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Shattered

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 7,206 ratings · 107 reviews

RUN... OR DIE

The van was in back of them again. Closer this time. There could be no mistake--they were being followed.

RUN... OR DIE

But why? The question kept nagging at Alex and Colin as they left Philadelphia behind and sped toward their new home in San Francisco. Courtney would be waiting for the, ready to begin a wonderful new life with her husband, her brother...

RUN......more

Paperback, 215 pages

Published February 15th 1985 by Berkley (first published 1973)

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Dec 15, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think some people were unnecessarily cruel to this rather early work of Koontz. Surely not his best work (I enjoy his writing style so I rate the majority of his books perhaps more highly than they deserve) and with a distinctly dated feel to it that I could never quite shake. The plot was actually about average for a Koontz novel, however the characters were somewhat less in-depth than usual. Each character did not have their own tortured past they were trying to escape from. The grisly detai...more I think some people were unnecessarily cruel to this rather early work of Koontz. Surely not his best work (I enjoy his writing style so I rate the majority of his books perhaps more highly than they deserve) and with a distinctly dated feel to it that I could never quite shake. The plot was actually about average for a Koontz novel, however the characters were somewhat less in-depth than usual. Each character did not have their own tortured past they were trying to escape from. The grisly details of their past families and lovers are not gone into (with the exception of our madman, of course). That makes the book about a hundred-a hundred and twenty pages shorter than usual. With less time to learn about each and every character the story happens to meander by, this one is quite a bit faster paced than his later books (I got to read it in one sitting, which is how I like my books best so it scored points there). Koontz books, no matter how much I like them, are not God's gift to mankind. They are not the most carefully and thoughtfully rendered piece of art known to man. They are just enjoyable, if you like that kind of thing. As an early Koontz novel, it's obvious that he was not at the top of his game. And the perspective in his later books is a bit different from this one, so it's possible that he changed as a person between Shattered and his more famous books such as Watchers and Hideaway.
Also, while most of his books try to subtly probe and explore different aspects of the human condition (most often religion or a lack thereof), Shattered mostly takes on the topic of "how far does a peaceful man have to be pushed?". It's not deep, or even pretending to be. It's not amazing, even for Koontz. I think the people who would most enjoy the book are either looking for something with a rather speedy pace for a road trip or are a fan of Koontz and want to read most/all of his work. Me, I like his writing style, and found Shattered to be a nice change of pace from some of his others which get to being long, drawn out and more drama than action.
But it is dated, and in some places mildly offensive to how I happen to view the world. And the police characters were enormously stupid, lazy and narrow minded. On the other hand, if they'd been active, intelligent and open minded, the book would have been a lot shorter than it already is so I can't criticize that too very much (though I respect the police in general too much to be completely unaffected. After all, if they were this clueless, they'd never catch any criminals).(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: trashy-novels

Fairly standard fare, but only my second Dean Koontz. Reminded me a bit of the film Hitcher. The formula for a thriller is run through pretty well. Psychotic (or possibly just physically ill) ex-boyfriend. New love in life, new start on the other side of the country, cute child (in this case eleven year old brother), who is very intelligent but "difficult" in an undefined sort of way. Why not get the girl to fly to California and let the lads do a road trip to bond. Then psycho ex-boyfriend can...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Stephen Gallup rated it 2 of 5 stars

As sometimes happens on family vacations, things end up being too chaotic for me to do justice to the books I had packed along. Consequently, I cast about for something that can be read in a distraction-rich environment, and this time I ended up with Shattered.

(The only other time I've read a Dean Koontz novel was under exactly the same conditions.)

This one concerns Doyle, a young man driving cross-country with the 11-year-old brother of the woman he has just married. His bride has flown ahead...more As sometimes happens on family vacations, things end up being too chaotic for me to do justice to the books I had packed along. Consequently, I cast about for something that can be read in a distraction-rich environment, and this time I ended up with Shattered.

(The only other time I've read a Dean Koontz novel was under exactly the same conditions.)

This one concerns Doyle, a young man driving cross-country with the 11-year-old brother of the woman he has just married. His bride has flown ahead to their new home in San Francisco — and it so happens that her deranged former boyfriend George is following them with the idea that he can reclaim her love if he eliminates the competition.

The 11-year-old notices immediately that someone seems to be following them. The situation is a game at first, but things quickly become creepy and then downright scary.

The parts that violated credibility for me were (a) apparently Doyle knows nothing about the crazy ex-boyfriend's existence, (b) he avoids telling his bride what is happening on their nightly phone calls, and (c) he is unaccountably slow in seeking help from the cops.

The law enforcement side is another odd twist, in that the peace officers are concerned only with catching leftist radicals. Because Doyle has long hair, a card in his wallet saying he's a CO, a less-than-manly line of work, a nice car, and is bound for SF, cops in the heartland have no interest in helping him. One says, "I'm not a man you can call a pig one day and then run to for help the next."

I see this book was first published in 1973. When I drove cross-country in 1971, as a longhair, in the company of others like myself, everyone liked to trade tales about the rednecked cops they'd encountered. So I guess this aspect of the story is a relic of those times. Unequal enforcement of the law may still be with us, but today this variation just feels bizarre.

One other element of the story is Doyle's pacifism, the fate of which is what gives the book its title. I don't know. Maybe this is meant only as a slasher story like they used to air on late-night TV, but the business with the cops made me look for an underlying theme. All I came up with was that if the people who ought to ensure our security don't do their job, ordinary folks have to assume the burden — at the cost of the ideals they could enjoy in a better world. Maybe Koontz had that in mind, maybe not.(less)

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Nov 19, 2010 Johnny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If Koontz released "Shattered" today, I don't think anyone would know the difference. I even think many people would prefer it over his new books. Here we have a true high concept story, but with an element of mystery, strangeness, occultness, … which is usually present in many a favorite Koontz novel but sadly enough missing from straightforward thrillers like “Velocity”, “The Husband” and “The Good Guy”.

The premise of this story is once again quite simple: guy and girl marry and move from Penn...more If Koontz released "Shattered" today, I don't think anyone would know the difference. I even think many people would prefer it over his new books. Here we have a true high concept story, but with an element of mystery, strangeness, occultness, … which is usually present in many a favorite Koontz novel but sadly enough missing from straightforward thrillers like “Velocity”, “The Husband” and “The Good Guy”.

The premise of this story is once again quite simple: guy and girl marry and move from Pennsylvania to California. Girl flies ahead to get the new house in order, guy drives the car across the country together with the girl’s 11 year old brother. Guy and brother are then tyrannized by girl’s old suitor along the way.

It’s kinda like Steven Spielberg’s “Duel”, except with two people in the car and an Automover van instead of a truck, and many more scenes at diners and motels.

What makes it so special, is the mental condition of said suitor. This villain suffers from some kind of disorder, presumably a brain tumor, which makes him far more dangerous than your average ex-boyfriend. Aggression, paranoia, hallucinations, amnesia, it’s all there. You almost feel sorry for the guy, because you get this feeling tht him behaving in this violent way isn’t really his conscious fault. He wasn’t born evil, he hasn’t become evil due to a bad childhood or something. If one of his fuses hadn’t blown, if his wiring hadn’t short-circuited, nothing would have happened.

The main character Alex Doyle is your average Koontz hero. A simple guy, no special skills, minding his own business, trying to live his life to the best of his abilities, until he suddenly finds himself in a situation in which he’s forced to act in ways he never imagined were in his range. Compare him to Mitch Rafferty in “The Husband”, Jimmy Tock in “Life Expectancy”, Dusty Rhodes in “False Memory” or Tommy Phan in “Ticktock”.

His comedy sidekick is his young brother in law, Colin, whose presence is good for some great dialogue. But Colin is a lot more: he works as a mirror for Alex and helps him realize that he must stop being a little kid himself and act as a grown up human being.

I think this appeals to many male readers. Once in a while we look in the mirror and are amazed by the amount of wrinkles in the face, the gray in the hair, the weariness in the eyes. Because just below the surface, we all still feel like ten year old kids running around with our toys and playing with our friends.

But which fiction do we follow? The stories that teach us to finally grow up, get over our fears and face the world? Or the stories that tell us to stop thinking all that matters in life is money or a career and make us remember our childhood?
(less)

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Apr 14, 2010 Tee Jay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Dean Koontz fans who want to check out his writing from early in his career.

Shelves: thriller

When I first picked up Dean Koontz’s Shattered, I thought, What the hell, maybe this will be okay. I was not sure what I would be getting. It was a very early Koontz novel, and I could not tell whether or not it would be good when I skimmed the pages in my favourite used book store, Allison the Bookman. It just had one of those cheap 80s thriller covers that once were considered modern, but now look completely dated twenty years later and dog eared. However, I learned long ago never to judge a b...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Greta is Erikasbuddy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Greta is Erikasbuddy by: Megan Riverina Romantics/Meggerfly~TS

Summary:

Alex and Courtney just got married. Courtney is in San Francisco while Alex is in Philadelphia with he 11 year old brother Colin. Courtney is Colin's guardian ever since their parents died. The new family is now moving to California. Since Courtney is getting the house ready and got there early by plane that means Colin and Alex will drive the Thunderbird across country and maybe even bond a bit on the way.

George can't get his mind off of Courtney. Why did she leave him? How could she? A...more

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May 13, 2010 Adam Gibson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was another awesome book from the Master of Menace.
The story follows a 30 year old man named Alex and his son in-law as they travel westward across America whilst being chased by a mysterious man in a Auto-mover Van. Alex tries hard to convince himself that it's just a coincidence that he keeps seeing this van behind them; that he too must just be traveling the same route. As the story unravels though, we find out that it's no coincidence...

This book reminded me of Quentin Tarantino's 'Deat...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Shounak Reza added it

Dean Koontz's well-written suspense/horror novel is a very likeable one. Alex Doyle, a newly-married 30-year-old man, is, along with his 11-year-old brother-in-law Colin, traveling from Philadelphia to their new home in California on a Ford Thunderbird. Doyle's wife, Courtney, had gone to California before them to decorate their new home. Doyle is a reserved person with only a few friends. Colin is studious, intellectual, creative.

It all starts as one of Colin's games. While they start their jou...more Dean Koontz's well-written suspense/horror novel is a very likeable one. Alex Doyle, a newly-married 30-year-old man, is, along with his 11-year-old brother-in-law Colin, traveling from Philadelphia to their new home in California on a Ford Thunderbird. Doyle's wife, Courtney, had gone to California before them to decorate their new home. Doyle is a reserved person with only a few friends. Colin is studious, intellectual, creative.

It all starts as one of Colin's games. While they start their journey, Colin notices a van behind them, and makes up his mind that someone must be following them. Both Colin and Doyle take it lightheartedly at first, but the van doesn't stop moving away from them, and... is it actually following them?

The person driving the van is George Leland, ex-boyfriend of Doyle's wife Courtney. They had broken up some years ago, but now George's plan is to get Courtney back again... to be near her again. But for that, he must remove all the obstacles from his way. AND the obstacles preventing him to get together with Courtney again are Alex and Doyle themselves.

I really liked ''Shattered''. The suspense is built up well, and Koontz is successful in writing a wonderful thriller. Another wonderful thing is, the novel never forgets human emotions. Doyle becomes very attached to Colin because when he was of Colin's age, his personality matched that of Colin. I loved the way how Doyle loves Courtney and Colin, how without these two people, Doyle's life would be meaningless. The parts dealing with the bond between Alex and Colin are extremely sweet.

But I didn't really feel attracted to the parts dealing with George Leland. An unpleasant character he is, and it's more unpleasant to read about him. Dean Koontz is successful in presenting a nasty character like Leland in a nasty way, and the sweet characters like Doyle and Colin, in a sweet way.

I didn't really like the car chase scenes. My least favorite genre is action, and the thing I dislike about action films are the meaningless action scenes without any art. Not that all action films are like that. Anyways, action scenes in ''Shattered'' are well written, but they are lengthy. That's what makes them so irritating.

Detective Ernie Hoval's investigation about who murdered a policeman (who was actually murdered by Leland himself) is brought into no noticeable conclusion, and that's another displeasing thing abut this book.

But the scary scenes are well-written, the sudden shocks are well-presented, and overall, it's a wonderful novel. It is also very touching, especially the character Doyle, whose emotions for Courtney and Colin is sweetest thing in this novel.

Rating:3.5 out of 5

Review by:
Shounak Reza (My blog: http://shounaksbookreviews.blogspot.com/(less)

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Sep 08, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Story-wise, I'm hard-pressed to think of any book that's less ambitious than SHATTERED. The plot is color-by-numbers simple, utterly predictable, and uncomfortably similar to that of the Richard Matheson/Steven Spielberg film, DUEL, which had been released in its first incarnation on TV just a short time before SHATTERED was published. Despite having a schlocky cover done up in true horror style, the book is remarkably tame--almost like the Hallmark Channel version of a horror story. Lots of fam...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

A shorter book by Dean Koontz. I liked this one compared to some of his other books because he did not spend pages and pages on trying to explain a situation or describing a character. Some times there tends to be a rambling affect in some of his books, but not with this one. The plot takes place within a few days time and he wrote it in that way.

Plot: Alpha male goes after a newly wed husband and his young brother in law (almost like a step-son, but he is married to the young boy's sister) as...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Tina Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dean-koontz

Dean Koonz's 'Shattered' is a thriller that starts with obsession that progresses to road range, then to attempts at murder.

Alex and his 11-year-old brother-in-law Colin start bright and early on a cross country trip from Pennsylvania to California. Alex's wife Courtney awaits him and her brother (they are his legal guardians since their parents are dead) in San Francisco, getting their new home ready for their arrival. Pulling out of their old driveway in black Thuderbird, Colin notices a Chev...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Peter West rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

The story to shattered is nothing out of the ordinary, not cunning or fantastic in any way. It's just an ordinary tale like many others. What makes this book good, is the way that an ordinary tale has been told.

Koontz writes in a very natural way. There's no pretentious sentences, no attempt to be smart or brilliant, no corny people or events, he just tells you the story - plain and simple. The characters and story are so down to earth and believable that you don't even have to try to believe i...more

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Mar 05, 2010 Patrick Gibson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-of-it

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...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Graceann rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Koontz fans

Shelves: suspense

SHATTERED was first published in the very early 70s, under a pseudonym. Glimmers of what was to become the Koontz style are present: The ever-ratcheting tension; the taut phrasing. Unfortunately, as others have stated, the book has become terribly dated in the almost 40 years since its publication. The tensions over Vietnam, who fought and who didn't, and the evils of "the establishment" are offered. Those of us who were small during this era will have to take Koontz's word for it.

There are, ho...more

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Feb 12, 2011 wally rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: koontz

published previously under the K.R. Dwyer name...the 2nd of 3 novels under that name...a straight-forward cross-country chase.

remember dual? richard...sheesh, can't think of his last name....also wrote that story that the will smith movie, the charleston heston movie, and one other...(edit*matheson...i think that's spelled right, came to me after i posted, richard matheson...i am legend, the name of the other story of his)

the word count of this one is lower than most from koontz. that's just a g...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Denis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: do-not-own

A run of the mill psycho guy story. The first two thirds is Koontz variation on Matheson's Duel. In this version, the chased is a newly wedded man and his brides younger brother. They are crossing from Philadelphia to San Fran. to meet up with the wife who flew ahead. This was to be bonding time for the both of them. The villainous psycho chaser is the ex-boyfriend. My advice is, if you feel you must read everything Koontz ever wrote, go ahead (this was published in 1973),but rip out the last fe...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Stunatra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not as good as anticipated, but still a solid Koontz novel. It's a fast read and it's early Koontz, copyrighted in 1973, shows that he only got better as time went on.

I think the main flaw of this novel is that we know too much about the antagonist too soon, which takes some of the suspense and mystery away. If Koontz had taken this novel and re-wrote it, say, 10-15 years ago, like he did with several other of his early novels, I'm sure he could have turned it into a 5-star effort.

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Oct 19, 2011 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Never really picks up and grabs you. It's easy enough to just breeze along with it and kill 200 pages of time, but I also could have stopped reading at any point and never wondered what happened to Doyle and Alex.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while some books are top-notch thrillers that grab you, this one is a Lifetime movie, minus the strong female protagonist.

Also the end went by WAY too fast. No build up, no red herrings, nothing. Just wham, bam, thank you, Dean.

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Jan 29, 2011 Cristina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shattered was an intriguing book. I wish i could've heard more about the mad axeman's condition: I really wanted to know what the summary meant by saying that his "brain was rotting." Besides that, the ending was kind of unsatisfactory. After a while, it annoys me how so many books end in a sort of cliffhanger. There are far too many coincidences in this book, too, and it doesn't deal with any sort of mysticism. One star for Koontz's great writing style, though.

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Apr 29, 2013 Lara Ballard rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: thrill seekers, cliche horror novel lovers

Recommended to Lara by: my gramma

"It was ok."
Which is a good way to describe it. I'm not one who usually likes scary, thriller novels, but my grandma said this one would freak me out.
It really didn't.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, it was too predictable.
I knew the ending before it even ended.
I also don't like the way it ended. It was too cliche.

If you enjoy spooky tales that you can read before you go to work, or have to wait for something, it's pretty good. Otherwise, it was okay.

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Aug 02, 2012 Heather Muzik rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this book. I read it several years ago now, but having just had a "Shattered" moment on the road today, I felt it was about time to add it to my list. Of course my follower turned off the road eventually rather than going on a murderous rampage.... Gotta love a good story that inserts a psychopath into the usual fears of an overactive imagination (am I being followed?) and blends it on high. Satisfying.

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Jul 16, 2012 Suby rated it 5 of 5 stars

What all can happen when you decide to do a cross country drive from Philadelphia to San Francisco?
If a mentally unbalanced person with intent to murder picks up your trail and starts tailing you - how much more adventurous the drive would become?
These are the questions that Koontz answers in this book. A truly revealing story based on the workings of the human mind.

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Aug 01, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dean Koontz one of my all time favorite authors. This novel written in 1973 ('85) is one I've read before but had forgotten most of it so I gave it another go. Critics say his earlier writings are much better than those of late. I don't agree. Found this book to be very entertaining...A cross country trip with a crazy man stalking a young man and a boy...chilling tale..

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Sep 02, 2011 Matthew Leeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 10, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to LOVE this book but it was just ok. Not the kind I was to spend all day reading. It was not predictable but also didn't keep me in suspense. The main character was interesting, albeit somewhat naive. Mystery for sure. My mom loved it but didn't have enough to capture my interest so intently. Could have been shorter.

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Nov 12, 2010 Bandit rated it 3 of 5 stars

Early Koontz is almost solely responsible for my horror obsession. Before I found out about all the other amazing writers now gracing (weighing down to the point of bowing) my bookshelves, I read Koontz. His writing has gotten softer with age and his books now keep piling up in my TBR list, but I am a loyal fan and the man can write.

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Jun 24, 2011 Steven Slavick rated it 3 of 5 stars

There was good suspense in this novel, but the characters were two-dimensional. The story, while not great, was a quick read. Similar to The Face of Fear in that it could have been better, but its better than many other novels out there, so at least you know what you get from an early Koontz novel.

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Dec 22, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

After reading some of Koontz's later books, it's interesting to go back and read something he wrote almost 30 years ago. I was impressed that his character development was that good back then and has managed to still get better. I enjoyed this quick read for the antagonist's pure evil and the writer's ability to put that on paper.

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Dec 03, 2011 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dean-koontz

Published in 1973, it mentions at one part in the story that Courtney will be making good money, $8500 a year! I just had to laugh at how different things are today. Overall, a decent fast-paced little read. Koontz has better, but then he also has worse.

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Aug 12, 2010 Derek rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a fairly generic suspense novel about a man and his step-son on a cross-country trip. Not a lot of shocks, but fairly suspenseful at times. It was probably pretty effective when it was written in 1973, but it hasn't aged particularly well.

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About Dean Koontz

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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