Doug Walsh > Recent Status Updates

It's been at least 25 years since I read something by Koontz, and just happened to pick this up at a library sale a couple years ago. The book definitely has a 90s vibe (published in 1999), but I'm really enjoying it so far.

Would you believe I never read this? Not even as a youngster.

Spent the week since getting home from vacation working like mad, and hadn't had much time to read. But finally back into this. And loving every minute.

Took this book on vacation with me to Belize and could barely put it down. I'm nearly 800 pages into it, and already wondering when to pick up the 2nd in the Kingsbridge series. Fantastic medieval historical fiction, but definitely not for those with a sensitive disposition. Lots of violence and sex.

So, this book was on its way to cracking my top 5 of "favorite reads of the year" but then you hit the main plot point (roughly page 130) and the protag does something so stupid, so sitcom-level farcical, that the ensuing 15 pages become one giant eye-roll. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good bit of fun. And I've enjoyed the chapters that followed, but I am disappointed by what it could have been.

As page-turney of a book as any I've read all year. A fantastic first-person voice to go with the engrossing story.

Well, that certainly got scandalous in a hurry.

Getting really good now. I struggled to maintain attention for 50 or so pages, but now it's the opposite. I want to clear my calendar and sit and read it through to the end.

This is a really fascinating story, but perhaps a bit denser than necessary. Not in that it's difficult to follow, only that it feels more granular than was needed. There's a frequent feeling of, "haven't I read this already?' that pervades the opening chapters. Still, I'm learning a lot (and not just about the main character) and will likely keep at it.

Some hits, some misses for me. But that's to be expected with any collection of stories.