Beastchild

by Dean Koontz

The naoli came to earth as conquerors, while the last men skulked through the ruins of their civilization. The two races, human and naoli, were the most powerful intelligences in the galaxy - and destined to be immediate and perpetual enemies! The adult Hulann met the boy Leo ... and each became a traitor to his race. For it was only through treason that the future of each race could be assured!

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Ebooks, Military Fiction, War, Science Fiction Fantasy

Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

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

[Craig]

This is an expanded version of a novella that was on the final Hugo ballot for best of the year in 1970. It's an enjoyable post-apocalyptic science fiction novel of a human boy named Leo and an alien adult named Hulann of the rival naoli race. It's very much like Enemy Mine in how the two learn about one another and how to get along. It's not one of my favorites of his early sf work, but it's a fine example of the genre at the time.

[Jim C]

This book is by Dean Koontz and is a science fiction book. Yes, before Koontz made it big with his suspense novels he authored science fiction novels. In this one, there has been a war between humans and naoli and humankind is essentially wiped out. Hulann who is a naoli finds a human and instead of fighting they become friends and so much more.

Slowly I have been going thru Dean Koontz early works when I can find one for a decent price. This has to be the best one yet that I have read. I loved the relationship between the two main characters as we get to see it develop from enemies to familial bond. We also get a Dean Koontz aspect where we get the chase throughout the book between good and evil. Even though the twist at the end was telegraphed it was still heartfelt and touches upon us as a society.

This book is less than 200 pages and is a very quick read. That being said it packs a punch and I loved every second of it. I realize this isn't one of the author's most recognized works but I enjoyed it so much and I recommend everyone to read it.

[Jody Austin]

When this books was republished in 1992. Dean Koontz wrote an introduction as to what was happening in the world in 1969 when he was writing this story. Many of the fears and concerns he had about the world in general are similar to what some of the characters are feeling. This book is pure science fiction, but shows the action and suspense that Dean Koontz is famous for today.

In the story, Earth has been overtaken by a race of aliens called the naoli, lizard-like creatures. Most humans have been killed in the war, but some are alive in hiding. The naoli believe that the humans must all be exterminated and any humans that are discovered are instantly killed. Hulaan is a naoli archeologist. While sifting through the catacombs of a Boston library, he is saved by a human boy. The boy Leo is wounded from a recent skirmish and unable to flee. Reluctantly, Hulaan leaves the boy alive. Soon another naoli discovers Hulaan's secret and labels him a traitor. Hulaan flees, taking the boy with him. As they run for their lives, they discover that the war was based on a terrible misunderstanding. Desparately, they try to inform others while they fight for their lives. Even if you are not a fan of science fiction, you will appreciate the writing style and the character development that Dean Koontz is known for.

[TK421]

An amazing antiwar novel than can be applied today... A hunter has no soul.

[itchy]

titular sentence:
p137: Yet, only a week ago, Hulann would have thought of him as a Beastchild, a primitive.

ocr:
p7: If the naoli had not acted, the voices saidThe things in the trees sprang, great dark shapes leaping onto him, engulfing him, chilly, wet things with fog for eyes and fingers that touched the insides of his over-mind, squeezing the warmth out of it -the naoli would have died!

p42: "...After a few more cases like that, we started building with plastics ant plastic metals."

p42: Too, humans were the novelty of the many worlds, having only appeared in galactic society some twenty years earlier.

p52: Now and then, he withdrew one from its rack and looked at the tide and author.

p72: The wind kidded it into a gende rocking, nothing more.

construction:
p88: But he knew it was almost a certainty that the passengers of that machine were looking for he and Hulann.

Friendship. And survival.

The food is mostly from plants. I thought the rat was going to git et!

[Nigel]

Another good early story in the career of Koontz. This was has multiple facets to it. It has obvious Sci-Fi overtones dealing as it does with an alien invasion of earth. It does however go beyond a novel comprising simply of an alien versus humanity war. In my opinion at its heart this is book about discovering similarities between disparate peoples. When one of the alien invaders discovers an 11 year old human boy on the archaeological dig site he is working on, it is duty to hand him over to the authorities. This he fails to do and when during psychological testing his secret is discovered he again acts uncharacteristically by attacking the psychologist and escaping with the boy.
As the alien’s assign a hunter to track them down, the book takes on the flavour of fugitive story, as the alien and boy try to escape from those out to get them. During their escape, the boy and alien exchange stories as come to realise not only did the war start because of a misunderstanding but that it was possible for the two races to be friends. Showing as has often been the case that when two groups of people separated by race, creed, religion or political beliefs actually spend time together they find that they are not quite as different as they previously thought and through this understanding comes tolerance.
Will the fugitives escape to be able to share their new found understanding with the populations from both races? Can there ever be peace between peoples where one has previously been intent on wiping the other out of existence? Only time will tell.

[Ralph Carlson]

I believe this to be one of the best of Koontz's early science fiction novels.

[Barry Fowler]

Have I missed something with this book? I have read `Midnight’ previously and enjoyed it. The idea of a human boy in the run with a rebel alien – that got me hooked, but it didn’t work for me. It didn’t gel why Hulann would give up everything for the boy, why the hunter would handicap himself by dragging the psychologist along with him, David choosing that moment to set off on train tracks that he had not checked for ?five years. I was irritated with the `Isolator’ living weapon, and the author relied too much on coincidences for my liking. And the great discovery about the war having been a mistake – sorry, that seemed kinda lame. So I was disappointed – maybe I should stick to Koontz for horror and look to other authors for SciFi. I would be most interested to know if people disagree?

[Freyja Norman]

A weird little story about a Naoli and a human boy. In a world of war, where they should be enemies, becomes friends and allies as they are being chased across the land to the "Haven".

Quite the sci-fi adventure.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Steph]

Not a bad bit of sci-fi from a very early Dean Koontz. I enjoyed it. You can find it to read, here:

https://readfrom.net/dean-koontz/page...

3 stars

[Joshua]

I enjoyed this one.

[Ron]

Earlier work (5th novel), immature. Chase story.

[Trix]

Interesting concepts. And the Infiltrator seems like the incipient idea of the the creature from Phantoms.
Feels like some ideas were left as threads for a possible follow-up that never came.

[Al]

The text has been typeset from the authors restored original manuscript with a new authors preface. The illustrations are printed on Lustro Gloss and the limitation sheet has been printed letterpress on Fabriano Ingres. When Dean checked the proofs for this book he wanted to know why Charnel House felt the need to rewrite his twenty year old novel. It turned out that the publisher of the paperback original did and it was this source that was used as manuscript that the proofs were made from. Eventually Dean's paper trail led to his original manuscript and Beastchild was for the first time whole and published as it was written. Printed on Mohawk Superfine Illustrated by Pamela Lee Bound in green Japanese cloth Stamping on the spine and front board Housed in a slipcase bound in tan German Iris linen EACH COPY IS SIGNED BY DEAN KOONZ & PAMELA LEE

[Mary]

Beastchild was written in 1970. I have been working my way through early Dean Koontz books and have enjoyed them. This one was a semi-science fiction story but what my focus ended up on was that wars can be fought for total MISunderstandings--that your enemy just may be your friend...I am glad that Koontz basically left science fiction behind and went for suspense but many of his later books manage to throw in a bit of weird stuff that I guess is a bit like science fiction. I have to say that his writing improves as the years go by. Pretty good book.

[Kim Dallmeier]

I really enjoyed this Dean Koontz 70's Sci Fi novel about a galactic war between Humans and Naolis, the Lizard People, and the fact that the story is told by a Human-Sympathizer Lizard.

I also really loved how Koontz thoroughly described the Alien Race's behavioral patterns such as how they manifest fear, by rolling their tails around their thighs,... which really gave the story even more depth and general interest. Very enjoyable novel to read.

[Yves]

Ce roman raconte l'histoire de la rencontre entre Léo, un jeune humain et Hulann, un Naoli. Les Naoli ont exterminé presque entièrement les humains et l'alliance entre ces deux personnages pourraient éviter l'élimination totale.

Je n'avais aucune attente face à ce livre et je dois dire que j'ai été très agréablement surpris. Il y a longtemps que je n'avais pas lu un aussi bon roman de science-fiction. Le livre me rappelais les bons romans d'Asimov. Je l'ai dévoré en trois jours.

[Dawn]

The Naoli, an alien race of reptile like creatures, have invaded earth and are killing humans to the point of extinction. All humans were thought to be cold and calculating until the adult Naoli Hulann discovers the human boy Leo in the caves where he works. He then discovers humans are not what they were thought to be and maybe the invasion was a result of a misunderstanding. The two races are not so different after all.

[Adam Clark]

My expensive and unjustifiable obsession with Koontz’s early-career sci-fi work finally (albeit marginally) pays off with a better-than-mediocre work that ends with a genuine insight about the human condition. It also brings clarity to what’s often so frustrating about Koontz; he gets off to a running start, is conceptually strong, and then loses momentum and focus past the midway point.

[Janall]

Decent read. Humans have found the way to routinely travel the stars, and unwittingly create a war because and the astronauts represent the worst of humanity (emotionless arrogant, cold). Now humans are on the verge of extinction because of a misunderstanding.

[Simeonberesford]

There are supposedly major differences between the two versions

[Takedown]

Very cool book, remind me of The Avatar in some things.

[Pam Larson]

Early Koontz sci fi. Interesting point of view, that of an alien archeologist attached to the invasion force. Fast-paced.

[Simon Gelling]

I enjoyed reading this