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: Ticktock
Series: ———-
Author: Dean Koontz
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comedy Horror
Pages: 352
Words: 90K
Synopsis: |
From Wikipedia
Tommy Phan is a first-generation Vietnamese American in southern California, a successful detective novelist whose greatest ambition is to live the American Dream.[3] The story opens with Tommy getting a new Corvette. He argues with his mother, refusing her offer for dinner. In a fit of rebellion, he eats two cheeseburgers, something his mother dislikes. He meets a blond waitress there (which he will meet later in the story again). His radio quits working during one of these two trips, and in the static are eerie voices.
Once home, he finds a Rag doll on his front steps, along with a note, written in Vietnamese, which he knew when he was a child but has forgotten in his quest to be a true American. After taking the doll into his study, it soon bursts open to reveal an evil creature who seems intent on killing Tommy. A message is left on his computer screen saying he has until dawn, but what will happen at dawn, Tommy does not know. After fate brings a meeting with Del, a woman who appears to speak somewhat cryptically, they embark on a race to flee the creature. She believes him too quickly, and often has mixed stories for all of her abilities. (At one point she stole a car, saying one minute she hotwired it, and the next that the key was in the ignition.)
The doll appears to be growing larger as their journey continues. They visit Tommy’s brother, Gi, to try and translate the note. They then go to Del’s apartment, where we learn she’s quite rich, but is a waitress anyway. She also shows another side to her when Tommy wants to see her paintings, and she threatens to shoot him if he does. Her dog seems incredibly smart, something that unnerves Tommy.
In their journey to escape the ever-growing doll, Tommy’s Corvette is trashed, two cars are stolen, and one large boat is trashed. They arrive at Del’s mother’s home, which seems utterly odd. They claim to be able to listen to live stuff from the past with their radio. Del’s mother shows an uncanny sense of time when she knows exactly when the rain will stop.
Gi calls and tells Tommy to go to their mother, and not to bring the blonde along. Tommy brings Del along anyway, where he then learns the doll was conjured to scare him back home by a friend of his mother. They begin a ritual that, after a few harrowing minutes, completely dispels the monster.
Tommy sees Del’s paintings and they’re of him. She had remotely viewed him over the past 2 years because she knows he is her destiny.
He and Del get married in Vegas. Then they go back to their normal town
My Thoughts: |
This started out horrifically creepy and I was all set to get some real chills. Then by slow degrees things started to get silly. By the end, things were just ridiculous.
In the afterwords, Koontz explains how it was all deliberate and WHY it was done that way.
A good romp but I have to admit, I was looking forward to something actually creepy by Koontz. Ah well.
★★★☆½
Sounds ok to me; haven’t kept up with Koontz, but it sounds like he’s still pleasing his readership…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It wasn’t a bad read, by any means, just not quite what I was expecting based on the first chapter or so 😀
I’ve got 40’ish of his books in my library that I’m working my way through, so I expect to run the gamut from the good to the bad…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, the cover sure is creepy. I wouldn’t have expected it to change like that. Hope your next meets your expectations! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is creepy, isn’t it?
Thanks, I hope the next Koontz I read is a crackerjack too…
LikeLike
i agree it started amazingly but then it sounds stupid. what mother does that and why would you stalk somebody who is your destiny rather than just talk to them for friendship and let relationship unfold!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is one of the regular shortcomings about Koontz. Almost every story only takes 24hrs to unfold, so he’s a bit rushed when it comes to long term developments 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is why reviews are so good. When I first looked at your post, my first thought was “ooh, a new Koontz book” but I will save my reading time for something super creepy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a good idea. You all will be the first ones to hear if I ever read a Koontz that I consider pure creepiness! So far though, he’s just so darn positive that it hasn’t creeped me out…
LikeLike
I have to be honest… I saw the post title and couldn’t figure out why you were posting about TikTok vidoes… 😉
I may read a Koontz book someday. This book will not be that book. Sorry the ending fell apart like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to go and google tiktok videos. I shouldn’t be surprised but I was. I don’t think you’ll have toworry about me ever talking about that.
Yep, I wouldn’t recommend this book either unless you’re going through all his stuff 😀
LikeLike
😀 😀 😀
LikeLike
This sounded like something I would like … at first. Now I’m just call confused.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thankfully there wasn’t a single point where it changed, but a gradual one to ease the readers into it.
LikeLike
*ALL confused.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Koontz isn’t my favourite in the horror/thriller genre for sure. I did love Lightning though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He definitely has some hits, and some duds, that is for sure 🙂
LikeLike
“just ridiculous” sounds at odds with that promisingly weird cover, but the list of inconsistencies present in the synopsis makes me think I would DNF this book at the third of fourth iteration. Maybe before… 😀
Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m just not a fan of mixing humor and horror. Just like I’m not a huge fan of mixing humor with something serious, like say, martial arts. That is a big part of why I’ve never been a fan of jackie chan and his movies…
LikeLiked by 1 person
And besides, humor is such a… volatile element (just to stay with a chemistry comparison) that it’s both difficult to handle and dangerous to mix, indeed…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Didn’t even know comedy horror was a thing
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me either. And I suspect it isn’t 😀 It was just such an odd mashup that I kind of accepted it without question. Kind of like being billy clubbed or the like 😀
LikeLike
When i saw the heading of this review i thought Koontz wrote about the ticktok app. Not that i know anything of the app i just keep on hearing about it
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are ahead of me then! Until another commentor mentioned it, I’d never even heard of it 🙂
LikeLike
I saw “Comedy horror” in “genre” and knew that something wasn’t right hahahahah
LikeLike
Pity this turned out so ridiculous!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve come to the conclusion that Koontz writes thrillers, not horror. So if I ever do get scared by one of his books, the shock will probably kill me.
Wouldn’t that be ironic? 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
hahahaha!!
LikeLiked by 1 person