Synopsis:
In picturesque Moonlight Cove, California, inexplicable deaths occur and spine-tingling terror descends to this “edge of paradise.” Growing numbers of residents harbor a secret so dark it is sure to cost even more lives. Tessa Lockland comes to town to probe her sister’s seemingly unprompted suicide. Independent and clever, she meets up with Sam Booker, an undercover FBI agent sent to Moonlight Cove to discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths. They meet Harry Talbot, a wheelchair-bound veteran, who has seen things from his window that he was not meant to see. Together they begin to understand the depth of evil in Moonlight Cove. Chrissie Foster, a resourceful eleven-year-old, running from her parents who have suddenly changed and in whom darkness dwells, joins them. Together they make a stand against darkness and terror.
Review:
In this brainchild of a novel, werewolves rub elbows with mind-controlled cops, and it’s as camp, bizarre and bloody brilliant as it sounds. I make it no secret that I am an unapologetic Dean Koontz fanatic. For me, he is the epitome of “Big concept,” plots, and I am yet to read a book of his that isn’t bursting at the seams with twists and oozing with suspense, with of course, just the right amount of “What the hell?”
Unlike, say Stephen King, his doorstop novels (this one is 600+ pages) are not padded out with lyrical prose and labyrinthe descriptions, there’s really just that much weird shit going on. Koontz is all killer, no filler, and would be my go-to recommendation for you if you’re looking for a real adventure. Midnight has not quite toppled “The Bad Place,” from its coveted pedestal as my favourite book of all time, however I’m not sure anything ever will, and I can assure you Midnight is a stellar novel in its own right.
Set in the small town (this may be the next step for you if you loved “Phantoms,”) of Moonlight Cove, “Midnight,” centres around a mad scientist of sorts, Thomas Shaddack, and his effort to transform the locals into emotionless, but superior beings. Naturally, as they often do, things go wrong, and many of his victims (who are injected by doctors under the supervision of the corrupt local police force) become violent and blood-thirsty animals. With these monsters, termed “regressives,” by Shaddack, prowling the streets of Moonlight Cove, the death toll sky-rockets, and to avoid detection, Shaddack and his “converted,” must do all they can to cover it up. But people are watching. A disabled veteran, a grieving and suspicious family member, an undercover FBI agent. Unfortunately for them, with the police force’s unusually sophisticated surveillance systems, and half the town at Shaddack’s beck and call, it’s only a question of who will catch them first.
One of my favourite parts about Koontz is that there’s something for everyone. He rather adamantly labels himself as a suspense writer. In my experience, he goes heavy on the horror (hence why you’ll find this review in the fear for all section) but sci-fi, romance and comedy are all expertly worked into the plot too. His characters are equally ambitious, and in this novel, we get acquainted with six of them quite well. Sam Booker is a cynical FBI agent, who following the death of his wife, is struggling to cope with his angsty teenage son, he is sent into Moonlight Cove by the bureau, but will he make it out in one piece? Tessa Capshaw makes documentaries, and is both devastated by and suspicious of her sister Janice’s sudden “suicide,” when she begins poking around, it’s clear something is very off. Harry Talbot is a disabled war veteran, who lives with his dog Moose (yay, dogs) and has nothing better to do than watch over the town through his telescope; what he witnesses will change his life forever. And the aforementioned Thomas Shaddock is the criminal mastermind behind the growing “Master race,” in Moonlight Cove.
The two most interesting perspectives we read from however, are undoubtedly that of brain-washed Chief Loman Watkins, and plucky 11 year old Chrissie Foster. Whilst Foster’s chapters contrast the slowly building suspense of the other characters with the immediate fear and anguish that the horror readers amongst us crave, Loman’s perspective is certainly food for thought. He is ultimately enslaved by Shaddack, and at one point explicitly complains to him that life is meaningless without emotions and pleasure. Whilst trying to hunt down both “regressives,” and the four non-converted protagonists, he ultimately longs to be them. He finds himself stuck between duty and desire, and his character ultimately begs the question: what are we willing to do in the pursuit of our own humanity?
It’s nearly time to wrap up, so here’s what you really need to know. Midnight reads like “The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers,” and “The Island of Dr Moreau,” (a parallel that is actually mentioned in the novel) had a monstrous love-child. As the dust settles, the chaos comes to a stand still, and the final pages are turned, readers are left wondering what it would be like to be human in a world gone mad- as well as where on earth this man gets his ideas from.
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