Helpful Score: 6
Ok, I am a Koontz fan but I'm beginning to lose faith in his recent works. This book was a big waste of time! There are 72 short chapters. Each chapter jumps back and forth between several different stories/characters. Some of the stories have NO relevance when it comes to the end of the book. It's like a hodgepodge of short stories that make you wonder, "what the heck?!" when you get to the end. It takes 300 of the 337 pages to build up a web of characters and stories that you think are going to go somewhere and somehow intertwine, only to cram the last 30 pages to a quick ending where you're left with more questions than answers and asking what did half the book have to do with the other half. I'm glad I got this on PBS. Had I paid full price for it, I would've asked for my money back.
Helpful Score: 5
This book is classic Dean Koontz- supernatural elements, wonderfully intelligent dogs and a stron male lead character, I loved the suspense of the opening as Grady discovers the "creatures". One of my favorite styles of writing is when the author has three or more stories going simultaneously and then combines them at the end so you can see how they all pertain to each other. Koontz implements that in his book and it works very well.
Helpful Score: 4
I'm with the other reviewers! Didn't love this book! Too much going on and going nowhere! Needless to say, I wasn't breathless after reading this one, just glad it was over. Not a favorite!
Helpful Score: 4
Ok, I do like Dean Koontz books, Odd Thomas, Brother Odd, The Good Guy...Where did Breathless come from? I was totally disappointed in this book. The chapters just rambled on and on and on. There were several different stories and I was waiting for them to converge..but 25 pages to the end, you still had no idea how they would all relate to each other. It felt like he just decided to throw a few sentences in the last few chapters to try to tie everything together. I would recommend people don't wast their time on this one..there are so many other great books out there....
Helpful Score: 2
First off Breathless does not begin to describe this novel. At first it seems a little out there with all to many characters spread out everywhere like a riddle. By a quarter of the way through this I was instantly sucked in. How were they linked, where was this going and of course the link to this puzzle completely blew me away. I was shocked by what was described in this novel...Humanity at it's purest.
Koontz at his best as always.
Koontz at his best as always.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a book which you are either going to Hate it or love it!! I enjoy it when Koontz gets into his chaos theory mode and how our world is going in the scheme of his stories. so I can only say that its a fast read so give it a try and I was smiling at the end.
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book. At first I thought there were too many story lines and wondered how the author was ever going to pull them all together. Although tedious at times, he managed to wrap up everything very well. I loved the main story line and the ending was very satisfying. I think the book is worth reading because it is very thought provoking with entirely possible events. I would recommend Breathless for people who can believe anything is possible or just like a bit of delightful fantasy in their reading.
Helpful Score: 1
I'm not so sure about this book. Dean Kootnz is one of my all time favorite authors but this book wasn't like the rest. It had interesting characters, interesting plot but then it just suddening ended. Makes me wonder if there is going to be a sequel. There were so many characters that sometimes I couldn't keep them straight, especially at the end. I do believe it is a book that you are still thinking about at the end and what will happen next. The book was going good but by page 200 I was waiting for the action to start and I was just left with a 'hunh' when I actually finished the book.
Not one of Koontz's best books.
Not one of Koontz's best books.
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book. I enjoyed the varied characters and found that the mystery/suspense held to the end. I don't get the disappointment of the previous reviewers. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes the Dean Koontz genre.
Helpful Score: 1
Koontz has a great way of connecting different characters that intertwine one another. He has a wild and believable imagination...and a great talent for detail. He makes it possible to "feel" the characters. I very much liked the book.
Classic Koontz, could not put it down!
Enjoyed this book. I agree with the other reviewers that the first half was confusing: there were lots of characters, with no apparent connection between them. However, the stories come together in the latter half. This book is not horror but more along the lines of the typing dog book (I can't remember what it was called - Watchers maybe?) in that it has some creatures that will steal your heart. Not the best Koontz book, but it has an Irish Wolfhound so gets 4 stars from me.
Something to read on a long night. Good but not his best
I'm not a big fan of Dean Koontz but what books I have read I have enjoyed. This book is just plain stupid. I gave up half way through as I got fed up waiting on something to happen. A ten year old may enjoy it but not for an adult unless they want to be bored to tears.
BEEN A FAN OF DEAN KOONTZ FOR MANY YEARS...HAVE READ MANY OF HIS SOME SO SPOOKY THAT THEY WERE HARD TO READ ALONE AT NIGHT....THIS ONE IS ONE OF HIS PAGE TURNERS...IT WAS HARD TO PUT DOWN...... THIS MAN HAS AN INCREDIBLE IMAGINATION....IT WILL SATISFY THOSE WHO LIKE SOMETHING WITH AN EDGE.
When I want a break from police procedurals I often pick up a Koontz. The war between good and evil is eternal and this author is a master at it.I sometimes wish that I could wade around in the minds of Koontz or King, but I would require heavy duty combat boots!! HootsAnnie
This book was ok. It was a little hard to follow at first but did come together at the end. It is not one of Dean Koontz's best books but still worth reading
This book started with great potential and I had a hard time putting it down. About half way through, although it was easy reading, it took a weird turn and became less enjoyable.
Totally agree with user Formor in her assessment of this stupid book.
I spent the whole story waiting for something to happen, right up until the non-crescendo, at which point I thought to myself "what a waste of time".
Between this one, and his previous 'You Heart Belongs to Me', it's beginning to seem that after his 30 year run of extremely good suspense/thriller stories, Koontz has completely run out of worthwhile plot ideas.
I spent the whole story waiting for something to happen, right up until the non-crescendo, at which point I thought to myself "what a waste of time".
Between this one, and his previous 'You Heart Belongs to Me', it's beginning to seem that after his 30 year run of extremely good suspense/thriller stories, Koontz has completely run out of worthwhile plot ideas.
There is hope in our world but the unknown, once again, generates fear. Good vs evil and a good read. Mysterious and interesting book.
good, but different
This is one his best books. I did not want to put it down.
well worth reading, dean koontz writes books which are just a bit different the ending was a nice surprise.
The only other Koontz book I've read is WATCHERS. This one could have been it's twin or at least cousin. I read it and it was mildly entertaining, but I was really disappointed that the two were so similar. I liked WATCHERS better.
Finally a new idea and fresh breath from the dooms day dramas. Very good read.
I liked this story. It had too many characters, and each offered something to the final ending, but my one irritant is-I thought Koontz should have stuck with Grady and Cammy as the whole story, until Homeland Security arrives. But that's just me.
It was good enough for me to stay up in the wee hours of the morning to finish. Easy read.
If you're looking for horror, this isn't the book for you.
It was good enough for me to stay up in the wee hours of the morning to finish. Easy read.
If you're looking for horror, this isn't the book for you.
