By the Light of the Moon - Something Strange Was Happening to Dylan and Jillian
Written: Jan 05 '03 (Updated Dec 28 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Engrossing book with a unique plot. Likeable characters.
Cons: None for me, but some may find the book too different.
The Bottom Line: By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz was different, but very good. Fans of his books should read it.
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| dragonfire88's Full Review: Dean R. Koontz - By the Light of the Moon Books |
Dean Koontz has been one of my favorite authors for several years now. I have many of his books and I buy his new books as soon as they come out. I love his books. They are a bit strange, so some people won’t like them, but if you like somewhat strange books, his are wonderful. I just finished By the Light of the Moon, his newest book to be published.
By the Light of the Moon was published as a hard back in December of 2002. Koontz’s new books have been released in December for the last several years. I found By the Light of the Moon on a shelf at the front of my local bookstore since it was a new release. His other books are in the fiction section of that bookstore. I have seen them in that section in other bookstores as well.
PLOT
Dylan O’Connor had been taking care of his younger brother Shep for ten years since their mother died. Shep was autistic. Dylan was an artist. The brothers lived in California, in the same house they grew up in, but they traveled to art shows at different times. They were headed to another show in Santa Fe. They stopped for the night at a small motel. Shep stayed in the room while Dylan went to a near by fast food restaurant to pick up their dinner. When Dylan returned to the room, someone came up behind him and knocked him out.
Dylan woke up restrained to a chair in his motel room. She was sitting at the desk working on a puzzle, unaware of what was going on in the room. An old man was also in the room. He talked about his life’s work, how he was a weak man, and how he had done some horrible things in the past. Then he injected Dylan with some substance that he called stuff. It affected different people in different ways and the man said that Dylan was now a carrier. It could change his personality, lower his IQ, or somehow improve his life. The man said that people were after him who wanted to keep his work a secret. They would kill Dylan because he was a carrier. Dylan was told to run.
Jillian Jackson was traveling with her plant Fred. She was a comedian on her way to her next appearance. She stopped at the same motel where Dylan and Shep were staying. She went to the vending machines to get some root beer. She left the door to her room slightly open, and when she returned, there was an older man in the room waiting on her. He used chloroform on her and injected her with something. He was talking to her, but Jillian was very groggy and out of it, so she didn’t catch what he was saying. She was very confused. She slipped in and out of consciousness a few times before she was able to stand and walk without falling. Then she discovered that her car was gone.
Dylan got loose and started packing up their stuff. He had a little bit of trouble getting Shep moving. They met Jillian in the parking lot. Dylan and Jillian figured out that they were victims of the same man, and Dylan told her what the man had told him since she didn’t remember anything. Three black Suburbans arrived and they seemed to be looking for something. Jillian decided to leave with Dylan and Shep since her car was gone. When she returned with her bags, she was having second thoughts. She changed her mind when something exploded near by. As they were leaving, they saw a car on fire with the Suburbans around it. It was Jillian’s car.
The three were on the run. They didn’t know who might be coming after them. Dylan and Jillian started to experience some strange things. Shep seemed to be a little more aware of things at times, which was unusual for him. He also seemed to know something that could be related to what happened to Dylan and Jillian. What did the man inject in Dylan and Jillian? What was happening to them? Who was after them?
I really enjoyed By the Light of the Moon. It was very well written and beautifully descriptive. Koontz’s books are always very detailed. Some people may not like how descriptive the book is, or may find the longer descriptions boring, but I liked them. They made the book come to life to me. The descriptions really helped build the fear and suspense throughout the book. I never knew what would happen next I didn’t want to stop reading once I started. I stayed up very late reading, and I only stopped when I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. I only had about 75 pages left to finish the next day.
The plot of By the Light of the Moon was very unique, even for a Dean Koontz book. His books are usually different and unique, though some of them are similar to some of his other books. There was some very different stuff going on throughout By the Light of the Moon. I didn’t think it was like any of Koontz’s other books, but there were a few minor things that were similar to things from other books. Some people could find the book too strange. Some unbelievable things happen in the book, so you need to keep an open mind to fully enjoy it. Some things that happened could happen - like a man developing something he thought was so important and him wanting to test it on people - but hopefully how he went about the testing or what he actually developed wouldn’t happen.
By the Light of the Moon was a very suspenseful book. I never knew what would happen next. I couldn’t figure out what was going on or how things would be resolved. The suspense kept building throughout the book. Nothing that happened was predictable or boring. Some of the things that happened were scary, but By the Light of the Moon wasn’t as scary as some other Koontz books.
By the Light of the Moon was a long book and a lot of things happened in it. The things I mentioned about the plot all happened before I got to page 100. The events in the book took place over the course of only twenty-four hours. This was not the first time one of Koontz’s books covered a short time span. In fact, most of his books cover a shorter time span of only a few days or weeks. Right now I can only remember a few of his books covered more time. I think most of his books have taken place over a few days, though some have covered much less time. Since so much happened in such a short time in By the Light of the Moon, the book was fast paced, but it didn’t seem rushed to me. The in depth descriptions did slow the pace of the book down at times, but never for long.
There was action throughout By the Light of the Moon. There were some chases and fights. Dylan, Jillian, and Shep ended up in some dangerous situations more than once. I’m not going into specifics about that because I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. There was some violence in different scenes. People were injured or killed in ways that could be upsetting. The violent scenes were descriptive enough that they could offend some readers. I didn’t think the book was that violent, but some people could.
There was some humor in By the Light of the Moon, but it wasn’t a hilarious book. Dylan and Jillian said or did some things that I found funny at times. I thought it was a little funny how Jillian carried on conversations with her plant Fred. Jillian had a sarcastic sense of humor at times. Later in the book she wasn’t as sarcastic, and she and Dylan were sharing jokes. The humor in the book was a bit different, but it did help to ease the tension at times. Several of Koontz’s other books have had touches of humor in them as well. Some people could be annoyed by them, but I wasn’t.
Dylan and Jillian were thrown together by bizarre circumstances. After they met, they spent twenty-four hours constantly together so they got to know each other in a hurry. Dylan was attracted to Jillian when they met. When they stopped to rest, Jillian took the time to primp because she wanted to look nice. There wasn’t any romance in By the Light of the Moon, though the possibility of the relationship between Dylan and Jillian growing into a romantic one was left open.
There were three main characters in By the Light of the Moon. Dylan and Shep were brothers traveling. Jillian joined them on their journey and the three went through a lot together in a short time. Those three characters were very well developed. Since they spent so much time together, they got to know each other in a hurry. The reader also learned a lot about the characters in a short time. Shep was autistic and his behavior and routines were described throughout the book. I have no idea how accurate those aspects of the book were. The book was written in the third person point of view. The thoughts and feelings of Dylan and Jillian were shared. None of the thoughts of the man who injected them was shared, so the reader didn’t get to know too much about him and what was motivating him. There really weren’t any of Shep’s thoughts or feelings shared either, but a lot was learned about him, mainly through Dylan telling Jillian things. The man who injected Dylan and Jillian was only in a few scenes, so he wasn’t that well developed. There were some other characters that showed up briefly in one or two scenes that weren’t developed at all.
CHARACTERS
Dylan O’Connor - He was an artist. He took care of his younger autistic brother. Dylan loved his brother, but he did get frustrated with Shep at times. Sometimes Dylan had to get a bit tough to get his brother to do what was needed, and Dylan felt very guilty after doing that. Dylan had an active imagination at times. He was able to remain calm in bad situations. He was willing to help others. He was a good person.
Shep O’Connor - Dylan’s younger autistic brother. She was twenty. He could do some things for himself, like shower and dress himself. He didn’t interact with other people well. He liked to put puzzles together and it didn’t take him long to put large ones together. He used an egg timer to make sure he was in the shower for only nine minutes. He only liked to eat square shaped food. He did respond to his brother at times, but most of the time, Shep was unaware of what was going on. He responded to Jillian not long after they all met, which was unusual for him.
Jillian Jackson - She was a comedian who was traveling to an appearance. She had a plant named Fred that she talked to like a person. She even used him in her act. She worried about developing the large backside that all the women in her family got. She was sarcastic at times. She would start cracking jokes when she was upset or scared. She didn’t panic. She loved root beer and had to drink some every day. She was very independent and didn’t want to depend on anyone for anything.
I really enjoyed By the Light of the Moon. It was a suspenseful, somewhat scary book. People who like books by Dean Koontz should also like this one. It is definitely worth reading.
Related Reviews
False Memory ~ One Door Away From Heaven ~ Shadowfires ~ The Face ~ Phantoms ~ Odd Thomas ~
Recommended:
Yes
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