Frankenstein: Lost Souls Review

Frankenstein: Lost Souls

Published: June 2010

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: American, Conspiracy, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Book 04 of 05: Frankenstein

Check the summary of this book here:

Frankenstein: Lost Souls Summary

The Review

The fourth novel in Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series, Lost Souls, is a continuation of the preceding book in the series, Frankenstein: Dead and Alive. On June 15, 2010, the book was published in hardcover. The New York Times Hardcover Best Seller list ranked it seventh. The Dead Town, book five, was released in May 2011.

This is an excellent book! It binds the entire series together in a way that makes you want more, more, more, just like any great book or set of novels should. 

Given the closing of the previous book in the Odd series, Odd Hours, I'm left impatiently wondering whether even loved Odd Thomas would make an appearance in his next Frankenstein novel, or possibly the other way around. 

These two volumes have left me wondering and hoping that Mr. Koontz would somehow weave all of these fantastic characters into a truly unique book. 

Another great author who does it brilliantly is Stephen King, and one more was the late great Anne Rice.

I'm sorry for the skeptics who can't recognize the expertly crafted beauty of Dean Koontz's stores. My advice to you is to keep reading since there are always more books and writers to read. 

Perhaps you should stick to the gore fest, wimpy writing, terrible characterizations, and no hope in sight novels. Regrettably, there are simply too many of them. 

The particular light that Dean Koontz is so skilled at putting into his writings is not for people who choose to live in the absolute darkness of the soul.

This is a really intriguing conundrum. I like Dean Koontz in general, and a while back started reading his Frankenstein series. 

Deucalion makes a fascinating Frankenstein's Monster, someone who was cursed with immortality, discovered he didn't enjoy it, and eventually made peace with it. 

Mary Shelley gave the character of Victor Frankenstein a lot of flexibility, but Victor Helios is simply too strange. He generates a slew of contemporary monsters, and the reason is self-evident.

Another Victor is attempting to take over the globe. Deucalion, Carson, and her new husband Michael will try to stop him in Rainbow Falls. 

It's them vs a new army from the Real World. This was an excellent read for me. Aside from the crime-solving, there is some comedy. Consider for a moment what world would be like if this were true.

I'm wondering whether I read the same book as some of the other readers I know but they talk about it as though it wasn't a good story and that they didn't like it. On the other hand, I enjoyed it and want to re-read or listen to it again.

This fourth book in the series is every bit as brilliant as the first three, but with a darker tone. The only problem is that I completed it and now have to start reading it again, even though I know what is going to happen, which is why I wish I could forget what I read and enjoy it as much as I did the first time.

This novel reminds me a lot of Stephen King, not just in terms of writing weird stuff that I enjoy, but also in terms of predictions about our current condition. Perhaps some individuals disliked this book because of current events, and they do not want reality to be a part of these stories.

I was overjoyed to see some of the characters we learned to know and love in the first trilogy return, and I'm even more excited about the new ones, especially Mr. Lyss! 

While I wasn't crazy about this new Victor, I'm pleased he's not precisely the same as the old one; he needed to be a distinct version! 

I also enjoy Carson and Michael's banter, as I have in prior installments, and don't find it unrealistic; given it is how I converse with some close friends.

Perhaps our world has become too hurried, too quick, "I want it now," and so very few people know how to relish a nice, extended trip. I'm sure none of the other readers I mentioned are interested in watching soaps, either, but I'm not a fan of soaps either. 

I, for one, don't want things to end so quickly, and if it was expanded to seven or even more novels, I'd be happy because I want to read more and more about my favorite characters.

The fourth book in the series was fantastic. It will definitely make you want to read the fifth book as soon as you finish it. 

If you liked books one, two, and three, I'm sure you'll enjoy fourth. Dean Koontz's ability to create things that are both suspenseful and hilarious, such as Jocko's eating and computer habits, astounds me. 

I'll say it again: I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Fortunately, I had the next book with me, so I didn't have to wait and suffer for a long time to find out what happened next.

In short, don't place too much stock in what others say, whether it's good or terrible; instead, read it for yourself with an open mind and decide for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Final Thoughts

I won't go into much detail about the actual story - yes, there is one; you just have to be smart enough to look for it - but it's a great beginning to another trilogy (hopefully the next book in this series will be released soon) and if you can be patient, I believe you will be rewarded when the rest of the series is released. 

I just reread the previous chapter, and I'm not sure what was so sudden about the finish. Because it's the first in a series, I wasn't expecting the knots to be knotted; therefore I was satisfied with the cliffhanger, which was similar to the preceding three volumes.

Praise for Dean Koontz and those readers who delight in the radiance of his characters and his superb ability to masterfully construct personalities. 

Characters we'd be happy to call friends. Dean Koontz demonstrates that we can all be heroes and that goodness, as well as comedy, is a choice. 

He does it with incredible ease! He offers us hope that good will triumph. Not just in his works, but also in real life, if only we can keep hope alive in our hearts. He is the master writer, not merely a brilliant writer.

Synopsis

“#1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz raises the stakes—and the suspense—taking his Frankenstein saga to a dynamic new level with the riveting story of a small town under siege, where good and evil, destruction and creation, converge as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

FRANKENSTEIN: LOST SOULS

The war against humanity has begun. In the dead hours of the night, a stranger enters the home of the mayor of Rainbow Falls, Montana. The stranger is in the vanguard of a wave of intruders who will invade other homes . . . offices . . . every local institution, assuming the identities and the lives of those they have been engineered to replace. Before the sun rises, the town will be under full assault, the opening objective in the new Victor Frankenstein’s trajectory of ultimate destruction. Deucalion—Victor’s first, haunted creation—saw his maker die in New Orleans two years earlier. Yet an unshakable intuition tells him that Victor lives—and is at work again. Within hours Deucalion will come together with his old allies, detectives Carson O’Connor and Michael Maddison, Victor’s engineered wife, Erika Five, and her companion Jocko to confront new peril. Others will gather around them. But this time Victor has a mysterious, powerful new backer, and he and his army are more formidable, their means and intentions infinitely more deadly, than ever before.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Dean Koontz's The City.”

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Carson And Michael, Character Development, Frankenstein Series, Looking Forward, New Orleans, Next Book, Rainbow Falls, Story Line

Rating: 95/100

Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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Frankenstein: Dead and Alive Review

Frankenstein: Dead And Alive

Published: 2009

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: American, Conspiracy, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost, Graphic Novel, Horror, Literary, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Book 03 of 05: Frankenstein

Check the summary of this book here:

Frankenstein: Dead And Alive Summary

The Review

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series continues in Dead and Alive, the third installment of the first series. This entry was supposed to be co-authored by Ed Gorman and Dean Koontz, but Koontz decided to write it alone.

It is Great! What else can I say? Dean Koontz did not let me down. When I was a youngster, I was a huge fan of the Frankenstein myth. This series has elevated the tale to a new level.

I enjoyed this book, although some readers may not make it all the way through. The second book was a direct sequel to the first one, and it even continued off just where the second one left off. 

The plot had kept me engaged, but this nearly put a stop to it. The more I read, the stranger and stranger this narrative becomes. 

Each chapter appeared to move this narrative from a believable notion to pure insanity, and I genuinely believed to myself several times that I was reading Stephen King's work, which is a compliment to this book.

Now, I realize it's fiction and far from possible, but Koontz created the first novel with Victor Frankenstein not only conquering reanimation but also solving the problem of mortality with his great mind. 

This grew so bizarre that I had lost faith in the plot till the very end. The finale was really well written and effectively brought this installment to a close, but don't worry, two more installments are already available and you won't have to wait long to read the next chapter in this series.

Dead and Alive is no exception to Dean Koontz's mastery at constructing a story that thoroughly engulfs the reader. 

I put everything on hold as soon as I received my copy and immersed myself in this horrific narrative. 

Many people think that when man tries to play God, only catastrophic events will occur, but I believe that we may exceed ourselves as humans if we can use our knowledge for the good of mankind rather than allowing any evil-minded individual to use it for wars and other financial gains. 

And I believe that one of the finest things we can do is to defeat death; if we can live longer or achieve immortality, we will be able to maintain all of our knowledge and put it to even greater use for mankind.

The primary characters have some of the greatest sentences I've ever read. It's intellectual, incisive, and amusing, with a wonderfully unique idea that makes me wish there were more than a few novels in the series.

Everyone should have read the first two novels in the series by now: Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1) and Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: City of Night: A Novel. 

This adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic blockbuster Frankenstein has been in the works for years. 

Victor Frankenstein had a devilish plot to create life, an insult to the gods that would have fatal consequences. 

The world had assumed that the events would destroy both the man and the monster, but their expectations and assumptions were incorrect!

Remember, this is the third book in the series, and you won't understand what's going on unless you read the first two novels in the series in order, readers may wish to find out more by reading my reviews of Prodigal Son and City of Night. 

All of the books are a mix of horror and comedy. They believe that Mary Shelley, the original author of Frankenstein, based her novel on historical events but misrepresented the facts. Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrous creation are both still alive.

Anyone who has read the previous two volumes can agree with Mr. Koontz's great additions to this classic, which include exceptionally well-developed characters and an exciting narrative that could only come from the maestro himself.

Let's fast forward to today's New Orleans. Two guys emerge with new identities, but it's difficult to escape old behaviors. The doctor has resumed his heinous experiments in the creation of life. 

Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison, two detectives, are investigating a serial murderer and are thrown into the center of a mystery that dates back over 200 years. This case has the potential to mean the end of civilization as we know it.

I recommend purchasing the entire series and getting ready to read the new Dean Koontz. Not satisfied with frightening the living daylights out of Orange County and South Los Angeles inhabitants, Koontz has tackled a world-class bad guy, Victor Helios AKA Victor Frankenstein, with a cast of characters you will both love and despise. Koontz writes with the ease of a river flowing over stones, bringing you along.

I found myself laughing out loud every now and then; when was the last time you laughed while reading a Dean Koontz book unless you're genuinely deranged?

Final Thoughts

Dean Koontz's book and series are quite different, although I've been a voracious reader for a long time. I could always tell when someone had a good sense of comedy. 

But look at this series; it's insane, and I believe he went a bit too far. It was quite a bit, in fact, but I adored it. He employed banter instead of focusing all of his sentences on the environment. 

There is no respite. If you're a fan, you should check out one of these series. Mr. Koontz will appear in a totally different light. 

Although you may find yourself skipping a few pages, I recommend that you do not do so unless you are bored with hilarious discourse.

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Dead and Alive: A Novel is a fantastic expansion and continuation that has seen two men trade roles: Deucalion, the monster, is becoming human...and Victor Helios, the doctor, is becoming the monster. 

The novel develops the reader's suspense to the climax and then unleashes them when the creator and created square off in the last showdown (not the final book in this series.)

This is a dual genre novel you don't want to pass up. Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Dead and Alive: A Novel is a must-read for fans of suspense and horror.

Purchase all five and be ready to sit down, turn off the television, and embark on a roller coaster ride that only a great storyteller can deliver. Because if you just buy one at a time, you'll have to wait to find out what the hell else is going on, so get the books right now.

Synopsis

“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.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Dean Koontz's The City.”

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Carson And Michael, City Of Night, Frankenstein Series, Koontz Frankenstein, New Orleans, New Race, Odd Thomas, Third Book, Third Installment

Rating: 95/100

Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle Version Here

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Frankenstein: City of Night Review

Frankenstein: City of Night

Published: 2005

Author: Dean Koontz and Ed Gorman

Genre: Conspiracy, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Mystery, Police Procedurals, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Book 02 of 05: Frankenstein

Check the summary of this book here:

Frankenstein: City of Night Summary

The Review

The novel City of Night was written by best-selling authors Dean Koontz and Ed Gorman and published in 2005. This book is the second installment in Koontz's Frankenstein series. Dead and Alive, the third book in the series was released in 2009. You continue with O'Connor and Michael's frequently funny conversation, which is quite pleasant in the midst of all the excitement and occurrences. Deucalion seemed to take on a little different position, and he didn't look as frightening as he did in "Prodigal Son." 

I was first disappointed, but it worked perfectly with the flow of the plot. Victor Frankenstein's persona developed more, and you can fully sense his insanity and arrogance in what he does as he grows more and more reckless. 

Overall, the plot appears to be sluggish, but it is actually rapid, and you only realize this when the book is nearly finished or you are on the final page.

This was a fantastic read for me. The brief chapters didn't bother me this time, and I thought they added to the story's appeal. 

The premise was intriguing and grew to intensify as the story progressed. The characters did not change and stayed as they were. 

The tale delves deeper into Helios' life and gives you a better idea of what his inventions are like.

I didn't like how sudden the ending was since I wanted to read and learn more. To me, it appeared as if Mr. Koontz arbitrarily selected a point to finish the City of Night, and by both I mean the City of Night and Dead and Alive, but this was not the case, and it was done on purpose, much like an episode of a TV program is chopped to keep the viewer interested in the future episode.

This is the second book in the series that I enjoy, however it is a little slow-paced and appears to mainly build up the third book. 

This establishes the major narrative and struggle that Victor will confront, and we get to know the characters a little more in this book. 

It appears to be taking an interesting direction and has kept my interest quite well. I wish there was a better finish to this since, as I've stated several times in this review, it simply dropped off. It was as if Koontz wrote one novel and then ripped it in half to make two. But don't worry, the following book, "Dead and Alive," is excellent.

I've never liked a "second part" as much as or more than the first, but this book was out of this world! A "page-turner" in the same vein as book one. 

This novel maintains the wit and comedy of the first. It's nice to see the cops back at work, and there are even more great characters introduced that you'll like.

O'Connor and Maddison's only communication with each other consists entirely of witty banter in which they exchange snappy one-liners back and forth, and I believe some readers will dislike it because it is tiresome and unrealistic for them, but many readers will enjoy it and may laugh out loud on numerous occasions, so just read and decide which one you are.

I once again admire Koontz's ability to lure me into each chapter...and then leave me breathless as he jumps back and forth between the mini-plots of other characters. 

The only dissatisfaction I had during this never-ending sensation of emotional foreplay was my intense need to read more about the often delicate, sad, haunting, and sometimes savage Deucalion, and Koontz's teasing left me unsatisfied in this aspect. 

I anticipated Deucalion would play a larger part in the next book, as he is the Old Race's Champion, and he should be essential and center stage during the impending holocaust. 

I couldn't figure out who wrote what out of the three authors (Dean Koontz, Ed Gorman and Kevin J. Anderson) in this and the prior narrative but I don't think it matters because both novels were fantastic.

Overall, I felt the book was a fantastic read, however as I already stated, it fell short at the end. 

Dean Koontz's whole body of work is in my possession. I purchased it as soon as it was available. Sure enough, he didn't let me down. He can easily keep the reader's attention from page one to the conclusion. He is a real master storyteller. I wholeheartedly suggest all of his books!

Final Thoughts

Let me start by saying that you are lucky in that the third book in this series has already been released and that you can purchase it as soon as you finish the second.

It's a little bland at first as it sets up the remainder of the novel, but it's still amusing. It becomes a true page-turner, twisting and turning with tales merging and getting more thrilling. It's fantastic.

The City of Night picks up immediately where Prodigal Son leaves off. All of the characters have returned, plus a few new ones have been introduced, and Helios' weaknesses are becoming more apparent. 

Carson, Michael, and Deucalion's new goal is to destroy Helios, as Helios continues to strive to take over the globe with his new race.

Fans of the original novel will not be disappointed with this sequel. This book takes off precisely where the last one left off and runs from beginning to end. 

There was a brief review of what had occurred that was interspersed across the first few chapters. This is especially helpful if, like me, you purchased this book as immediately as it was available but never got around to reading it.

This is a novel I wholeheartedly recommend, especially if you loved the first book in the series. 

I chose Book one since I am a major admirer of all things Frankenstein as I mentioned in my previous review. While it's a fresh take on the subject, it's been extremely nice thus far.

In a nutshell, this is what this book is... Fantastic narrative, great characters, loads of tension, and romantic hints. 

According to the previous allusions, I liked this book and despise these novels for their cliffhangers, but in a pleasant manner.

Synopsis

"The Frankenstein story is updated to the 21st century by the great American storyteller Dean Koontz. Now someone new is playing god.

They are stronger, heal better and think faster than any humans ever created – and they must be destroyed. But not even Victor Helios can stop the engineered killers he has set loose on a reign of terror through modern-day New Orleans.

The mad genius had not imagined that his creations would develop minds – and purposes – of their own. And as Deucalion and Detectives O'Connor and Maddison race to uncover an age-old conspiracy, they will discover that Victor's new, improved models have infiltrated every level of New Orleans society … and far beyond.

Dean Koontz, the master storyteller, creates a bold new legend."

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Carson And Michael, Character Development, Frankenstein Series, New Orleans, New Race, Next Book, Odd Thomas, Page Turner, Victor Helios

Rating: 95/100

Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle Version Here

https://rebrand.ly/Frankenstein-City-of-Night-Kindle

Free With Free Audible Trial

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