Dean Koontz Book Review

On What is Man and What is Monster

Let me being by saying that Koontz is a flipping genius with this series. His retelling of the classic Frankenstein totally rocked my world when I first read it. My brother got it for me when he was at the store one day – it was right after the first book came out – and he thought I’d like it. Ha! I read the whole book in under a day. I devoured it. I was actually really sad when I finished reading the series.

The books come in a series of three, and if I remember correctly from reading one of the press releases, he first meant it to be a television series or movie or something like that. Anyway, the producers didn’t see eye to eye with him, so he left and took his story with him. And I did a happy dance.

The story turns the classic on its head. It makes the reader question just who is the man and who is the monster.

The first book, Prodigal Son, opens in a Tibetan Monastery. Interesting place for it to start. Here, in the snowy mountain monastery, there lives a creature unlike any other. The goliath of a man has no real name, so he calls himself Deucalion. Deucalion could be handsome save for the hideous scar that mars the side of his face. He is open with the monks to an extent, telling them little of his past. But the monks know he is old – very old. And the monks don’t seem to be frightened by this giant of a man; verily, Nebo, one of the head monks, and Deucalion have a conversation about Cheeze-its. Then, as the conversation winds down, a message arrives from an old-ish friend from the US, and Deucalion must leave. However, before the mysterious leviathan departs, Nebo tattoos the scared side of his face. It will help him blend into society, sort of, but his size will make him stand out without a doubt.

Readers then skip to New Orleans pre-Katrina. There they’re introduced to Det.s Carson O’Connor and her partner Michal Maddison. Readers learn that O’Connor is a tough-as-nails chick who won’t take crap from anyone, and Maddison is a goofball who loves movies but will totally kick some bad-guy butt when the time comes. They’re both the youngest to make Detectives in the city, and many of the other cops resent them for that. The pair is working a case called the Surgeon.

As the story progresses, readers are introduced to Victor Helios, a millionaire in the city who owns several biolabs, Erika, Victor’s wife, who is young and beautiful and seems to have a soup slurping problem, Randal Six – an 18-year-old autistic boy who is really only four months in age and is a “Child of Mercy, Mercy-born and Mercy-raised” – and Harker, a Detective who works on the same squad as O’Connor and Maddison. {Koontz1, 37)

Basically, Deucalion is/was Frankenstein and Helios is the man who created the monster from the parts of dead criminals. And this is where readers may think that they’d have the plot figured out, but no, they don’t.

Frankenstein – the man – has made himself into a monster. He looks no older than his 40s, however he is really over 200-years-old. He sustains himself by electrical coils that snake through his body – and instead of being repulsed by them, he sees the beauty in the scars he inflicted on himself. One day, Frankenstein hopes to transplant his brain into one of his newest creations – the New Race – a race of superhuman people who come in all shapes and sizes and colors, blend in perfectly with society, and function normally until commanded to do otherwise as dictated by Victor.

Deucalion was Victor’s first creation and most crude (by Victor’s current standards). Because of the crudeness of design, Deucalion was able to go against his master’s wishes, for unlike his newest creations, Deucalion wasn’t programmed to obey everything Victor said. But Deucalion wasn’t able to kill Victor – something stopped his hand, something that Victor had installed into him. And because of that inability, Victor stomped Deucalion down, scared him, and thought he killed his first creation.

And yet, Deucalion seems to be more man than monster. Although he was created by bits and parts of killers, he himself doesn’t seem to be one. True, he does have such rage that lives in him, but don’t all free-thinking humans? Deucalion said again and again that the storm that gave him life also gave him something else – something that surpassed humanity and anything Victor could ever give him. It gave Deucalion an understanding of, well, everything.

To put the rest simply and without giving away all the awesome twists and turns, there’s an epic battle that ensues between men and monsters – but who’s who will have readers turned on their heads. Koontz shows his mastery with the modern retelling of the classic Gothic novel.

In front of each of the books, there’re press reviews – of course. And the one that made me smile the most – mostly because it’s such an odd source, and they made it funny – was from Playboy. They said: “If Stephen King is the Rolling Stones of novels, Koontz is the Beatles.” In all, the series topped the New York Times’ Best Sellers List when they each came out – combined, it was over twenty weeks.

Book One: The Prodigal Son : 2005

“Bobby was sort of a geek. But… why would someone cut out his heart?”

Michael shrugged. “Souvenir. Sexual gratification. Dinner.”

Appalled, repelled, Nancy Whistler bolted for a toilet stall.

To Michael, Carson said, “Oh, nice. Real nice.” {91}

Book Two: City of Night: 2005

Victor loathed him. “Perhaps one of my creatures is more pathetic than anything I would have believed I could create.”

Duchaine spoke not to the monster suspended above him, but to one of the cameras and, through its lens, to his maker. “I forgive you, Father. You know not what you do.” {338,340}

Book Three: Dead and Alive: 2009

The pleasure is intense. The word Chameleon knows for the pleasure that comes from killing is orgasm.

Chameleon wants an orgasm. Chameleon wants an orgasm. Chameleon wants an orgasm. {309}

Koontz, Dean. “Frankenstein Book One Prodigal Son” Bantam Dell, New York, New York. Feb. 2005.

Koontz, Dean. “Frankenstein Book Two City of Night” Bantam Dell, New York, New York. Aug. 2005.

Koontz, Dean. “Frankenstein Book Three Dead and Alive” Bantam Dell, New York, New York. 2009.