Relentless

This is the first Koontz I have read and it was an enjoyable and super fast read. In fact, I read it all in one evening because I so wanted to see how it could possibly be resolved.
Relentlessis the story of Cubby Greenwich (famous author), his wife, Penny (famous children's book author), their son, Milo (6 yr old nicknamed Spooky for good reason), and a book critique named Shearman Waxx. Cubby has just finished a book and receives a scathing review from Waxx. It just keeps bothering him - he can't get it out of his head. It seems so unfair, and so obvious that Waxx did not even read the book. Through more luck than detective work Cubby an Waxx end up in the same restaurant...in the same bathroom...and then...

"Doom." That is the single show more word that Waxx speaks to Cubby and the beginning of a an altered life for the Greenwich family. Waxx is beyond a psychotic. His first contact with the family is simply wandering through the house - but the very next time there is a taser and a darkened room are involved.

The violence escalates as does the bottomless fear - especially as more of Waxx's victims turn up on the internet....a poison pen review is only the first step - you have been marked for elimination as a writer and as a human being!

So - this book creeped me out. Waxx seems to be everywhere and able to do absolutely any horror he deems necessary. But - Koontz's humor and odd, fringe details about Milo and his bizarre machine and his levitating, disappearing, grinning dog really balanced out the horror of the torture in this book. I hate reading suspense novels...they simply eat me alive.. but this was different! The conversations between Cubby and Penny and Cubby and Milo were hilarious and boring and so typical of a normal family. This was in sharp contrast to the unthinkable horror that Waxx's previous victims were subject to.

There was also another layer of bizarreness...Cubby tells the story of the night his parents were killed - through the eyes of a 6-yr-old. Creepy beyond measure and terribly interesting!

I enjoyed this escapism book. It was the perfect antidote to tech and teaching overload as we prepare to start our first day of school on Monday. show less

When novelist Cubby Greenwich receives a punishing review from one of the nation’s top literary critics, he tries his best to put it behind him. But critic Shearman Waxx has other ideas and soon starts terrorising the writer’s family, blowing up his home, and sending him on the run in fear for his life. Relentless is a book that lures you in with a plausible opening and likeable hero, then throws all credibility out the window with a series of escalating threats, a preposterous conspiracy and a villain who’s both unstoppable and untouchable. It breaks all kinds of narrative and genre rules – not least in the way it introduces elements of deus ex machina sci-fi in the final chapters that stretch our suspension of disbelief past show more breaking point.

And yet… I can’t help but admire Koontz’s continued skill at crafting breakneck-pace page turners, and his way with humour – you can almost see him winking at the reader as he piles plot twist on top of plot twist and writes his characters into one impossible scenario after another. Jack Bauer would approve. As with many of this author’s books, I wouldn’t be brave enough to recommend it for fear of ridicule… but I can’t deny I had fun. show less

I am still shocked Koontz wrote this terrible book where he takes potshots at his literary critics in book form. And we get a special dog, kid, and a super wife. I feel like there should be a Koontz bingo card and you can start marking off all of the things that he always does in his books and at the end you get a beer. Or maybe three beers.

"Relentless" was one of the worst Koontz books I have ever read. I hoped my re-read would have some saving grace to it, but nope. Still among the worst. I didn't care at all about the characters, but the whole thing with the mysterious and evil critic (whose name was Shearman Waxx) made zero sense and had me ready to fight. The plot made no sense and then we go sliding into a whatever the hell that show more was ending.

"Relentess" is about successful author Cubby Greenwich. Cubby apparently writes books that can stop wars and shit like that. Oh wait, that was the plot to "Lady in the Water". Either way, Cubby's book has attracted the attention of a critic that everyone fears named Shearman Waxx. Well Waxx ends up uttering a word and then Cubby and his whole damn family is on the run. Maybe I could have made allowances for this stupid book if the rest of the characters had been fleshed out, but nothing doing. Besides Cubby, we have Cubby's wife Penny who is also a successful children's author. And they have a precocious son named Milo who would make Einstein apparently look stupid. It was just too much in this book to even deal with at once.

Koontz does that thing where the main characters past is hidden from readers for reasons until revealed. We have Penny being a super woman with a family with a damn stronghold and of course her ability to shoot any type of freaking weapon. Milo and his dog...I can't even right now. Koontz pulls a deus ex machina out of his ass in this one with the kid and the dog and I freaking booed after having more wine and trying not to scream about still having no kitchen or basement.

Waxx is hilariously terrible as a character. I cannot even get into the why behind this character and why he is after Cubby.

The dialogue is typical new Koontz a la no one speaks like actual human beings but fortune cookies that are somehow sentient.

The flow was awful and as other reviewers have noted there are some Easter eggs in this one if you have read Koontz's backlist before. The story that Cubby writes that angers Waxx so much is an alternate title to a prior Koontz book. He (Cubby) talks shit about critics and I think that was much of Koontz shouting down his critics to his newest works.

The ending when it comes will not be a relief. It was just terrible and beyond stupid. I am still mad about it. show less

Cullen “Cubby” Greenwich’s newest novel is a big hit, skyrocketing the charts and everyone loves it. Everyone, that is, but a reclusive, yet renowned critic, Shearman Waxx. Waxx’s critique of the novel is filled with vicious and inaccurate statements, and it bugs Cubby to no end. His wife Penny, a successful author and illustrator of children’s book, tells him to let it go. His brilliant son, Milo, also known as “Spooky”, tells him to let it go. Even his dog, Lassie, seems to be telling him to let it go. But Cubby just really wants to get a look at Waxx, just one quick peek, to see the face of the man whose words can make or break a career. That quick look will trigger the sociopathic Waxx to go after Cubby and his family. show more Soon the Greenwich’s are running for their lives, certain that Shearman Waxx personifies evil. But they ain’t seen nuthin’ yet, just wait till they meet up with Shearman’s mom, she’ll make Shearman look like your average TV cop show garden variety psycho of the week.

First, a disclaimer, I'm a huge Dean Koontz fan, so its no surprise that I loved this book! If you've not read any of his, or it’s been years since you have, you should pick up a copy. Koontz is the only author I've read that can write a suspenseful, terror filled book that can make you laugh out loud! I loved this book! Only in a Dean Koontz novel, in the midst of terror and fear, do you find descriptive passages in the narration such as this:

“Beyond the service-island overhang, in the windless night, the rain came down in such straight skeins that the rigorous lines should have proved the law of gravity to any disbeliever, of which I’m sure there are multitudes, considering we live in an age of enthusiastic ignorance, when anything well-known for centuries is not only suspect but also considered worthy of being rejected in favor of a new theory more appealing to movie stars and deep-thinking rock musicians.”

Koontz always manages to endear us readers to his protagonists, blending horror and humor, love and fear, loyalty and danger, adding a big dose of compassion and common sense. In short, his characters are not only the people we want to meet and befriend, but also they’re the kind of people we’d like to be. (Cubby and Penny, that is…. not Shearman, unless you’re sort of the sociopathic, cuckoo type. Then I guess that old Shearman would be your hero,huh?)

The lightheartedness and humor that Cubby and Penny fill their lives with comes shining through in this story. Filled with fascinating, eccentric, lovable characters, Relentless is aptly named. The Greenwich’s dogged determination to keep their family safe, loved and happy contrasts with Shearman Waxx’s relentless intention to destroy them. And we readers are taken for a thrilling and “relentless” ride. show less

This is the first Dean Koontz novel I have read but I will probably read more of his work. He is an exciting psycho thriller that I just didn't want to put down and Koontz knows how to end a chapter in such a way that you just can't not start the next one. On more than one occasion I heard myself thinking, or even saying out loud, something like, "Oh my God, you're not going to do that!"

Relentless, by Dean Koontz, is about an already successful novelist, Cullen "Cubby" Greenwich and his family: his wife, Penny, child Milo, and a dog, Lassie (no less). All of them will play a pivotal roll in the course of this story. Cubby's latest book draws the truly nasty review of a vicious book critic by the name of Shearman Waxx. But Waxx turns show more out to be more than just a book critic. He is also a psychopathic serial killer and when Cubby Greenwich attracts his personal attention during a chance meeting at a cafe, Cubby is marked as Waxx's latest victim. But Waxx doesn't just like to kill his victims. He likes to torment them by torturing to death his loved ones first. He pursues Cubby with a "relentless" determination. As the book progresses, other victims of Waxx are revealed but there is never enough evidence to take to the police, some of whom are wrapped around Waxx's fingers anyway. And there's more to Waxx than meets the eye. A lot more. There's also more to Cubb's six year old child Milo than meets the eye. A lot more. And this is where the book lost one of it's stars.

I was prepared to rate this book a full 5 stars as an exciting psychodrama. But I had no idea how Cubby was going to get out of his mess (good writing, though). But then the book transcends into science fiction at the end and rather disappointed me in that regard. I like science fiction, don't get me wrong, and there were hints at this type of resolution in many places throughout the book, but to rely on this to resolve his plight just felt like Dean Koontz was copping out. Oh well, an excellent read anyway. show less

Cubby Greenwich has just received the first scalding and completely negative review of his literary career from Sherman Waxx, a reclusive and enigmatic critic. When Cubby tries to get a look at the hermit, Waxx begins an assault on the writer’s personal life that seems destined to end in tragedy. On the run with his wife and child, Cubby learns that he is not the first author to be panned by Waxx, nor the first to be targeted for doom by the eccentric critic.

[Relentless] is vintage Koontz, in some ways too vintage and in others gloriously so. On occasion, the prolific Koontz seems to slip into heavy-handedness in constructing his plots along a familiar path, and [Relentless] sometimes suffers from treading that well-worn ground. show more Indeed, he portends big happenings with the last line of several chapters. And all of the signs point to Koontz favorites – supernaturally endowed animals, children with otherworldly knowledge and capability, and heroes with bloody, dark pasts. On the other hand, his ability to create circus performer-like, reality-defying characters with a charm that overcomes any suspense of belief overcomes will keep most readers engaged. And Koontz’ wry sense of humor fills in any other gaps.

Bottom Line: Not the Koontz I would recommend to introduce the author, but one that rewards the fan who knows him well – a fun read.

4 bones!!!! show less

Relentless started strong, seizing my attention with tantalizing foreshadowing, a really creepy villian, and a palpable sense of looming danger. I also sensed a strong personal connection between Koontz and protagonist Cubby, a fellow author tormented by a cruel reviewer who denies him admission into the rarefied realm of the literary elite. Little wonder that this is one of the few times Koontz has chosen to write in the first person (the Odd Thomas series being the only other example that comes to mind).

The main problem for me is that parts of the plot don't withstand logical scrutiny. Time and again Cubby subjects his wife and son to unnecessary risks and fails to make obvious choices that would enhance their survivability. For show more example, why did he hold onto his personal cell phone for so long, when we all know it allows your location to be tracked. And, given their access to the in-laws' fortress, wouldn't the logical decision be to lie low until the villians lose interest and the trail goes cold? I understand the difficulty in constructing a plot that supports the sort of chase-based structure that Koontz favors, but it has to hang together, too.

I also had trouble accepting the basic premise of the conspiracy or why it led to the gruesome violence against its targets. It seems that the objective of the conspiracy could have been achieved in a way that was less vicious and cruel.

Finally, the science fiction aspect of the story seemed rather contrived and contributed to a twist at the end that seemed gratuitous and overly manipulative.

So while this was a fast, entertaining read, and still way better than most mystery/thrillers on the market, I found it below par for my favorite author. Hoping for better next time. show less