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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This was my first Dean Koontz book and it’s still my favorite. The characters are great and I couldn’t put it down. I have read it many times since my first read in the 80’s.
enjoyable easy read but too simplistic and predictable
It’s a stay up all night reading kind of book!
Maybe my favorite Koontz book…it has everything I need to enjoy. Suspense, a dog, and characters that you care about.
I never have read a Dean Koontz book. I thought they would be scary. I loved loved this book can’t wait to read more
the first of his books i ever read. really unforgetable.
This was the first book that I read of Dean Koontz and I loved it. Since then I have definitely been a fan of Dean Koontz and the Odd Thomas series. But I actually enjoyed Watchers much more, and I think it is because of the canine character.
Very enjoyable novel. Would absolutely recommend.
This is one of Kings best!
This book is one of the first books I read of Dean’s and it is still my favourite. I thought the characters were wonderfully written, so life like and believable. It didn’t hit you in the face with action, some places were more of a slow burn but I found the pacing really good and the storyline unique. It definitely held my attention and I would recommend for horror/thriller fans. A great read.
the book includes time-travel which always intrigues me. and I love Dean Koontz. His books are well-written, thought-provoking, and hard to put down.
I loved this book so much. Loved the characters. Loved the plot. I wish I could go back and time and read it for the first time all over again.
My favorite Dean Koontz book! In my opinion, you will never go wrong with one of his books. Every read is unexpected, thought-provoking, faaaantastic!
I loved the idea of a super smart dog capable of thinking, planning, protecting, and communicating. The ‘other’ Entity became a little tedious. I’m a hard core fan of Koontz and will continue looking for the Koontz bargains. Keep ‘em coming!
Dean Koontz doesn’t need any help from me but that won’t stop me from reviewing his work (who knows? maybe he’ll return the favour one day). This is a fun book. I’m a sucker for any talking dog story. Well, the dog doesn’t really talk, but he does communicate. So, a communicating dog story, then. It’s a quick, smooth read, and apparently a favourite of Koontz himself. It’s not a knock out punch like my favourite Koontz book (Lightning) but it’s pretty good. You probably won’t regret checking it out.
One of the best books i’ve read in a long time, excellent characters, strong plot, the right aount of horror and with a good pinch of humour, and if you love dogs, you’re going to love Einstein!
My first Dean Koonz book, and still think the best, maybe because of my love of dogs.
Watchers by Dean Koontz is one of my favorite thriller-suspense books. I can also categorize it as science fiction. The story mainly revolves around a secret experiment to create two prototypes of genetically engineered soldiers. One of them is a loving, super-intelligent animal, a Golden Retriever amply called Einstein and the other an ugly, ape-like, frightfully looking animal called The Outsider.
Unfortunately, both animals escaped the laboratory and the government hired a hitman to cover the failed experiments. Einstein while running through a forest to get away from The Outsider found a friend in Travis and was with him throughout the story including when Travis met and falls in love with Nora.
The Outsider is in pursuit of Einstein with the goal of killing the dog. Along his travels to reach Einstein, he left horrifying dead human bodies with their eyes gouged out. This alerted the government agencies to investigate the killings. As predicted, the events and characters got weaved into a suspenseful, thrilling story that drew me in.
In the end, I felt sorry for The Outsider when I learned how he was treated while in captivity, although I do not condone the killings that he did.
All in all, it was a fantastic read – an intelligent dog, romance, suspense, twist, and turns!
One of his better Dean Koontz has a special imagination I enjoy all of his books. If your into strange you’ll love his book’s
I love the story, I loved the characters especially the dog. And the ending, though sad, was satisfactory.
Years after I read it for the first time, it remains one of my all time favorites. Especially if you have a love for animals and the incredible inspiration to our lives they can be, this is a book to love. You’ll cry and root for the hero, and feel bad for the villain too…Great Book