On This Page
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:From the celebrated imagination of Dean Koontz comes a powerful reworking of one of the classic stories of all time. If you think you know the legend, you know only half the truth. Now the mesmerizing saga concludes. . . .As a devastating hurricane approaches, as the benighted creations of Victor Helios begin to spin out of control, as New Orleans descends into chaos and the future of humanity hangs in the balance, the only hope rests with show more Victor’s first, failed attempt to build the perfect human. Deucalion’s centuries-old history began as the original manifestation of a soulless vision–and it is fated to end in the ultimate confrontation between a damned creature and his mad creator. But first they must face a monstrosity not even Victor’s malignant mind could have conceived–an indestructible entity that steps out of humankind’s collective nightmare with powers, and a purpose, beyond imagining.
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Dean Koontz's The City.. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
What a tremendous disappointment!
I've become more and more disillusioned with Dean Koontz's work. He often starts with an intriguing idea and then fails in the execution.
I moderately enjoyed the first two books in the series. Frankenstein's monster lives, develops a conscience, and is out to save the world. What's not to like?
This book builds up a huge expectation for a grand finale. And utterly, completely FLOPS. No big finish. No heroes. No satisfying integration of a bunch of tank grown monsters into human society. A weird and totally unnecessary and unbelievable supernatural garbage monster that telepathically fixes stuff.
AND no big ending.
Overall rating for the series? PHHHHFFFFTTTTTT!
I've become more and more disillusioned with Dean Koontz's work. He often starts with an intriguing idea and then fails in the execution.
I moderately enjoyed the first two books in the series. Frankenstein's monster lives, develops a conscience, and is out to save the world. What's not to like?
This book builds up a huge expectation for a grand finale. And utterly, completely FLOPS. No big finish. No heroes. No satisfying integration of a bunch of tank grown monsters into human society. A weird and totally unnecessary and unbelievable supernatural garbage monster that telepathically fixes stuff.
AND no big ending.
Overall rating for the series? PHHHHFFFFTTTTTT!
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Dead and Alive
Series: Frankenstein #3
Author: Dean Koontz
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 372
Format: Digital Edition
Synopsis:
Victor Helios' empire is crumbling. His new humans are all going insane, or changing in unexpected and uncontrolled ways. Murderous rampages, multiple genetic reorganizations, it is not good news for Victor. Then he gets a call from Wife #4, who he killed. Only she's not dead, but alive and well in the show more dump and the creature that brought her back to life wants to confront Victor and destroy him.
The two cops, buddies slash romance partners, whose names I can't even remember, are in touch with Deucalion and just drive around until it is time to meet up at the Dump. They have a “spiritual” moment, witness the end of the Victor and then get married, have a baby and start their own detective agency.
Deucalion steps through shadows, gets in touch with the freed new humans at the Dump and witnesses the end of Victor.
Victor denies that anything bad is happening, allows himself to be captured by the freed new humans and then dies. This sends a signal to some satellites in the sky which transmits a code and all the new humans, including the Dump Monster, die. Even though the coded deathkey didn't work when Victor spoke it earlier.
My Thoughts:
This was a mess of a story. Everything was so rushed and completely unbelievable. That is coming from within a story about Frankenstein for goodness sake. And don't give me crap about “Frankenstein's Monster”. Koontz might sidestep it by calling him Deucalion, but since the series title is Frankenstein, yeah, I rest my case.
These books started out interesting, with Victor Helios being one bad ass badguy. The newhumans were real threats and things looked grim at the best. But Victor pretty much going insane and believing his own reality instead of what was actually going on really wrecked the whole villain vibe. I am hesitant to assign a motive to Koontz but I wonder if he was simply trying to show how pride can blind and ultimately destroy even the most brilliant being? I know that Koontz is Catholic and the parallels with Satan are unmistakable, but am I reading my own ideas into this? I simply don't know.
Cop1 and Cop2 have guns, guns and guns and super ammo and only get to fight against two insane newhumans. Both of whom are naked. Cop2, the male, makes a big deal about the newhuman woman being naked. It didn't quite get into slimeball territory but it definitely didn't fit with “The End of Humanity as We Know It”. If you're running for your life, are you really going to notice how tight some woman's butt is? Especially when that woman is covered in blood, running faster than your car and trying to kill you with her barehands? If so, you really, really, really need to check your priorities.
There are 2 more books in this series and I do plan on reading them. I just hope they are standalones so that Koontz can pace himself a little better. As a trilogy I wouldn't recommend this series but I'll wait until the final book to see if this book was just the weak link or indicative of the overall direction.
★★☆☆½ show less
Title: Dead and Alive
Series: Frankenstein #3
Author: Dean Koontz
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 372
Format: Digital Edition
Synopsis:
Victor Helios' empire is crumbling. His new humans are all going insane, or changing in unexpected and uncontrolled ways. Murderous rampages, multiple genetic reorganizations, it is not good news for Victor. Then he gets a call from Wife #4, who he killed. Only she's not dead, but alive and well in the show more dump and the creature that brought her back to life wants to confront Victor and destroy him.
The two cops, buddies slash romance partners, whose names I can't even remember, are in touch with Deucalion and just drive around until it is time to meet up at the Dump. They have a “spiritual” moment, witness the end of the Victor and then get married, have a baby and start their own detective agency.
Deucalion steps through shadows, gets in touch with the freed new humans at the Dump and witnesses the end of Victor.
Victor denies that anything bad is happening, allows himself to be captured by the freed new humans and then dies. This sends a signal to some satellites in the sky which transmits a code and all the new humans, including the Dump Monster, die. Even though the coded deathkey didn't work when Victor spoke it earlier.
My Thoughts:
This was a mess of a story. Everything was so rushed and completely unbelievable. That is coming from within a story about Frankenstein for goodness sake. And don't give me crap about “Frankenstein's Monster”. Koontz might sidestep it by calling him Deucalion, but since the series title is Frankenstein, yeah, I rest my case.
These books started out interesting, with Victor Helios being one bad ass badguy. The newhumans were real threats and things looked grim at the best. But Victor pretty much going insane and believing his own reality instead of what was actually going on really wrecked the whole villain vibe. I am hesitant to assign a motive to Koontz but I wonder if he was simply trying to show how pride can blind and ultimately destroy even the most brilliant being? I know that Koontz is Catholic and the parallels with Satan are unmistakable, but am I reading my own ideas into this? I simply don't know.
Cop1 and Cop2 have guns, guns and guns and super ammo and only get to fight against two insane newhumans. Both of whom are naked. Cop2, the male, makes a big deal about the newhuman woman being naked. It didn't quite get into slimeball territory but it definitely didn't fit with “The End of Humanity as We Know It”. If you're running for your life, are you really going to notice how tight some woman's butt is? Especially when that woman is covered in blood, running faster than your car and trying to kill you with her barehands? If so, you really, really, really need to check your priorities.
There are 2 more books in this series and I do plan on reading them. I just hope they are standalones so that Koontz can pace himself a little better. As a trilogy I wouldn't recommend this series but I'll wait until the final book to see if this book was just the weak link or indicative of the overall direction.
★★☆☆½ show less
Modern day, New Orleans... two men emerge with new identities -- but old habits are hard to break. Once again, the doctor has begun his sinister experiments of creating life. Two detectives, Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison, are investigating a serial killer and are thrust into the middle of an enigma that began over two hundred years prior. This case may well be the end of humanity as we know it.
The two detectives, however, receive aid from the most unlikely of sources -- a heavily tattooed man named, Deucalion. The killer is targeting those who have the human traits he lacks...and this is a pattern Deucalion has seen before. Deucalion, was Dr Frankenstein's first attempt at creating the perfect human. Now, a breed of super humans show more roam the streets of New Orleans. These killers are stronger, faster, smarter, and able to regenerate themselves -- and Victor Helios is no longer able to control them.
This series is just not Dean Koontz. It lacks all the imagination of any of his previous novels. Actually it's worse than the first two in this series. I didn't like those so why I read this one is any one's guess.
Sorry Dean. 2 stars. Just go back to writing what you are so good at. show less
The two detectives, however, receive aid from the most unlikely of sources -- a heavily tattooed man named, Deucalion. The killer is targeting those who have the human traits he lacks...and this is a pattern Deucalion has seen before. Deucalion, was Dr Frankenstein's first attempt at creating the perfect human. Now, a breed of super humans show more roam the streets of New Orleans. These killers are stronger, faster, smarter, and able to regenerate themselves -- and Victor Helios is no longer able to control them.
This series is just not Dean Koontz. It lacks all the imagination of any of his previous novels. Actually it's worse than the first two in this series. I didn't like those so why I read this one is any one's guess.
Sorry Dean. 2 stars. Just go back to writing what you are so good at. show less
In this book, the story lines that were created in books 1 & 2 come together and conclude. The beings that Helios/Frankenstein created are having programming breakdown faster and faster with every new batch; the latest Erika (his wife), Erika Five, starts misbehaving after only a few hours, and has made friends with a mysterious dwarf who appears in the backyard. The head maid now thinks she’s the mistress of Manderlay. The minions who run the county dump – where bodies are disposed of by Helios- are thinking for themselves. Something is happening the dump. And people who are supposed to be dead may actually be alive- for a while, anyway.
Sadly, despite all these things happening, the breakneck pace generated in the second book is show more not sustained in this one. Sequences that should have been crisp and rapid dragged. Not all of them, mind you, but enough that I felt the book was a little longer than it needed to be. Still a good book with weird events, but not quite as good as it could have been. show less
Sadly, despite all these things happening, the breakneck pace generated in the second book is show more not sustained in this one. Sequences that should have been crisp and rapid dragged. Not all of them, mind you, but enough that I felt the book was a little longer than it needed to be. Still a good book with weird events, but not quite as good as it could have been. show less
As an end to Koontz's Frankenstein trilogy, this was a let-down. It felt rushed and lacked the substance of the first and second books. The story was dragged out of the course of 300 pages yet the resolution was hasty, patchy and incredibly boring. The first two books were building up an impending epic battle between the old and new race yet the actual end was overly simplistic, required no action what-so-ever and was brought about because of a change that we (the readers) knew little to nothing about. No explanation offered. No background on the thing that ended up bringing the whole ordeal to an end. And worst of all? We were given little of Deucaleon.
Carson and Michael were also given little attention. They were such interesting show more characters in books 1 and 2, but in the 3rd they were reduced to gibbering jokey people who had one shoot-out with a new race couple and spent the rest of their time making wise-cracks about their situation.
Ultimate let-down. The only saving grace is that there was enough left open to continue the story should Koontz want to redeem himself. show less
Carson and Michael were also given little attention. They were such interesting show more characters in books 1 and 2, but in the 3rd they were reduced to gibbering jokey people who had one shoot-out with a new race couple and spent the rest of their time making wise-cracks about their situation.
Ultimate let-down. The only saving grace is that there was enough left open to continue the story should Koontz want to redeem himself. show less
This is the worst Dean Koontz book ever and is actually number one on my 'hated it' list! I was so disappointed when I finished this book that I was actually mad. I know Koontz said he was frustrated with the collaboration process. However, he was two thirds of the way through and he should have finished it, if not out of respect for the characters, then out of respect for his readers. This was just something he threw together to say that he finished the trilogy. The first two were so intense and captivating that I couldn't wait for more. The audio versions were excellent. This last book was like a beginner's work and wasn't really worth the time I took to read it. The characters lost their personalities, the dialog was lame, there was show more no real plot, no action and not one surprise. There was no climax and no real ending to the story. Lame, lame, lame!
The only reason this gets a half star is so people won't think I forgot to rate it. show less
The only reason this gets a half star is so people won't think I forgot to rate it. show less
3rd book in the series and much much better than the 2nd one. This time the mutant New Race gets even crazier as well as some new villians both to Victor and Deucalion. Loved Jocko and I'm glad he'll be back in the 4th book. All in all a great read and I couldn't stop reading it because I had to know how it would end! Eek a clone!!
Members
- Recently Added By
Published Reviews
A rarity among bestselling writers, Koontz continues to pursue new ways of telling stories, never content with repeating himself. He writes of hope and love in the midst of evil in profoundly inspiring and moving ways.
added by cmwilson101
In this fast-paced third installment of his Frankenstein series, Koontz continues, without necessarily concluding, his modern-day reimagining of Mary Shelley's horror classic. Leaving his co-authors behind, Koontz makes the most of previous developments, which set the stage for an epic showdown in storm-soaked New Orleans between Victor Helios and the high-tech, artificial beings he created to show more destroy the human race. Many members of the unhappy, soulless "new race," created by Helios to kill his enemies, have turned their hatred back on their master. Deucalion, a centuries-old giant who was the madman's first, flawed human creation, leads an uprising of creatures that includes a naked troll and a slithering chameleon. Though big developments await fans, Koontz hints that he may not be done with this violent monster tale, a project that has taken him deep into sci-fi territory. Witty characters provide relief from the story's dark undercurrent, though Koontz knows, perhaps better than ever, how to scare his readers without resorting to gory details. show less
added by cmwilson101
Lists
Jarett's Books
86 works; 1 member
To Read
617 works; 7 members
Author Information
530+ Works 228,004 Members
Dean Koontz was born on July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania. He received a degree in education from Shippensburg State College in 1967. A former high school English teacher as well as a teacher-counselor with the Appalachian Poverty Program, he began writing as a child to escape an ugly home life caused by his alcoholic father. A prolific writer show more at a young age, he had sold a dozen novels by the age of 25. Early in his career, he wrote under numerous pen names including David Axton, Brian Coffey, K. R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Richard Paige, and Owen West. He is best known for the books written under his own name, many of which are bestsellers, including Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, The Husband, Odd Hours, 77 Shadow Street, Innocence, The City, Saint Odd, and The Silent Corner. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Dead and Alive
- Original publication date
- 2009
- Epigraph
- I am very doubtful whether history shows us one example of a man who, having stepped outside traditional morality and attained power, has used that power benevolently.- C. S. LEWIS, The Abolition of Man
- Dedication
- This trilogy is dedicated to the late Mr. Lewis, who long ago realized that science was being politicized, that its primary goal was changing from knowledge to power, that it was also becoming scientism, and that in the ism i... (show all)s the end of humanity.
- First words
- Half past a windless midnight, rain cantered out of the Gulf, across the shore and the levees; parades of phantom horses striking hoof rhythms from roofs of tarpaper, tin, tile, shingles, slate, counting cadence along the ave... (show all)nues.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He waits for it to find him.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 1,869
- Popularity
- 11,469
- Reviews
- 31
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 25
- ASINs
- 14