The House at the End of the World by Dean Koontz
| The House at the End of the World by Dean Koontz | |
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| Category: Thrillers | |
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Reviewer: Kerry King
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| Summary: On an island in a tiny chain of dots on the map, the US Government are clearly up to the kind of things that no good comes from. What are they doing on Ringrock? What are the terrifying howls that Katie hears at night? Has Katie's reclusive life made her thoroughly dispensible? This recent thriller from Dean Koontz is a bleak view of a dystopian humanity that does not feel so impossible after all! | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 416 | Date: July 2023 |
| Publisher: Thomas & Mercer | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1662505034 | |
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When you experience overwhelming tragedy and feel that there is no one on your side, you can either suck it up, saddle up and ride on or you can retreat to your own private fortress on an island that sits snugly in a small chain of tiny dots on the map and live out your days in peace and solitude. That's what Katie thought she was doing when she shut down her old life to start afresh on Jacob's Ladder; and all would have been the aforementioned peace and solitude were it not for the pesky US Government occupying Ringrock, the neighbouring island and perpetrating all manner of mischief in the name of science and quite possibly bringing about the end of all mankind.
Okay, so that sounds a little glib, but we all know by now when the US Government holds its hands up in a Bart Simpson-esque show of innocence, they are anything but. Besides, the guttural howls and shrieks that can be heard across the water, don't exactly make for a cosy bedtime story and we are just a short way into the tale of our heroine, when we discover that somethng unspeakable has escaped the laboratory within the government compound.
When two agents arrive on Jacob's Ladder, they are quite obviously looking for someone and as an eerie stillness settles over Katie's island home, she is more inclined to believe they have arrived in search of someTHING.
I enjoyed reading this tale, though I will be frank and tell you not as much as I wanted to. Koontz writes brilliant dystopian monster-in-the-cupboard horror and this is such a book. Katie's past was a tad vague, but not distractingly so... Koontz kept us on the hook as far as what had actually driven her to retreat from civilisation and it was essentially worth waiting for and was gratifyingly believeable. I found Katie and her sidekick, who appears a short way into the story, 14 year old Libby, to be likeable which is an essential component for me. I get easily distracted by what happens to unlikeable characters along the lines of every disaster serving them right, so Katie, though potentially slightly more capable than your average Commando, still chimed with me.
You do get a tad wrong footed by the misdeeds of the US Government and Koontz's feelings about that... he clearly appears to be very wary of those in charge on that side of the pond (and if you ever read this review Mr K, you blinking well should be! Bravo!) and that political stance does make its way into his writing. That said, there is nothing wrong with a bit of solid opposition to those in charge especially when you have a large following and when governments are making such a pig's ear of things across the planet!
In any case, to summarise, if you like a bit of escaped-terrifying-what-the-hell-is-that, coupled with a supremely capable, unflappable heroine who is not afraid of the big bad wolf or anyone else for that matter, then this is for you, especially if you are already a regular Koontz reader.
There are many other books you could put on the shelf next to this one for a next read including "Watchers", one of Koontz's novels from the 80's, however, I would also recommend Blood Water by Dean Vincent Carter.
We at Bookbag would like to thank the publishers for providing this copy for us to review.
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