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Of the books in Dean Koontz's output, I confess there are more to my liking than not -- unlike the horror book that I read fairly recently. This opus falls more into the "like" category than it does into the "dislike" column, but I did feel it was lacking in some ways. At the beginning of the novel, Grady Adams and his three year-old Irish wolfhound Merlin are walking in the forest. They walk by a field where, suddenly, they see two white furred creatures playing. Merlin seems more intrigued than fearful of the two animals. When the entities disappear, Grady and Merlin make for home more quickly then they would in normal circumstances, yet they are apparently unafraid. Grady and Merlin watch the two creatures but Grady feels the creatures are studying him even as he studies them. Eventually, he telephones Cammy to ask for her help. Veterinary surgeon Cammy Rivers is astonished on being told that rescued survivors of a puppy mill are apparently cured of trauma after listening to something humans are unable to hear. But then she sees horses also apparently listening to something she cannot hear. Another plot line altogether involves Henry Rouvroy, who has not seen his identical twin brother for many years. They were brought up separately by divorced parents, but are now orphaned. Henry is excited at his imminent reunion with his brother Jim. Once the reunion is accomplished, Henry murders Jim and his wife Nora, and sets about stealing Jim's identity. He has already stolen cash and securities worth many millions and intends enjoying them as Jim. He also intends keeping women in a cellar to satisfy his needs and brutalise. Nice man! Mind, his plans are somewhat changed when the two corpses disappear and Henry begins hearing the voice of his dead twin. Another thread involves Dr Lamar Woolsey, an expert on Chaos Theory, who experiments in Las Vegas casinos but gives away what he wins after proving his hypothesis. He views the furry creatures as a refutation of Darwinian theory. The basic premise of this work is interesting. A new species, presumably, would capture the attention of the authorities (in this instance represented by Homeland Security) which would, naturally enough, want to study the animals even to the extent of killing and dissecting them. Of course, the forces of Good, personified by Grady and Cammy, cannot permit this to happen. I have no quarrel with the characterisations of Grady and Cammy. Henry is just too evil to be possible (I hope.) The other people are not of great significance but keep the tale moving. The book seems to aim for a mixture of horror and science fiction, with a soupçon of fantasy chucked in. As such, it could have made a gripping tale but I found it a bit too slow to be entirely successful.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, December 2009
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