Je n’ai pas pu terminer ma lecture. ( )

A re-read for me as part of a book clearance.
Perfectly plotted with an antagonist worthy of the Resident Evil franchise, the one flaw in this supernatural thriller of the kind Koontz is best known for is its length. I would call it well-written but also over-written. Although there’s nothing wrong with all the information, there’s too much of it. I can’t help feeling trimming a few passages of character background would make for faster pacing. It’s like Koontz including all the details an author needs to know but a reader doesn’t. This didn’t bother me too much as I’m used to reading epic fantasies, but I can imagine some readers finding it a bit of a slog. Plenty will love this, though, for it’s still a tense thriller with some wonderful characters. ( )

Let me start off by saying that I love reading Dean Koontz books and I like what he writes. Plus whenever he comes out with a new book, I almost always buy it, so obviously the guy is doing something right to keep getting me to spend money on his books. Now with that said, his books have a very obvious pattern to them. Set in Orange County, California, a strong female character teams up with not quite as strong male character to battle some villain/foe/monster. Usually the male character appears as less but ends up surprising the female character with some unknown talent: ex-Vietnam vet, expert at killing, black belt in martial arts, ... During the battle/chase/pursuit, the male and female fall in love and together they defeat the villain/foe/monster, sometimes with the help of an outside character, sometimes not. Add some character analysis and insights to the backgrounds of the characters and you've now got a Dean Koontz book. It's a pattern that works well because he still sells his books, but it is also an easy way to sum up some of his books. This book follows that pattern. Characters that I liked: Jerry Peake, DSA agent that wants to be a legend; and Felsen Kiel, otherwise known as The Stone. Like I said before, even though this follows Koontz's pattern, it is still a good book and I would recommend ( )

This wasn't a bad book, took me a bit to get interested, then it moved pretty quickly. I like most of Koontz older books, and this one did not dissapoint. ( )

Despite the bad, Shadowfires is still a great read. With a tangle of characters and a rapidly mutating story, this will be difficult to put down. This book is exciting, with just enough romance, along with a couple of sub-stories that pull you in. Just don't expect an answer to all your questions at the end. Very few are even hinted at.

*Spoiler Alert*
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shadowfires. It was exciting almost the whole way through, from when Eric first disappeared from the morgue to the death of the mutant monster at the end. The main characters not only had to deal with Eric throughout the book, hunting and being hunted by him, but they also had one Anson Sharp from the DSA to avoid as well.

One of the biggest things that kept me reading was wanting to see the progression of Eric's mutation. It disappointed me though, because for the most part, the book remained a little too vague on that aspect for my liking. It would have been nice to have a little bit more detail throughout the book of his physical transformation.

Another was the characters. It seemed to me that most of the characters in this book leaned towards an extreme side of personalities. They were either very bad, or very good. Very loud, or very quiet. Very ethical, or very unethical. Sometimes it's nice to read a book when the characters are all extreme in their personalities, and not trying to seem balanced. It can make for interesting interactions between them. Like Jerry Peake and his insights of his boss Sharp.

One of the biggest let downs for me, in addition to the vagueness on Eric's transformations, was the lack of wrapping up at the end. Sure, Eric was killed and Sharp was killed (the bugger deserved it), and Rachael said yes to Ben, but that didn't exactly answer the rest of the plot. What about Wildcard? What happens with Jerry? Did Reese and Teddy ever get together? I guess stories can't just give away the answers to plot questions at the end. But it would be nice if the answers were hinted at, giving my imagination something to work with. ( )