The Taking - Dean Koontz

Following on from my recent review of Koontz's THE HUSBAND, I decided to look over reviews of some of his previous novels as I have a tendency to do from time to time. Stumbling across a review of THE TAKING, I remembered that I had read this but had forgotten exactly what it had been about...knowing that his books are, almost without fail, light and easy reads, I decided to pick it up again and refresh my memory.... I am so glad I did!! Though it doesn't bode well that it did not linger longer in my memory, this is by far one of his most ambitious yet also most enjoyable thrillers for quite awhile. Molly wakes up in the middle of the night to a ...  Read the complete review

Upon the town of Black Lake nestling in the mountains of Southern California an unseasonable rain starts to fall. Just above the town in the Sloan family residence Molly Sloan lies awake listening to the snores of her husband Neil. The sudden torrential rain arrives unheralded by any thunder or lightning pouring off the roof, cascading around the house making any further sleep impossible. At 2am Molly gets up intending to work on her latest book but the eerie luminescence of the downpour takes her to look outside where a score of coyotes are sheltering from the rain on the porch, something very unnatural is going on but what can it be? This is the start of a ...  Read the complete review

An unseasonal downpour the like of which the world has never seen wakes Molly and Neil Sloan. Combined with this are an eerie luminescence and a scent that is both pleasant yet foreboding. The tangled news reports of tragedy across the globe coupled with the strange behaviour of the fauna around them leads them to believe the earth is under attack. Retreating to the nearest town of "Black Lake" their suspicions are further aroused by the emerging alien fungus around them and the increasingly disturbing events which unfold. I began reading Dean Koontz's "The Taking" with little in the way of hope. All Koontz's works seem to receive high ...  Read the complete review

I am a big fan of Dean Koontz as I find him easier to read than others of his genre such as Stephen King, and his stories always terrify me! The Taking was no exception. As a quick overview I would say it is a cross between Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and Signs with a twist. This is the first book I have read in a while that has really got to me, I made the mistake of reading it before bed and needless to say, spent a few unsettled nights! THE STORY: Moll & Neil Sloan are awoken in the middle of the night by an unusually heavy rainstorm. On further investigation they realise the intensity is not the only unusual thing ...  Read the complete review

The Taking is a great piece of fiction by Dean Koontz, who is my favourite writer of suspenseful thrillers. The story revolves around the main character, Molly Sloan and her husband Neil. It starts when Molly awakens during the night and, as she is a writer she goes downstairs to work on her manuscript. Her attention turns to coyotes outside on the porch which have come out of the woods nearby. Sensing that they are frightened she steps onto the porch and becomes uneasy because of the strange silvery rain which has an odd scented smell. Her husband and her eventually flee to the nearby town with some of the other residents. ...  Read the complete review