| Product: |
Night Chills - Dean Koontz |
| Date: |
10/02/03 (639 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Exciting, eminently readable
Disadvantages: Nope
A Little Hardcore Porn
Night Chills differs from most of Koontz?s books in that it contains more violence and some sado-masochistic pornography. First published in 1976 this is one of Koontz?s earlier works and it is likely that at this stage in his career he needed to include the traditional violence and sex of the less highly regarded horror novels in order to obtain a readership base. Now that he is an established writer he can create novels without having to resort to these tactics.
However, Koontz?s high tension and gripping pace is still evident within the novel and makes for a gripping read. This book is not just a horror book but also an erotic novel and a psychological thriller rolled into one. I would be tempted to add that the sado-masochistic rape scenes just add some highly charged sexual thrills to the read, but I won?t for fear of being thought as a sexual pervert. Those of you who are happy to admit that you dip regularly into the works of the Marquis de Sade will find this as an exciting added bonus.
THE PLOT
Ogden Salsbury, a government employed research scientist, Ernst Klinger, an army general and Leonard Dawson, a rich businessman are collaborating in a new venture. They have developed the ultimate mind control technique using subliminal programming to prime subjects to be under their power at the use of a single key phrase.
Before using their techniques to take over the world (the usual villain?s plans) and make obscene amounts of money, they need to a field test to ensure that their methods will work. Black River, a small isolated town is selected for their research and is bombarded with subliminal messages before Salsbury goes to the town to see if it has worked.
Salsbury, although a highly talented scientist, has problems. He cannot restrain his inner animal instincts and as the thrill of power over others goes to his head, he uses it for his own sexual thrills and sadistic tenden
cies.
Unfortunately Mark Annendale, a small boy, sees Salsbury abusing a woman in front of her mind-controlled family. Salsbury orders the father to kill Mark, which his young sister, Rya witnesses. It becomes evident that Rya and her family have not been affected by the subliminal bombardment and Salsbury must kill them if their tests are to proceed unhindered. The Annendales find themselves in a battle of survival and a fight against the evil mind techniques.
SEX AND VIOLENCE
This novel is comparatively short compared with many of Koontz?s rollercoasters! However, within those pages there is more sex and violence than might normally be expected.
When Salsbury arrives at the town one of the first tests he makes is in the local restaurant. When the waitress comes to his table to take his order, he uses the subliminal control phrase to activate her obedience and orders her to go into the kitchen and stab a meat fork through her hand. She does just that and with such force that her hand is pinned to the chopping board beneath.
This act is nothing compared with Salsbury?s later misuses of power as the power resultant from the control he can exercise infects his mind and causes him to take stupid risks in order to satisfy his deeper and more evil instincts.
Salsbury?s sexual domination and physical abuse of women is not entirely gratuitous. Firstly it raises the old age issue of power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely. While this is not overtly discussed in the novel, it does occur to the reader, who may have many a happy hour pondering the truth of this adage.
These acts also raise other questions as to the sanity of Salsbury himself.
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
We are informed that Salsbury was raped and abused by his step-father and mother at the age of eleven.
Did this trauma cause Salsbury?s attitude towards women and mankind to be poisoned? Would his tend
ency towards violence have developed if it had not been for this experience?
Within the novel one of the characters briefly raises the point that even if this is the case does this excuse Salsbury?s actions in adult life?
This all provides great food for thought for the reader. Until what stage can we excuse Salsbury?s behaviour as being a result of his own traumatised and abusive upbringing? How far do we allow him to abuse others and yet still think of him as a tortured innocent? At what point does his behaviour become more than a reflection of the abuse he suffered and when it is he that must be blamed and not his childhood tormentor?
STEREOTYPICAL HORROR
At first glance Koontz has written a standard horror novel. However, like other books of its kind it has not been consigned to the bargain bin in the second-hand bookshops or found unsold and rotting in the corner of charity shops. Koontz?s natural ability shines through even at this early stage of his career.
The seemingly gratuitous sex and violence is nothing of the kind but raises interesting moral questions. These tactics have been utilised at the expense of characterisation. However, the novel flows in such a manner that we, the reader, are more interested in this ethical issues and the corruption of power that is evident in the story than we are in the personalities of our heroes.
The novel does not suffer too much as a result and is still an exciting, nail-biting read as with every Koontz book. However, if he would care to rewrite his early attempt, add a few hundred pages and concentrate on the characters of the heroes as well as the villains, the novel would only benefit and I would have been able to award him an extra star!
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