A “superior thriller”(Oakland Press) about a man, a dog, and a terrifying threat that could only have come from the imagination of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.On his thirty-sixth birthday, Travis Cornell hikes into the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. But his path is soon blocked by a … Mountains. But his path is soon blocked by a bedraggled Golden Retriever who will let him go no further into the dark woods.
That morning, Travis had been desperate to find some happiness in his lonely, seemingly cursed life. What he finds is a dog of alarming intelligence that soon leads him into a relentless storm of mankind’s darkest creation…
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Dean Koontz with his wonderful words and the way he lays them out on the pages surpasses all authors in my opinion. Unputdownable as all his others, this ride of freak and horror will keep you up at night. Not only reading, but scared too. I would recommend this or any of his hundreds of books to any reader who just loves words and the way they’re telling such a thrilling tale.
I read this book years ago. It is my favorite Dean Koonz book! I love dogs and loved that they could verbally express themselves in this book. Usually I don’t like Dean Koonz because he gets too graphic and scary but this book was exceptional.
I
think it’s a great read.
I loved Einstein!
One of the best books that I have ever read. Yeah, yeah…hyperbole, you say. No. With humankind meddling in genetic research, the potential of this book’s premise coming true may already be fact. The good of experimentation faces off against the horrible opposite as friends, lovers, foes and passersby are consumed by the fallout. Koontz delves deeply into character development, teases and provokes with his storylines, tears at the heartstrings, makes you laugh and then scares the life out of ya. A must read for any thriller fan.
I’ve read this book several times and it always brings me pleasure. I love the characters, and the dog is every pet owners dream. Even the created monster tugs at my heartstrings. The bad guy is so bad that there is no redeeming quality to him.
This was my first Dean Koontz novel, being lent to me by a friend to read on a plane in the 90s. I loved this book, and while I don’t remember all of the particulars, you will love this book as well. If you’re new to Dean Koontz’s writing, there is almost always a dog involved in his stories, but this one is wicked special and you should totally read it.
One of the best books i’ve ever read – and Ive read may! Highly recommend!!
This is a fantastic book. Some of the wonderful characters made me really care about them and want them to be safe. I loved the book.
wonderful book. The really scary part is the fact that it is something that could really happen. I loved the book and I loved the characters. Would recommend this book to anyone. The only problem with the book is the way it switches from one scene to another could cause problems for those who have difficulty keeping up with changing stories.
Although it doesn’t fall in the category of Nobel or Pulitzer worthiness based on substance and lasting appeal it is nevertheless entertaining and exciting.
I really enjoyed this book. A new perspective for me.
Dean Koontz has beautiful, descriptive writing!!!
I read this years ago and absolutely love it. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
I love Dean Koontz and I love dogs, can’t ask for much more. This book is a good read.
If you read only one Dean Koontz book, this should be the one. I read this years ago and have never forgotten it. When I saw it on sale as an e-book, just had to get it again. I know I will read it more than once.
One of Koontz’s earlier works and easily one of his best. Ignore the movie (it REEKED). If you haven’t read this book, you’ve missed out on one of the best stories he’s ever written. Go meet Einstein. You’ll never forget him, nor will you ever want to.
This is a good book – a classic slow-burn thriller that combines elements of sci-fi (genetic engineering), horror (characters include the Outsider and ‘Vince’), romance (ahhhh…), and a relentless increase in tension (ohhhh….).
If you’re unfamiliar with the book, it essentially follows four main characters: a socially-repressed young woman (who goes on the biggest personal ‘journey’ throughout the pages), a professional assassin, an ex-special forces soldier struggling to find a reason in life, and a government agent. Their stories seem unconnected at first but slowly coalesce around the hunt for two genetically engineered creatures: a dog (good) with human-level intelligence and something else: the Outsider (bad). On that level, it has shades of a classic good vs evil fairy tale but it is not that simplistic.
Most of the individuals sit comfortably in their pigeonholes of right or wrong. But, without giving away too much, the true monster in the story is not the Outsider (as horrific as ‘it’ can be) but the professional killer. Vince is one of the most loathsome individuals I have come across on the page: evil wrapped up in a twisted belief that what he does is almost a divine right. He is superbly written. As are all the others. So to, the locations and scenes.
The prose is beautiful. Evocative. It switches between the simplicity that I see as the hallmark of many great writers, then throws in some sublime descriptions that take their time over a scene or a moment. That brings me to my first gripe. Some of the latter got a little too long-winded for me. There were some instances when I thought the author was going to describe each plant and flower in one of the protagonist’s gardens.
My second gripe relates to the main villain of the story: Vince. As despicably wonderful he is as a character, his fate was a let down.
MINI-SPOILER ALERT!
He is so proficient at what he does, is always well-prepared, that what happens to him in the end felt rushed. Yes, he was facing opponents that knew what they were doing, but it seemed too easy. That said, I’m glad what happened happened. The guy was vile.
MINI-SPOILER ALERT OVER!
As for the non-human characters: Einstein and the Outsider. They are wonderful. There is a depth to both of them, more so to the latter (the ‘baddie’) that makes them worthy of their own sequels. The idea of having a dog with enhanced intelligence and a Mickey Mouse obsession is utterly endearing. But as mentioned in the novel, such a creature would undoubtedly be used by the powers that be for nefarious ends. (I’ll stop that line of thought here before it gets too bleak…)
All in all, this is a book to take your time over.
Highly recommended.
Honest to goodness. One of the best books this author has written. This was done many years ago by Mr. Koontz. But, I recently purchased the audio book. I have fell in love with it all over again.
i loved this book! i was really upset that it was a stand alone book. i wish the adventure would have continued!