Hideaway

A re-read for me. A man resuscitated long after death awakens with a strange connection to a killer. People often criticise Koontz for too often having religious themes in his books and this is certainly one of those, though an earlier and better example. If one is to read a supernatural thriller regardless of faith, then there must be some leeway for this, although any author can use a recurring theme too often at the risk of work sounding stale. Despite rolling my eyes a time or two, especially once toward the end, I’m giving this book a high mark for its tension, and excellently conceived and solid plot. I felt the book was a little overlong, but not to the point of frustration.

Hideaway is a typical horror story pitting good against evil with some interesting twists. Mr. Koontz's writing is always engaging, and the beginning chapters describing the car accident and aftermath are riveting, but the rest of the book has no surprises. The half-dead monster, Vassago, that trolls through the deserted funhouse, the brilliant, driven doctor that resuscitates dead bodies, and the innocent child with the spunky sense of humor are very reminiscent of his previous novels. I guess I was hoping for something extraordinary but it just wasn't there.

The plot for this one is sort of akin to another serial killer running amok, which is a type of thriller Koontz seems to lean toward. However, this one has a supernatural edge of sorts and explores another type of subject not often discussed: resuscitative medicine.

Koontz does an admirable job with the research for this type of thing, as well as raising some interesting questions on the side effects of something such as this is successful. Also explored is good versus evil and gaining second chances on life in general. Through the use of good characterization and people you genuinely care about (as well as a villain that’s interesting but also creepy), this plot works on multiple levels and kept me enthralled.

The atmosphere isn’t as show more dark as some of Koontz’s other works but there’s a lot of depressing things going on, anger is expressed vividly, fear is touched upon, and the whole thing is tightly woven together. Hatch is a great guy who obviously had the blunt end of the stick in life, but because of this strives to be the best he can. The link he shares with the “other” is intriguing and his actions are overall acceptable. Lindsey was another worthy character to sit inside of…how she dealt with past issues proved fascinating and it’s apparent she’s a strong individual.

Vassago is one creepy guy and enough mystery is enshrouded around him to leave the reader from becoming bored. His truth isn’t revealed until the end, and I was a bit surprised by the findings, although I had already figured out most of them. Regina is an adorable little fighter, and being inside her head was both humorous and fun. All characters were well fleshed out and three dimensional.

The pace is slow yet fast at the same time. Nothing that leaves your palms constantly sweating, but fast enough to hold attention and make an enjoyable treat.

Koontz’s style can differ depending on the novel. Here he comes off strong, not hampered down by unneeded prose, devoted to plot and the execution of character. His words are all beautifully phrased, straight forward, and complement what he set out to do – make a good story. I especially enjoyed how he brought disturbing points across with Vassago while not just spelling everything out. More effective that way.

Hideway is a great read. One of Koontz’s better serial killer works, it touches upon the supernatural and leaves the readers clues so they don’t become confused, but doesn’t reveal all until the final segments. The emotional stakes are strong and caused me to feel a sense of kinship with whom I was reading about.

Intriguing issues and moral points are brought up – from bringing back the dead, genetics, orphans and disabilities, the deaths of small children, bringing families closer together, and, of course, religion. This wasn’t a simple cat-and-mouse thriller, and Koontz added enough ‘different’ plot points to make this original in its own right.

If you’re a serial killer lover, a thriller chaser, a supernatural addict, or just another Koontz fan, Hideway is definitely worth your time. show less

Hideaway by Dean Koontz was published in 1992, but I'm just now getting around to reading all the great books by Mr. Koontz I've been missing out on. The last Koontz book I read was The Taking and I was greatly surprised at the drastic difference between novels.While Hideaway was full of underlying themes and an overriding purpose, it felt more like a muted suspense/horror film that was trying to get away with a PG-13 rating.I'm a fan of blood and gore and I was disappointed that Mr. Koontz pulled the reader back rather than exploring the vivid horror scenes that were happening throughout the novel.I'm a believer that the raw details of life are what make characters real. If I wanted a synopsis I'd go watch the movie. I'm reading the show more book because I want to know the real story. I have not read all of Mr. Koontz's books, but I was kind of hoping for a little more grit and less skimming.And finally, I have to mention that I didn't really start liking the book until towards the end. It took about half the book for us to learn just how demented our antagonist really is and by the time that fact was established, the resolution was closing in fast. I would have enjoyed a little less buildup and a little more detailed exploration.Overall, I enjoyed Hideaway and I'll be trying out another Dean Koontz novel soon, but I hope he doesn't spare the horror in place of the suspense. If I want suspense, I'll read slower.Book review: http://bookologists.com/?p=233 show less

Good suspense book--outlines the good -v- evil with a smattering of destiny meets destiny themes. Story begins with the revival of a dead man and progresses through a suspense laden time line to a conclusion in a place you just knew would be the site of an exciting, smash ending. Hitchcock and Serling would be proud.

this is one of the best good vs evil plots i've read in a long time. it may even be the best i've ever read. koontz is at the top of his form here and he is best making us care about children and dogs. No dogs in this one (well, there is a reference to one or two for a graf or two), but Regina is just the loveliest person. He paints her precocious well. I read the reviews and I have no idea what imperfection in the ending bothers some. I found it continually whole through and through. I do wish Dean would hitch along the promising sub-plot with the good Doctor J. He leaves him in a rather purgatorial mind. That didn't flow right. That and the tendency to stereotype Hatch and Lindsey gives it four and a half stars rather than five. I show more couldn't easily put it down, though. show less

I love Dean Koontz and this is one of his better works. The characters are believable and engaging and the plot is original and suspenseful. At no point in the story was I bored. I was captivated from cover to cover and was often unable to put it down. I love the way Koontz uses religious imagery to cleverly twist the typical psychopath storyline. Definitely worth reading.