Strange Highways

by Dean Koontz

From the denizens of hell to unlikely heroes, from vengeful children to suspiciously humanlike robots, this new collection of tales from a genius of horror and suspense writing provides a hypnotic view of the strange highways of human experience.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Short Stories, Mystery, Suspense, Supernatural

561 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

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, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong and solid, horror anthology!


The general rating is an average sum result of the individual ratings given to each novella and short story contained in the anthology.


All stories in this anthology are written by Dean Koontz.


STRANGE HIGHWAYS (novella)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

…how can there be any redemption if I knowingly turn my back on evil and walk away from it?

This is the story who gives title to this anthology.

A man who has failed in anything that he ever tried, while his older brother has been always successful, returns to his hometown to attend his father’s funeral, however a strange road will lead him to a trip back in time, to try to avoid a bloody tragedy, however he doesn’t know how personal can become.

Formidable tale with all signature elements of the good Koontz’s stories: classic towns, male writers, wonderful female characters, car chases, etc…


THE BLACK PUMPKIN (short story)

Rating: **** ( 4 stars )

You get what you give.

One kid is good, his brother is naughty, the parents aren’t any saints, and a terrifying black carved pumpkin. A Halloween night of reckoning.

And at the end, is it possible to remain good all life?


MISS ATTILA THE HUN (short story)

Rating: *** ( 3 stars )

This going to be an interesting incarnation.

A space “seed” falls into Earth and it’s waiting its time to get control of all intelligent life there. Its first real challenge will be a school teacher. An epic battle in a small classroom between an ancient evil versus a young love.


DOWN IN THE DARKNESS (short story)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

Darkness dwells within even the best of us. In the worst of us, darkness not only dwells but reigns.

A couple buys a house, where the husband notices a strange door in the kitchen leading to a very deep and very dark cellar.

However, the house never had a cellar…

…some people and some actions deserves punishment, a merciless punishment, but who really deserve it and what actions are? And when is enough?


OLLIE’S HANDS (short story)

Rating: **** ( 4 stars )

She still did not fully understand what his talent meant, what a wall between them his hands might soon become.

This is revised version of the previously published story.

A reserved man with an extraordinary power wants to save a woman, not only her life but also her soul, her priorities, giving her a worthy purpose in life…

…even if that means not being part of her life at all.

Sometimes, good deeds are a lonely path.


SNATCHER (short story)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

…was it possible to outrun the devil?

A purse snatcher will get more than he ever thought possible when he would have the very bad idea of robbing the purse of a very strange old lady.

He will fall deeper than ever!


TRAPPED (short story)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

There’s something weird about these rats.

This is my favorite story in the anthology. I already read it several years ago in a different anthology where it appeared along with material of other authors and there, it was my favorite story too! Actually it was the first stuff that I ever read by Koontz, before reading my first full-length novel Phantoms.

A widow and his young son (with a casted leg) are trapped in their own home by insidious and highly intelligent rats, product of a research lab near of their farm.

You will feel real chills along finding the signs of the rats’ malevolent intellect.

Have you checked your doors? What was that noise? Have you checked what you're about to eat?


BRUNO (short story)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

There are some pretty weird alternate realities out there.

This is revised version of the previously published story.

A private detective and a “propability cop” from a parallel dimension formed an odd partnership with the goal of catching a slippery alien.

The meeting of those two individuals opens the imagination to dimensions where Steven Spielberg could be a revolutionary inventor, Walt Disney resulted a weapons designer, and Smith & Wesson is the best fast food restaurant franchise!


WE THREE (short story)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

He’s unborn but completely aware.

This is revised version of the previously published story.

Three siblings become so powerful that they decide that humankind is unnecesary so they exterminated it, turning to be the sole inhabitants on Earth…

…however the population’s count will increase soon and they may be seen unnecesary too.


HARDSHELL (short story)

Rating: *** ( 3 stars )

Dead men don’t bleed.

A game of cat and mouse develops in an abandoned warehouse (have you notice that in any story the warehouse always are abandoned?!) between a wounded cop and a vicious killer.

However, who is the “cat” and who is the “mouse” is still to be seen, since there are a lot beyond the evident.


KITTENS (short story)

Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )

What about the kittens?

This is revised version of the previously published story.

Also, this was the very first story that Dean Koontz ever sold.

A young girl who suffered from abuse learns that “God took her kittens to Heaven”…

No more.

That was the the final thing that she can bear, in a long line of abuses in her life…

…so she plans her insane retribution.

This isn’t a story for the faint of heart.


THE NIGHT OF THE STORM (short story)

Rating: *** ( 3 stars )

I’ve seen nothing to make me believe in myths.

In the far future, a hunting party of robots are in the middle of the woods, however those far-fetched legends about…

…humans…

…can turn into a disturbing reality for their field trip.

Those who forget history are doomed to live it again (even die for it).


TWILIGHT OF THE DAWN (short story)

Rating: **** ( 4 stars )

Innocent fantasies can lead to some that aren’t so innocent.

Every atheist is put to test of their “beliefs” (or should I say what they don’t believe?) when a close one is suffering a terminal illness.

There is more between Earth and Heaven than anybody can really get to know.

Why God is only good for a lot of people when they need something?


CHASE (novella)

Rating: *** ( 3 stars )

He knew he was lying to himself

A man who used to be a Vietnam War Hero is chasing a bloodthirsty killer…

…however things aren’t as simple as that.

Chases aren’t always straight lines.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koontzland Group Read - October / November 2017

Link to December 2017 Group Read Discussions: #2 out the 4 books listed - completed
https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

A lot of short stories to follow.

1. Strange Highways - in a second read, I add it was a 20 year time travel. Back into the past, alcoholic Joey(40) goes to his dad's funeral & mets Celeste(17). She is a murdered/raped spirit. He prevents her murder & corrects his 20 years of "Bad road" mistakes. At the end,

Joey is the successful author of Strange Highways, with his new wife Celeste, who he saved & they now have 2 children
.

2. The Black Pumpkin - The Pumpkin kills Tommy's "bad" family members for hurting him & leaves Tommy with a better life for not hurting others.

3. Miss Attila the Hun - Mrs. Laura Caswell(teacher) shows people how to fight off "The Seed", the evil taking their minds. She defeats "The Seed" making her "Miss Attila the Hun" from evil.

4. Down in the Darkness - Jess' was a tortured Vietnam POW. In a new house, he discovers a hidden kitchen with cellar door. Can he use it for "vengeance" against his past abuse from a Vietnam guard?

5. Ollie’s Hands - Ollie visits Staznick restaurant's dumpster each night for people. His "telepathic" ability helps scare a "junkie" from her drug desires. When Ollie leaves to help the next person. She has no memory of his spirit & a happier life without drugs.

6. Snatcher - Billy Neeks is a purse snatcher. One strange older woman is a witch. His future crimes end as she places him into her purse.

7. Trapped - Meg Lassiter, a widow & her son, Tommy, are alone with Biolomech's giant vermin rats. Can she fight off the rats or does someone else save them?

8. Bruno - Bruno (another earth/timeline police) enters private eye Jake's home. He's traveled to capture a criminal alien, Graham Stone. They catch him, Jake becomes a "hero" to capture future crooks & Bruno disappears.

9. We three - Triplets (2 brothers & 1 sister) with special powers conquer the world of all human beings. As sole survivors, they find the sister is pregnant with twins - a boy/girl. Will the twins be a new special breed to replace them?

10. Hardshell - In a abandoned warehouse, LAPD Det. Snow is chased by immortal Karl Skagg the "Shape Changer". He learns Karl's 300+ years old. And Det. Snow could to be made immortal?

11. Kittens - Religion & revenge, I did not like.

12. The Night of the Storm - Robots are the main characters, no humans in site. When man can beat the robots there are drastic changes to them....

13. Twilight of the Dawn - Religion between "atheism & religious faith". A man with no belief?

14. Chase - Benjamin Chase ("Chased") is the City's X-Vietnam hero, at his "Guest of Hero" dinner they give him a new Mustang convertible? He is a hard case alcoholic. He rescues a beaten girl on lovers lane. But later, the "Judge" (killer) wants to kill himself, Det. Wallace (police) is hesitant to help since he is a alcoholic. He must stop the "Chase" himself.

First read - 2015
1. Srange Highways - P.J. Shannon chases his younger brother, Joey, and Celeste Baker (girl found at his empty dad's grave, Dan Shannon). Coal Valley Road in Pittsburg. P.J. coal mining has killed many families & 3 are left in Coal Valley. P.J. is Judas, the Betrayer, 13th apostle..... Joey & Celeste are chased with a final death(s) at St. Thomas concerned with the P.J.'s flame of Judas. Chase scenes are long and some seemed to repeat...
youtubes.com-Strange Highway audio only
Other chapters do not have a YouTube audio.

2. The Black Pumpkin - A elderly crazy sculptor carves abnormal Jack O'Lanterns. Good Tommy Sutzmann(12) takes abuse from Frank(older brother), Louis(mom) & Kyle(dad). The "Black-pumpkin" murders them for Tommy. At the end, what does the flame decide what to do between good Tommy and the scrape of dead Frank's hand. This story/theme was not as good as expected, I had to read 2 times...

3. Miss Attila the Hun - Teel Pleever, the Seed, shows we all have unknown power to overachieve the expected. Jamie Watley (student) loves Mrs. Laura Caswell(teacher), she is one of 4 initially controlled by the Seed. Mr. Enright, a class validation/monitoring, sees her extremely difficult classes releasing power to sutudents. At end, the town must struggle the Seed's release & power. In the end, Jack (husband) addresses her the "greatest teacher who ever lived", she addresses herself as "Miss Attila the Hun".

4. Down in the Darkness - Jess/Jesus Gonzalez (story told in first person - "I") was a Vietnam POW starved & tortured for years. His freedom in the U.S. Carman (wife) & family own a Mexican restaurant. In his newly purchased home from Hguyen Quang Phu (Vietnamese) he finds "dungeons". At the end, Jess realized Hguyen, was the Vietnam POW camp's "Snake", Jess forces Hguyen into a dungeon for retribution, he sees Hguyen killed by 2 other dead / comrades - America POW's. This one was good.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange Highways is a collection of 12 short stories and 2 novellas. The 2 novellas Strange Highways and Chase are probably my favorites along with Trapped.

Strange Highways is about a down on his luck alcoholic who while driving down a "strange highway" gets a chance to undo a grave mistake from his past.

Chase is about a decorated Vietnam vet who is struggling with PTSD. One night while out drinking Chase interrupts a killer and becomes the killers next target.

Trapped is about a widow who must protect her young son and the family dog from a team of hyper intelligent lab rats.

Strange Highways was a fantastic collection. I only didn't like about 3 stories and even they were okay. I love short story collections because they give you a sampling of different genres and characters. Its like back when I use to go out to eat, my sister and I would love to get the appetizer sampler so we could get a little of everything.

This is the first Dean Koontz I've read in a while and I'm thinking that I'm gonna be reading a couple more before the years out.

I highly recommend this book!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen enjoyable short stories.

Strange Highways Two brothers and a time travel element. Joey has a chance to change his life from failure to success. First he must stop a serial killer who is close to home and seemingly the perfect all American boy.

The Black Pumpkin where Tommy’s nasty brother and parents meet s demonic pumpkin head eater.

Miss Attila the Hun where an alien form bites off more than he can chew on planet Earth.

Down in the Darkness where a house without a cellar gets one and where the owner uses it to get rid of people. Thanks to a monster living in it.

Ollie’s Hands where Ollie is cursed with a power to read and change minds.

Snatcher where a purse snatcher steals the wrong purse.

Trapped where intelligent mutant rats try to take over the world.

Bruno a multidimensional story with a bear PI. Very funny.

We Three about three children alone in the world where they create something worse than them.

Hardshell a psycho alien against a hardshell detective.

Kittens and the danger of children replicating parental behavior.

The Night of the Storm where robots rule the world.

Twilight of the Dawn where an atheist finds faith.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! A 5 for a Koontz book! I really liked this odd little story.

Okay rereading for the Koontz group...I'll probably do a more extensive review after the discussion.

Originally I listened to an audio which had only the "title-title"...:). So now I have the book from the library and while I don't think each and every story measures up to Strange Highways, which is a favorite "novella", I still like the book. I plan to try and track it down (locally) and add it to my "home library."

I think I'll let the book keep it's 5 star rating... overall, I like it a lot.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's bemusing that Strange Highways remains only the second collection of Koontz's short fiction. The first was Soft Come the Dragons, an excellent book, and it appeared very early in his career, in 1970, as half of an Ace Double, backed by his novel Dark of the Woods. Strange Highways includes two short novels, Chase (which was published in 1972 under his pseudonym K.R. Dwyer), and the titular Strange Highways, an excellent horror novel, which appeared for the first time in this collection. There are twelve other pieces, most reprinted from genre anthologies and magazines of the 1970s and '80s like Night Cry, Night Visions, Continuum, Infinity, Twilight Zone, The Horror Show, etc., though it also includes his first story sale, Kittens, from 1965 (!). He has written many short pieces over the span of his career, enough to fill several volumes, but Strange Highways is the only one readily available. It provides a good cross-section of his various themes and styles. I recommend it.

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do re-read this one mostly in the month of October. Koontz really sings in this short story collection. Maybe he should think about publishing more short stories since even some of his shorts he has written lately have been better than the full length novels that have followed.

All in all the books showcase the good with Koontz. He can spin a sentence and also scare you at the same time. You get some religious musings here and there, but honestly everything in most of the stories works. I kept wishing after I first read this, that Koontz would think about spinning off some of the characters that we meet here. Too bad he never did.

"Strange Highways" (5 stars). The anchor of the collection this one was really good. We follow a man named Joey who is in essence a failure. He tried to be an author and is pretty much dead broke. He returns to his hometown in Pennsylvania to attend his father's funeral. His brother is successful and Joey doesn't know why, but he can't stand to be around him. When a second chance has Joey back in the past to fix a mistake that can lead him down a different path. This one had a lot going on with it, but it all works. Most time travel stories make me go hmmm, but Koontz plays with it in a good way and the reveal about what happened to Joey in the past and who was behind it was actually scary. I think Koontz also smartly incorporated the town. We find out this is a dying former mill town (there are lots in PA) and due to that many people had left it when he was a teen, when Joey goes back as an adult you feel like time stopped there. I loved this story from beginning to end.

"The Black Pumpkin" (4.5 stars). An almost perfect Halloween tale. A young boy named Tommy is in a terrible family. His mother and father are pretty awful and his brother is a potential serial killer. When Tommy and his brother get to pick out a pumpkin, his brother picks the black one that has Tommy scared to death. He can sense something evil about it. In the end though there is a definite surprise about the pumpkin. The ending was okay, but just didn't gel with the scares that came before it.

"Miss Attilla the Hun" (3 stars). Among my least favorite in this series. Probably because we get another uber perfect woman for Koontz to fawn over. Mrs. Laura Caswell is a teacher who one day realizes that something funky is going on at her school. A classic alien story which in the end didn't really work for me, probably because it didn't seem quite finished.

"Down in the Darkness" (3.5 stars). We follow a good man (Jess) who is excited about moving his family into their new home. When Jess finds a mysterious door that he doesn't recall being there during the house tour, he realizes that the door is hiding something potentially evil. When we (readers) find out what the door is for and how it comes into play with Jess's background as a former POW it was intriguing. In the end though I thought the ending (pun intended) wasn't that great. I think because it ends up leaving things a a moral question when we see what happens with Jess and the door and I don't think that Koontz needed it to be that deep.

"Ollie’s Hands" (4.5 stars). A sad story but very good. We find out about a man named Ollie and what his hands can do. I had nothing but pity for the character named Ollie when we come to the end of his story.

"Snatcher" (5 stars). This is really a fun and scary story. A man that is a purse snatcher and just all around terrible person has the tables turned on him.

"Trapped" (3 stars). I honestly feel like I read this story before somewhere. A woman and her son are on the run from some scary rats. Not a bad story, but like I said, I think that I read this or a similar idea of it somewhere before. Drove me up the wall because I can't figure out where.

"Bruno" (5 stars). I laughed and always laugh reading this one. No spoilers, I just think you will enjoy a story about a time traveling bear (seriously) and a private eye named Jake. Jake is asked to help Bruno out with catching a time traveling criminal (as one is these days apparently). this is one of the stories I wish we had seen a follow up about since it was so interesting.

"We three" (3.5 stars). Not bad, just fairly short. Murderous triplets maybe ushered in something that will be the end of them.

"Hardshell" (5 stars). So good. Another one I would have loved to see a spin off or larger novel about. We have a LAPD detective chasing a killer. We find out though that neither man are what they appear to be.

"Kittens" (5 stars). The main reason why I gave this one five stars is that for once Koontz didn't back away from a scary/terrible ending. Reminded me a bit of King with the ending and what we realize must have happened as readers. Shudder.

"The Night of the Storm" (3 stars). My second least favorite story in this collection. I can't even go into how boring I found this, but it was boring.

"Twilight of the Dawn" (3 stars). A very preachy Koontz book that also had no horror elements in it so it doesn't really fit with the rest of the book. That said, it works because Koontz manages to draw you in with his writing. The story is about an atheist who ends up being pretty much an asshole to his young son and his own wife when the question of religion comes up. We know why he is that way (he had very religious parents) and doesn't want his son growing up thinking there is a God. When he loses his wife though his son starts to question his father's lack of faith and grows even stronger in his belief of a God. When his son eventually gets diagnosed with a fatal cancer, the question of faith becomes even more of divide between them. I went back and forth on this rating a lot. I eventually ended up with a three since I thought the father character was an ass.

"Chase"(5 stars). This and "Strange Highways" were the longest stories in the collection and this one really packs a punch. It's a good way to end the collection. Benjamin Chase has a complicated history. Returned from Vietnam and having to drink to forget his memories he is welcomed at a dinner for a Guest of Hero thing. I was a bit nonplussed at first since I thought most of the US was terrible to returning vets. Chase is given a new car and while driving ends up saving a young girl who was about to be raped and murdered. This puts Chase neck in neck with a killer who is determined to end Chase.

[Javi · Rating 3 out of 5]

" Strange Highways" is a collection of short stories by Dean Koontz and also the title of the first one of the bunch, a novella really, at almost 200 pages and the only one where the author explores themes in any depth. Basically it tells the story of a man who's given the chance to change his past and save a woman's life, and it all starts at a fork in the road. Who wouldn't identify with such a premise? What if....? This novella is far the best of the collection with the rest varying from mediocre to really bad which only goes to show that Dean Koontz isn't really a short story writer, much unlike Stephen king who has the uncanny ability to create complete worlds in very few pages. It doesn't help that many of these stories were written when Koontz was just starting out and were published mostly in magazines but still, if you are a fan of his, I'd recommend this book if only because of " Strange Highways". It will leave you wondering about all the times you turned right or drove straight ahead and what would have happened if you hadn't.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Satanism, deals with the devil, time travel, dysfunctional alcoholic - really? I was confused in the beginning of the book, and by the end dissatisfied. I won't be reading any more Dean Koontz. If I want horror (which I rarely indulge in), I'll read Stephen King.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

2017 Reading - I found each of the stories curious and worth reading. Chase is the last short story in this volume, and the last one I completed reading this year - I found it to be excellent. A line I liked from Chase: He wanted to tell Cable to watch his language - but that would mean the end of their conversation. ha ha - I am so amused!

I think this is a fun little Dean Koontz Detour. Dean doesn't write a lot of short stories, lately he has been using the novella format to promote full-length novels. This collection is certainly an intriguing stretch of Highway.

I again used the audiobook collections of Wilderness and Other Stories and Chase to aid in my traveling of Strange Highways.

2015 Update- I finally got around to experiencing all these short stories. For those interested, there is now an audiobook collection from Brilliance Audio called Wilderness and Other Storieswhich features all but two of the stories in the book. The story "Chase" has also been made available on audiobook in a separate recording and the title story Strange Highways is also available separately.

There is a lot of Science Fiction in this collection. I liked many of the stories, but some of the stories took a different direction after my initial interest - perhaps this is fitting given the book's title. I could see glimpses of ideas in these stories that would later become novels. I liked the impact of "Kittens" - the shortest story in the book. My favorite story in the Strange Highways collection is called Miss Attila The Hun. This story represents everything I love about the writing and wonder of Dean Koontz - what his writing can say about humanity - I would love to see more of this type of story :-)

Earlier attempts to read this book:
I haven't read all the stories in this book yet. I listened to the title story "Strange Highways" as an audiobook in 2005 or 2006. In August 2010, Strange Highways was chosen as the Monthly group read in the Koontzland - Dean Koontz group. I read "The Black Pumpkin", "We Three" and "Kittens". In December 2010 I found another audiobook available through the library, with "Chase" and "Down in the Darkness". Maybe someday I'll read or listen to them all :-)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

STRANGE HIGHWAYS is Koontz's first (and only) short story collection since SOFT COME THE DRAGONS came out in 1970 when Koontz was just 25 years old. Koontz is always very hit-and-miss with me, so it's no surprise I found STRANGE HIGHWAYS a mixed bag, especially since some of these stories date back to the early 70's, when Koontz was known for writing sci-fi rather than horror.

STRANGE HIGHWAYS (4 stars):

The book's titular novella starts things off with a bang. Koontz is a genius at using speculative fiction to explore spiritual/religious themes, and by doing it sparingly and without easing up on the realism and suspense, stories like this (and later TWILIGHT OF THE DAWN) pack a double wallop. STRANGE HIGHWAYS is an absorbing enough piece of work that you will overlook its glaring flaws: namely, that the final confrontation is ripped straight out of a cheesy 80's B-movie, the story's "reset button" feels like a cop-out after the first time it's used, and the narrative is positively dripping with overcooked and unnecessary metaphors and similes. Yet, despite these issues, I remained riveted from beginning to end.

THE BLACK PUMPKIN (3 STARS):

Like the movie CHILD'S PLAY or THE FOG (the original), the idea behind THE BLACK PUMPKIN sounds incredibly dumb on paper, yet the writer manages to sell audiences on it regardless. If it were my idea, I would've tossed it on the 'ol scrap heap and forgotten about it, but Koontz took the ball and ran with it. And while he didn't score a touchdown, he at least made it past the 50-yard line.

MISS ATTILA THE HUN (3 STARS):

I generally consider Koontz to be lousy at writing sci-fi, so I guess this is the exception that proves the rule. While no masterpiece, it's an effective bit of storytelling that culminates in a cool battle of wills. Unfortunately, Koontz failed to quit when he was ahead, and the last page or two make for a groan-worthy dénouement.

DOWN IN THE DARKNESS (3 STARS):

Plot-wise, this story is nothing special, but Koontz writes the everloving heck out of it. Lots of great imagery here. The final line gave me the chills.

OLLIE'S HANDS (4 STARS):

I found this story strangely touching. Koontz really makes you feel for poor Ollie.

SNATCHER (2 STARS):

Although I somewhat bought into the silliness of THE BLACK PUMPKIN, I was unable to do so with SNATCHER. Koontz does a terrific job in developing the main character, but I needed some kind of an explanation for the old woman and her mysterious purse.

TRAPPED (2 STARS):

Been there, done that. Genetically engineered rats escape from the lab, wreak havoc on nearby residents, blah, blah, blah. There's nothing really wrong with this story; I just happened to find it predictable and generic. Koontz has mined similar ideas much more effectively in novels like WATCHERS. TRAPPED, on the other hand, feels like a Syfy original film just waiting to happen.

BRUNO (1 STAR):

There are a few genres I think Koontz should steer clear from. One is comedy, and another is sci-fi. BRUNO is a mixture of both, and the results are disastrous. I hate this story. It's the only one in this collection that I didn't bother finishing.

WE THREE (2 STARS):

Very forgettable. At least it's short.

HARDSHELL (2 STARS):

I was enjoying this OK until the big twist happened. The twist totally ruined it for me.

KITTENS (3 STARS):

A genuinely disturbing little story that Koontz claims was the first short story he ever sold. For a debut, KITTENS is damned impressive. However, I'm under the impression that it was heavily revised by Koontz before being included in this collection.

THE NIGHT OF THE STORM (2 STARS):

Another prime example of why Koontz was wise to transition away from writing sci-fi. It's readable, but also completely far-fetched, predictable, and emotionally uninvolving.

TWILIGHT OF THE DAWN (4 STARS):

This story really hit my buttons. Intellectually, I'm always interested in a fresh take on the whole atheism-vs.-religion debate. Emotionally, I was devastated by the plight of a father losing his son to cancer. Now that I have a small child of my own, this kind of subject matter takes on a whole new dimension. On the other hand, the story is a good reminder not to take life's blessings for granted.

CHASE (3 STARS):

I initially read this as a standalone novel, not realizing it was part of a collection. CHASE contains few surprises and no big twist at the end, but the main character, a Vietnam veteran haunted by his past, is interesting enough to make up for those moments of lackluster plotting.

[Mike Finn · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, a warning. If you buy 'Strange Highways' by Dean Koontz in any other format, you get a 500+ page collection of thirteen stories, two of which are novella-length. If you buy the unabridged audiobook as I did, then you get only the first story in the collection. I mised that detail when I bought the book.

IN A NUTSHELL
A great premise with some very scary moments and an intensely dramatic setting. Sadly, the premise gets buried under a landslide of ideas from a Hallmark version of Catholicism that sweeps it towards a so-sweet-it-makes-my-teeth-hurt Happy Ever After ending and the writing feels clumsy.

Well, I read this all the way to the end. I enjoyed the beginning. Then I became frustrated and finally disappointed as the story unfolded. 

At first, the frustration came from the prose, which was overwrought to the point that the constant reaching-for-striking-and-only-hitting-clumisly-odd use of language was a distraction.

Then I kept getting thrown out of the story by the not-quite-Catholic views of guilt and redemption that were being used to set up the struggle between good and evil. I found it harder to take seriously when the hero had to demonstrate his faith to save the world save the girl and this turned out to mean that he had to reject Star Trek and Twilight Zone explanations of the strange and fall back on Divine intervention. 

I loved the description of the highway that shouldn't have been there, the condemned village built over an abandoned coal mine that was burning out of control and the desanctified church set up for sacrifice. 

I started to have my faith in the story tested when one timeslip became several, turning the narrative into an uninteresting mix of video game / Groundhog Day. My disengagement increased as I realised that the purpose of the 'replays' was to teach Joey that he should stop trying to figure out the right thing to do to defeat his brother and simply place his faith in God. As an ex-Catholic, turned atheist, this wasn't a storyline I was ever going to buy.

Then the Happy Ever After ending left me feeling as if I'd stumbled into an episode of 'Touched By An Angel'. (a series that started a year before 'Strange Highways' was published).

I finished the story feeling disappointed. It was such a promising premise and it delivered so little. I kept wondering what Stephen King or Peter Straub would have made of this idea.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of short stories published at different points during Dean Koontz's career.Here is a brief synopsis and review of each short story....

Strange Highways: This story starts out with the main character, Joey going back to the home town that he hasn't seen for 20 years to attend his father's funeral. This story flows very well and doesn't ever slow down, from the beginning to the end.
After attending his father's funeral Joey is haunted by some of the things he has done in his past, that being back in his home town help him to remember. To keep from having any spoilers in this review I will leave it at that, as this story is only 150 pages long. Any Dean Koontz fan will love this story. Be warned though, the last 20 pages are pretty intense!

The Black Pumpkin: A story about an adolescent boy who learns the difference between right and wrong

Miss Attila The Hun: A symbiote takes control of a town

Down in the Darkness: A story of redemption

I'M GOING TO PAUSE HERE TO EXPLAIN THE REASON FOR SOME OF THESE REVEIWS BEING SO SMALL IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT SOME OF THESE STORIES ARE TOO SMALL TO OUTLINE WITHOUT SPOILING THE WHOLE STORY FOR THE READER. :)

Ollie's Hands: A story of a panhandler that has exraordinary powers in his hands

Snatcher: A pursesnatcher is shown the error of his ways

Trapped: This one is about a mother and her son and their will to survive the peril that they are in

Bruno: A story about parallel universe

We Three: A highly advance set of triples show their abilities

Hardshell: A cop is forced to do what he doesn't want to do

Kittens: When a young learns about mortality, she doesn't like what she learns

The Night of the Storm: A futuristic story about robots setting off an adventure

Twilight of the Dawn: A man is chastised for his unbelief

Chase: A Vietnam war veteran returns home to find himself the hero of the day; disgusted by the title, he turns inward. But by rescuing a woman from certain death he inadvetantly throws himself back out into the lime light.
A face to face confrontation with the would be killer sets the pace for the book. Full of twists and turns you're sure to love this novella from Dean Koontz

CHASE IS THE LAST SHORT STORY IN THE BOOK, AND I WOULD SAY THE TWO BEST STORIES IN THE BOOK ARE THE TWO LONGEST ONES, THE FIRST AND LAST. STRANGE HIGHWAYS AND THE AFOREMENTIONED.
COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T REALLY LIKE SHORT STORIES, THIS BOOK WAS FULL OF GOOD ONES. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES DK.
MY ONLY OTHER THING IS THAT I WOULD SAY THIS BOOK IS PROBABLY AIMED AT A YOUNG ADULT AUDIANCE RATHER THAN SOMEONE WHO HAS READ A LOT OF HIS LONGER BOOKS.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW AND HAPPY READING!-BB

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try not to give out five stars without really good reason, because in some way the book was outstanding, and this book of Koontz's short stories was outstanding and deserves the five star rating. Included are stories that deal with a bear with human intelligence (and a love for dancing), another about genetically altered rats, bigger than normal, more malevolent, and very smart, who trap a widow and her son in a farmhouse. One about a pumpkin that gives only what you deserve, as well as others, are in between two novellas that are, in many respects, so well written they border on profound. The two novellas are both some of the best stories of Koontz's I've read. Another of the shorter stories is about an atheist who is more narrow minded and furious with people who are religious than any right wing evangelist who hates everyone who does not believe as he does, and its impact on his child is moving and sad. This story about the atheist is also, as is at least one other story, without any element of the supernatural or science fiction. A terrific collection that does not have one story I did not enjoy. Highly recommend!

[Kris Franzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Koontz's collection of short stories. They are all awesome and some are very funny. The best was a very short story of a girl and cats. A must read!

[Kinsey Breland .: avid_midnight_reader :. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of 14 short stories. My favorites were Strange Highways, Down in the Darkness, Snatcher, Trapped, and We Three. My least favorites were Ollie’s Hands, Bruno, and Twilight of the Dawn.

Strange Highways
- This story gave off a very uncomfortable feeling from the very beginning and it only continued throughout. The fact that Joey felt an intense fear, but not knowing where those feelings were coming from set up an intense scene. Joey was given the chance to right a wrong that happened between him and his brother twenty years ago.

The Black Pumpkin
- The pumpkin carver was definitely creepy, and Tommy’s brother, Frank, was a tyrant. The things his older brother did to him were mortifying, but otherwise this was a great scary little story.

Miss Attila the Hun
- Great intro; the mystery of something laying on the forest floor just waiting for ‘a sortable host’ to show up pricked my interest right away to want to know what was going to happen. I’ve always found those scenes in movies where plants come to live and reach out to grab people as terrifying. This reminded me a lot of that, but worse because they are also controlling people.

Down in the Darkness
- I loved the mystery of the disappearing cellar door, not to mention the seemingly unending staircase down. The true creepy part of this story for me started when the man that tortured Jess during the Vietnam war showed up at his house.

Ollie’s Hands
- This one actually confused me a little. This was the first story that didn’t cause any kind of creepy vibes. Apparently, the main character could perform different things with his hands; things like healing and seeing visions. It just didn’t hold my attention.

Snatcher
- This story reminded me of the short horror film on YouTube, “Other Side of the Box”, only this time instead of a box, it was a woman’s purse. The creature living inside the bag sounded horrifying.

Trapped
- Koontz described the loss of a parent for not only a child, but for the spouse, so well. I hate rats on a normal day, but the ones in this story were terrifying.

Bruno
- All the differences that Bruno and Jake were discovering about each other’s universes were interesting. One of my favorite ones was that people like Steven Spielberg and Walt Disney were inventors in Bruno’s world. And not only were there different timelines mentioned in this short story, but also aliens. This was too much sci-fi for me.

We Three
- This story was twisted on several different levels. Jonathan, Jerry, and Jessica were 10 year old triplets with supernatural powers which they used to end the human race. Then these three have sex with each other in order to get Jessica pregnant with a baby in order to start creating a new race of powerful humans.

Hardshell
- This was a short story about a police officer chasing a serial killer suspect, but of course, with a twist; a shapechanger. This was an exciting and intense game of cat and mouse.

Kittens
- This was a simple, short, disturbing story. That man is clearly a psychopath or something. There was no need to kill the kittens. I feel so bad for that little girl having to watch that.

The Night of the Storm
- This was a cute little tale. Curanov was one of five robots trying to find something new and exciting to do with his days when he joined the team for a hunting expedition when they were attacked.

Twilight of the Dawn
- Pete was such a mean man. To hate people just because they believe in what he considers to be “fantasy stuff” is ridiculous. And to make his son think that if he wanted to start attending a church, Pete would turn his back on him as well is just plain cruel. I don’t believe in God, but I don’t hate others that do believe.

Chase
- The first chapter really did a good job setting up the time period in an interesting way; by talking about what was going on in the entertainment business at the time. I remember hearing about a similar serial killer that also murdered people in ‘lover’s lane’ areas. Koontz clearly got the inspiration for this story from it.

[Timothy Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange Highways:

The beginning set up for this story was right up my alley... It had that eerie and expectant feeling you get when you watch a good Twilight Zone episode. Joey Shannon, a lowlife alcoholic, returns to the place he grew up, a near abandoned coal mining town, to bury his recently deceased father, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years. All the while some repressed memory, of one fateful night, two decades ago keeps coming back to the surface of his mind... Joey will finally get a second chance to set things straight... But will it be enough? NOTE: This specific story is very heavy into Catholicism... if that bothers you at all, then you probably won't enjoy this one.

Black Pumpkin:

Not sure what to say about this one. The title is pretty self-explanatory... It's an outlandish story about a haunted pumpkin. Odd premise with perhaps an even odder ending.

Miss Attila the Hun:

A story involving aliens is a strangely unorthodox and comical way of expressing human's capacity for love and tendency for rebellion. Though written as a short story, I was intrigued by the little boy Jamie, and his teacher Laura. If it were fleshed out more I don't think it'd be a bad novella... If only to get to know the characters more. I think this story is a good example of Stephen King's quote, regarding short stories, "A short story is like a kiss in the night from a stranger."

Down in the Darkness;

Genuinely creepy. There's a dread in the thought of a mysterious reappearing cellar, with seemingly endless steps going down. But what's even more frightening, is the evil human beings are capable of when it's convenient. "Although occasionally providing darkness with a habitat, I have never provided it with a kingdom." Are these the words of a man named Mr. Gonzalez, or are they words that everyone, at one point in their lives, have said?

Ollie's Hands:

A somewhat endearing tale of a mute wino, with secret abilities, who takes in an unconscious girl he stumbled upon in the alleyway. As a whole, it felt somewhat lacking to me, and didn't pack that "punch" you expect from short stories.

Snatcher:

A methodical thief, proud of his work, snatches one hell of a purse. That's all the description you need.

Trapped:

Hardly anything is more controversial, on ethical and moral grounds, than genetics engineering. And there's quite a plethora of stories out there already dealing with these ideas. Though a pretty good thriller tale it won't provide much of anything new in the genetics science fiction category, if you're already familiar with the genre.

Bruno:

No, this is not the book adaptation of the movie Bruno --- though it's perhaps much stranger. Even more outlandish than the haunted pumpkin story, Koontz, was most definitely smoking something when we he wrote this, because it's one of the most ridiculous stories you'll ever read. The premise involves parallel universes and convicts escaping to uncharted probability lines. Yeah, basically. If you accept the onset as believe-able than it opens up an infinite amount of possibilities for the rest of the story, no matter how bizarre or off-the-wall. Which is good news for Mr. Koontz, because he probably had a blast writing it. And when the author enjoys himself, so does the reader. There were snippets of this tale, that were genuinely hilarious.

We Three:

One of the more disturbing ones --- and shortest --- this felt like a synopsis for a dystopian novel. Not all of it is explained, and ended abruptly in anticipation. Perhaps that's the effect Koontz was trying to give. In any case it's interesting ... But you'll probably have mixed feelings on whether or not the story "worked" entirely.

Hardshell:

A fun little cat-and-mouse type tale, made much better by the unexpected twist.

Kittens:

Okay, okay, I change my mind. THIS was the most disturbing story so far... Maybe one of the most disturbing stories I've ever read. I didn't think a seven page short story could do that but it did. The corruption of religion, when in the hands of a self-righteous, misguided man. The image it creates for an innocent little girl. I just knew that the childish title could only mean that it was gonna be anything but, childlike and innocent. Props to you, Mr. Koontz, for making me cringe.

The Night of the Storm:

In this topsy-turvy world robots are sentient and human beings are folklore, no more credible than the existence of Bigfoot. I give props to Dean for his originality and creativity on this one. It was one part comical and another part philosophical. Comical because, despite it's originality, I've actually seen a Futurama episode with a very similar plot (though the Futurama episode came out much later). Philosophical because it questions the logic and rationality of the Universe with the existence of human beings --- and also contains a somewhat funny dialogue about Origins.

Twilight of the Dawn:

Peter Fallon isn't just your garden variety atheist. His unbelief is downright dogmatic and obsessive --- and it's hurting everyone around him. The emotional impact this story had on me was potent enough to call it one of his best in the collection. Some scared me, others amused me, but what this one had was a sincerity that was palpable, and characters that were genuine. Excellent.

Chase:

This felt almost like a well executed Law & Order SVU episode for some reason. Themes of religious fanaticism and sexual immorality, are all part of it. Benjamin Chase, a guilt ridden Vietnam war veteran, lands himself right into a murder mystery, all the while the killer plagues him with phone calls. The sorta 70s "fall from innocence" is well captured in this novella ... And despite the despicable nature of some of the villains, Koontz manages to make me feel sorry for them, rather than hatred.

Notes to the Reader:

The short 10 page "notes to the reader" at the end was actually quite a hoot to read. Everyone who has read much of Koontz knows that his books can be quite funny in places, but the quirkiness of his humor really comes out here. Overall, he's a pretty darned good short story writer and it's a very refreshing change from his typical novels. 4.5 stars. Recommended.

[Stefanie Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio version is only the title story of Koontz's collection of short stories.

In Strange Highways our protagonist, Joey Shannon, lives in Las Vegas. When he runs out of money to buy liquor, he gets a job as a blackjack dealer until he has enough money to supply his addiction for awhile. Doesn’t particularly sound like someone you’re going to love by the end of the story, does he? But you will… or at least I did. In between drunken stupors, Joey laments over the shambles his life has become. He is haunted by a blonde ghost, but doesn’t know why he sees her. He is haunted by what-ifs. He once looked to be an aspiring writer. He is haunted by the success of his older brother, P.J., who did become the famous writer.

Joey is called to his boyhood home to attend his father’s funeral, as well as the reading of his father’s will. This is the first time he has been home since he left the small mining town just out of High School. He is the only Shannon in attendance, as his mother had died some years back and P.J. cannot be found, as he often takes off for months at a time on writing expeditions. After the funeral, Joey meets with the attorney with the express interest in hearing the reading of the will and hightailing it out of there. Much to his surprise, his father leaves the bulk of his estate, totaling a quarter of a million dollars to Joey. He turns it down, claiming that it has been P.J. who has been the better son, P.J. who deserved the money. P.J. has been contributing to his father’s bank account ever since he became rich and famous. It finally dawns on him that he wants nothing to do with any money that came from P.J. though he doesn’t really know why.

Joey climbs into his rental car and begins to drive out of town. Here is where the strangeness comes in. A storm begins (isn’t there always a storm?) and Joey is reminded of the last time he was ever home, and when he left. He was driving on the same road he finds himself driving on now, though he swears that road had been torn up some years before. He sees a girl by the side of the road, next to her stalled car. Though he has mixed feelings about picking her up, he feels drawn towards helping her and so he does. In an amazing storytelling maneuver, Koontz suddenly winds the clocks back to when Joey really did leave for the last time. The girl he picked up is a high school girl. He, himself, is a college student.

Together, the two embark on a strange and terrifying adventure. (That sounds like a tag line for the book, but it isn’t, I promise!) Some benevolent force keeps moving time around, giving Joey another chance to make his past right, to erase those what-ifs. Add into that intriguing mix murder, mayhem and a completely insane older brother, and you’ve got one heck of a story!

Strange Highways was written in the third person, focusing mostly on Joey Shannon’s thoughts and actions. The author never strays into the minds of the other characters, which is sometimes frustrating, but also scary not to know what the Big Baddie is thinking or doing. There is a lot of reference to Religion in this novel. The girl Joey picks up experiences Stigmata which only Joey can see every time they make a wrong choice. (Stigmata is the phenomenon of blood appearing on the hands where Jesus had nail holes). There is a Benevolent force at work helping the two of them, some may say God. The criminal in this is a Satanic worshipper.

Wonderful story. I got so into it at times that I wasn’t being a very good driver (no woman driver cracks please). It was scary and well written. BUT… a word to the wise. Read it. Do not listen to the James Spader read version. He was so monotonous and hard to listen to. It took me awhile to get into the story in spite of his horrendous narration.

Review originally published at http://www.epinions.com/review/Chase_...

[The Face of Your Father · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a weird one. A mixed bag of brilliance and utter embarrassment. Koontz prevails in the opening story; a darkly religious tale with great characters and a unique setting.

Of the eleven other stories, only three shine brightly. 'The Black Pumpkin,' 'Snatcher,' and the highly emotional 'Twilight of the Dawn.'

The rest rank from below average to downright humiliating. Koontz is a master of plot, yet he needs more time for character development than a short story can offer him. This is why he is at his best with the opening tale.

A collection that starts strong but begins its tailspin halfway through. After the sixth story, the plane's wings are ripped off. 2.7/5

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this collection I wonder why Dean Koontz doesn't write more short stories because he's very good at it. I like his novels as well, but this collection of shorter fiction is probably my favorite Koontz book. There's probably something for everyone in this collection, as the subject matter of the stories varies. I think the title story is the best in the collection and some of the stories are better than others, but overall I would recommend this to anyone who likes short horror stories, whether a Koontz fan or not.

[Thee_ron_clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories and novelettes by Dean koontz. I must say that I enjoyed every story in it, some more than others. At first, I was puzzled by the numerous mentions of the Vietnam War until I discovered that some of the stories were written in the 60's. For those looking to experience Dean Koontz as an author, but not wanting to dive directly into a lengthier book this is a great choice.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of Koontz's shorter stuff, along with a novella. It's very good. I don't think there's a clinker in the bunch.

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these tales of mystery and horror. I have read some novels by Dean Koontz in the past, and have always felt they were entertaining, but this collection exceeded my expectations. I think knowing of Koontz's religious beliefs ahead of time now, it was interesting to see his stories as reflections on his take on Christian themes like justice, redemption, guilt, and love. The book consists of two short novels and a number of short stories. The opening novella, Strange Highways, was perhaps the most captivating, though the plot twisting technique repeated there in the end got a bit old. His supernatural fiction is sometimes just a bit too supernatural, and I think he is at is strongest when he doesn't lean too far in that direction.

And Koontz likes to have fun, too. In Twilight of the Dawn, he takes the familiar tale of the obsessively Christian parent who overprotects his children from negative social influences and inverts it masterfully. The story has a secularist parent who goes out of his way to prevent his child from being exposed to any shred of theism or hints of an unseen world that rationalism cannot explain. In reading it you can almost see Koontz smirking at the smug secular humanists who have such loathing of any trace of Christian belief.

The stories aren't meant to be deep analyses of human nature or deeply intellectual, but they are clever, entertaining, and slightly thought-provoking - and worthy of four stars.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father was an airborne ranger during Vietnam. And I've read a LOT of books from that era. It was VERY cool getting to read some of his stuff I hadn't seen before, especially the earliest short stories.

That being said, some people don't like short stories, some people don't like Koontz, but he has such a range! Imagine that the same man who wrote Lightning also wrote Shadowfires AND the books/newsletters by Trixie Koontz. WOW, that's talent.

started this re-read in August 3, 2014 with Kittens and finished 8/27/2014

Kittens 8/3/2014
We Three 8/4/2014
Ollie's Hands 8/5/2014
Strange Highways 8/6/2014
The Black Pumpkin 8/9/2014
Miss Attila the Hun 8/11/2014
Down in the Darkness 8/13/2014 (title reminds me of Boys Life...)
Snatcher 8/15/2014
Bruno 8/17/2014
Hardshell 8/21/2014
The Night of the Storm 8/23/2014
Twilight of the Dawn 8/24/2014
Chase 8/26/2014
Trapped 8/27/2014

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished rereading this collection of short stories by Dean Koontz and it just reminds me of how much better I feel his earlier writing is. While some stories were better than others there wasn't a bad apple in the bunch. Kittens is still my fave, I have a deep need for justice and it was served here in a most disturbing way. I loved Chase, the Black Pumpkin, Trapped, Strange Highways, and Twilight of the Dawn. All so different. My least favorite was Ollie's Hands, I just found it stifling in it's lonliness, I also won't be in a hurry to re-re-read Bruno. But on the whole this was a great book, most stories short enought to read while waiting in line for pickup at my daughters school.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Dean Koontz read. This was mostly a good read.

The short-story collection was an easy in for me to sample his work. There was 1 novella's Strange Highways and Chase, i suspect is a novellette, about 50 pages. Some of the short-stories were great and some weren't. I enjoyed the afterward on Dean Koontz's writing and his support for short-stories.

The stories are very deep in Catholicism. Each story had great flow, it was easy to read, had clear descriptions, rich in page-turners, and the writing style asked the questions and clearly answered the What, When, Where, Why, and How. I can see why Dean Koontz has a following.

[Ozzie Silvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed the collection of short stories, but most off all the story for which the title is given. I found I could relate with the hero. I hesitate to explain that too in depth so as not to give away any of the story. My only negative comment might be that I saw a good bit of it coming ahead of time. Overall a great story!

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Подхванах и последната новела - "Здрач на разсъмване", на чието име е кръстен сборника. Хареса ми прочетеното дотук - разнообразни истории, обхващащи почти всичко от литературата с остър сюжет - и крими, и фантастика, и хорър - бива! Браво чичо Кунц!

[Dustin]

As many of you know, I'm not really a fan of Koontz's more recent work, but I've loved most of his earlier writings and this collection certainly qualifies.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten zbiór Koontza ma lepsze i gorsze opowiadania, dłuższe i takie naprawdę krótkie, mające dużo wspólnego z horrorem i niemającego prawie nic. Jednak te dobre, niekoniecznie będące stricte horrorami opowiadania absolutnie przyćmiły te, które nie przypadły mi do gustu i nie wyobrażałam sobie wystawienia niższej oceny.

Już na dzień dobry tytułowe opowiadanie ,,Trzynastu apostołów" absolutnie skradło moje serce i pewien dialog między głównym bohaterem a jego bratem uważam za najlepszą, a na pewno jedną z najlepszych scen w całej książce. Historia mogła się wydawać chwilami trochę naciągana, jednak nadal jest to dla mnie genialne przemieszanie horroru i thrilleru.

Potem zaczął się taki ciąg opowiadań, których tematyka i sposób jej przedstawienia nie przypadł mi do gustu, ale podejrzewam, że było tak dlatego, bo brakowało wystarczającego wprowadzenia do historii i w połączeniu z dość znanymi motywami nie wyszło to zaskakująco, ale raczej trochę absurdalnie.

I potem zaczęły się opowiadania takie jak:
- My troje - prawdę mówiąc, chętnie przeczytałabym, co działo się dalej. To dość intrygująca wizja końca świata i genialnych dzieci.
- Kocięta - krótka, prosta, ale genialna w swej prostocie. Mimo że od samego początku można się domyślić, co się dzieje, zakończenie może przerazić.
- Zamieć - nie jestem wielką fanką tematyki, gdzie roboty zajęły miejsce ludzkości, ale autor przedstawił to w tak intrygujący, wciągający sposób, że jest to jedno z moich ulubionych opowiadań ze zbioru. Bardzo ciekawa wizja robotów, ich stosunków z ludźmi czy z innymi żywymi istotami i też bym bardzo chętnie przeczytała jakąś kontynuację.
- Brzask świtu - zaskoczyły mnie tematy poruszane przez tę historię. Zaskoczyła mnie też kreacja głównego bohatera, bo błyskawicznie przestałam go lubić i moje odczucia zmieniły się dopiero pod sam koniec. Świetny przykład człowieka, który chcąc uciec od jednej skrajności, sam popadł w drugą.
- Chase - moje drugie ulubione opowiadanie zaraz po ,,Trzynastu apostołach'' i też drugie najdłuższe z całego zbioru. Właściwie tu praktycznie nie ma horroru, a przynajmniej nie w takiej formie, jakiego się zwykle w takich książkach spodziewamy. Horror przeżywa główny bohater w swoim życiu i przeżywał go również na wojnie, na której był swego czasu. Opowiadanie jednak samo w sobie to zdecydowanie thriller, który mógłby być całkiem dobry, jednak miałam wątpliwości co do wiarygodności niektórych zdarzeń i te dialogi między mordercą a bohaterem były, szczególnie na początku, dość dziwne. Chase został jednak przedstawiony w bardzo prawdziwy sposób i myślę, że sporo osób mogłoby się z nim utożsamić w jakimś stopniu, mimo że niekoniecznie będziemy popierać jego wybory.

Warto sięgnąć po ten zbiór, nawet jeśli nie każde opowiadanie nam się spodoba, po prostu warto.