Phantoms (Group Read - June 2010)

[Matt R.]

I like the plot of this book: A small town completely wiped out with no plausible cause for the deaths and disappearances. Post in this thread when you start reading Phantoms.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I'll be reading once I get the audiobook on CD through ILL. I'm gonna watch the movie too!

Phantoms by Dean Koontz

[Jaice]

I love Phantoms! Get ready for a very spooky thriller with a fascinating premise. :-)

[Becky]

There's a movie? Not THE Phantoms with Ben Affleck? Surely not. O_O

Holy crap, I never knew that was based on a Koontz book. I haven't seen it, but it IS mentioned by Jay in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. (I ♥ Kevin Smith.)

[Jaice]

Becky wrote: "There's a movie? Not THE Phantoms with Ben Affleck? Surely not...."

Yep, that's the one. I saw it in the theater back in 1998 and I own the DVD. It is actually a good movie and I liked it long before I had ever heard of Koontz.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I'd say it's not a bad movie...but I loved Peter O'Toole's performance. He has a gift for being able to "not take himself too seriously".

[Matt R.]

I will watch the movie after reading the book. I noticed my library has a copy.

[Jason]

I thought the movie did a pretty good job of staying true to the book. Plus, it was kind of nice being able to picture Rose McGowan as the little sister while reading.... ;)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I've started reading this already. I decided since I got the audiobook, I might as well get started early for a change. I'm over half finished and I DON'T think this will end up being one of my favorites, but I never know until the end :-)

My favorite parts so far are......

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*
heads in the ovens and voices coming from bathroom sinks
*SPOILER ALERT DIRECTLY ABOVE*

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

The Timothy Flyte character and his theory is the most interesting to me.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I've watched the movie before finishing the book - the book is much better, but the movie is a nice summary. Dean Koontz wrote the screenplay for Phantoms and was also one of the executive producers for the film.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

"Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him are drawn.
They are weak, but He is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me -
the Bible tells me so."
-as quoted in Phantoms

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

"Extreme Protestant fundamentalists saw the hand of the Devil in everything from television programming to the novels of July Blume to the invention of the push-up bra. But Catholicism struck a quieter, more light hearted note than that. The Church of Rome now gave the world such things as singing nuns, Wednesday Night Bingo, and priests like Andrew Greeley."
-Chapter 25

In the 2007 audio version, Judy Blume is replaced by R.L. Stine for some reason - there may have been other changes too.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Another part I like - this was not in the movie

*SPOILER ALERT - Chapter 25*
"Initially, the subterranean parade of animals had been startling but not particularly frightening. Now, the bizarre procession was suddenly eerie, even threatening."
*SPOILER ALERT - DIRECTLY ABOVE

[Maxine]

Haven't watched the movie yet but I heard it's awful. The book's passable, though. Probably one of my top 10.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Well, I was at least able to get through this movie, unlike The Servants of Twilight movie :-) I don't think Phantoms is gonna make it into my top 10.

*SPOILER ALERT*
The disappearance of groups of people throughout history (Mayans, Roanoke etc), and the explanation for the disappearance of the dinosaurs is very interesting
*SPOILER ALERT DIRECTLY ABOVE*

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

The character named Fletcher Kale is not in the movie

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I haven't read the book...so I hope it's better than the movie. Still, having seen a lot of awful movies, I wouldn't call this one awful...though it has parts that are awful. I actually sort of enjoyed Peter O'Toole's take on his character.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

There are some significant differences between the film and the book. They combined or left out some of the characters for the film. In the film, Flyte took on some of the role of Dr. Sara Yamaguchi. Lisa (Jenny's younger sister) is a lot sweeter in the book than in the film. The story continues on in the book after the point where the film ends, so even though I watched the film - It didn't really ruin the ending of the book because there is more to the story :-) This was not one of my favorites, I rated it 3 stars.

[Jaice]

Dustin wrote: "...In the 2007 audio version, Judy Blume is replaced by R.L. Stine for some reason - there may have been other changes too."

Nooooooooo!!! I've been disillusioned and my trust shattered. :-(

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Okay, just got a copy. Koontz is one of those writers you can have a large collection of their work...and still have a good chance of not having a specific title.

[Maciek]

I recently acquired a copy of this title and will be joining you all in the discussion (yay!). However, the thrift store where I bought it (and many other Koontz books) closed down because the business wasn't flowing. Booo:(

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I read this one (actually I believe I listened to it on cassette) some years ago and wasn't that impressed, but I'm going to "give it another go" as they say. Maybe I'll think/feel differently this time.

I have a wonderful used book store about 5 miles from my home. I hope it hangs in there.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Finished it today...as it's a little early to put in spoilers, at least here, if you want, check my review. Here, for now, I'll just say...forgettable (and I had forgotten most of it).

Let me say I do like Koontz' work, some of his books are among my favorites, but some go the other way. Really didn't care much for this one, sorry if you do.

[Michael]

Becky wrote: "There's a movie? Not THE Phantoms with Ben Affleck? Surely not. O_O

Holy crap, I never knew that was based on a Koontz book. I haven't seen it, but it IS mentioned by Jay in Jay & Silent Bob Str..."

I think that is hilarious! Ben Affleck humble enough to make fun of his own movie. Actually, the movie could be a lot worse than it is. You should see Liev Schreiber in it. He is both funny and scary! Though not very close to the book and obviously lacking a lot of the detail (like most books turned to movies) Phantoms is an entertaining horror movie.

[Michael]

Dustin wrote: "Another part I like - this was not in the movie

*SPOILER ALERT - Chapter 25*
"Initially, the subterranean parade of animals had been startling but not particularly frightening. Now, the bizarre pr..."

Koontz must really like marching animals. This scene reminded me of the one in Midnight, where all kinds of animals and people march to their doom.

[Michael]

Dustin wrote: ""Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him are drawn.
They are weak, but He is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me -
the Bible tel..."
I am listening to the audiobook right now. I can't figure out which narrator I like the best. The reader for Life Expectancy was amazing. However, the Brilliance Audio version of Phantoms has a narrator with the most eerie voice. I can't think of his name off-hand, but I will have to check, when I get back in my car. Who do you think reads Koontz best? Can you recommend some Koontz audiobooks? And if you know the narrators, that would be a plus. Has the man who read Life Expectancy done any other Koontz?

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Here's a link to audiobooks by Brilliance Audio. Life Expectancy is read by John Bedford Lloyd who also reads the Frankenstein sereis. Phantoms if read by Buck Schirner. Hope this helps a little :-)

http://www.simplyaudiobooks.com/proce...

[Michael]

Thanks. Just started listening to Phantoms. It has been a while since I originally read this book. After the first three discs, I can definitely say that I would not have cast Liev Schreiber as Stu. I still have a problem seeing Ben Affleck as Brice Hammond. And Jenny and Lisa are supposed to have auburn hair. Rose McGowan and Joanna Going had black hair in the movie. I always wondered why they would change little details so easy to keep consistent with the book being adapted.

By the way, What is your favorite Koontz audiobook?

[Michael]

Dustin wrote: "Here's a link to audiobooks by Brilliance Audio. Life Expectancy is read by John Bedford Lloyd who also reads the Frankenstein sereis. Phantoms if read by Buck Schirner. Hope this helps a little :-..."

I noticed that the message on the mirror in the locked bathroom of the hotel was written with an eyelash pen. In the movie it was lipstick.

[Michael]

Mike wrote: "Finished it today...as it's a little early to put in spoilers, at least here, if you want, check my review. Here, for now, I'll just say...forgettable (and I had forgotten most of it).

Let me say..."

What specifically did you not care for in Phantoms? Not that I disagree (yet). I respect your opinion having agreed with several things you said in previous comments and I am interested in how your opinion was formed.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Wow, Michael, you pick up on the details even more than I do :-) I don't think I've seen a book adapted into a movie yet that I wasn't disappointed with. It makes me mad. I can understand that they can't put everything into the film version but why they make some of the changes to the story/details is beyond my comprehension.

As for the Audiobooks. I think you already mentioned you enjoyed Life Expectancy. I recently enjoyed listening to The Voice of the Night - the narrator made me laugh even though it probably wasn't supposed to be funny. Most of the audiobooks I listened to were in 2005-06. I've only started listening again within the past year. Well, here's my opinion for what it's worth:

Relentless, Brother Odd, The Good Guy, Winter Moon, Lightning, and The Taking are all books on CD that I've enjoyed listening to in 2010. Among those, I'd say The Taking was my favorite.

False Memory, From the Corner of His Eye, Watchers and Phantoms weren't my favorites to listen to.

From my 2005-06 listening days. By the Light of the Moon and Cold Fire stand out as good ones. I'm going to be listening to Cold Fire again soon.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Michael, I did a review of it so I wouldn't put too much here too soon.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90...

Koontz is capable of great writing, and I hope it doesn't bother him when people dislike his work, after all, some love this book. I just found it annoying and frustrating. It was a sort of middle of the road between natural horror and supernatural horror (like 2,2,2 mints in one).

******************SPOILER BELOW******************

Was the "Ancient Evil" a neurotic ancient intelligence with delusions of grandeur? I mean it apparently spent a lot of time finding a way to watch hokey horror movies and read every horror type book out there as it pulled ideas from those sources. It almost had a check list of gross out and terror "classics". I can just hear the thoughts "have I used that cliche yet???? No, hummm, okay dead guy unexpectedly in empty room. OH, OH, OH, and the message found in a locked room that has to be locked from the inside...and no way out. That's a good one. Maybe a long line of creepy animals....is that a bit much? No, use it anyway."

It was just a book that left me cold. I kept having the "isn't this thing over yet" reaction. So, not my cup of "proverbial tea".

Be aware, others loved it.

[Maciek]

I was disappointed by this book. The beginning is extremely eerie and promising - abandoned town, two girls, something out there...
However Koontz introduces extra characters which ultimately kills the suspense and tries to provide a scientific explanation for all the events that took place which is the biggest faul of the book. You are holding your breath the whole time, and when the creature is revealed you bust out giggling: "That's it ?"
3 stars from me.

[Nicholas]

I'm sorry, but I have trouble with the words "That's it?" The creature that explains this story was scary as well as scientifically reasonable. I really liked the creature and thought that it being an ancient monster was a great explanation.

[Maciek]

I know that it's scientifically reasonable, but it doesn't always mean that it's scary as well. It reminded me of "Ghostbusters" and the religious references just about killed it.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I'm not sure I can even go with "scientifically reasonable" (lol). I suppose it might be within the logic of the story. Of course, each ones definition of that term could vary I suppose.

One thing I did find interesting in the context of discussion was that...elsewhere on the Koontz sight, there was a discussion of how often DK used "supernatural" aspects to his stories. As I said, this might be rated as a story where he used something at least arguably "natural" masquerading as something supernatural.

[Suey]

I just finished reading Phantoms....I think this was the first book EVER that I've had to skip to the end to make sure everything turns out OK. I usually HATE knowing the ending ahead of time, but this was so tense when I started it, I HAD to know!!! ALSO...Koontz wrote a great "afterward" (2001) - pretty much apologizing for writing this and getting labeled as a "horror writer" so early on in his career.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Suey wrote: "ALSO...Koontz wrote a great "afterward" (2001) - pretty much apologizing for writing this and getting labeled as a "horror writer" so early on in his career. "

Yeah, those afterwords can be rather interesting and enlightening :-)

[Jen]

I really loved this book. I need to check out that afterward. I see a lot of his re-releases include afterwards.

[Kelsey]

Okay I didn't read any of the posts before mine because I haven't finished the book yet. I just wanted to say how much I am really LOVING it so far. Depending on the conclusion/explanation of the CRAZY scary things happening... This may end up being a Favorite!! He has everything going great right now. Everything is very suspensful, unpredictable and unexplainable. I just hope all the air doesn't get let out with the revelation of what is actually happening.

[Kelsey]

Finished the book. Loved it! I am really wanting to watch the movie now.

[Jaice]

Kelsey wrote: "Finished the book. Loved it! I am really wanting to watch the movie now."

Glad to hear it, Kelsey. Do you have anything to discuss about the book?

[Kelsey]

This is instantly in my top 5 DK books. (But I also have like 20 others all in my "top 5") hehe.

This book actually SCARED me. I couldn't believe it. The part with the voices coming out of the drain singing "Jesus Loves Me"... The fact that it was a childs voice singing with a 'mocking tone' creeped me out so bad.

I also like all the references between God and Satan. God seems irrelevant and powerless compared to "It." With all the fear of "It" being the Devil no one even thinks about God. Then you have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever:) Loved it.

I just loved that the book went so deep and dark but ended on a good note.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I must add... I was devestated when Gordy and Frank died! I also hate Stu Wargle so it will be weird watching the movie since Liev Schrieber is one of my favorite actors. In the book I had Stu pictured as Rod Farva from Super Troopers... just had to throw that out there lol
****SPOILER***

[Jaice]

Kelsey wrote: "This is instantly in my top 5 DK books. (But I also have like 20 others all in my "top 5") hehe. This book actually SCARED me. I couldn't believe it...."

Yes, I consider it one of his few true horror books. You should probably mark that last paragraph with a spoiler alert.

[Kelsey]

Wow thanks! I don't know what I was thinking!