Velocity? Not so much.

Velocity by Dean Koontz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have a love/hate thing with Mr. Koontz. I mean, he has written some books I really, really like: WATCHERS and ODD THOMAS spring to mind...and then he has written some others that, well, let's just say I wasn't quite as thrilled with. VELOCITY falls into the latter category. It's a great premise, and a reader like myself can be easily sucked in by the premise and the title, which promises a high-octane, page-turning reading experience. Alas, that's not the case. See, I think what makes VELOCITY lag behind books like WATCHERS and ODD THOMAS is the fact that Koontz forgot to give us a sympathetic character. His main character, a bartender named Billy, is sort of a sad-sack everyman and I never really cared much, one way or the other, about him. All these horrific things were happening around him and Koontz tried valiantly to create a Lecteresque villain, but there was never the element that a good suspense book needs--that ability to identify with and root for the hero. Billy was just sort of blah and Koontz never gives me a reason to root for him--only to pity him. I'll continue to look for other good Koontz books, but right now, my experience with him is about 50/50, evenly divided between good and mediocre. Anyone care to recommend what they feel is a really good Koontz?



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