Elsewhere by Dean Koontz, a Review

Elsewhere Review: Back-of-Book Description

The fate of the world is in the hands of a father and daughter in an epic novel of wonder and terror by Dean Koontz, the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

Since his wife, Michelle, left seven years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has worked to maintain a normal life for himself and his eleven-year-old daughter, Amity, in Suavidad Beach. It’s a quiet life, until a local eccentric known as Spooky Ed shows up on their doorstep.

Ed entrusts Jeffy with hiding a strange and dangerous object―something he calls “the key to everything”―and tells Jeffy that he must never use the device. But after a visit from a group of ominous men, Jeffy and Amity find themselves accidentally activating the key and discovering an extraordinary truth. The device allows them to jump between parallel planes at once familiar and bizarre, wondrous and terrifying. And Jeffy and Amity can’t help but wonder, could Michelle be just a click away?

Jeffy and Amity aren’t the only ones interested in the device. A man with a dark purpose is in pursuit, determined to use its grand potential for profound evil. Unless Amity and Jeffy can outwit him, the place they call home may never be safe again.

 

Elsewhere Review: My Thoughts

I think I have said before that I have been a big Dean Koontz fan for a long time, almost 20 years. I would find every book by him and devour it. These last few years, though I just haven’t found his books as gripping and amazing anymore.

So I stopped seeking them out. But…I saw this one in a used bookstore and It just kind of called to me. I really liked the cover. So I gave it a shot.

It had that blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and thriller that I was looking for after the historical fiction I just finished. It had an immediate interest-building aspect – a secret item that you cant trust. And then it dipped into some very intriguing “multi-verse” action scenes. But all through that was some strange inner dialogue from the characters that kind of kept pulling me out of the story.

He writes from the point of view of the main adult character, the main child character, and the villain. and it was the POV of the child that kind of threw me. Like I suppose it was in line with how a young girl might think… but I am not a young girl so it made it kind of weird to read. Actually… now that I think about it, is this maybe geared toward a YA audience?…. I suppose it’s possible, but some of the things mentioned in the chapters from the villain’s POV make me think otherwise.

Speaking of that…Dean Koontz has an interesting way of writing villains. He always makes sure to write chapters from their perspectives, sharing with the reader the crazy, ego-maniacal thoughts going through the bad guys’ heads. This one was no different. But this time I found it a little… strange. Silly almost. Like he seemed too flat and not smart enough to realize he was the joke, ya know?

In any case… the overall story was fine. I stayed interested and I am glad I read it, but it just reaffirmed my earlier feelings that either I have outgrown his books, or he has lost his touch.

There were only a few quotes that stood out to me.

Favorite Quotes from Elsewhere:

“It’s the incessant need to know more and more and more and yet still more, to know everything, that is the fast track to destruction. Knowledge is a good thing, but the arrogance that so often comes with knowledge is ultimately our undoing.”

“The mind and the heart – intellect and emotions, facts and feelings. They’re both important. But to live well, we need to make decisions based on logic and reason modified by emotion. If we’re guided only or even largely by emotions…well, the heart often wants what it doesn’t really need, and sometimes it wants what it shouldn’t have, something with the potential to ruin your life.”

“Life was an infinite library of stories, and in every story, a girl such as Amity learned an important lesson, sometimes more than one.”

“Your life in the multiverse was like a magnificent oak tree with a gajillion branches, some of them deformed and some of them beautiful. You made stupid decisions, and tragedy ensued. You made wise decisions, and tragedy ensued. But for every tragedy, there was a triumph, a world where you lives instead of dying, where you found love instead of losing it, where you prospered. Both fate and free will were involved.”

Elsewhere Review: In Conclusion

It pains me to say it, but I think only 3 stars for Elsewhere. I used to love every word of every book Dean Koontz wrote, but now they just feel a little.. meh. I’m glad I read it and it’s still a great sci-fi option. It’s just not as impactful as some of his others were for me.

It’s a good read for people who like time travel or the idea of parallel worlds. It also might be good for parents or people who like a solid villain in their stories. And hey – for the spooky fall season, it might be perfect for something new and different. 

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