Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: False Memory by Dean Koontz ISBN: 0-553-58022-1 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 28 November, 2000 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.58 (420 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Not One of Koontz's Best
Comment: Since Dean Koontz satisfies the public's craving for his work by releasing one or two new novels every single year, he's entitled to a below-average clunker once in a while. And this is one of them. I'm a big fan and thought this would turn out to be a classic, because the premise is intriguing. Unfortunately the book doesn't quite deliver.
"False Memory" can't justify its huge length - 751 pages in paperback, which mostly consists of excessive detail about the characters' interior decorating tastes and what they're eating. And few of its characters are believable. This is especially true of Dusty's family of snobbish intellectuals, whose condescension towards the working class is so ornery that it becomes impossible to believe. Even worse is the character of Dr. Mark Ahriman. Early in the book I thought this guy was so evil and loathsome that he truly gave me the creeps, the way a character in a good horror novel should. Unfortunately, his evil ways become so ridiculous through the course of the book that he ceases to be a believable character. In the story we learn that Ahriman has been carrying out an intricate plan to destroy the lives of a select group of people, by subtly hypnotizing several of their friends and loved ones, and slowly altering their personalities. This process has taken him years, leading up to his final victory. Now what is his motive for this intricate plan? By the time we learn his motive towards the end of the book, it is extremely disappointing, and leads to one of the worst conclusions of any Koontz novel. There's no way you could believe that a man could be that evil in pursuit of such a lame goal. Meanwhile the "organization" that Ahriman belongs to seems like an afterthought and makes no real contribution to the plotline.
And have you noticed that almost every Koontz book has a heroic golden retriever? This time it's Dusty and Martie's dog, who as usual is patient, loving, understanding, and has tons of personality. Koontz surely loves this noble breed of dog, and that's nice, but his worship of them is getting ridiculous. At one point in this book, Dusty even calls his dog "fluffy butt". Now what kind of a grown man would say that?
Rating: 5
Summary: Brilliant thriller
Comment: Dean Koontz is a writer of suspense, and this book, False Memory, is unquestionably a remarkable one. It takes us on a terrifying psychological ride through the demented web of an insane psychiatrist, and follows the main characters through the discovery of the villain and their efforts to triumph.
Martie Rhodes is a woman who is happily married and a video game designer. She periodically takes her best friend, Susan, to therapy sessions for her agoraphobia. However, after a visit to Dr. Ahriman, Susan's psychiatrist, Martie finds herself suddenly confronted with a mental disorder herself. At the same time, her husband Dusty accidentally puts his half brother in a strange hypnotic state where he is susceptible to suggestions given. Dusty also realizes that something is wrong with his memory. Chunks of time would go by unnoticed, or the contents of a telephone call would go forgotten. Disturbed, but more afraid for Martie's sudden phobia, they decide to go see Dr. Ahriman, who, unknown to them, is the root of all their problems.
The author uses a third person voice and switches characters to provide the reader with the thoughts of one character in one section, and another character in a later section. Through this method, the reader is constantly aware of who the villain is although Martie and Dusty are not. This method also illustrates to the reader that the doctor has had mental problems from a young age, and to him, tampering with the minds of his patients and implanting false memories is simply a game to amuse himself. This dangerous game of messing with the human psyche brought pleasure to his sick mind from the total control he had over them.
Dean Koontz brings a sparkling personality to each character while mercilessly subjecting them to the maze of memories that never happened. The book explores the highly engrossing and very interesting idea of hypnotism and the perils of it in the hands of the wrong person, and is a definite must-read. False Memory is a classic Koontz thriller that you will not be able to put down. I highly recommend this book to readers new to this author and die-hard fans alike.
Rating: 4
Summary: A DARK, TENSION DRIVEN TALE
Comment: With False Memory Koontz segues into the scary realm of mind control, abandoning for the time being his Moonlight Bay series (Seize The Night and Fear Nothing). Evidently, as his impressive readership will attest, this author can take up whatever he chooses and turn it into a grabber.
Recognized for prodigious research and thorough knowledge of his subject Koontz now tackles a little known but nonetheless crippling disorder - autophobia, the fear of oneself. A high profile young computer games designer, Martie Rhodes, enjoys a rewarding career and a devoted husband, Dusty. Susan, Martie's good friend, is a victim of agoraphobia (fear of open spaces).
For no apparent reason, Martie begins to show signs of mental impairment. First, she is startled by her own shadow, and begins to dread looking in the mirror to see her own face. "She became convinced that an entity in the mirror was gaining substance and power...." Eventually, she sinks to believing that she could harm those she loves. In a parallel scenario, Dusty's brother has also fallen prey to a mental disorder which results in his attempted suicide.
It becomes obvious that these afflictions are not the result of coincidence. Determined to help Martie regain her well being, Dusty takes her to the same psychiatrist who has been treating Susan. Dr. Ahriman, the son of a late Oscar-winning movie director, seems to have his problems, too - he has his dead father's eyes stored in formaldehyde, the jar always close by his side.
But, as Dusty searches for a reason for his wife's mental aberrations, he, too, is stricken.
Koontz, arguably the king of dark, tension driven tales has done it again with False Memory.
- Gail Cooke
 |
Title: From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz ISBN: 0553582747 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 20 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: Sole Survivor by DEAN KOONTZ ISBN: 0553582941 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: Fear Nothing by DEAN KOONTZ ISBN: 0553579754 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: Seize the Night by DEAN KOONTZ ISBN: 0553580191 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: One Door Away from Heaven by Dean Koontz ISBN: 0553582755 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 29 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
