The Moonlit Mind

Dean Koontz has started a tradition of releasing a novella to whet the appetite for the novel to follow.

Unlike "Darkness under the Sun" (novella) which fits perfectly into the larger story of "What the Night Knows," (novel), "The Moonlit Mind" is truly a stand alone story with little or no relation to "77 Shadow Street" other than geography. But it is a very good story and I highly recommend it.

"The Moonlit Mind" has all the standard Dean Koontz tropes. Super intelligent dog, brave yet maladjusted children, menacing dark conspiracies. But what the hell, it works for him. I enjoyed my time with Crispin and his dog and found his whole story, as well as the story of the dark forces working against him to be very entertaining. Actually, show more this one could have made an even better novel since it left so much of the story untold.

Talk about a dysfunctional family....

In a nutshell, Crispin and his brother and sister are "adopted" by their selfish and materialistic mother's latest romantic conquest, who has made a life for herself by seeking out rich and then even richer men to provide for her and, to a much lesser extent, for her children. The children have been at worst pawns, at best afterthoughts, in her life. Not this time. Her new husband is very interested in the children---as are the other members of his evil and powerful family and their magical, secret society. show less

In preparation for reading the Koontz book 77 Shadow Street did I, of course, have to read this novella, or rather listen to it and I found the tale to be very good.

Do you have to read The Moonlit Mind before you read 77 Shadow Street? Nah, I just finished listening to 77 Shadow Street and you can definitely read 77 Shadow Street separately. I thought the events in The Moonlit Mind would have something to do with 77 Shadow Street's story, perhaps Crispin would show up? But, no and thank kind of bummed me.

Anyway, this novella is really good and long enough to truly get interesting. I would very much like to read a book about Crispin and not just a novella.

Great short work for fans of Koontz, actually not a book of its own, just a novella as a prelude to a new book.
Koontz did a good job describing the 9-12 year old protagonist (the story jumps back and forth between events which happened when Crispin was 9 years old and the present situation - Crispins 13th birthday). I did not like the dog - this element (even the fact that Harley is a golden retriever) has already been beaten to death. On the other hand, the novella contained some unique elements (cat avatars in the model of the house come to mind). A solid three of five, almost a four.
I can hardly wait to read the new book - and maybe reread some older Koontz novels in between.

I downloaded this novella from the library on a whim to test my upgraded Sony PC Reader software's interface with our library download system. It turned out to be a pretty good, if bizarre, thriller -- and, in the end, somewhat appropriate to my theme of the month. It is a story with strong supernatural themes, as is often the case with Koontz. The story appears to be somewhat related to Koontz's latest novel 77 Shadow Street, an excerpt of which is included following the novella.

Crispin is a boy who is alone in the city, having run away from . . . what? The "what" is gradually revealed, as the story alternates between present and past -- and the resolution is surprising.

The novella is written in rather simple, straightforward prose -- show more I especially noted the contrast with the writing style of the novel excerpt which follows it. I think that reflects the fact that it is told from the POV of a child -- even though it is a child wise beyond his own years, and is written in third person.

I can detect a number of theological themes in this study of a decent boy struggling against a terrible, murderous, even blasphemous evil. But -- for those not theologically inclined -- it's also just a fearsomely good, bizarre, horror story.

The excerpt from the new book is tantalizing, too. show less

True Koontz
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. I really liked the character of Crispin and Harley. True heroes were braving the dangers, in a bizarre world that only Koontz can paint. I only wish there had been more story and depth to the actual sacrifice rituals. Being a short story, it was focused mainly on the characters, as it should be. Enjoyable read.

Twelve year old Crispin and his dog Harley have lived on the streets since he was nine. His dreams are strangely haunted and composed of memories that are best forgotten. The city he roams has dark and mysterious secrets. Very good but very short story.

As an introduction to Koontz's novel 77 Shadow Street it certainly catches my interest. The characters are well developed. While the subject is an old one the way it is approached here is new. Combining fantasy, the supernatural, and suspense the story leaps between past and present fairly neatly. Although I have some reservations about the way Koontz represents the behavior of the children all in all it's a good tale worth reading, especially if you plan to continue to the full length novel. I do plan to read on.