I have been a Dean Koontz fan for many many years and I will continue to get excited to read anything he writes. Having said that, I have mixed emotions about this book as it missed the mark for me. There were moments of typical Koontz storytelling that had me gripped in anxious suspense and I was thinking to myself, this is why I love this author. But the story turned a bit too "science fictiony" causing me to lose interest and zone out. The last quarter was just messy for lack of a better term and was missing the lesson in morality usually woven into his stories. Still a big fan and looking forward to the next Koontz creation but I would definitely recommend some of his other works over this one.

I have enjoyed many of Koontz's older titles but this newest title was just not for me. It is deeply immersed with a nightmarish quality. There is evil and madness - a psychopathic serial killer - futuristic horror - end of world - and the supernatural all woven in together. It is a plot driven novel. I lean more to character driven works - Koontz does introduce us to many characters but they were not in depth enough for me. The chapters jump from character to character which was disjointing for me - confusing at times - left wondering how it all meshes together. Koontz does pull all the characters together into a terrifying world. It is creepy and chilling but the story lost me.

I really wanted to like this book because Dean Koontz is a fantastic writer. But this one did not catch my attention. It was a DNF for me. It had a slow start and I really couldn't get into all the different characters' stories. I hope to pick it back up and finish it at some point, but I just wasn't in the mood for it when I tried to read it.

A new Dean Koontz book but it felt a bit old and cripsy.
I enjoy classic Koontz , especially Odd Thomas and the books from the 80's and 90's. But I'm feeling like DK is working really hard to make these new books into something that fall a bit flat.
Again, this book is about a supernatural something coming to take over the world and our MC"s must figure out how to save the world. That's what I got out of it.
The writing is good as always just a bit too lengthy and boring for my liking.


Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest reivew.

Dean Koontz is one of a few authors where I’m not sure if they really have anything new for me. More often than not, I make the decision to go for it and see what he has for me this time. Most of the time I enjoy the story.

The Big Dark Sky follows many familiar tropes; I’m not going to get into them all, you can come across them for yourself. I frequently found myself finding elements from this book or that book, and by no means would I accuse Koontz of plagiarism, similar plotlines, characters, or even atmospheres that can easily be found in the best of books by the top authors. But on some level, he may have phoned it in this time. Let’s be honest, we all have those days where our work is just good enough, and I know that Koontz has a dog to feed.

Now that I’ve established that The Big Dark Sky isn’t Koontz’s best masterpiece, exactly how does it stack up? Well, you could argue that he is one of the best living authors out there. Did I find familiar elements in The Big Dark Sky? Yes. Could they have made me feel comfortable? Absolutely. Did Dean Koontz create something new and entertaining that kept my interest and made me want to know what happened to his characters? You know he did.

This might not be what a lot of authors out there want to hear, but Dean Koontz phoning it in is still a good book. It didn’t blow my mind; I’m not looking for a sequel (or prequel), but I had fun while I was there. My best hope is that his next one is a winner.

*4 Stars

I found the beginning a little confusing as to where this story was heading as some crazy stuff happened to the characters introduced. As it turns out it was all headed to a ranch in the middle if nowhere where something was drawing these people together to destroy them. I love the way Dean Koontz mixes the creepy, the strange, the dark and the humor to create a perfect blend of entertainment.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Big Dark Sky.

I used to be a huge Dean Koontz fan. I read his books voraciously in high school and as an undergrad, but my interest dwindled when his plots and characters began to sound the same.

It's been quite some years since the last time I picked up a Dean Koontz book. I can't remember the title of the last book I read by him.

When I read the premise of The Big Dark Sky, I was intrigued. Maybe it was time to return to one of my favorite authors again.

Or maybe not.

There were parts I liked, such as the concept of synchronicity and how a collective belief can influence events. It's interesting and something worth exploring.

One of the things I loved about Dean Koontz when I was a teenager was his ability to blend real and supernatural elements seamlessly.

There are science-fiction and supernatural aspects here but it's kind of...unbelievable. Almost ridiculous.

I'm still not quite sure what happened.

A super intelligent alien was dumb enough to fall prey to the psychotic and fanatical ramblings of a David Koresh wannabe?

Why were these specific strangers brought together to face the big bad alien?

The writing was good, as always, but the narrative dragged.

Not much happens in 90% of the novel though the book started off strong.

There is a TON of exposition, background information, personal reflections as each character informs the reader about his or her childhood and how they ended up at this point in the plot.

I was not invested in the characters and their journeys and for someone who is a fan of sci-fi and supernatural movies and books like I am, when the Other is revealed, it was a letdown.

This wasn't for me, but some readers may enjoy it.

Storytelling as only Koontz can. This was a solidly enjoyable read - entertaining, suspenseful, and with just the right amount of reality tied in. The implications are pretty spooky!

I really enjoyed this Dean Koontz book! It felt like some of the first ones I read from him. It's creepy, it's got sci-fi in it, and this filled with suspense that kept me on my toes! I would definitely recommend this one for readers who enjoy a mix of thriller and horror!

Another great read from Dean Koontz, who never disappoints. Mixes science fiction and horror so well. Characters that you care about, and a story that is hard to put down. #TheBigDarkSky #NetGalley

Part thriller, part sci-fi, part horror – this book has it all. It was very reminiscent feel to Koontz earlier works. With many twist and turns and characters to keep up with this book will definitely keep you entertained.

I want to thank NetGalley, Dean Koontz and Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Dean Koontz is the king of strange and this one is no exception. I liked the villain, but the aliens and AI were not for me. My husband read this and enjoyed it more than I did as I could not even finish it.

I have so many Dean Koontz books as my all time favorites, I anticipated this one to hold a space on my shelf. Unfortunately The Big Dark Sky didn't hold my attention. I put it down so many times not knowing when I could be able to finish it. Multiple point of views are usually part of stories that I enjoy, being able to see from other perspectives how the story will unfold however with this one I felt things got muddled. The story was slow and if this wasn't an advanced reading copy I would not have finished.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Joanna Carlson known as JoJo was growing up with her parents on their ranch. When tragedy strikes, JoJo goes to live with her aunt. While JoJo lived at home, she befriended a severely challenged boy, Jimmy who could not speak or learn according to the experts. JoJo would read to him from story books. When she first heard him speak one day, it was a raspy voice and only when no one else was around. They became best friends. While living with her aunt, she forgets him and what it was like to ride on the ranch. Nnńm Bhutto Joanna has become an author and lives in her own place. One night she gets a phone call from her dead mother telling her that she needs help. Please come, it’s so dark. She decides it’s a prank call. However she keeps getting that phone call message from various places, more phone calls, dreams plus more. She decides to go home to the ranch even though her parents strictly no loner living. Meanwhile the ranch has been sold to a wealthy man and his family. When they go for a vacation to the ranch, they are so badly scared, they leave as they don’t understand what is happening to them. He hires a private investigator to find out what is going on at the ranch. As the pi starts his investigation, he wonders what he is looking for . When he meets Joanna, he finds out what little she remembers about her life on the ranch and the messages that told her to go there. More people are answering the call to come to come to the ranch. They are all strangers to each with the common goal to reach the ranch. Will they find out why they were called to the ranch? When they do, will they be able to find out what the monster is?

I didn’t give too much detail as I didn’t want to have you guessing the answer. Koontz has written an excellent mysterious story. It is full of suspense. It’s a book that I enjoyed due to the suspense, horror and science fiction and a little bit of romance.
Involved in this mysterious book

Mixed feelings on this one. I usually love mystery thrillers with a supernatural element but this one didn't totally work for me. And the ending felt rushed and unfinished - I wanted more about the supernatural entity. Overall I liked it but didn't love it.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for a free digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Always love a good Dean Koontz book!

While I’m usually a Koontz fan, this one was a miss! Too out there for me with a plot that was just too far fetched, this book was convoluted at best and the more pages read, the more bizarre it got.

I've been a fan of Dean Koontz for years. I have to admit I enjoyed the Jane Hawk books more than the ultra-creepy ones but they're all good.

Koontz's writing style is crisp and speedy. He does a great job with his characters and he makes the reader somehow believe the impossible.

Always entertaining!

Published by Thomas & Mercer on July 19, 2022

Dean Koontz returns to horror fiction (or something close to it) in The Big Dark Sky. It is a welcome change from his Jane Hawk thrillers. Koontz gives himself an amusing plug by having one of the characters rave about Jane Hawk (twice), but Koontz is at his best when his goal is to make the reader afraid to turn out the light after closing the book.

Birth defects left Jimmy Alvarez unable to speak until he was possessed by an entity he identifies as the Thing. Jimmy was the secret friend of Joanna “Jojo” Chase when she was young. She thought it was special that Jimmy only spoke to her. He was kind and gentle and seemed to control animals, plenty of which inhabit the woods in Montana where Jimmy and Joanna lived. As an adult, however, Joanna has forgotten that Jimmy ever existed.

The novel begins with exploding houses and other attempts, sometimes successful, to eliminate people on Xanthus Toller’s death list. The government views those deaths as a national security issue — not surprising, given the way they are accomplished.

Ganesh Patel is part of a group tasked with stopping Toller. Ganesh and Artimis Selene know Jimmy’s Thing as the Other. The Other controls electronics as well as animals, although it has a limited range. It has been watching humans and probing their minds for 4,000 years. It was eventually drawn to the dark philosophy of Asher Optime, a disciple of Toller’s Restoration Movement. The Movement advocates restoring the planet to its natural state by wiping out humankind. Optime is writing a manifesto about the benefits of human extinction. The true purpose of the manifesto is to glorify Optime, but the Other agrees with the Restoration Movement’s goal and might have the power to achieve it.

Koontz serves up a collection of characters who each bring something of value to the story. Joanna’s tragic childhood encased her in an “emotional cocoon.” Through dreams and phone calls, Joanna remembers Jimmy and understands that he is asking for her help. Joanna and Jimmy are easily the novel’s most sympathetic characters, the purest of heart.

Ganesh is a powerful government contractor who has the ear of the president. Artimis is his AI, who was programmed with a female personality matrix to avoid the male drive for conquest and power. The novel’s ending suggests that female personalities can be just as dangerous, albeit in a different way. Maybe Koontz will explore that thought in a sequel.

Wyatt Rider is a private detective. A billionaire who has been acquiring land in Montana hires Wyatt to investigate a phenomenon near his isolated Montana home that he perceives as supernatural. Wyatt enlists the help of a computer specialist named Kenny Deetle. Kenny’s new girlfriend, Leigh Ann Bruce, rides to the rescue with Kenny and Ganesh when Wyatt needs help.

Optime captures people and tenderizes them with terror before killing them to advance his Restoration project. Two of his recent captives are a smart kid named Colson Fielding and a resilient woman named Ophelia Poole. Both play an important role when the characters eventually come together in Montana for a confrontation with Optime and the Other. Resourceful children and smartass women are the kind of likeable characters readers expect from Koontz.

As have other writers, Koontz ties Carl Jung’s theory of collective unconsciousness to quantum mechanics and the notion that reality does not arrive at a fixed state until it is observed. While the notion that people manufacture reality is fascinating, Koontz’s attempt to relate the theory to the plot is awkward.

Physics aside, Koontz is a gifted storyteller. His skillful blend of swift action and sympathetic characterization assures that the reader will never lose focus. None of the padding that impaired the Jane Hawk novels burdens The Big Dark Sky. The story does not depend on the supernatural, but it straddles the line between science fiction and horror as Koontz sprinkles in the kind of chilling scenes that defined his reputation as a horror novelist. While the plot elements are overly familiar, Koontz waves them together in a way that almost makes the novel seem fresh.

RECOMMENDED

An interesting novel that seemed to cover many different genre's and took us on a journey that followed quite a few different people as they navigated the strangeness that had touched their lives in many different ways. Some had experienced an evil that cannot be quantified. Others a strangeness that was impossible to ignore. One woman had spent years of her childhood immersed in a fantasy like world with a boy that could not possibly have done the things he'd done. They find their lives converging as the strangess takes a decided turn towards evil genocide and must be stopped at all costs. This was not by any means my favorite Dean Koontz book but it is definitely worth the read.