Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1)
by Dean Koontz, Kevin J. Anderson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dean Koontz, Kevin J. AndersonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-01-25
ISBN: 0553587889
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Bantam
Product features:
- First book in Dean Koontz "Frankenstein" series!
Book Reviews of Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1)
Book Review: Myth and madness
Summary: 4 Stars
With over 40 novels to his credit, many of them bestsellers, there is little disputing that Dean Koontz is one of the world's most successful novelists. However Koontz's career has had its ups and downs. I like to look at his career as a 4-phase wave. The first phase was when Dean was still refining his chops as a novelist with early thrillers such as "Night Chills", "The Vision" and "Funhouse". These novels were highly entertaining, albeit somewhat unsophisticated works of suspense. Phase 2 of his career, which occurred during the 1980's, is the best, with an endless stream of classics, most notably "Phantoms", "Watchers", "Strangers" "Midnight" and
"Lightning". Koontz stayed in top form for nearly a decade and a half before hitting a nose-dive in the later half of the 90's with what I like to consider phase 3 of his career, where his writing started to get soft, melancholic and where Dean was constantly trying to prove to people that "I'm not a horror writer". Novels released during this period such as "From the corner of his eye", "One door away from heaven", and "The Face" while still managing to maintain commercial success were among the worst of his career. Phase 4 is what I like to refer to as the resuscitation of Dean's career, which started with the excellent "Odd Thomas" in 2003, "Velocity", the post-apocalyptic "The Taking" and now his 3-volume reworking of Frankenstein. Yep, Koontz is back at the top of his game and as a lifelong fan of his works I couldn't be any happier.
Koontz's new saga takes place in the city of New Orleans where unbeknownst to the general populace and its authority figures Victor "Frankenstein" Helios has been busy designing and developing a "New Race", a more sophisticated kind that he wants to populate the world with. Helios is certifiably mad of course, and his experiment begins to take an unexpected turn when some of his subjects start to malfunction and rebel against their commands by brutally murdering civilians around the city. Investigating the case are detectives Carson O'Connor and her cynical partner Michael. Once it becomes apparent that the murders are not the mere work of a serial killer but that there are more mysterious forces behind them, they enlist the help of Deucalion, Victor Helios' first creation who has now rebelled against his maker and his kind.
Apparently this novel is co-written by Kevin J. Anderson although it's unclear to me what part he had in writing the novel since this story has Koontz's signature stamp and style all over it. He is finally returning to the type of thriller that elevated his career to new heights, which is the technology run amok theme with a vicious god-complex serial killer and other horrific elements thrown into the mix. The city of New Orleans, with its traditions of voodoo and the macabre, provides the perfect backdrop for what Koontz sets out to achieve.
I found it to be a refreshing idea that this time around it's police detectives, usually portrayed as the most cynical of species in popular fiction, that would believe in a supernatural entity. The female detective is the believer, the male one is the skeptic, kind of like a reversed Mulder & Scully. Once the two finally get over their cynicism, start to believe and go after Helios and his ghouls is when the book gets really interesting.
I must admit to agreeing with the several reviewers who have noted that this feels incomplete and ends abruptly and that's why I am awarding this a 4-*star review. When all is said and done, this series as a whole might merit 5 stars but as a stand-alone novel I can only give this one a 4. It takes too much time
setting up its premise and when it finally picks up steam, the novel ends.
Still, Dean Koontz's Frankenstein is shaping up to be an excellent series. This doesn't feel like a Mary Shelley rehash at all. I'm familiar with her tale yet was consistently surprised with the unexpected turns and directions Koontz went with this story. This definitely feels more like classic Koontz then what Shelley wrote. And with its short chapters (97 in all) it's great reading for commuters and/or those who don't usually have enough time to read fiction.
Summary of Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1)
From the celebrated imagination of Dean Koontz comes a powerful reworking of one of the classic stories of all time. If you think you know the story, you know only half the truth. Get ready for the mystery, the myth, the terror, and the magic of?Dean Koontz's Prodigal Son
Every city has secrets. But none as terrible as this. His name is Deucalion, a tattooed man of mysterious origin, a sleight-of-reality artist who?s traveled the centuries with a secret worse than death. He arrives as a serial killer stalks the streets, a killer who carefully selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself. Detective Carson O?Connor is cool, cynical, and every bit as tough as she looks. Her partner Michael Maddison would back her up all the way to Hell itself?and that just may be where this case ends up. For the no-nonsense O?Connor is suddenly talking about an ages-old conspiracy, a near immortal race of beings, and killers that are more?and less?than human. Soon it will be clear that as crazy as she sounds, the truth is even more ominous. For their quarry isn?t merely a homicidal maniac?but his deranged maker.
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