Phantoms (1983)

When Jenny, a doctor, arrives in her small town of about 500 people with her much younger sister Lisa, to whom Jenny is now guardian, the place is still like nothing she’s ever experienced. When they arrive at home, they find her housekeeper on the kitchen floor, dead. The phone is not working, so they head next door to use the neighbour’s phone to call the police, but the neighbours are no where to be found. And no working phone. Jenny and Lisa investigate a bit further to find people either missing or dead.

I really liked this one. A bit creepy to be reading by myself after dark, but isn’t that what horror is for!? The author has a note at the end about the writing of the book, which was also interesting. ( )

Over the years, hundreds of mysterious disappearances have occurred in real-life. Whole villages, towns, or outposts have vanished without a trace or explanation. There's even documentation of large quantities of fish or animals that have evaporated into thin air. There are no real explanations for any of these scary happenings that defy all reason. God's will? The Devil's? Aliens from outer space? In this book, Dean Koontz puts his spin on this phenomenon. When Dr. Jenny Paige and her sister, Lisa, return to the town of Snowfield, they find it abandoned. At least, that's what they think. Then they start discovering bodies. Soon, their worst nightmare comes to life in this spooky—although somewhat predictable—horror story. Phantoms is creepy and will leave you looking over your shoulder when night falls. OMG, what was that noise? ( )

Another reread for me as part of a possible book clearance. Dean Koontz often gets shelved in the Horror category, when his work is more one of supernatural thrillers, some with science fiction or horror sub-genres. This book covers all these in a well blended, often edge of the seat chiller. When death comes to a small town in several bizarre ways, it raises questions about life, various belief systems, and the nature of good and evil. I’m unsure if the sub-story featuring a murderer’s arrest worked for me or was necessary to the overall plot. And the ending also took a little longer to complete than was ideal, but this is a well-written book with an excellent story. One I dither over whether to keep. ( )

Mixed emotions!

I really do have mixed emotions & thoughts about this book. On the one hand I loved it, it was fast paced & didn't want to put it down. On the other hand I found it slow going & struggled to pick it back up.

The only thing I can put this down to is reading too many books at the one time. I shall try a binge re-read of this one at a later date to see if I click with it better. ( )

I really enjoyed this one. It's a good old-style ensemble horror, with none of the repetitive tropes common in Koontz's later work. A good concept and an interesting narrative with strong characters, especially given the large cast. ( )