[This cat-and-mouse thriller/suspense embodies themes of the dark side of technology, governmental conspiracy, and family separation and reunification. Jeffrey Coltrane and his young daughter, Amity, encounter a homeless eccentric who thrusts into their hands a cell-phone looking device known as "the key to everything" and urges them to keep it from a clandestine governmental agency seeking it. Although both also receive an admonition not to use the device, curiosity is a strong motivator. When they do use it, they learn that it is a portal to multiple dimensions, those closer to their home world known as prime, being most similar populated with duplicates of Jeffrey and Amity as well as Amity's mother, Michelle, who walked out of the marriage shortly after her daughter was born. Amity believes that she might find another Michelle and reunify the family. This is only if they can only stay ahead of the men dressed in black being transported in dark helicopters.
Although Dean Koontz is an excellent storyteller, this novel reminded me of Dark Matter by Blake Crouh which was published four-years earlier, which, I believe, to be the better tale. The theme of the child who misses a parent going to great lengths to become a family again is a well-worn trope. The short chapters made for a fast-moving and thrilling narrative. The audiobook includes a short-story with some of the same characters which was a cherry-on-top treat.
Although both also receive an admonition not to use the device, curiosity is a strong motivator. When they do use it, they learn that it is a portal to multiple dimensions, those closer to their home world known as prime, being most similar populated with duplicates of Jeffrey and Amity as well as Amity's mother, Michelle, who walked out of the marriage shortly after her daughter was born. Amity believes that she might find another Michelle and reunify the family. This is only if they can only stay ahead of the men dressed in black being transported in dark helicopters.
Although Dean Koontz is an excellent storyteller, this novel reminded me of Dark Matter by Blake Crouh which was published four-years earlier, which, I believe, to be the better tale. The theme of the child who misses a parent going to great lengths to become a family again is a well-worn trope. The short chapters made for a fast-moving and thrilling narrative. The audiobook includes a short-story with some of the same characters which was a cherry-on-top treat.