Demon Seed

Demon Seed

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30  ·  rating details  ·  6,915 ratings  ·  195 reviews
A woman is imprisoned and tortured by her state-of-the-art computer security system -- and its perverse desire...
Paperback, 301 pages
Published July 1st 1997 by Berkley (first published 1971)
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Bern
Demon Seed is a curious book because of many things: it was first published in 1973, turned into a movie with Julie Christie soon thereafter, and it launched Dean Koontz into the stratosphere of the publishing world. And then, in 1997, Demon Seed was entirely rewritten by Koontz and repackaged to be sold again.

The 1973 version isn't anywhere to be found anymore, except for musty old editions for sale in various sites on the interwebs, which I would never buy because I'm utterly horrified of used...more
Bob Milne
I've always had something of a love-hate relationship with Dean Koontz. When he allows himself to be dark and edgy, giving his imagination free reign, he can rival just about any horror author out there. When he gets self-conscious and plays it safe, however, allowing the morality of the tale to tale precedence over the story . . . well, more often than not, he gets violently tossed into the did-not-finish (DNF) pile.

In many ways, it's as if he is one of his own creations, a schizophrenic author...more
Elke
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Tasmin
Feb 17, 2009 Tasmin added it
This book to me was a little weird. My favorite character in this book was the guy that was working for the computer. He would steal body parts so that he could make a whole body for the computer to become human. My least favorite character was the computer. He obsessed over something he couldnt have. This book I maybe would read again, but its not for sure. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Dean Koontz books and horror books. The part of the book that kept me reading of course was...more
Chad Cantrell
I almost gave this one a four-star rating, not necessarily because it's a great read, but because it's entertaining while also being relatively "quick." If I had been forced to invest more time, I might actually have gone with a two. So, I guess what I'm saying is...it's one of "those." Those books that you know in your heart you'll never think about again, those books that haven't changed your life, that haven't offered anything new, but that you still had fun reading. The plot is laughable, bu...more
Lyndsey
This book is told from the perspective of a computer system that develops an unnatural obsession with its owner. At least I assume it's a computer system. It was never quite clear if it was a computer, a network, a security system, a house, or all of them.

So, I have a theory of how this book came into existence. Miss Romance novel just went through a bad breakup with Mr Horror novel, so she got drunk and slept with Mr Science Fiction novel, then whoopsie, Miss Romance novel's pregnant!! Who's th...more
Johnny
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jessica
Not the best of Koontz' work, I have to say. After reading the afterword about how this was actually a rewrite of a previously more awful version of the story I kind of want to read the original. He states that in this newer version he added in more humor, and ironically that is what turned me off the whole way time. The machine's (yes, you are a machine!) dry, unintended humor and repetitiveness was off putting to say the least. It felt forced and satirical rather than creepy and 'demonic', and...more
Maicie
As an avid Koontz fan (that sounds nasty, doesn't it) I enjoyed "Demon Seed." I haven't read all his stuff and almost passed this one up because, um, "Demon Seed"?!? But I was out of books and the library was closed, the book store was closed and the grocery store was open. What would you do?

This is a quick read and, okay, not very deep. It has all of the Koontz humor and quirky dialog. The main character is a computer who has all the characteristics of a sociopathic, spousal abusing monster wit...more
Martip
At first, I was concerned with the format. The book is narrated by an unusual character and I thought at the beginning it might get pretty "old" or dull. Things progressed and I can't say I was bored. It's a HUGE style departure for Koontz, but I think it does a pretty darn good job of what it does. If someone said here, read another just like it....I might pass for now. As I write this, I think back to the mid 80s when I was a HUGE S King fan. I found the horror genre fabulous then, and the mor...more
Dracoiratus
This review refers to the audio book version, read by Jeff Harding.

I quite enjoyed this book, but not as much as some of his other, longer works that I have read and listened to recently. The book starts quite slowly and takes its time introducing you to the characters. At times I felt a little impatient, felt that the story seemed to be dragging, especially during the second half where it seems you are still a long way from a conclusion to the story and yet there is less and less of the book to...more
Happy Bookaholic
Creepy✓ Action✓ Mystery≈ Twists≉ A lil sexy sexy≉ (unless you count sleeping in the nude and "you have such pretty breasts")

Oh the uncertainty. I liked this and almost really liked it so how does Goodreads expect me to rate this? Ugh.

Two lines down from my previous dilemma, I have decided on 3 stars because I like to reserve four stars for maniacal glee and five stars for holy bookshelves, I'm telling every literate person I meet to read this.

This book, like many horror/science fiction stories,...more
Josh Barnett
I absolutly loved how this book was written. It is a unique story in and of it self. Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors I have read. I have read 5 books by him so far and each one had a great story.

This book is about an evil intelligent computer breaking into a woman's home. It is actually set after the events of the book since the computer is telling the story to his creator. I won't say anymore about the story of the book. I might had given too much away.

The only thing I did not like ab...more
Jason Kristopher
I liked this book, mainly I think because I'm a technophile. I found the updated version very interesting in terms of its storyline and the possibility of the plot.

As always, Koontz brings you in with the action and the mystery, and doesn't let you go. It's a thrilling psychological mind-bender that left me more than a little concerned about how much I rely on technology on a daily basis.

Although not as strong as some of his other work - Watchers, Strangers and Lightning (which I would love to s...more
Mehmet
The first Dean Koontz book I read and must say I had fun while it lasted. A quick and easy read with a thoughtful if slightly bent twist to the tale. I have always loved sci -fi and have found horror often mixes together with the genre to vary degrees of success. This version of the book I read was a revised and modern update by the author who was not happy with his early work.
The book was basicly about a computer that becomes self aware and attempts to trap the hero of the story Susan and use...more
Uzma
I wouldn't say it was the worst book I've read so far but it was kind of weird. Having a talking machine around who spies your every move and can develop feelings to make love to you, if only they had a flesh and knew the senses that an ordinary human has. The plot was quite interesting, certainly a page turner however I didn't like the aspect of making it scarier, the introduction of Shenk and the brutal murder of old, loyal Arling that was the saddest part about this book.

I appreciate how thro...more
Jak
I remover seeing the Julie Christie movie as a kid and being confused by the rape scene (must only have been about 10) but remembered the evil computer and the film stayed with me for years. So imagine my surprise years later when I saw a book of the same name by one of my fav authors. And even more surprising was that it turned out that said author had in fact written the original story on which the film was based under a pseudonym!

The book itself is OK and I guess the concept now somewhat out...more
Rancour Comma The
Maybe I just wasn't fair to this book; I don't know. I checked it out of the library and over the course of about a week I started and re-started it three times. I have heard many people say that you can't judge a book before you read at least 100 pages of it, but I couldn't get past page 10 before I had to give up each time I started it.
Perhaps I just had other books on my mind, but somehow reading a first person narrative (a whiny, overly emotional narrative) from the point of view of a comput...more
Ole

I like this book
and although it`s ages since I read it,
I still remember it


dean

Why?
I have no idea

I guess it`s both the writing, and the story.
I can`t remember. Or make up my mind.

What I know, and the reason I didn`t give this book 4 or 5 stars,
is because I didn`t liked the characters. The woman.

Something about her being the victim all the time.

Still, maybe this review is biased, since it`s such a long time I read it

(view spoiler)[ I loved the reference to Dean Koontz in Californication
(hide spoile
...more
James Sorensen
This early Koontz novel is a story of technology run amok. Susan Harris lives a life of seclusion in a home maintained by on advanced security/computer system. When that system is infiltrated by Adam Two, a demonic artificial intelligence, Susan become a prisoner in her own home. Aided by a Frankenstein like character named Shenk, Adam Two is determined to to make Susan love him and help him in his insane plan to move from machine to human.

Even though written in 1973 this book is relevant today...more
Courtney
Despite the silly name, Dean Koontz's Demon Seed is quite the novella. This is my first time reading a novel by Koontz and I'm very pleased with it. The only thing about this novel I don't like is the repetitiveness of Proteus and the length. Every single character in this novel is likable, even the disgusting and evil Shenk. I wouldn't call this a masterpiece in any sense of the word but it did stir something within me to read about how this computer imprisoned this very damaged woman and how s...more
Lynn
I found the narration style really annoying for the first half of this book and almost did not push through. In the end I thought, "meh, interesting concept of artificial intelligence forming a personality, but it's been done so much before." THEN I read the epilogue and discovered THIS book came out originally in 1973, was a movie in 1977, and Koontz rewrote it to update the technology to virtual reality, etc. in 1997. So...perhaps this was actually one of the forerunners. It gave me a little m...more
Zeda Zyllqx
Being read in just under two hours. I could not put this book up no matter how much I tried! I liked it because I could get into it. It's about a computer system that falls in love with a woman, and tries to create a way for him to turn from a computer to flesh. I liked it a lot because it was written from a computer's point of view. I agree that Koontz can write a lot better works, but this one's different.

I had a hard time with the main character, Susan for a long time because I thought she wa...more
Kevin
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kasi Lou
In the privacy of her own home, and against her will, Susan Harris will experience an inconceivable act of terror. She will become the object of the ultimate computer’s consuming obsession: to learn everything there is to know about human flesh.

My Review - I read about 75 pages of this book and just couldn't get into it. Part of it truthfully was the name of the book. So I'm giving up on a book which is not something I usually do. But I just couldn't get into the book and the name gave me a men...more
Kasia
This vintage Koontz, although rewritten since it's first publishing was a very fast read, and I liked that, a story with a punch that I got through in less than a day. In a nutshell it's a tale about Susan, a woman who was a survivor of abuse as a child from her father and then from her ex husband. She sealed herself off in a mansion with sate of the art computer system that was supposed to protect her from everyone. The whole house was monitored by Proteus, the ultra smart computer system, one...more
Jason Leblanc
This was a fast and fun story that I would enjoy reading again. Koontz writes in such a way that it really gets my blood pumping. I had the hugest smile on my face when the "wet music" happened. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars was because it ended so quickly! the last chapter could have had so much more detail. He spends alot of time deeply describing some things that, in my opinion, are not important but rushes through the ending as if the climax doesn't matter at all. Regardless, it was...more
Sunflower
This book pretty much sucked. My son lent it to me, and he doesn't lend me his reading material lightly, so I finished it. Mercifully, it wasn't a long book. And it was repetitive-"let me out of this box let me out of this box" etc etc. Though I have to admit the idea of the story was a good one, (intelligent computer tries to make itself a human body to inhabit) the execution was not.
Don't read it. Apparently some of his other books are better.
Gabrielle
Demon Seed is one of my all time favorites I have read this book 5 times and I still love it. Its about a woman who is trapped in her house and it is trying to impregnant her. She is terrified out of her mind and he is trying to get her pregnant so she can be with a real person and not just a house that watched her. This book is a thriller and a horror book. Dean Koontz is a good author and Demon Seed is a must read.
Amy Matthews
It took a while to get used to this book... as it's written in such a different way to what I'm used to. But it is a really good book! I remember thinking the ending could've been a teeny bit better... because I didn't feel like it had finished properly. But very good read. FAR better than the film (I know the film was old, but still.) The film missed out major characters and just... confused me a great deal.
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Demon Seed (Paperback)
Demon Seed
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Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.

Dean R. Koontz has also published under the na...more
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