Phantoms by Dean Koontz Review
Berkley, 1997.432 pgs. ISBN: 0425162028
Mass market paperback.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Phantoms is a suspenseful horror tale of the horrible demise
of small mountain community and the terrifying conclusions
about what happened to it. Two residents of Snowfield return
home to find a mysteriously quiet abandoned town and start
searching for answers. When a Sheriff arrives and
grotesquely bruised bodies are found tense
feelings arise. The suspense grows as you begin to
realize that whatever has taken care of the entire
population of Snowfield may still be there.
The danger in this twisting, feaful
tale ends up being something that has been a terror
throughout man's existence.
This is one of Koontz's top novels with strong characters and a well-developed story line. A tie-in to mass disappearances throughout history, such as the mysterious Roanoke colony disappearance, enhances the pull of the story. You will want to find out what causes these mass disappearances and why no one ever figured out what happened. Phantoms doesn't disappoint on any level; the town-killing problem in this novel is just as compelling as its associated mystery. Like the other Koontz novels there are plenty of horror chills and thrills along the way, making this novel a classic.
Return to the November 1997 issue of The IWJ.
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