Phantoms
by Dean Koontz
List Price:
Our Price: $4.20
You Save: $3.79 (47%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Dean KoontzEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-02-05
ISBN: 0425181103
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Berkley
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780425181102
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Phantoms
Book Review: You're In For The Long Haul.. Best Read With Popcorn!
Summary: 5 Stars
Phantoms(1983). By Horror/Suspense Author Dean Koontz.
Since the beginning of time, throughout the world, unexplainable mass disappearances frequent the world, with humans and animals vanishing without a trace, oddly leaving their prized possessions behind. In 'Phantoms', Dean Koontz tries to explain the unexplainable, from the disappearances of the dinosaurs, the Roanoke Island Colony, the Eskimo Village of Anjikuni, the vanishment of the Mayan population, and thousands of Spanish and Chinese soldiers, but those are just a few of many. Ever wonder why ships are commonly found deserted? Koontz tells all. 'Phantoms' served as my introduction to Dean Koontz, so does it live up to my expectations or does it turn out mediocre? Read on to find out!
Plot- After the death of Jenny and Lisa Paige's mother, 31-Year old doctor Jenny takes her 14- Year old sister Lisa home to live with her in quaint California village Snowfield, population 500. As Jenny and Lisa enter the town, they soon notice the lack of sound or people, and they quickly grow uneasy at the lack of people. As they enter Jenny's house, they find her housekeeper Hilda on the kitchen floor bruised, bloated, and dead. Jenny can't figure out the cause of death, and as they visit other houses in town, they soon find out the same fate has befell the entire town, and corpses are sometimes left behind, but mostly everyone's vanished, sometimes with dinner on the table and CD players still running. Jenny and Lisa soon get the ominous feeling they are being watched, and as they go through town, they realize that someTHING, not human, is out there preying on the town. As they search for a phone to call the County Police, they see dark shadows everywhere they go, and after finally contacting the police, are scared to death. As the County Police arrive, they join Jenny and Lisa in exploring the mystery of the town's fate, and what they find out turns out to be their worst nightmare, and unmistakeingly the "Ancient Enemy" of the world...
Writing/Opinions/Etc.-
Being a fan of Stephen King and Horror, Dean Koontz seemed a likely choice for a new author to enjoy. Fortuneatly, I picked up 'Phantoms' in the Library, and am now a big fan of Koontz. Dean Koontz writing is written with an unmistakeable mood of gloom and doom, yet you also get the sense of hope and that good will prevail. Koontz's writing is very colorful, and his descriptions are so vivid to the point of terror. 'Phantoms' reads like greased lightning, in other words, you CAN'T put this one down! I read 'Phantoms' in two days, and with Koontz's gloomy dialogue, enthralling mystery, pulsing suspense, turn-on-the-lights horror, and maddeningly brilliant plot twists, it's almost impossible not to. Another thing I like about Koontz is his connection to other novels and authors, and with 'Phantoms', he connects with 'The Invasion of the Body Snatchers', 'IT', and 'Sphere'. 'Phantoms' begins with your typical 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' scenario, where everyone's gone and something not human is at work here, and in a particuarly riveting scene where Jenny spots a moving thing in the rafters, it's obviously a good idea by Koontz. 'Phantoms' soon carries off in the direction of Stephen King's 'IT', in which an eternal and immortal monster preys on the Earth, and a few individuals must learn to destroy this monster. With Michael Chrichton's 'Sphere', 'Phantoms' also features an indescribable and amorphus villian, where the monster can morph into any creature he pleases. Remember the scene in 'Sphere' where they talk to the monster via computer? Well, 'Phantoms' has a scene EXACTLY like it! 'Phantoms' packs the punch of a knuckle sandwich, giving the reader a plausible and terrifyingly realistic and eeriely possible reason for disappearances around the world, and Koontz depthly uses his reasons in ways that will give nightmares to casual Horror readers. What more can I say? 'Phantoms' is a top-notch suspense/thriller that encompassed any expectations I had, and now is one of my favorite novels!
Overall, 'Phantoms' epitomizes what a Thriller should be, a novel that grips you and holds you until the last word at levels of suspense high enough to touch the sky, and Dean Koontz molds a story that does that and MORE! I'm in the middle of Koontz's new novel 'Odd Thomas', and I can safely say he's one of my favorite authors, easily!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF SUSPENSE NOVELS, THRILLERS, HORROR NOVELS, ADVENTURE NOVELS, AND DEAN KOONTZ! LET'S FACE IT, IF YOU'RE READING THIS REVIEW, CLICK THE BUY IT BUTTON NOW! PREPARE TO FACE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE, THE 'ANCIENT ENEMY'!
Also Recommended-
Odd Thomas- Dean Koontz
IT- Stephen King
Sphere- Michael Chritchton
Thanks For Reading!
Summary of Phantoms
A tale of an abandoned town and the unimaginable truth behind its silence...Now with a new afterword, Dean Koontz explains the impact Phantoms had on his career.
The lights are on in Snowfield, California, a cozy ski village nestled in the Sierra Madres, but nobody seems to be home. When Dr. Jenny Paige returns to the small town, she finds tables set for dinner, meals being prepared, and music playing in living rooms, but there's no trace of the people who put the water on to boil or set an extra place for company at the dinner table. As she explores the town, Paige finds friends and neighbors felled by a mysterious force--the bodies show no visible signs of violence or disease, and no known plague kills victims before the ice in their dinner drinks has time to melt. But the deep quiet that surrounds her offers few clues about the fate of the town's inhabitants. Dean Koontz's Phantoms strikes fear in readers from the very beginning. The mystery deepens, paving the way for a chilling journey toward the truth. If you plan to catch the film version, starring Ben Affleck and Peter O'Toole, remember that you'll be experiencing this terrifying story in a dark theater. So bring an arm to grab!
Horror Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Horror Books
Let the Right One In: A Novelby John Ajvide Lindqvist
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Textby Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1982-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Oxford Bookworms S, Stage 4)by Robert Louis Stevenson
Oxford Univ Pr (Sd); Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops:
The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales (Oxford Books of Prose)Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2001-11-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 2003-08-26; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $149.99
![Thinner [UNABRIDGED] Image](/images/Thinner-UNABRIDGED-0140862668-X.jpg){kind=small}
Thinner [UNABRIDGED]by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 1996-09-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
The Crow: Temple of Nightby S P. Somtow
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 1999-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Brains: A Zombie Memoirby Robin Becker
Eos; Published: 2010-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.23
Price in other shops:
The Strain LP: Book One of The Strain Trilogyby Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
HarperLuxe; Published: 2009-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.45
Price in other shops:
Prince of Darknessby Barbara Michaels
HarperTorch; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.60
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Twilight Eyesby Dean Koontz
Berkley Trade; Published: 2010-11-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.04
Price in other shops:
The Bad Placeby Dean Koontz
Berkley; Published: 2004-07-06; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.77
Price in other shops:
Lightningby Dean Koontz
Berkley; Published: 2003-09-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.39
Price in other shops:
From the Corner of His Eyeby Dean Koontz
Bantam; Published: 2001-11-20; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Price in other shops:
Darkfallby Dean Koontz
Berkley; Published: 2007-02-06; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.72
Price in other shops:
The Servants of Twilightby Dean Koontz
Berkley; Published: 2011-08-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.00
Price in other shops:
Sole Survivorby Dean Koontz
Bantam; Published: 2000-04-04; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.26
Price in other shops:
Intensityby Dean Koontz
Bantam; Published: 2000-10-31; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.91
Price in other shops:
Lightningby Dean Koontz
Berkley Trade; Published: 2010-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.72
Price in other shops:
Watchersby Dean Koontz
Berkley Trade; Published: 2008-05-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: