Harry Lyon was a rational man, a cop who refused to let his job harden his soul. Then one fateful day, he was forced to shoot a man--and a homeless...
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Jul 12, 2011
Giselle
rated it: 
Yes, Mr. Koontz. The 90s are a crazy time full of crazy goings on and off the wall capers. Arguable there was no "moral fiber" no "law or justice" and the youth were obviously "revolting" (in every sense of the word). Yeah. I got it. Wait 'till you get to the ots...
While I always enjoy a good paranormal horror (and Mr. Koontz's are usually top-notch) this one just had me rolling my eyes. Creepiness came from the rare moments when TickTock (our antagonis More...
While I always enjoy a good paranormal horror (and Mr. Koontz's are usually top-notch) this one just had me rolling my eyes. Creepiness came from the rare moments when TickTock (our antagonis More...
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Mar 01, 2011
Mimi
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Knowing Dean Koontz's reputation, I was excited to read this story. It did not fail to deliver. It was one that I, personally, could not read alone 'in the dark'. It was very descriptive in parts I'd rather not know about, but that's what makes it all the more interesting and frightening.
I was a little bit disappointed by the identity of the "being". I have this feeling a lot when I read Stephen King books as well.
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I was a little bit disappointed by the identity of the "being". I have this feeling a lot when I read Stephen King books as well.
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Feb 28, 2011
Kim
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Classic Dean Koontz novel with all the weird the man can possibly dish up! This was not one of my favorites, only because it was a bit too outlandish for me. And, way too much SCIENCE in the FICTION! His explanations for the weird events the creature/person would cause - too science-y and over my head. I read to be entertained; dare I must actually have to THINK when reading! :) No, really, learning is always good, but - in this case we're talking the physics of space and time. Need I say m
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Nov 19, 2010
Johnny
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Mar 07, 2010
Marna
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I just love Dean Koontz. His imagination knows absolutely no bounds. He's every bit as weird as I am, which is truly a comfort!
He's a lovely wordsmith, his stories flow so beautifully. I love the supernatural element that frequents his books, mainly because that is a very real part of Life, as far as I'm concerned, and he's not afraid to write about it. This story, in particular, handles the supernatural element beautifully, realistically, and crafts a marvelous story out of some More...
He's a lovely wordsmith, his stories flow so beautifully. I love the supernatural element that frequents his books, mainly because that is a very real part of Life, as far as I'm concerned, and he's not afraid to write about it. This story, in particular, handles the supernatural element beautifully, realistically, and crafts a marvelous story out of some More...
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Sep 18, 2010
Susan
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Sometimes life can be as bitter as dragon tears....
This book is good, solid, classic Koontz. It starts with separate stories that quickly intertwine, with the common denominator of a bad guy who seems to appear differently to different people. There are two cops, partners who are trying to stop the bad guy: Connie, a woman who would really like any excuse to shoot someone and who likes chaos, and Harry, who prefers the order side of law and order.
And of course, there i More...
This book is good, solid, classic Koontz. It starts with separate stories that quickly intertwine, with the common denominator of a bad guy who seems to appear differently to different people. There are two cops, partners who are trying to stop the bad guy: Connie, a woman who would really like any excuse to shoot someone and who likes chaos, and Harry, who prefers the order side of law and order.
And of course, there i More...
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Oct 27, 2010
T.
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After years of reading this I still get scared. Sometimes I just really marvel at what's happening inside Koontz's head. It must be interesting and (maybe) terrifying to live there. I've been accused more than once of being anti-Stephen King because I'm such a fangirl of Dean Koontz. Why can't I enjoy their works at the same time? There's enough evil and horror in the world to go around, yeah? Besides, I've observed that Koontz deals more with the human nature and our capacity to control/unleash
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Oct 31, 2011
Kingfan30
rated it:
I used to love a good Koontz, but this is another one that really did not do it for me (am I growing out of his books?). This one felt a bit preachy at times, yes the world is a terrible place sometimes and people do horrible things to other people, but you don't need to list various crimes. I did not really connect with any of the characters and am still undecided as to if the perspective of Woofer the dog was a good thing or a bad thing. There was an attempt of suspense at the end, but it fell
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Jan 31, 2012
Haley
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Haley Lattie
Period: 2
AIM English/ Global Humanities
1-30-12
Dragon Tears Book Review
There are those weird case scenarios in life that you can only imagine would never happen to you. You think that there is only a five percent chance that it could ever happen to you and assume the best, that it is most likely going to turn into someone else’s problem. This I not always the case. Especially in the book, Dragon Tears, by Dean Koontz.
Ther More...
Period: 2
AIM English/ Global Humanities
1-30-12
Dragon Tears Book Review
There are those weird case scenarios in life that you can only imagine would never happen to you. You think that there is only a five percent chance that it could ever happen to you and assume the best, that it is most likely going to turn into someone else’s problem. This I not always the case. Especially in the book, Dragon Tears, by Dean Koontz.
Ther More...
May 19, 2011
Tim
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 09, 2011
Mickey
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I realize that I tend to like Koontz's books when he focuses more on his villians. It's not that I like them. They're brutal and callous, but there is something about them that is real as well. Like Richard III. They have a voice and a specific point of view that most villians lack. You can still see the human-ness in them. The villian in Dragon Tears is gifted with extraordinary psychic abilities, but is still a petulant, petty child.
This book is actually a stand-out in its minor c More...
This book is actually a stand-out in its minor c More...
Apr 10, 2009
Kristin
rated it:
does anyone remember the episode of the twilight zone where the little kid has amazing psychic powers but basically terrorizes the town he lives in because he a kid and no sense of self-control or responsibility? if someone annoys him or doesn't do what he wants the kid will just make them disappear forever for be transformed into a jack-in-the-box or something. anyway, this book reminds me a lot of that story except the antagonist is not quite as young. still, very similar theme.
i l More...
i l More...
Jun 19, 2011
Joe
rated it:
Too many times I hear people complain that an author they are reading needs to stop doing the same thing again and again. Then, I will read reviews where someone tried something new, and too many people complain that they should stick with what they are good at.
I have only read one author so far where almost every story is not only similar, but the same basic storyline with different characters. All authors will have similarities between their books, otherwise we would have no way More...
I have only read one author so far where almost every story is not only similar, but the same basic storyline with different characters. All authors will have similarities between their books, otherwise we would have no way More...
Jan 22, 2010
Dan
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This is the first Koontz book I've read, and given how popular of an author he is I was a bit let down. The story was merely okay, not bad but it didn't really do anything to distinguish itself either. The characters were pretty predictable, and actually my favorite part of this book was the couple of segments where he wrote from the perspective of a dog... I thought that was really well done and it had me pretty well convinced that really IS how a dog would have thought/acted in the situation
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Mar 05, 2010
Patrick
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There was a time when I thought Dean Koontz wrote circles around Stephen King. He wasn’t famous. He had a cult following and he made you feel like you just discovered someone cool. He was the anti-King you could keep to yourself or share with a selected few. Koontz, of course, went the way of all flesh and began cranking them out and repeating himself. Fame? Well, if ‘Family Guy’ rips on you, fame has become your enemy. I haven’t read a Koontz novel since Odd Thomas became a regular character. T
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Mar 12, 2011
Jim
rated it: 
Don't know what it is with Koontz: some of his books such as Watchers and Twilight Eyes were delightful reads; others are truly horrible. Dragon Tears unfortunately falls under the latter category. This is one of the few books I have completed that I actually regretted reading.
He was really prolific during the 80s-90s, seeming to have something new every time I went into a bookstore (which was quite often for me). Maybe, his apparent reluctance to adjust the flow from the firehose More...
He was really prolific during the 80s-90s, seeming to have something new every time I went into a bookstore (which was quite often for me). Maybe, his apparent reluctance to adjust the flow from the firehose More...
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Jun 21, 2011
Arthur
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This is my favorite book by my favorite author .... I keep it next to my bedside all the time even though i've already read it 3 times. My first time I was in high school and still learning to read hardcover books but i enjoyed this one a lot ... i thought the love between the main actress/character and the dog was beautiful and the guy who plays a positive role is like one of my story heroes. The reason i chose this book as my favorite is because its the first hardcover novel that grasped my
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Dec 28, 2010
Alechia
rated it:
I read this book for the first time when I was ten years old, and have probably read it twenty times since. I also had it as a book on tape for many years and listened to it over and over. The story is interesting, especially the parts told from Woofer's perspective, and it's well written. This book is now like a comfy old shoe, and has one of the most interesting opening lines I've ever read: "Tuesday was a fine California day, full of sunshine and promise, until Harry Lyon had to shoot
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Oct 13, 2009
Paul
rated it:
Probably the worst of Koontz's books that I've read. The central concept is interesting, and I liked the Tick-Tock character. The problems are that the plot meanders way too much, and Koontz takes some strange time-outs to moralise about subjects he clearly knows nothing about. For example, a rave sequence where he spouts a lot of debunked "facts" about the effects of ecstasy and decries the morality of drugs just before having Tick-Tock brutally mutilate some of the ravers. It seems h
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Oct 27, 2009
Samuel
rated it:
Between breaks...couldn't wait to get back to this novel to see what happened next. Most engaging. Really enjoyed this one. I did find that I kept having this expectation of the killer doing much worse things than he actually ended up doing...although they were bad enough. Perhaps it was his characterization which was more terrifying...not to mention creeped-out. Only complaint is concerning the dog...there's just no way a canine could be as intelligent as Koontz portrays. (Maybe he should
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Sep 21, 2010
Kechelle
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Dean Koontz introduces the age old theme of chaos verses order in Dragon Tears employing it in his sensible protagonist Harry Lyon a detective for special projects and his chaotic partner Connie Gulliver. Throughout the course of the novel Connie and Harry struggle with each others ways to hunt down a god like madman known to them only as Ticktock.
I’ve read several of Koontz books now and I struggle to be excited by his work. So many of his concepts and plot devices have been used o More...
I’ve read several of Koontz books now and I struggle to be excited by his work. So many of his concepts and plot devices have been used o More...
Mar 19, 2011
Maciek
rated it:
A pair of detectives and three homeless people are stalked by a vargrant, who utters a haunting warning: "Ticktock, ticktock. You'll be dead in sixteen hours...Dead by dawn...Dead by dawn...Dead by dawn..."
Time runs short, and it soon becomes obvious that the vargrant was no ordinary vargrant. Dangers arise everywhere, and the world changes for the five people: they will do anything and try to understand what is going on, a quest which will lead them to the sanctuary of a More...
Time runs short, and it soon becomes obvious that the vargrant was no ordinary vargrant. Dangers arise everywhere, and the world changes for the five people: they will do anything and try to understand what is going on, a quest which will lead them to the sanctuary of a More...
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Sep 25, 2008
Jenn
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This is probably at the bottom of my list of books I've read by Koontz so far. It was fine. There were parts I really enjoyed. And, as per my usual comment after reading Koontz, the characters are likable. The evil-doer is definitely sinister, but I couldn't quite buy into the explanation for his super-natural behaviors (and I am pretty open-minded in this department). I think the book is largely a combination of repetitiveness and not enough information. In other words, a lot of time is s
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Jun 18, 2007
Vanessa
rated it:
This was my first introduction to Dean Koontz. Of course I'd heard of him and realized he had a gazillion books out, but this was the first one I picked up and it mad a good first impression.
For me, the best part of the book was teh description of the rave when "Tick-Tock" stops time. As a writer, I envy the way he captured a scene in which literally, nothing is happening. It's a moment in time and he writes it with such emotion and action, I had to read that section a few More...
For me, the best part of the book was teh description of the rave when "Tick-Tock" stops time. As a writer, I envy the way he captured a scene in which literally, nothing is happening. It's a moment in time and he writes it with such emotion and action, I had to read that section a few More...
Oct 13, 2010
Christine
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Aug 09, 2011
I usually think that Dean Koontz is either superb or really bad, but this novel was somewhere in between. Don't give up if the first half seems far-fetched because it gets better and the confusion of who this antagonist really is does become clear. I have to admit that it is the dog, Woofer, who kept me reading. And, the chapters where Koontz personifies Woofer are classic. There's no doubt that Koontz is a dog lover who really gets into the mind of his dogs.
Oct 02, 2009
Jak
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I found Dragon Tears to be quite enjoyable and, as always with Koontz, well written. I also like the supernatural element of Tick-Tocks power and how he froze the rave.
That said, I’m fed up with Koontz’s love for dogs. I mean seriously, how many times can a mutt be a main character? Here the fed setter side of the plot was just dumb.
Also, I did not enjoy his moralising of the ravers taking nitrous oxide. I want a story not a sermon.
That said, I’m fed up with Koontz’s love for dogs. I mean seriously, how many times can a mutt be a main character? Here the fed setter side of the plot was just dumb.
Also, I did not enjoy his moralising of the ravers taking nitrous oxide. I want a story not a sermon.
Dec 25, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I really wanted to like this book but I found it so hard to get through. The Supernatural element was a bit over-the-top for me and it seemed to take ages for the story to progress because it was full of pointless detail. I liked the concept but maybe my expectations were too high from the beginning. The end was suspenseful but not overly surprising. If the book lost about 100 pages I may have enjoyed it more. I give it 2 and a half stars.
May 09, 2009
Cheryl
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I'll have to say, this is not my favorite gendre. However, if I followed this style, I would say that this was fantastic. This author is worth reading for the beautiful yet bloody style in which he describes events and things.
My favorite part had to do with the voice of the little dog. "Good dog!" "I'm not scared, I'm a dog. Dogs aren't scared, even of cats." Great fun listening to parts of the story from the perspective of the dog!
My favorite part had to do with the voice of the little dog. "Good dog!" "I'm not scared, I'm a dog. Dogs aren't scared, even of cats." Great fun listening to parts of the story from the perspective of the dog!
May 05, 2010
Michelle
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A paranormal/horror bestseller author, Dean Koontz delivers a twisted paranormal story of a cop named Harry Lyon who likes tradition and order. He encounters an enemy named TickTock who terrorize his victims and kill them in a brutal way. It is up to Harry and his partner Connie Gulliver to stop the mad TickTock from terrorizing new victims. With the help of their new found friends, they were able to stop TickTock.
