Product Description

The new thriller from Dean Koontz is a novel of stunning suspense and visceral terror as doomsday dawns. On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain. It has haunted their dreams through the night, and now they find an eerily luminous and silver downpour that drenches their small Californian mountain town. As hours pass they hear news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. An obscuring fog turns once familiar streets into a ghostly labyrinth. By evening, the town has lost all communication with the outside world. First TV and radio go dead, then the Internet and phone lines. The young couple gathers together with some neighbours, sensing a threat they cannot identify or even imagine. The night brings strange noises, and mysterious lights drift among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn but a moody grey-purple twilight prevails. Within the misty gloom the small band will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to the world -- something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency. Epic in scope, searingly intimate and immediate in its perspective, The Taking is a story of a strangely changed and changing world as apocalypse comes to Main Street.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22379 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Customer Reviews

Advance copy! And its great!
I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of 'The Taking' and let me say the Master of suspense has completed his master work! This book defines Koontz as did 'The Stand' for Steven King. There is not much I can say about the plot for I do not want to ruin the surprises, but think acopolypse comes to main street! Buy this Book!
I Also recommended: 'A Tourist in the Yucatan' sharp thriller!

What is it?
I didn't like this book much, mainly because I felt that it had identity problems. I can't decide if it wants to be a book about zombies, an update of 'War of the Worlds'(which is referred too quite regularly), or a sort of lesson to humanity on how to live. Due to the fact that the book is unable to fit a niche, it fails at all of these things.

The ending is awful; it builds and builds to a climax and then everything is stripped away in one action and the world reverts to its original form. By the point this 'pay off' came there was no point in me giving up with the book because I'd got so far through, but I was extremely disappointed and ended up asking, 'is that it?' This climax is succeeded by the little 'twist' that turns the book from something 'innocent' to having strong religious connotations. I can deal with Bible references but this message becomes something akin to preaching and it put me off.

With regards referencing, there were far too many references to T.S Eliot within the novel for my liking. I've no problems with him as a poet, but when each new section of the book (there are at least 8) begins with a quote from Eliot, and several of the characters themselves refer to him it becomes a bit tedious. It leaves me feeling like the author is lacking focus and needs the work of another to direct; basically, I don't feel like they are his own words.

The blurb on the back states that there will be no Hollywood ending to the story, yet it seems too perfect, too contrived, to be anything other than a filmic ending. The intention is didactic, but I didn't feel that it was the right place to preach such a lesson as we see here. I'd give it 2.5 stars, but it's probably only worth the effort to read if you're a huge Koontz fan.

A triffid read
This is the third book I have read by Dean Koontz and I have to say I've been surprised. I expected him to be a schlock-horror scribe, but each book has been different in both storyline and style. This time we get a strong female lead, a short time span, some hellish (or is that heavenly?) creatures and some disturbingly nightmarish scenes. Its derivative of War of The Worlds and Day of the Triffids, but never the less a good read for those who like their doomsday scenario books.