Review: The Taking

Koontz' latest novel opens with the end of the world. Molly and Neil Sloan wake up to find torrential rain drenching their small town. They soon discover that the odd climatic conditions are being repeated around the world and as communications are lost, they realise that they are facing an enemy of which no-one has ever seen the like before.

Koontz is known for skilful wordplay and his powerful, evocative manipulation of the English language, producing some amazingly original similes, metaphors and other locutions. However, 'The Taking' is a disappointment. This could be due in part to the fact that it follows 'Odd Thomas', one of Koontz' most successful and well-received novels in recent years. To take a tennis analogy, it is immensely difficult to win consecutive Grand Slams, and Koontz may be finding it tricky to produce successive masterpieces.

He sticks to his trademarks of intelligent dogs and a small group of people against a seemingly unbeatable and indefatigable enemy and a habitual Koontz reader will spot some of his favourite words, such as 'susurration'. Nevertheless, the sparkle and magic that most Koontz novels contain is missing here and at times, his usual flowery prose feels tired, as though he is merely going through the motions and had a deadline to meet. In terms of length, 'The Taking' is just right, but it may be that it was concluded in a hurry.

The ending of the novel raises more questions than it answers. It demonstrates Koontz' new religiosity, which made itself apparent in 'From the Corner of His Eye' and has remained in his work ever since. Nevertheless, the conclusion appears suddenly, with no specific clues in the rest of the narrative as to how it might end, and feels somewhat unconvincing and unexpected.

Someone reading this review might be forgiven for thinking that Koontz has written a 'bad' novel. Not so, in fact. There are many authors out there who would do well to follow Koontz' example and shed the prosaic nature of their writing style. It is simply that in this novel, Koontz fails to live up to the high standards that he has set. With books such as 'From the Corner of His Eye', 'The Face' and 'Odd Thomas', he raised the bar. On this basis, 'The Taking' will not be entering my list of top ten Koontz novels.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: The Taking