Customer Reviews

The Taking: A Novel

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

I loved this book. Dean Koontz always has such interesting ideas. I was most scared at the end of the book when the mysterious language was decoded in the sand. I was too scared to read it a second time. Loved It!!!

Wanting a book to read while on vacay, I asked some friends about what they would reccommend. Dean Koontz, I was told. So I picked The Taking, expecting something great, but wow. Not only is the writing style of poor quality, the overall plot of the book is horrible. Most of the book is comprised of the most random, contrived imagery that is never fully explained. The ending was also a huge disappointment. I told my husband not to waste his time with this book after he read the first few chapters. I am glad he took my advice.

Having read almost all Koontz's novels I'd say It returns to his earlier style,kinda like an old King novel.
Starts very creepy,mysterious,action in the middle and despite what others have said,I thought It a very good If not brief ending.I was expecting an alfred hitchcock the BIRDS type ending,but this is not the case.The strange and scary happenings are explained,and Yes it made me think a bit afterwards.Any regular Koontz reader will enjoy this quick but rivetting read.

I haven't read a lot of his books (nothing has matched up to "Whispers" for me), but this was good. I thought the ending was very satisfying.

I found that I was also skimming parts of the book. It gave me the impression payment for writing was based on a per word basis.

I found it confusing at times, yet, though I tried to put it down I couldn't. The ending was one of those "NOW, I understand what all that stuff was about" sort of things. I would read it again but not too soon. I would also recommend it as a good, creepy, fairly fast read.

"The Taking" is a great book. The story hits the ground running with very intense scene setting imagery. The suspense goes full throttle with the growth of alien vegetation become a overwhelming threat. It becomes a quest to try to save the children. There is a great sense of "War of the Worlds." I was electrified in reading "The Taking" and highly recommend it. Other recommendations: "Life Expectancy", "The Kite Runner", "My Fractured Life", and "Are You Afraid of the Dark."

The book started with a lot of promise, but by the end, I was skimming to get it over with. The characters were unrealistic and the gender-role-reversal of the main couple (SHE obviously has the external gonads in the family) was painfully realized. The book read like a alien/horror romance novel, with long, drawn-out periods of drippy introspection that made me angry, it was so insipid. Comparisons to real classics in science fiction are laughable. First and last book I will read by this author.

I really enjoy Dean Koontz and I have read many of his books. The Taking started out fantastic. I could not put it down. I did not know if the story was going to be science fiction or horror. Molly and Neil Sloan are great characters and I enjoyed their travels. I think the book is worth reading for the entertainment value and writing. The story drags a bit in the middle but picks up to a really nice ending. A good read but not Dean Koontz's best.

This was the first Dean Koontz novel I have read, and it was amazing! I read it in 8 hours. I couldn't put it down, and yet in some parts I was almost afraid to go on. "Aliens" are invading the world; they take over dead bodies, turn people against each other and terrorize. A select few are chosen to round up children; to save them or to sacrifice them? Then at the end we find out what the "aliens" really are. Very shocking, but also a touching novel.

This is just not the type of book I would pick up---Aliens? Descending fog? A thriller? I don't think so. But having been exposed to some of Koontz's other books I decided to give this one a try and I was NOT disappointed! Somehow Koontz made me interested in the subject matter with his excellent writing and pacing. I totally disagree with another reviewer who said that his metaphors and descriptive passages slowed down the reading. It's a book for Christ's sake, not a movie! The prose is wonderful and this material in this author's hands is pure gold. I'm normally one to stick with a tried and true bestseller like "Da Vinci Code" or " Bark of the Dogwood," but decided to try something different (this book) and I'm glad I did!

Also recommended; THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD

I have never read a Koontz book before, and know very little about him other than his name. I picked up this book because it promised a spooky read. The opening was very good (though other reviewers have alleged that it is a "rip-off" of an SK novel - I've never read the novel in question, so I don't know). I settled in to be engrossed and entertained. HOWEVER, as I moved farther into the book, I began to realize that the plot was moving towards a preachy, insipid, eye-roll-inducing conclusion. Ugh! I will never pick up another Koontz book. What a waste of time. (PS I completely agree with the other reviewer that mentioned the deeply weird "global warming" rant that happens in the beginning of the book - that little scene serves as a warning for the Far Right nonsense still to come.)