Midnight

Midnight - Dean Koontz This novel is a bit of a mixed bag. The overall story was interesting with some truly creepy elements. Though we are aware of the mystery behind the murders early on, Koontz manages to make us (me, at least) interested in how things will unfold. There are a number of strong elements, such as plot-lines, great consistent atmosphere, almost believable ideas (though at times a bit of a stretch) and some occasionally interesting characters. The book is, however, weighted down by a number of elements. Namely, it goes on far too long so that I wanted to finish it simply to finish it. The ending is somewhat disappointing, as the predictable standard climax is spread over too many pages. Some subplots are less interesting than others, giving the novel a certain unevenness, & some characters that start out interesting become flat & drift into the woodwork, making me wonder (until the end when the “moral” is suffocatingly clear) why they are even there to begin with. Finally, the occasionally interesting characters stumble into a territory of sappiness that would shame most Victorian novelists (only the Victorians getaway with it out of sheer genius or naïveté, whereas Koontz is merely a writer).

Worth a read despite these flaws as it is interesting, but don’t worry about speeding some of the scenes, including all of Part III as it is predictable fare.