have never laughed out loud so much in ever reading any other piece of fiction. It is well written with beautiful prose and a great story told in a way that left me feeling warm and fuzzy by the end of it.

Except for the long exposition about the main character Tommy Phan and his background, I thought this started out pretty well. Tommy finds a creepy little doll on his porch. Then things get scary. The little voodoo doll comes alive and tries to kill him. How cool is that? The action is good and the evil little creature is frightening and menacing.

However, a major reason this story didn't work for me was that I couldn't suspend my disbelief regarding the main female protagonist Deliverance Payne (yes, that's her name). She is a kooky woman that Tommy meets while trying to escape the creature that is after him. She is mysterious, beautiful and seems to know about everything. She is a sharpshooter, a driver worthy of race car status and always keeps her cool. And that's just the start of it. I just didn't connect to her or the enigmatic way she would answer Tommy's questions with either another question or existential sayings. This was the way most of their dialogue went. Tommy would repeat everything she asked and instead of just answering the question he would ask questions of his own.

There is also a lot of exposition and explanations that I feel could have been delivered in a different way besides "telling."

The end was cute, but again, a lot of the events and many of the explanations for Del's secrets didn't resonate with me. I did like the mystery behind the doll, which I felt was believable and the resolution as well.

The narrator was good, but I didn't connect with the way Del's voice was depicted. I thought Paul Michael did a great job with Tommy's mother, Mrs. Phan. She is actually my favorite character. She is from Vietnam and constantly chastises Tommy for forgetting the old ways and being too American. She is very stubborn and funny.

In Koontz's defense, in his afterward, he said his intent was to make Tick Tock a "screwball comedy." One of the ingredients of a screwball comedy is to have the two characters have conversations that seem at odds. Maybe if I read it instead of listening to it, it would have been more successful. Maybe I was expecting more of a straight horror/thriller with no room for jokes.

However, don't take my word for it, check out what my husband thought of it below.

Scientists had been secretly researching the possibility and feasibility of using icebergs from the arctic as a source for fresh water. As a team is in the Arctic doing research and planting explosives in order to break off a piece of ice, an earthquake breaks off the ice on which they are working. They find themselves afloat, and the countdown has already begun for the explosives!

This book is a race against time. Highly developed characters try to solve the problem, as the clock ticks down, each facing his/her own fears and past experiences in the fight to survive. The solution is ingenious; however, you can expect terrible feelings of claustrophobia as you read! Enjoy!

This was quite interesting, and for the most part, quite a delight. Koontz takes a turn from his usual, and gives us an unusual twist in the Arctic Circle. I think my question was like the question of some, and I wondered if it would work. Would Dean Koontz try to be Tom Clancy mixed with Oliver North and try to pull of a techno-suspense thriller? No he didn't and I thought WHEW as I finished it up.

So we take an assignment to the Arctic, on an iceberg, and let the games begin. But with the climate, storms and what not, trouble brews. As time passes, you wonder if there is somebody there with murder on their mind. You have Harry and Rita Carpenter. Harry is the leader of the expedition, the big dog. Rita has her fears, actually intense phobic reactions. These fears are, #1; Cryophobia: the fear of ice and frost. #2 fear is Frigophobia: the fear of cold. And last but not least is Chionophobia: the fear of snow. Then you have big and bad Pete Johnson, along with Roger Breskin, your basic no fear type guys, Pete is the electric engineer. Then you have Brian Dougherty, related to a former President. I myself couldn't help but laugh at George Lin, who thinks the communists are trying to control them. Claude Jobert, who is also part of the team, and Franz Fischer, who used to date Rita. There you have a believable story, mixed in with the fact that you have a murderer. Oh and by the way, you have bombs in the ice that will blow up the iceberg in about 12 hours. No sweat, right? And HEY!! the Russians are coming to the rescue this time! Don't miss out. I really like the Russian submarine captain, Nikita Gorov, who is in all reality, doing this for his son.

I guess the reason I gave this only 4 stars is easy for me. I missed the heart stopping suspense that he normally delivers, and I didn't get much in this. I did get a well written story, one that you can share with anyone without scaring them too much. Koontz really showed a lot of guts in attempting something new, and he pulled it off.

So, there was no quote in the beginning from "The Book of Counted Sorrows" as usual. There was no real blood and guts, as you suspect from Koontz, but he made it work, and did better than most I might add. Now, in his author's note, he added that he previously released this as "Prison of Ice" by David Axton, and it was rougher and grittier in form. He even said it wasn't his intent to be as technically detailed as Tom Clancy, and I'm glad he wasn't. That would be too overwhelming. But instead, he gives us some frostbite, just a little on the brain to play with our heads here and there. Try it, you just might like it!

Oh what could have been.
Koontz sets this novel up great. The first half of the book was vintage Koontz (aside from any supernatural/violence) as he sets a great atmosphere. I really loved the setting of this book, and i loved how the story could have gone almost anywhere as far as the "who is it?" plotline goes. However, as the ending approaches, i start wondering when something was going to happen, when and where the twist will be, and if everything would finish on a high note.
Koontz's climax is anything but climatic. I really feel like he had a great opportunity here to just blow the reader's mind away, and hit us with something we never saw coming. After finishing the book i felt dissapointed, and even though i'm no Koontz, i feel like i could have written a better ending here.
I gave three stars because i did enjoy some things, mainly the setting. I also enjoyed that this book had normal characters, and nothing supernatural in it. I love Koontz's horror/supernatural stuff, but it was nice to get a break from them things and enjoy a "regular novel". An O.K. book overall, and it's a shame because this could have been much much more.

Dean Koontz created a real page turner in TICK TOCK. Heck, even the cover art works well with the book on this one. It's an all around winner. I'll tell you up front one complaint that keeps it from being a 5 star - it's only one book.

The book chronicles the night from hell for Tommy Phan. Starting with the purchase of his first corvette the ride just keeps going from there.

This book is not what it seems at first. When I picked this up I expected a horror story, with focus on Tommy and a demonic pursuer. I was set up for one scare after the next as Tommy is chased and tormented.

It was so much more than that. This is drama, horror, and love story rolled into one. It's a story about social moors, tradition, and family as well.

Tommy is forced to confront his past and traditions. Along the way he hooks up with Del, a woman with a unique family and history. The demon thing gives chase at first to just Tommy but soon it's chasing them both across the city and beyond.

Make no mistake, there are chilling demon tormenting moments, scary monster eating innocent scenes, and relentless pursuit. But just the same, there is a bit of magic, a few wild car rides, and a trip to Las Vegas.

All that's missing from this story is Elvis.

The title implies something to do with a ticking clock or computer countdown. Oh, there's a countdown the computer and clock having nothing to do with the story. That's my other gripe. Though the story takes place all in about 18 hours, the count down isn't shown on clock, computer, or really even a watch.

If you like Koontz, you'll enjoy this. It's quirky, scary and fun.

) John Glover reads the audiobook version of this story and like previous readings I've heard from him he does a good job. I always appreciate when an actor goes the "extra mile" to give different accents or speech patterns to different characters so that the audiobook come across more like a play vs. simply a reading.

2) This is not the typical Koontz supernatural story. This is a man vs. nature story that would better play off the submarine movie crowd and/or natural disaster crowd instead of the normal Koontz crowd. This story seemed like a scaled up version of a screenplay or TV made movie and probably would have done better as a movie than a novel.

3) Basically some scientist get stranded on an iceberg and need to get rescued. They have an unidentifiable bad guy in their midst in order to complicate things. A Russian sub is trying to rescue them but gets thwarted at each attempt. Story was fairly predictable and lacked a lot of suspense.

4) On the flip side, Koontz has a couple of strong characters that help keep the story afloat and as the iceberg drifts to its conclusion so the reader in turn will drift along with the story. At points you'll want to dump this book but then you'll realize that you've invested time and need to finish things out.

5) There were a couple of characters totally forgotten and given little if no attention for some reason. And the climax was formularic and in turn anti-climatical.

It wasn't a terrible story, but it wasn't fantastic either. I'm glad I picked this up at the library and didn't pay money for it. Too bad because Koontz has some great books out there; Watchers being one of my favorite books to read and Tick-Tock being in my all time top three audiobooks to listen to.

Tommy Phan has just about everything he ever dreamed of: a successful career as a novelist, a brand new Corvette, and all the trappings that money can buy. His life would be perfect if only his Mother would stop making him feel guilty for forgetting his Vietnamese roots.

When Tommy returns home one night, after a particularly bad nagging phone call from Mom, he finds an innocent rag doll lying on his doorstep and brings it in for a closer inspection. This is when things start getting really weird. In no time at all Tommy, an eccentric woman who saves his butt, and her chocolate lab whose favorite toy is a farting hot-dog, are running for their lives from the devil's spawn. They have until dawn to outrun the demon.

I really have to read the unabridged version of this book. I hate knowing I missed even one hilarious word. Unlike Koontz's most recent releases that were sometimes painfully dark, twisted and so intense I couldn't read them alone TICK TOCK is a more of a screwball comedy that reminded me of some of my favorite campy B horror flicks. I had visions of PUPPETMASTER & NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD while reading and was reminded of my favorite kind of B movie demon: The beast that wouldn't die. This is not a criticism! There is nothing like a good campy B horror movie!
Koontz creates the most likable off the wall characters: the guilt ridden down to earth Tommy Phan (I don't know anyone who hasn't experienced the "guilt" phone call), Deliverance Payne who continually surprised me with her strangeness, Scootie the face licker, and Tommy's Mom who has some of the most hilarious lines in the book. Which brings me to the dialogue - some of the funniest I've ever read. Too often humor can seem forced or stilted but never in this book. The characters were so kooky the wild dialogue flowed naturally. Some of my favorite scenes weren't the suspenseful chases or the gore filled shoot-outs but the bantering and bickering between the characters. TICK TOCK has a little bit of several of my favorite genres: horror, comedy, suspense, and a good old fashioned romance.
I found there were a few unexplained plot points in the abridged version I read and I'm hoping they will be cleared up when I read the full version or maybe I'll just hope for a sequel.

Swaying from his usual out-of-this-world original style that consumes readers with his unnerving wit and suspense, "Icebound" is a Koontz piece that is certainly attempting to shade the likes of Clancy, Crichton, and even King. With this said, the novel does not possess the uncanny qualities that he often uses to grip his readers and the premise of an arctic team stranded in the ice-pierced habitat falls through the cracks.
Harry and Rita Carpenter are part of a team of scientists who are studying how they can use age-old icebergs in order to save a planet that is thirsting for water after ill-advised societies whiped out almost all traces of the essential lifeline. Just before they are about to leave their mission as a success, the team is terrorized by a murderous maniac and is keeping them from leaving the shivering area. As Harry and Rita try to figure out who the mysterious killer is, they also have to keep the team together before the suspicions, delusions, and fears corrupt the expedition and cause them even more harm.
Only a half-way enjoyable story, "Icebound" is a fast-paced read that unfolds to reveal nothing special--the characters are not well-developed and are a part of a drawn-out cliche of a novel. Seems like a rushed effort by Koontz after such incredibly satisfying works such as "Intensity" and "Dark Rivers of the Heart". A major disappointment.

I don't think Koontz was thinking about the bestsellers list when he wrote this. If you read the liner notes, he stated that he needed to write a light-hearted, fun story after completing intensity and Dark Rivers of the Heart. If you read those, you would understand why. Very serious, very heavy books. This one, on the other hand, is just entertaining and very funny!
Tommy Phan is a good character. But the book actually centers on his reaction to characters like Del Payne, her mother, his mother, and the little rat-quick monster thing. All of these supporting characters were outstanding. I agree with another reader, who said that he hopes Del is revisited in another story. She was great. And the dialogue with his mom kept me in stitches. And I loved the ending. Koontz always has a way of tying everything together and creating an ending that parallels the good guys riding into the sunset.
Hey, you critics stop taking this book too seriously. Its meant to make you smile. Its short, but just long enough to tell a complete story and give closure. If you feel stressed or down, pick this one up and it will certainly lighten your day and give you a more appreciative perspective on the world. Get your priorities straight or find yourself being chased by your own Minikin!

I'm always slightly suspicious when a highly successful author such as Koontz re-issues an earlier attempt - is he exploiting the fact that a large proportion of the book buying public will snap up anything with his famous name emblazoned across the front? Or does the book have genuine merit? In this case of ICEBOUND sadly the answer is no. It is poorly written, lacks suspense or tension, the characters are one-dimensional and the 'serial killer' subplot is pitiful - and clearly copied from Alistair Maclean's ICE STATION ZEBRA - which incidentally is a much better book.
Was something lost in the updating? Was it all originally an evil communist plot?

I can only say had I written this book I would prefer it to remain buried - the writing is so bad that by the first ten pages I couldn't go on and merely flicked through to the end to see what happened. I was constantly aware that I was reading what someone else had written - at no time did I get lost in the story and that, for me, is the worst criticism I can make of any book.

Having said all that at least I picked up a second hand copy for under a pound as I didn't like the look of ICEBOUND when it first came out. How right I was. Now if I had paid 6/7 pounds for this rubbish I really would be pissed off ...

Can you really write the supernatural & be funny as well? Yep, Koontz has done exactly that here.
Our hero, Tommy Phan finds himself going from elation to fearful to befuddled. He's got a nasty little entity trailing him & he can't shake him. Enter the lovely Deliverance Payne (Read her name closely; a play on words) to rescue him. She gives new meaning to the phrase "Never argue with a woman." She mesmerizes & baffles him at the same time. The dialogue between the two & her dog is often funny. You'll find yourself smiling from the time he meets her. Mind you, all this time a crazed being is trying to take them out of their mortal world.
As if Tommy isn't confused enough, wait until he meets Deliverance's mother. Now, he really doesn't know which end is up. Throw in his own mom, brother, mom's friend, & deadly supernatural being which evolved from a rag doll & you'll be glad you don't have his life.
The ending is pretty predictable. The beginning bogs down a bit until he meets Ms. Payne. I would have given this 4 stars. The humor & the Koontz style earn it an enjoyable 5 stars