Dead and Alive f-3 Read online

  Dead and Alive

  ( Frankenstein - 3 )

  Dean R. Koontz

  From the celebrated imagination of Dean Koontz comes a powerful reworking of one of the classic stories of all time. If you think you know the legend, you know only half the truth. Now the mesmerizing saga concludes…

  As a devastating hurricane approaches, as the benighted creations of Victor Helios begin to spin out of control, as New Orleans descends into chaos and the future of humanity hangs in the balance, the only hope rests with Victor’s first, failed attempt to build the perfect human. Deucalion’s centuries-old history began as the original manifestation of a soulless vision — and it is fated to end in the ultimate confrontation between a damned creature and his mad creator. But first they must face a monstrosity not even Victor’s malignant mind could have conceived — an indestructible entity that steps out of humankind’s collective nightmare with powers, and a purpose, beyond imagining.

  Dean Koontz

  Dead and Alive

  ACCLAIM FOR DEAN KOONTZ’S FRANKENSTEIN

  BOOK ONE: PRODIGAL SON

  “Like expert plate-spinners, the authors set up a dizzying array of narrative viewpoints and cycle through them effortlessly…. The odd juxtaposition of a police procedural with a neo-gothic mad scientist plot gives this novel a wickedly unusual and intriguing feel…. A compelling read, with an elegant cliffhanger ending.”

  — Publishers Weekly

  “Koontz realizes his original concept for a cable TV effort from which he withdrew. It was TV’s loss, for, filmed utterly faithfully, Prodigal Son could be the best horror thriller and, hands down, would be the best Frankenstein movie, ever. This is a book that helps restore horror’s good name.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

  “This rich and complex tale is not only an ambitious project, but one of the most enjoyable monster stories in years…. This is classic Koontz at his best.”

  — Fangoria

  “This first book in a multipart saga features fascinating characters and an intriguing premise.”

  — Library Journal

  “Koontz … examine[s] society’s present milieu under the lens of traditional western mores and in so doing has presented the public with works that are perfectly entertaining and, more importantly, prescient…. In [Prodigal Son] the dimensions of the universe are in collision. We are brought to the door of chaos, anarchy, and destruction. In chilling, vivid detail, the author will keep the reader on the edge of his chair, as they begin the journey toward the ultimate blasphemy.”

  — California Literary Review

  BOOK TWO: CITY OF NIGHT

  “Relax, Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein, volume one of which, Prodigal Son, was a pulse-pounder all the way, is going to be a trilogy. But don’t expect to relax all that much. This book cooks, no second-volume doldrums anywhere in it…. Smart dialogue and cutting-edge scientific notions are the oh-so-sweet icing on this delectable thriller’s irresistible, devourable cake.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

  ACCLAIM FOR DEAN KOONTZ

  “Perhaps more than any other author, Koontz writes fiction perfectly suited to the mood of America: novels that acknowledge the reality and tenacity of evil but also the power of good; that celebrate the common man and woman; that at their best entertain vastly as they uplift.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “A modern Swift … a master satirist.”

  — Entertainment Weekly

  “Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition [and] demonstrating that the real horror of life is found not in monsters, but within the human psyche.”

  — USA Today

  “Koontz has a knack for making the bizarre and uncanny seem as commonplace as a sunrise. BOTTOM LINE: the Dean of Suspense.”

  — People

  “If Stephen King is the Rolling Stones of novels, Koontz is the Beatles.”

  — Playboy

  “[Koontz is] far more than a genre writer. Characters and the search for meaning, exquisitely crafted, are the soul of his work. This is why his novels will be read long after the ghosts and monsters of most genre writers have been consigned to the attic. One of the master storytellers of this or any age.”

  — The Tampa Tribune

  “Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler.”

  — The Times (London)

  “Dean Koontz writes page-turners, middle-of-the-night-sneak-up-behind-you suspense thrillers. He touches our hearts and tingles our spines.”

  — The Washington Post Book World

  “Dean Koontz almost occupies a genre of his own. He is a master at building suspense and holding the reader spellbound.”

  — Richmond Times-Dispatch

  “Demanding much of itself, Koontz’s style bleaches out clichés while showing a genius for details. He leaves his competitors buried in the dust.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

  “Koontz has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.”

  — Los Angeles Times

  “Koontz has been on a roll. And he’s been wielding his dry sense of humor like a well-placed scalpel.”

  — The Denver Post

  “The master of the psychological drama.”

  — LARRY KING, USA Today

  “Koontz is one of the great suspense authors…. There’s no bestselling author of popular fiction whose sentences offer more musicality. His characters are memorable and his unique mix of suspense and humor absorbing. Great kudos to Koontz for creating, within the strictures of popular fiction, notable novel[s] of ideas and of moral imperatives.”

  — Publishers Weekly

  “Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. Serious writers might do well to study his technique.”

  — The New York Times Book Review

  “Koontz lights up a dark galaxy.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

  “Inspires both chills and serious thought.”

  — People

  “Dean Koontz virtually invented the cross-genre novel…. He is one of the premier novelists of his generation.”

  — Amazon.com [http://Amazon.com]

  “Koontz [is] working at his pinnacle, providing terrific entertainment that deals seriously with some of the deepest themes of human existence: the nature of evil, the grip of fate and the power of love.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “If there’s an element of menacing chaos in Koontz’s body of work, there’s also another common thread: Good people, fighting back, can make a difference…. Koontz continues to demonstrate his considerable storytelling skills. He knows how to set hooks throughout his novels and has a knack for foreshadowing without giving away the plot store.”

  — Associated Press

  “Koontz … gives us wonderful writing, a simple and honest good vs. evil theme and great characters.”

  — The Sunday Oklahoman

  “Koontz, at a time when his contemporaries choose to retread, remake and remodel past glories, is doing some of the most mature, intriguing, and innovative work of his career … echoes … past masters: memorable homages to H. P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Sherwood Anderson, Theodore Sturgeon, and others … beckons to be embraced and deserves to be studied. Koontz, astoundingly, continues to challenge his readers and himself.”

  — Bookreporter.com [http://Bookreporter.com]

  “Koontz’s astonishing novel[s] show him making moral fable[s] out of dark fantasy materials…. Object lesson[s] in the unfashionable virtues
of fortitude, prudence, and a faith far firmer than with-it moderns generally tolerate … loaded with dialogue the likes of which haven’t been rampant since the 1930s heyday of screwball comedy … richly sympathetic [characters] … emotionally powerful and thought-provoking.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

  “Gifted storytelling.”

  — Chicago Sun-Times

  “Koontz sets in motion a compelling combination of character and circumstance, tempered with his special brand of dark humor.”

  — Library Journal

  “While [Koontz is] scaring you to pieces, [he] manages a bit of relief with energizing humor and dialogue that astounds…. You also will find some of the finest, most original metaphors and similes ever written by a modern-day author.”

  — Tulsa World

  “Dean Koontz creates compelling, almost biblical, stories about good facing evil in the battle for our souls.”

  — Orange Coast

  “Koontz seems to know us, our deepest foibles and fears.”

  — USA Today

  “Koontz is a master of melding the supernatural with the commonplace. [His] writing crackles with dry, tongue-in- cheek wit.”

  — The Boston Globe

  “Koontz really knows how to keep a story going at a blistering pace…. Reading him is an uplifting experience.”

  — Fort Wayne News Sentinel

  “One author … redefining mainstream fiction … is Dean Koontz. [He] continues to explore the larger issues of life — friendship, faith, courage and salvation … an astounding mix of suspense, humor, wonder and fear.”

  — South End

  “His style is a model of clarity, his prose so smooth that it goes down like apple juice … with the delayed punch of hard cider.”

  — Cleveland Plain Dealer

  “Koontz has one of the most incredible gifts for the art of language — a master of images and descriptions. His characters are timeless and beautifully constructed. He proves you can be on the bestseller lists and don’t have to be dead or named Hemingway to have the depth and feeling of the classics.”

  — Michigan State News

  “Koontz is a literary phenomenon.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

  “Dean Koontz’s books dwell in the heavy macabre, but … point to that glow of hope that may rise with the sun.”

  — San Jose Mercury News

  “Koontz’s skill at edge-of-the-seat writing has improved with each book. He can scare your socks off.”

  — Boston Herald

  “Powerful emotion tinged with spiritual wonder.”

  — Publishers Weekly

  “Koontz tries to create serious literature. He largely succeeds.”

  — USA Today

  “Classic Koontz features a distinctive narrative that verges on the wise-crackingly facetious…. He is also a dab hand at tying in a wacky love story … an acquired taste, but one acquired by millions.”

  — The Times (London)

  “Dean Koontz … is at the top of his field. [He] delivers all we have come to expect from him, including suspense, action, violence and general weirdness … wonderfully understated … being raised above [his] contemporaries by excellent, deceptively detailed characterization.”

  — January Magazine

  “While dazzling the reader with magnificent turns of phrase that will evoke simultaneous admiration and envy, [Koontz] alternates the mood between tenderness and suspense.”

  — Bookreporter.com [http://Bookreporter.com]

  “Koontz skillfully blends elements … of romance, horror, fantasy, mystery, suspense, thriller, and detective fiction…. All of Koontz’s novels are about how to live and his people are the main event. You can believe them. You can believe in them. The clash of good and evil will keep readers turning pages to the end. Koontz maintains the chilling atmosphere and sense of foreboding, while including a great deal of humor. He can be wickedly satirical and funny…. He has a good deal of faith — like Dickens and Chekhov — in individuals.”

  — The Tampa Tribune

  “Dean Koontz is as much philosopher as mystery weaver … as much mystic as realist, as much romantic as pragmatist … mov[ing] back and forth between mystery, love story, the supernatural, morality tale, and suspense.”

  — Asbury Park Sunday Press

  “Koontz is king of highwire suspense.”

  — Denton Record-Chronicle

  “We [are] mesmerized by Koontz’s gift of words and colorful prose.”

  — The Oakland Press

  “Koontz is famous for the way he falls in love with his characters. They’re so richly and compellingly drawn, you can practically hear them breathing from the page. You’ll never want to leave the worlds Koontz draws you into. Open your mind and your heart.”

  — Lexington Herald-Leader

  “Koontz builds mansions of place and time … examining the depth of the human spirit, our capacity for good and evil … and the consequences of even the simplest deed.”

  — Harrisburg Patriot-News

  “Exceptional writing and storytelling. Year after year, Koontz provides fresh ideas.”

  — San Antonio Express-News

  “For some time now, Koontz has been quite ambitious with the themes of his thrillers … Joy is definitely in the journey.”

  — The Flint Journal

  “Magic.”

  — New Orleans Times-Picayune

  “Vintage novel writing.”

  — The Calgary Sun

  “Dean Koontz is not an author to be taken for granted. Each of his books stands alone; they do not fit a pattern…. Well-developed characters [are] a trademark of Koontz’s…. Highly diverse … marvelous people.”

  — Fort Myers Beach Observer

  “Creative and far-reaching … riveting … Koontz is on top of his field.”

  — Deseret Morning News

  “Dean Koontz achieve[s] a literary miracle…. A tapestry of intrigue and suspense … stunning physical description, unique turns of phrase.”

  — The Boston Globe

  “Koontz has the power to scare your socks off and the ability to fill your eyes with compassionate tears.”

  — Orange Coast

  “[Koontz] breaks new ground in the scope of [his] themes and sheer story-telling prowess…. Koontz drives you crazy with suspense as he weaves a web of psychological and mystical tension.”

  — Tulsa World

  “Dean Koontz is a prose stylist whose lyricism heightens malevolence and tension. He creates characters of unusual richness and depth. A level of perception and sensitivity that is not merely convincing — it’s astonishing.”

  — The Seattle Times

  “A master storyteller. Sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking, but always riveting. His characters sparkle with life.”

  — The San Diego Union-Tribune

  “Koontz raises intriguing questions about life, death, evil, and faith that are worthy of C. S. Lewis.”

  — The Flint Journal

  “Koontz’s prose is at times lyrical without ever being naďve or romantic. This is a grotesque world, much like that of Flannery O’Connor or Walker Percy. Scary, worthwhile reading.”

  — New Orleans Times-Picayune

  “Koontz’s prose is as smooth as a knife through butter, and his storytelling ability never wavers.”

  — The Calgary Sun

  “Koontz is a master at constructing vivid, eerily realistic worlds that hold readers spellbound.”

  — Booklist

  “His prose mesmerizes…. Gut-wrenching clarity. It’s in the description of emotional states — from love to despair — that Koontz has consistently hit bull’s-eyes, evoking reactions of ‘Yes, I know exactly how that feels!’”

  — Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

  “Koontz fuses narrative brio with benedictions.”

  — The New York Times

  “Koontz writes first-rate suspense, scary and stylish.”


  — Los Angeles Times

  “Genre-bending … Koontz’s use of original metaphors and similes … give his stor[ies] a depth rarely found in such tales…. The modern master of suspense.”

  — Tulsa World

  “For years Koontz has aimed at more than thrills; he is a novelist of metaphysics and moral reflection. Koontz remains one of the most fascinating of contemporary popular novelists.”

  — Publishers Weekly

  “Koontz knows where we keep our bejesus and what it takes to scare it out of us…. [He] spins his yarns effortlessly.”

  — New York Daily News

  “As scary as anything Poe ever crafted. Koontz has that rare ability to mix despair and hope in almost equal measure.”

  — Mesa Tribune

  “Dean Koontz has always been a master of plot, dialogue, and description. As gifted a writer as Koontz is he’s a better storyteller. The blood of the shaman and chronicler courses through his veins, as he conjures up stories of decent people placed in terrible circumstances. His theme centers on the Grand Romance with its temptations, love, and the struggle against evil. If Koontz tells us anything it is that we are accountable for the choices we make, and one way or another, the bill’s coming due. Fast-paced and dark … Koontz knows we live in a world where evil delights in justifying itself, where materialism has become an end in itself, where the gray, half-light of moral ambiguity supersedes moral verities, and where mankind has turned its collective face away from God. What will become of such a society? Koontz requires us to examine the condition of our kind and there is much to answer for…. Classic literature [that] deserves a place on the bookshelf beside Orwell’s 1984, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Berry’s Jayber Crow.”