Book Review - Velocity by Dean Koontz
Category Book Reviews
In the midst of an emotional crisis that was preventing me from sleeping, I decided to pick up Dean Koontz's latest novel Velocity that I recently picked up from the library. Less than 24 hours later, I was done with the book. This is Koontz at his best...
Billy Wiles is a bartender just living a normal life. Everything changes when he goes to his car one night after work and finds a note. The author of the note says he will kill one type of person if he takes the note to the police, or he'll kill another type of person if Wiles chooses to do nothing. He's relatively convinced that this is some sort of joke, until the first murder occurs. The notes keep coming, and Wiles has to either solve the mystery of who's doing the killings, or make unwilling choices as to who lives and who dies. Complicating the entire quest is how the killer has made the killings appear to be something done by Wiles himself. So he can't go to the police, and the killer seems to be one step ahead of him at all times. The final showdown involves whether Wiles can preserve the life of his comatose fiancee and not die in the process...
Koontz has evolved so much as a writer over the years. His early works (often done under pen names) were heavy on the supernatural and bizarre. While I liked the books, I wouldn't recommend his stuff unless I knew the reading habits of the person who was getting the opinion. The edgy work has mellowed, and many of the novels in the last three or four years have been more mainstream and entertaining. Even so, his stories sometimes seemed to be a vehicle for showing how creatively he could turn a phrase. Velocity puts all that to rest. The story-line is compelling and doesn't let up much. While you start to think you know "who dun it", some whipsaw plot twists towards the end keep you entirely off balance.
I could easily view this as the best Koontz novel I've read (and I've read them all). Many of my favorite authors seem to lose their appeal and edge over time. Koontz is doing just the opposite... getting better with age.
In the midst of an emotional crisis that was preventing me from sleeping, I decided to pick up Dean Koontz's latest novel Velocity that I recently picked up from the library. Less than 24 hours later, I was done with the book. This is Koontz at his best...
Billy Wiles is a bartender just living a normal life. Everything changes when he goes to his car one night after work and finds a note. The author of the note says he will kill one type of person if he takes the note to the police, or he'll kill another type of person if Wiles chooses to do nothing. He's relatively convinced that this is some sort of joke, until the first murder occurs. The notes keep coming, and Wiles has to either solve the mystery of who's doing the killings, or make unwilling choices as to who lives and who dies. Complicating the entire quest is how the killer has made the killings appear to be something done by Wiles himself. So he can't go to the police, and the killer seems to be one step ahead of him at all times. The final showdown involves whether Wiles can preserve the life of his comatose fiancee and not die in the process...
Koontz has evolved so much as a writer over the years. His early works (often done under pen names) were heavy on the supernatural and bizarre. While I liked the books, I wouldn't recommend his stuff unless I knew the reading habits of the person who was getting the opinion. The edgy work has mellowed, and many of the novels in the last three or four years have been more mainstream and entertaining. Even so, his stories sometimes seemed to be a vehicle for showing how creatively he could turn a phrase. Velocity puts all that to rest. The story-line is compelling and doesn't let up much. While you start to think you know "who dun it", some whipsaw plot twists towards the end keep you entirely off balance.
I could easily view this as the best Koontz novel I've read (and I've read them all). Many of my favorite authors seem to lose their appeal and edge over time. Koontz is doing just the opposite... getting better with age.
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Comments
Posted by Gregg Eldred At 10:16:12 On 14/07/2005 | - Website - |
Posted by Doug Lobdell At 07:55:02 On 01/06/2006 | - Website - |
I do agree that Koontz has mellowed slightly as he has gotten older. I still have my favorites of his early works, like The Bad Place, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Dragon Tears, and Darkfall. The latter still has one of the greatest chase scenes I have ever read and was my introduction to his works. I really wish he would come out with another Christopher Snow novel.
As a side note, I do have a more personal connection to Koontz. He went to the same high school as my mother, Bedford High, Bedford, Pa, and sat behind her throughout most of her secondary education. And her favorite novel of his will always be Watchers.
Sean---
Posted by Sean Burgess At 07:00:47 On 14/07/2005 | - Website - |
Posted by amber whisman At 19:18:24 On 23/10/2007 | - Website - |
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Posted by amber whisman At 19:18:25 On 23/10/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Megan At 08:48:34 On 13/12/2008 | - Website - |