Dragon Tears

The Basics

Harry is a cop who prides himself on order and logic and everything being in its proper place. So how exactly is he supposed to deal when he learns that a dangerous and incredibly powerful psychic has set his sights on Harry with the intention of killing him by dawn?

My Thoughts

I’d forgotten how fun Dean Koontz books can be. Mainly because I have a pretty sordid past with his novels. I managed to get enough poorly written ones in a row that I finally gave up. And yet I could never bring myself to get rid of the ones I hadn’t read. I gave in and picked up Dragon Tears, insisting that if I don’t read these things, then I need to get them out of my life, so then read them and shut up! It was like a big spoonful of medicine show more you don’t want to take, because you’re afraid of the taste. But then it surprises you by tasting pretty awesome. My analogy is getting out of hand.

What I mean to say is this book was actually good. I wonder how much my low expectations are making me some self-fulfilling prophecy, but I really enjoyed this one. It was suspenseful and page-turning. I wanted to see what happened next, and as a result, I powered through it. I liked the characters. As much as the villain was somewhat evil for the sake of being evil, I liked how he came off as genuinely disturbed. If you want something exciting with a kind of urban fantasy/cop drama vibe, pick this up.

But I have to mention drawbacks. One being it’s rather dated. Not in any quaint or interesting way. In a very stuffy way. Koontz used this book as an author tract more than once, getting on a soapbox and ranting about how evil the 90s were. There was even a passage where he took a break from storytelling altogether to make sure his audience understood how dangerous drugs are in a very lecturing tone. First, breaking the “show don’t tell” rule there. Secondly, there are more effective ways of illustrating a point like that than listing statistics. A room full of drug-addled teens, and he couldn’t think to make one appear to be overdosing? No, he’d rather treat his audience like they need to be spoon fed.

Yes, this was a distraction. “Welcome to the 90s” became the book’s catchphrase indicating that the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Until you find yourself saying, “I get it, Dean! I really do. Pull back a tad.” How much was that worth knocking down the score for me? One star. So obviously not a story ruiner. But just enough to make it good, not great.

Final Rating

4/5 show less

In my quest to read all of DK's novels, I'm catching up on a few older ones and can't believe it took me so long to pick up Dragon Tears. It embodies all elements of his best work. Protagonist cops Harry and Connie have terrific chemistry, Bryan Drackman (a/k/a Ticktock) is a deliciously wicked villain, and there's a heroic dog who narrates a few chapters from a credible doggie POV. Supporting characters are also well developed, and Koontz masterfully uses the ticking clock of a morning death sentence to compress most of the suspenseful story into one horrific night. Though written and set in the 1990s, this dark tale of magical realism still feels fresh and relevant today, and I enjoyed Koontz's humorous Afterward about how the bizarre show more title came to be. Highly recommended! show less

From the Book: Tuesday was a fine California day, full of sunshine and promise, until Harry Lyon had to shoot someone at lunch'. Who wouldn't want to know why Harry's lunch had to include shooting someone...especially if the service had ever made you ever want to do that? Harry is a cop, and the man he stops his lunch to shoot, with the help of his partner, Connie Gulliver, is a lunatic who interrupted their lunch by shooting the establishment to smithereens. I have to admit that it was quite a start to the story, and it was also the start to this authors' many red herrings, because the crazy was just that...crazy. Then there is the guy that Harry and Connie take on later...Bryan Drackman, who becomes fixated on the cops when he's drawn show more to the restaurant shooting. Bryan, like most serial killers, believes that he has been endowed "godlike" powers; but we find there is SO much more to Bryan since...he really has been. He was doomed to this future even before birth by radiation and drugs, and this is what Bryan believes has turned him into a sociopath who can conjure up any entity he wants...especially his sometimes "friend and companion...Ticktock,'' a giant who is now stalking Harry, Connie, and the others, including a dog, (who I absolutely loved), who makes understandable audible narrations like "piece of paper. candy wrapper. smells good'', " better pee here". The dog is charming...and just about the only character in this story that you would give that moniker to. Ticktock warns Harry & the rest that they will all die at dawn, and it's only late into the night that they learn that Bryan has the power to stop time, which naturally causes a jaw- dropping moment for the cops but they manage to flee through a frozen world with "Ticktock" close behind them. Bryan, the cops now know, must sleep after his time-stopping escapades...which may be another "bad" thing for Harry and company. The story becomes a bit on the "preachy" side about social decay...but the action never slows down. I have to give any author who can produce and publish anything with this much over-the-top imagination...something that actually makes adult people sit for hours glued to the pages to see how it all concludes...5 or more stars. Well done Dean Koontz! show less

A re-read for me. This novel’s an interesting concept, one that explains why people often label Koontz a horror writer (when I think of him as a supernatural thriller writer) — a mysterious, changing antagonist who’s seemingly impossible to escape. This is definitely supernatural, regardless of what explanation the reader imagines while speeding through the pages. I have to admit, despite my love of dogs, the author lost me a bit using a dog’s POV, though that’s pivotal to the plot. Using human descriptions like ‘policeman’ which a dog would have no concept of pulled me out of the story, but eventually, I just went along with it and enjoyed it, finding it cute it places. This feels like a book of two halves. The first when show more we don’t know the cause, the second after we have some inkling and have identified the baddie. Koontz has taken a well-known creation and used it in a modern setting to excellent effect. Perhaps not his best, but certainly imaginative and a reminder of why I loved early Koontz novels. Some of the social problems mentioned in the book seem almost ahead of their time, or perhaps it’s that those problems have worsened and were only beginning then; even so, the author included them, though a few of the societal issues and scenes go on too long and feel overly described. I didn’t enjoy reading the sections from the antagonist’s POV possibly because he’s a little cliched and several of the horror elements weren’t necessary for me to dislike him. Worth a read and even a re-visit many years later. show less

Sometimes life can be as bitter as dragon tears....

This book is good, solid, classic Koontz. It starts with separate stories that quickly intertwine, with the common denominator of a bad guy who seems to appear differently to different people. There are two cops, partners who are trying to stop the bad guy: Connie, a woman who would really like any excuse to shoot someone and who likes chaos, and Harry, who prefers the order side of law and order.

And of course, there is a dog, a stray called Prince or Max or Woofer or Fella. No supernatural powers, just a great sense of smell. I loved the way he talks to himself: Good dog. Good. Not afraid. Not afraid.

Woofer, not surprisingly for those who know me, was my favorite character in the show more book. He could have been created only by someone who knows and loves dogs, as Koontz does.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I don't like to read too many Koontz books too closely together because they usually have a common theme and plots that are similar. Still, I enjoy his characters, his creepy creations, and this is one of his books that I have enjoyed the most. show less

this is the first Dean Koontz book i read and i have to say i enjoyed.

the characters were pretty good and the way how he wrote them into a situation and to see how they try to over come those challenges was fun. the villain is interesting and has a crazy power and his dialog was very edgy which makes sense given he is a murderer after all.

i only have 2 complaints being there is a scene at the begging where the 2 main characters are chasing down a guy who loves his Elvis Presley and i found it dragged on a little to long. also a part of the ending i found a little anti climatic. but other wise i like this book quite a bit and it was easy to read through. i would not mind reading more koontz books as there is a few that interest me

one show more thing that surprised me and this is not a spoiler is that there is a part of this book that did creep me out. this book had a part with spiders and the way it described them made me cringe. if your like me and are afraid of them then just be warned but if not then that is not gonna be an issue. this is not a flaw just something to keep in mind before reading as it came out of no where for me. show less

Harry Lyons is an orderly and by-the-books sort of cop. He is, that is, until he has to deal with a living monster, one that threatens to kill him before the end of the day. He and his partner find themselves racing the clock before the monster kills, again!

Koontz knows horror, and, like his other stories, this one is terrifying. It is about human beings trying to conquer an all-powerful entity that has no conscience. Koontz’s characters are always unforgettably real, and his settings are always vivid, in this case, a little too vivid. This one will have you shaking in your shoes!