Say what you like about Dean Koontz; he isn’t afraid to experiment and mix it up. Breathless is part spiritual thriller, part science fiction. It’s a book with a clear message, one many readers won’t like. It’s also a very sweet story, and I enjoyed it and was moved by it. For reference, the same spirit that animates the Odd Thomas books is at work here.
Koontz jumps between several characters and story lines, before bringing them together, if not in one place, at least around one theme. A wonderful thing has happened in our world. Each witness to that event responds for the good or the evil, depending on the capacities of their souls.
Because of the multiplicity of story lines, it’s hard to give a synopsis, but the central story involves a man named Grady Adams, who along with his dog Merlin (gratefully, the dog is not a supernatural being this time out) observes the Event while on an evening walk in the woods. Soon he notices strange creatures watching his house. Meanwhile, his friend Camillia Rivers, a veterinarian, is trying to find an explanation for a strange “seizure” experienced by a number of domestic animals, which not only doesn’t seem to have done them any harm, but has done them good.
And nearby a sociopathic murderer is preparing for the collapse of society by building himself a secure compound on a mountain farm.
It all comes together in the end.
If you’re a Koontz fan and a religious believer, you’ll probably enjoy Breathless. If you don’t get the whole religion thing, you may find it offputting.
I don’t recall any very rough language. No sex, and the violence happens early on and is not explicit.
Not Koontz’ best, but recommended, for those with eyes to see.
I’ve been wondering about picking up some more Koontz. I’ve read the Odd Thomas books, and the first two of his Frankenstein books, as well.
(Not that I have any shortage of books to read, mind you.)
Generally, his later work is better than the earlier. Beware of re-issues.
I love the Odd Thomas books (learned about them here, actually). Another favorite is One Door Away From Heaven.
The first Koontz book that really made him stand out to me was Dark Rivers of the Heart. It features a fairly stereotypical serial killer, very antiseptic psychopath, but then later turns the stereotype around in an interesting way. The protagonist is kind of hard-to-believe, and I’ve never re-read it, so I don’t know how well it stands up in the long run.
I just finished this book (picked it up in the grocery store after reading this review, actually). It’s the first book by Koontz that I’ve read, but I’ll definitely seek out more. A very good read–not a classic, but one I’ll be thinking about for a while.