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Innocence (Innocence #1)

by Dean Koontz (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating Details · 17,845 Ratings · 2,108 Reviews

He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny—has brought them together in a wo ...more

Hardcover, 338 pages

Published December 10th 2013 by Bantam (first published 2013)

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Lists with This Book

2014's Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers

290 books — 677 voters

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

2013 NY Times Best-Sellers - Fiction

147 books — 624 voters

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Community Reviews

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Dec 13, 2013 Alejandro rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, religion, romance, paranormal, politics, novel

This novel was of those cases where you begin to read it and you are sure at that early point that you will give it a 5-star rating, then the story was still in the first part and there were some moments not very entertaining and then you know that you are enjoying the reading but the book will get a 4-star rating as best, but certainly not less than that, and bam! in the final "laps" of the run, in the third part, you don't understand why such a simple and enjoyable story gets so complicated an ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Evie rated it it was amazing

What started off as a lyrical story of a boy rejected and tormented by the society, ended up in a completely mind-blowing way. Koontz took his already skilled, captivating and meaningful prose to a whole new level of *what-the-f**k-have-I-just-read*. This book is not what it initially seems to be. It's so much more than that. It's different from his previous novels - and, boy, you won't believe just HOW different it is! I know it will stay with me for a very long time and I will probably never b ...more

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Jan 03, 2014 Maciek rated it it was ok

Shelves: thriller-mystery-suspense, reviewed, read-in-2014

Dean Koontz's latest novel is a little better than most of his recent works, but is still not a good book. I read it because my curiosity got better of me - the book actually got good reviews, and for the first time in years more people on Amazon gave it a positive rating rather than the negative - so I had to see for myself.

All of Koontz's novels are stories of the ancient conflict of good versus evil, and it seems to me that the closer he gets to knocking on heaven's door the more he's into sp Dean Koontz's latest novel is a little better than most of his recent works, but is still not a good book. I read it because my curiosity got better of me - the book actually got good reviews, and for the first time in years more people on Amazon gave it a positive rating rather than the negative - so I had to see for myself.

All of Koontz's novels are stories of the ancient conflict of good versus evil, and it seems to me that the closer he gets to knocking on heaven's door the more he's into spirituality and all that wacky stuff (I guess decades of living in southern California also play their part). It's no different with Innocence, which is essentially a fable presented as a suspense novel - it's a retelling of the Beauty of the Beast, which gets name dropped in the text, and one so dependent on flashbacks that nothing really happens throughout the whole text with its pacing of a glacier. This thing is slow.

Addison Goodheart (I'm not kidding, that's the name of the main character) - is a person so deformed that whoever sees him has an instant urge to hurt and batter him, to the point of murder. Exiled from his home by his own mother who could not stand the sight of him, he was adopted by a man who had the same condition - and who was killed in front of his eyes because of the way he looks. To survive, Addison spends his days in an abandoned bomb shelter in an unnamed city and only ventures out at night - to steal some food to restock his supplies, and sneak into the local library to read at night. One day he discovers that he's not alone there, and fate (with a little help of Dean Koontz) throws him with Gwyneth, a young goth girl who's in great danger - she's pursued by a man who killed her father (fathers don't make it far in this book), and who's a stock Koontz villain - a despicable man with rape fantasies (these things get old after a while too). Addison falls in love with Gwyneth on the spot, and vows to give her all the help he can, while he's not busy being worried about the situation in the Middle East (for someone living in a bomb shelter the main protagonist sure reflects a lot of what are probably Dean Koontz's personal beliefts - but I'm not saying anything).

Innocence is almost a textbook example of how not to write a suspense novel - the language is obviously carefully polished - but to the point of sounding artificial and fake. All of Dean Koontz's characters sound like Dean Koontz and his ideas about how characters like that should sound - there's little to Distinguish Addison from Odd Thomas, Koontz's most popular creation, and the female character is obviously modeled after his beloved wife Gerda (which I think is very sweet, but doesn't make for good writing nonetheless). Despite these flaws, Koontz does manage to set up a certain mood in the opening chapters - only to destroy it with the bad puns he just cannot resist (when a book falls down Addison remarks that someone must be using the weapon of knowledge in an unconventional fashion. ARGGGH). Koontz also constantly holds the reader's hand to make sure that they don't miss anything - he openly names the story of the Beauty and the Beast so that the reader doesn't miss the analogy, and when Gwyneth is being harsh to a character he actually explains that the tone of her voice means that she's being harsh to that character. It's as if he not only didn't trust his readers to not understand the simplest metaphors and analogies that he uses but also didn't trust his own characters to say what he told them to say.

Perhaps the novel's worst offense is its unrepentant use of flashbacks, which do really take away any small spark that this story might otherwise have ignited and instead from making the reader want to race to its end make him feel as if he's stuck in some kind of a literary bog. The whole novel is narrated in the first person, which is especially bad as it single-handedly breaks the narrative flow and jumps between one uninteresting event and another. Instead of tracing the characters' journey in real time, their stories are dependent entirely on the flashback that Addison narrates, which take up whole chapters - however short they might be. The flashbacks begin with a moment of textbook dramatism ("on a night of heavy snow...") and end with an obligatory cliffhanger, while another story slowly takes shape in the main chapters. For a novel which has so many chapters, not much really happens - I can think of only a few events which somehow took hundreds of pages to take place. It's all stretched beyond dimensions and feels boring and slow.

The book ends totally out of the left field, and not in a good way - the ending is a surprise but then it shouldn't be considering most of Koontz's recent novels (at least these published since the early 00's), which made me wonder if he's secretly gearing up to write a couple more volumes for the Left Behind franchise, which is one series I'm glad to have missed out on. It might be unexpected but not in a good way - certainly not for me.

The whole book feels incomplete, as it lacked a sense of purpose or clear direction, and was more of a bunch of ideas sewn together rather than a work which came out of inspiration and subsequent careful thought. It's readable but that's about the best I can say about it - I won't recommend it and can safely say that no reader will miss anything if they won't read it, and if they're curious about Koontz they'd do much better to read his earlier novels. They're cheesy but fun, in a way the 80's tv movies were. Innocence is a bit cheesy but no fun, and mostly it's unremarkable and forgettable rather quickly.

On the other hand, here's a really nice clip with Dean Koontz talking about his experiences with reading books as a young boy, and how his passion got him where he is now. I might not like most of his new books and not like much about his old ones, but there's no question that he has worked really hard for his success and seems like a genuinely nice and sweet guy, and one that I'd like to have dinner and conversation with (even if his books do make him come out as a paranoid recluse who has kind of lost touch with the world outside). If I only liked his books more... ...more

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Oct 17, 2013 Melissa ♥ Dog Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it

Shelves: own

www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com

I don't know how I feel about this book. I liked it, I love so many of Koontz books, but I don't know. Sometimes I think it's because I'm tired or in some kind of mood that a book doesn't hit me the right way. Or maybe I just liked it okay and there is no other reason, but you, the reader of this review.. why should you care? Read what you want and decide for yourself :)

This book is sorta like Beauty & the Beast.

But it's not like Addison (beast) goes out ...more

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Dec 18, 2013 Tom Tabasco rated it did not like it

I really don't mean any disrespect to the author or his readers, but I genuinely wonder how in the world anybody could call this a good novel, when it reads as if it was written by a 13 year old. No, the prose is excellent - i'm talking about the content.

This is nothing more than a young adult novel, or, even worse, the novelization of a manga comic book, even though I hope today's teenagers are fed with something better than this shallow, lazy and unimaginative stuff.

However, if you have a tas ...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Dustin Crazy little brown owl rated it liked it

Recommends it for: J.S. Bailey

Shelves: religion-or-lack-thereof, dogs, first-reads, arc, read-in-2013, fall-2013

I absolutely loved this story until chapter 73 (approximately the final 35 pages) :-( From then on it was a disappointing disaster. Wow!

Until Chapter 73, these are my thoughts as I was reading Innocence: Amazing, Beautiful, Sweet, Delightful. A story of Love, Friendship, Trust, Destiny, Time and the Magic of Life. In chapter 73, information is given to the reader about the two main characters and at that point it was make it or break it for me. I saw that Dean would either blast off into a rocke ...more

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Jan 03, 2014 Carbunkle Flux rated it did not like it

I remember reading Ticktock by Dean Koontz and being surprised at how clever, creative and simultaneously intense it was. So naturally, I gravitated towards this book when I read the description. It sounded interesting! I mean, a man who can't be seen and a woman who can't be touched finding each other and escaping bad guys? Sure, why not.

Innocence, in actuality, is a simultaneously entrancing and frustrating book.

At first, I was intrigued by Addison Goodheart, the book's main character. He was I remember reading Ticktock by Dean Koontz and being surprised at how clever, creative and simultaneously intense it was. So naturally, I gravitated towards this book when I read the description. It sounded interesting! I mean, a man who can't be seen and a woman who can't be touched finding each other and escaping bad guys? Sure, why not.

Innocence, in actuality, is a simultaneously entrancing and frustrating book.

At first, I was intrigued by Addison Goodheart, the book's main character. He was born with some vague deformity so grotesque that the midwife actually tried to smother him out of horror and his mother, who at first defended him, nearly tried to murder him herself no less than five times. Something about his face- specifically his eyes- inspires people to violence.

Then there's Gwyneth. Gwyneth is Addison's love interest; a woman with a crippling social phobia where she cannot tolerate being seen or touched except by very specific people. Addison happens to fall into that specific because his own eccentricity (where he refuses to let anyone see his face) intrigues her.

There are unfortunately problems with both of these characters and the very core of this book's plot. It's hard to elaborate because every one of this book's issues is so entrenched with all the other issues it has that I can't find a good starting spot.

Oh, I know! I'll start the plot flow.

This book flows like a roller coaster that grinds to a screeching halt every 10 seconds. One chapter, we're advancing the plot! Then Addison flashes back ten years so we can learn more about his amazing adoptive father for a chapter. Then a chapter of minimal plot advancement. Then a flashback for Addison to grieve about his mother. It got so ridiculous towards the middle of the book that it took Addison and Gwyneth literally a third of the book to finish an awkward romantic dinner in her apartment. Even worse, this dinner didn't even move the plot forward. It was all exposition!

This book is almost all exposition! Nobody bothers to drive it forward at anything but a snail's pace until the very end. Major plot points are revealed by Addison and Gwyneth talking about them. Addison himself is so frustratingly passive that he could have been written out of the story and only the ending would change. Gwyneth is so frustratingly secretive that all the major plot details have to be revealed at the very end. This is not a good combination for a healthy book flow.

And then there's the plot itself. It doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a story about a girl trying to incriminate her father's murderer? Is it a story about a girl being chased by the spirit of a crazed murderer who possesses marionettes? Is it a story about a girl who is protecting a comatose child from evil? (notice how none of these subplots seem to involve Addison) Or perhaps it's a biblical apocalypse story? ...

The book jumps from subplot to subplot and then Addison's tormented past and never dwells on any of it for long. It ultimately develops nothing to satisfaction. The big climax is awkward and lackluster and the way everything tied together in the end was so bizarre that I needed time to properly comprehend what just happened and how I felt about it.

I think I ultimately decided that it was a terrible book. ...more

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Mar 22, 2014 Susan May rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2014

Long-winded pointless descriptions, especially toward the end seem to be written by someone studying creative writing & not a bestseller whose sold 450 million books.

A plot that doesn't know what story it wants to tell, a lack of any suspense or good character development are just some of the reasons this book is a bore.

I've had enough of Koontz's religious overtones & increasingly bloated style. He used to be a great genre writer but something has gone wrong in the past decade with him ...more

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Dec 14, 2013 Monnie rated it it was amazing

Eloquent. Thought-provoking. Simple. Complex. How do I love thee? Those are just some of the ways. Without doubt, this is one of the best, most beautiful books I've ever read. I couldn't wait for it to end, yet I kept clinging to the hope that it wouldn't.

To be sure, it's a story of good versus evil; it's full of fantasy, mysticism, hope and love interspersed with plenty of thrills and chills. It's Romeo and Juliet against the world, though not necessarily the world as we know it - but then agai ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Max rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, very-top-picks

Beyond brilliant, possibly the best fiction I have ever read. Fantastic twist - don't read any spoilers, just let the story unfurl as told by the author. I am blown away by the quality of the writing and the story line. It's just perfect!

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Jun 03, 2013 J.S. Bailey rated it really liked it

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

(A more coherent review will come later after I have pondered the touching eerieness of this novel.)

Okay, I'm back!

First of all, many thanks to Crazy Dustin for his part in helping me obtain this ARC. And thanks to Random House for sending out the ARCs, and thanks to Dean Koontz himself for writing this story and even signing it.

[Clears throat]

To begin, Innocence reminds me of Koontz's Odd Thomas and Chris Snow books because it is told in the first-person from the point of ...more

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May 04, 2013 Tracy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, own-it, tracy-s-200-in-2013

O.M.G. Has Koontz gone modern? Is he dabbing in the apocalyptic world? Could he be starting something new? I absolutely LOVED this book! My head is reeling so I will have to come back for the review. Need to sort some things out.

Addison is a creature of the night living in the bowels of the city with no companionship or even the thought of ever having anyone to converse with much less be drawn to until the night in the library when he sees Gwyneth. She quickly becomes his confidant and friend. G ...more

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Dec 14, 2013 Deborah rated it did not like it

I was sorely disappointed with this book. It's been obvious to me that Mr. Koontz was gearing up to write a book involving biblical lore and I really wish he hadn't gone there. I'm in mourning today for one of my favorite authors. :(

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Oct 16, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Well again I find myself in the minority about a given book. This book will be hard to review in any detail without spoilers. I'll try and then maybe put a few remarks in under a spoiler tag.

First I vacillated a little here between 4 and 5 stars and finally went with my old rule that "it's a 5 star read to me". In the end our judgements about most anything will be at least somewhat subjective. Movies, music, TV shows, food, drinks...pets and books will be "our judgements"

Well at least I hope the Well again I find myself in the minority about a given book. This book will be hard to review in any detail without spoilers. I'll try and then maybe put a few remarks in under a spoiler tag.

First I vacillated a little here between 4 and 5 stars and finally went with my old rule that "it's a 5 star read to me". In the end our judgements about most anything will be at least somewhat subjective. Movies, music, TV shows, food, drinks...pets and books will be "our judgements"

Well at least I hope they are, at least if we think for ourselves they are.

So anyway, what can I say about this book? There has been a lot said and written about the "periods" in DK's writing. I personally like many of the "new period" books. If I try to give you another of DK's books that has some of the same feel of this one it would probably be The Taking.

The book also (while not as "good") puts me in mind of C.S,Lewis' Perelandra, part of his Science Fiction Trilogy.

Look being careful not to reveal plot, story line or anything about characters I'll say this. Yes Mr. Koontz's faith does come through here in a way. It's not in detail and at best you'll only be able to make a guess at what he himself actually believes and the book doesn't follow Christian theology in many ways. But if you're an atheist you'll probably not get into it. Of course I could be wrong there as I read many books with an atheistic point of view and like many. I also read books from other religious points of view...none of that somehow forces me into some belief system against my will so....

There are certain questions dealt with here that are answered in a way that handles objections that are often brought up in the face of faith and they're done in a way that tells a good and interesting story.

If the book has a flaw I thought possibly the early part of the book introing our male protagonist may have been dragged out a little but I stayed interested and involved in the character's story so...not a big issue. For you who are concerned about it the book's semi-religious nature doesn't show up until you get to the climax and it isn't (at least I didn't think it was) heavy handed.

So without spoilers I like this book and think it makes it just over the line from 4 stars into 5. I recommend it...know going in that there is a theistic viewpoint in the book.

(view spoiler)
...more

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Oct 19, 2013 LaDonna rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaways

To get the technical stuff out of the way, I won a free ARC through the GoodReads First Reads giveaways.

Many years ago I read everything Koontz had written, but fell away from reading the horror genre in general well over a decade ago. I remember that I had always liked his writing style for the genre, but again, it has been a long time since I've picked up anything by him. When I read the synopsis in the giveaways I decided to enter to win it as it sounded like an unusual read.

An unusual read i To get the technical stuff out of the way, I won a free ARC through the GoodReads First Reads giveaways.

Many years ago I read everything Koontz had written, but fell away from reading the horror genre in general well over a decade ago. I remember that I had always liked his writing style for the genre, but again, it has been a long time since I've picked up anything by him. When I read the synopsis in the giveaways I decided to enter to win it as it sounded like an unusual read.

An unusual read it certainly was. I have never read anything remotely like it, and I have to say this is a good thing. I can't seem to find a good way to sum the book, or my feelings about it up. Until 3/4 of the way through I can't imagine what possibly could be wrong with the narrator and his "father" that they would bring out so much hate in the human race, and when I did find out I was even more astounded...and it may have changed my outlook on humanity. Sounds melodramatic, but this is a story that will certainly make you think about the world we live in and the creatures which inhabit it - and about what kind of end we are headed toward.

Definitely a poetically written book, and I was mildly surprised by the number of words in the book that I was not familiar with. I consider myself to have a pretty vast vocabulary, and consider my husband my equal in this area, but there was quite a list of words we were not familiar with. For geeks like us, this is a good thing.

Bonus points for making marionettes even creepier than I have always thought them to be. Not a small feat. I know most people find clowns make their skin crawl, and while I can't say I've ever been particularly fond of clowns, marionettes have always made them look like teddy bears in comparison. Koontz' portrayal of the ones in this book remind us of his background in the horror genre.

I can't really put my finger on what exactly drew me to this book, as it is not really something in retrospect I could see myself picking out, but I am glad that it did. As voracious a reader as I am, it is not often that a book really creeps into my soul the way this one did, and certainly rare for one to leave me pondering the state of the universe the way this one has.

Though I realize this is a new direction for this "old" author, I am feeling inclined to revisit the entire body of his work after this read. I will certainly be looking forward to what comes after this. ...more

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Oct 08, 2015 Diamond Cowboy rated it it was amazing

Dean Koontz is an amazing writer in my opinion. This book was about the end times and the ones who make it through the final count down.
The charictor development was incredible and the story line was riveting.
I recommend this book to all.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond

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Mar 25, 2014 Bark's Book Nonsense rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, horror, thriller

I never quite know what I’m in for when I start a new novel by Dean Koontz. He’s written some books that I love to death and a few others that put me to sleep. He was also one of the first authors I read as a young teen so I always grab his new books hoping for the best but bracing for the worst. This time it worked out and it didn’t turn out to be another “Your Heart Belongs To Me” or “Velocity” with jerky protagonists who annoyed me from beginning to end.

I read this on audio and took all kinds I never quite know what I’m in for when I start a new novel by Dean Koontz. He’s written some books that I love to death and a few others that put me to sleep. He was also one of the first authors I read as a young teen so I always grab his new books hoping for the best but bracing for the worst. This time it worked out and it didn’t turn out to be another “Your Heart Belongs To Me” or “Velocity” with jerky protagonists who annoyed me from beginning to end.

I read this on audio and took all kinds of notes but I’m feeling lazy so I’m going to ramble out onto this white page whatever comes to mind and I’ll do my best not to spoil anything.

Basically this is a book about a young guy named Addison. Addison was born with some sort of affliction that makes people fly into a murderous rage when they see his face. Seriously. They want him dead. Thusly, he cannot allow himself to be seen and must hide in the shadows and live underground. Don’t bother asking me to reveal what that affliction is because I won’t do it. I spent most of the book wondering what the heck was so wrong with him and you’ll have to do the same. Be careful about reading spoilerific reviews because I feel it will ruin the book for you. All is revealed in the end and I thought it was quite beautiful. But that’s me. You might be annoyed.

After Addison’s heartbreaking childhood is revealed in flashback you’ll want to give him a big hug. Despite it all, he’s grown up sweet natured and, yes, rather innocent as the title says. He finally makes a friend named Gwyneth who is able to look past his aversion to being looked at and she honors his wishes. Gwyneth has some major quirks of her own. She’s lived her life in seclusion due to “social anxiety”, she can’t abide being touched and has been protected and doted on by her wealthy father. But he’s been murdered and Gwyneth is hell bent on exposing his evil murderer, thus forcing her out into the world to fight evil with the help of Addison. The two make a great pair and become insta-friends. I believed it. There is much more going on here (but not too much for my tired brain) and I loved all of it. There are packs of dogs (yay!), there’s a plague brewing (yay!!), and there are sinister marionette’s (evil dolls! Yay!!!). These are a few of my favorite things and they’re all wrapped into one book, how could I not love it? Well, that’s easy. The story could’ve tanked due to Koontz’s penchant for excessive wordiness and lame characters with unrealistic dialogue. But there was none of that here. Or if there was it didn’t bother me. I haven’t liked a Koontz book as much as this one since I read Odd Thomas.

That’s not to say it’s perfect. The murderer is a Koontz classic, a one-note evil guy, cursing worse than me when I run out of chocolate and spreading his evil wherever he goes because he feels like it. The story is almost perfect though and that’s more than good enough for me. I found only one of the plot elements a little unclear (pun alert, if you’ve read it) but Koontz may be setting this up as another series. Anyway, it read that way to me which was slightly annoying because I never follow through on reading series. But that’s my problem.

I read this as an unabridged audiobook and the narrator took a little getting used to. He reads at a very leisurely pace as if he and I have all the time in the world, but he does vulnerability oh-so-well and the story was so compelling that I quickly fell into it, rather than falling asleep.

Innocence was lovely and sweet and has an interesting, twisty plot that kept me guessing and reading until the very end. If you read it, I hope you love it as much as I did. ...more

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Dec 23, 2013 Ti rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-sent-to-me

The Short of It:

Interesting characters and setting, but lacking that special something that makes you think about a book long after reading it.

The Rest of It:

One can argue that Dean Koontz does not write books with substance. Yes, his books lately have been a little different from the books of his past. I guess his books have always been page turners, meant to captivate a reader for a short amount of time, but some of his older books have stayed with me for decades.

This is not one of those times ...more

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Jan 20, 2014 Monique rated it did not like it

Shelves: wanksters-one-star-books

What the? Huh? Yup my first one-star book of the year and it took an unheard of week to read and seriously I really tried to get into this one and was sadly super sadly disappointed..I thought from the beginning I was getting a Beauty and the Beast retelling and then when elements of the supernatural crept in I still was willing to ride, when another strange secluded girl comes in the picture and there seems to be a friendship/romance I was with it but when they never fully explain anything, whe ...more

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May 19, 2013 Crystal Craig rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014, owned-print

I've been staring at the computer screen for ten minutes thinking about what to say about Dean Koontz's latest offering. The first thing that comes to mind, thank God it was better than his previous book, 77 Shadow Street; I suffered through that one.

I love the cover on this book. It's what first got my attention. The plot sounded really good too. Let's just say I had high hopes for this book and I was not disappointed for the first half. I enjoyed the main character, Addison. He was unique and ...more

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Dec 17, 2013 Karen rated it it was amazing

Quite probably the best book I read this year. Once again, Dean shows not only his incredible imagination but also the depths of his compassion for the unwanted, the unloved, the marginalized in our society.

Written in first person, this is the story of Addison Goodheart's life as an outcast. He stumbles into a mystery and learns much more than he expected!

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Feb 14, 2017 Paul Nash rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense-thriller-action, 2017

3 stars and it would have been 3.5 if not for that jumbled ending.

I grew up on Koontz. By age 10-11, I was reading his 70's and 80's classics and absolutely loved them! In the 90's he changed a bit but still put out some good reads. It's when the 2000's came that he has disappointed me, kind of let me down. The writing is nowhere near as good as back in the day for old Dean.
This would have and could have been about 4 stars, because the concept was great. There were a couple of mysteries thru th ...more

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Dec 18, 2013 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013-reads

Addison Goodheart spent his whole life believing he was a monstrosity so horrible that the mere sight of his eyes sent people into such a rage of fear that they were immediately possessed of the notion they had to kill him. Even his own mother, although she did her best for 8 years, eventually felt the need to send him away. Finding his way to the city, happenstance led him to meet another in the same circumstance and the new “father” and son lived hidden away under the city for years. After his Addison Goodheart spent his whole life believing he was a monstrosity so horrible that the mere sight of his eyes sent people into such a rage of fear that they were immediately possessed of the notion they had to kill him. Even his own mother, although she did her best for 8 years, eventually felt the need to send him away. Finding his way to the city, happenstance led him to meet another in the same circumstance and the new “father” and son lived hidden away under the city for years. After his “father’s” death Addison ventured out alone one night and came across Gwyneth, also a loner with her own need to hide herself away from humanity. An unlikely and unforeseen friendship developed because they would “hold each other hostage to their eccentricities … they were made for each other”.

Addison immediately and unexplainably feels a need to help Gwyneth, who is quite obviously in some sort of terrible trouble. Neither Addison nor the reader knows just how much trouble they are about to encounter on a dark and snowy night in the non-too-distant future.

This book was not unlike others I have read by Mr. Koontz but I feel it’s his best effort in a long time. Innocence is a beautifully written book. Although this book is definitely a thriller, very much in the vein of Tick Tock, Mr. Koontz manages to paint lovely word pictures in the readers mind. At first it seems as if descriptive passages were just a little too long, but as I continued reading and began to understand that these descriptions were an integral part of Addison’s thinking I could enjoy them as really lovely writing. Addison, as the narrator, never really shares the specifics of place and time leaving much of that part of the setting up to the imagination of the reader. That seemed to work for this story.

Personally, I found this a very dark and, for lack of a better word, spiritual book. Both those elements fit in well with the story told and although I found the ending satisfying it also felt just the tiniest bit “preachy”. Maybe that was on purpose? After all, even Addison compares his story to a fable.

I enjoyed this book. Although their paths certainly do not cross, except in my imagination, I think Addison Goodheart and Odd Thomas would make fine friends.
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Feb 14, 2014 ♥ Marlene♥ rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, dean-koontz, kindle, fantasy

What happened to Dean Koontz. Does he like Ann Rule have someone else write his books?

Back when I was a teen the day that King or Koontz books were published translated into Dutch cause I did not read English back then) I would buy and devour them.
I have been such a big fan of both readers but alas I have to say Dean Koontz is really lacking lately.

What was the name of his not so old book, quite recent about a house? ah .. 77 Shadow Street, that was so terrible and alas this is the same.

Terrible ...more

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Dec 20, 2013 Amy Lignor rated it it was amazing

This author is one who never stops surprising readers. In fact, this new novel will leave some absolutely breathless, as Koontz builds an incredible plot that not only offers his signature ‘eerie’ moments, but also delves into love, loss, and attempting to find one’s identity by having to deal with the blatant sins and vices every human carries with them.

In the simplest of terms, we have a young man who is anything but simple. He has escaped pain and death from flames, bullying, and became a soc This author is one who never stops surprising readers. In fact, this new novel will leave some absolutely breathless, as Koontz builds an incredible plot that not only offers his signature ‘eerie’ moments, but also delves into love, loss, and attempting to find one’s identity by having to deal with the blatant sins and vices every human carries with them.

In the simplest of terms, we have a young man who is anything but simple. He has escaped pain and death from flames, bullying, and became a social outcast at a very young age. You see, people can’t look him in the eye. If they do, they attempt to kill him on sight. The boy knew, just by the way his mother acted by sending him out to live in the woods because she couldn’t stand the sight of him, that there must be something terribly wrong with him. And when he must face the loss of his parent, he finds himself in the City, walking the streets at night, completely covered, head down, living each day in fear as he tries to escape any gazes that could focus on him and cause his death. He meets up with a man he calls Father; a man with the same type of ‘illness’ he suffers from. Father moves the boy down below the city in a small group of rooms set within subway walls and tunnels so that they remain out of sight from everyone. There, he teaches him about survival and the ways of the world.

We also have a girl who is strong, determined, and wealthy, who has a great deal of power, yet is also a social outcast. To keep hidden in plain sight this girl chose to use costumes, dressing herself up with nose rings and lip piercings, putting herself out there as a Goth so people would simply walk by her and pay her no mind. She can alter the world with her gifts, and her fear of ever being touched makes it impossible for anyone to get close to her.

One night these two meet in the NYPL. He has come up from below the basement to discover the girl racing away from a true monster who wants to stop her from her mission of seeing him destroyed. A friendship between the two is formed; a romance is built that is never spoken about or shared, especially seeing as that the boy - now 26 - knows he is hideous to look at and has no chance with her if she ever sees his face. As they both hide behind their fears and masks, a plot unfolds that is both magical and frightening.

From an evil marionette that sits in the window of a toy store; to the very real world that’s filled with hate and the absence of mercy for our fellow man - Koontz has created a stunning, mysterious, suspenseful story that will have readers engrossed in every word. But the most amazing thing about this book is when Koontz opens the door to reveal why people are so afraid of this duo when they look them in the eyes.

Enthralled, captivated, this is one reviewer who can say this story has opened my eyes to faith, wonder, and a sadness I’ve never felt before. With this unforgettable story I will read over and over again throughout the years, Dean Koontz has given to me the gift of sight; as well as the realization that perhaps I didn’t really want to see - that absolute truth is a whole lot more frightening than any ‘monster’ a writer could possibly invent. If I knew Mr. Koontz I would thank him for Innocence, because not only did he once again entertain, but he taught me something I will cherish forever.

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Nov 03, 2015 Nick Iuppa rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. QUITE A READ… AN EVEN BETTER LISTEN

Dean Koontz really shows me something here. Apocalypse novel, horror story, romance, mystery, allegory, work of faith and hope, all these forms coexist beautifully.

Addison Goodheart tells the story entirely from his point of view. We learn that he is a young man whose appearance is so abhorrent that people automatically want to murder him… beat him to death. Even the midwives who delivered him had every intention of killing him at birth. Even his mother could QUITE A READ… AN EVEN BETTER LISTEN

Dean Koontz really shows me something here. Apocalypse novel, horror story, romance, mystery, allegory, work of faith and hope, all these forms coexist beautifully.

Addison Goodheart tells the story entirely from his point of view. We learn that he is a young man whose appearance is so abhorrent that people automatically want to murder him… beat him to death. Even the midwives who delivered him had every intention of killing him at birth. Even his mother could barely stand to be around him and finally sent him away for good when he was only eight… then she blew her brains out.

Addison makes his way to a great city and there is found by an older man who looks very much the way Addison does. The man gives him a safe and comfortable home in an apartment somehow created as part of the drainage system under the city. The man, whom Addison soon thinks of as Father, teaches Addison everything he knows. They make survival plans together, only go out at night or during great storms; they wear ski masks and hoodies to cover as much of their faces as they can. But still, after more than ten years together, they have an encounter with the police one stormy night, and Father is beaten to death (as he knew he would be by anyone who saw his terrible face.)

Addison lives on then in loneliness until one night he visits the city’s main library after midnight, and there he finds a teen girl dressed in Goth makeup who suffers so much from social phobia that she’s as alienated as he is. They make a pact: she (Gwyneth) won’t look at Addison; he won’t touch her.

Gwyneth’s late father had been generous and loving and planned carefully for his daughter’s life after he passed away, but she also has an enemy who wants to murder her because she knows his many crimes and has been gathering evidence against him.

Poor, timid Addison becomes an accomplice to the much wiser and more confident Gwyneth. Together they take on the villain and all his accomplices, and in the process they learn the true meaning of their lives and their incredible destiny.

INNOCENCE is written is a gentle, almost lyrical style that presents and preserves the sweet personality of Addison. It may be the reason that I cared so much about him and because of him about Gwyneth. You could argue that there are long descriptive passages that slow the book down; you might feel that there is too much wide-eyed spiritual idealism. Koontz is not the master of literary style that Stephen King is. Still, for me at least, moving beyond those shortcomings was well worth it. I listened to the audio book version, and I have to say that this is one book where the reading may have made the book even better. MacLeod Andrews becomes Addison, and he makes you want to listen non-stop until his story is told. If you are thinking of reading INNOCENCE consider the audio book. IMHO it makes it even better.
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Jan 15, 2014 kari rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014

I'm not sure what I think of this one, so not sure exactly what rating to give it.
While I liked it, there was much that didn't seem to really be necessary to the overall arc, some of it was gruesome and disturbing and, again, didn't seem to be vital to the story. I haven't run into that before in a Koontz book so that surprised me or maybe I simply didn't see the reasoning behind it. I think I understand what was being said, but still, there were bits that I didn't feel quite fit.
It is also quit ...more

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Jun 15, 2014 Chris rated it really liked it

Probably one of the most intriguing and unusual novels he's written to date, Koontz introduces us to Addison Goodheart, born with a visage that inspires hatred and revulsion, and cast out into the wilderness by his troubled mother at eight years old. Eventually, Addison finds his way to a vast metropolis and taken in to live underground by a man he later thinks of as Father, who teaches him how to stay hidden and survive. Because he and Addison are two of a kind, and staying away from the fearfu ...more

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Nov 16, 2015 Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) rated it really liked it

It is not a horror story "per se". It is not a thriller neither. Dean Koontz wrote a beautiful novel about mankind, about our fears and pains, about human souls hidden deep within, scared to reveal themselves. "Innocence" escapes simple descriptions and leaves a mark on the reader.

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Jan 17, 2014 Patrick Lee rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Koontz fans

Recommended to Patrick by: Wife

I think that reviews are tempered by the reader/reviewer’s tastes. My own gravitate toward books that have a high fantasy aspect to the storyline. I was very pleased to have received one of these kinds of books, a copy of Mr. Koontz’ latest novel, Innocence: A Novel, as a Christmas present. In that mindset, I anxiously opened the book jacket, read the blurb, and smiled. A boy who lives in the bowels of the city, whose life is in jeopardy should anyone see him. A girl who lives upstairs, her own I think that reviews are tempered by the reader/reviewer’s tastes. My own gravitate toward books that have a high fantasy aspect to the storyline. I was very pleased to have received one of these kinds of books, a copy of Mr. Koontz’ latest novel, Innocence: A Novel, as a Christmas present. In that mindset, I anxiously opened the book jacket, read the blurb, and smiled. A boy who lives in the bowels of the city, whose life is in jeopardy should anyone see him. A girl who lives upstairs, her own life in jeopardy for very different reasons. What will the connection be?
First off, I enjoyed the novel. I won’t say immensely, but I stayed in the story, suspecting (rightly) that good would triumphant over evil in the end.
Immediately, the question arose, however; In what way IS the young boy (and his mentor) so deformed that such a gruesome physical malady would make normal people want to kill him? Not turn their faces away in pity or disgust, but actually try to kill him? Until the end, I questioned that such a thing could really happen. The answer Mister Koontz gives, and he gives it at the very end, is akin to the old musing that were any of us to look upon the face of God (or an angel), we would either die of fright, or see ourselves for what we truly are, and hang our heads in utter shame. Somehow I didn’t buy his revelation, and that is key to Addison’s existence.
There are angels and devils at large in the city. Why? Nice answer in the story.
Back story is important in any novel, but after a while I found myself skimming over those alternating chapters in order to return to the forward movement of the plot. In addition, I thought, perhaps, that this renowned author MIGHT have dumbed down certain sentences so that I wouldn’t be forced to grab my dictionary to look up $1,000.00 words. Overkill. Lyrical, I suppose, but in the context of the narrative a bit overwhelming. And what were the marionettes all about?
The resolution? Well, I can’t see lions and tigers and bears enjoying one another’s company; eating berries and grasses, but hey, it’s a new world, governed by a new and improved Adam and Eve.
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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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“Each book is a mind alive, a life revealed, a world awaiting exploration, but living people are all those things, as well—and more, because their stories haven’t yet been completely told.” — 50 likes

“Love is absorbing, related to affection but stronger, full of appreciation for—and delight in—the other person, marked by a desire always to please and benefit her or him, always to smooth the loved one’s way through the roughness of the days and to do everything possible to make her or him feel profoundly valued.” — 21 likes

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