Beastchild [Special Limited Edition] [Hardcover]

Dean Koontz (Author), Pamela Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1992

Collector's Edition from Charnel House, (1992) signed and numbered , Limited to 750 copies. Book is Hardbound in Green Japanese fabric and slip-cased. Signed by Dean Koontz and Illustrator Pamela Lee.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Charnel House; 1ST edition (1992)
• ASIN: B002A67PXM
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania where I graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University). When I was a senior in college, I won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and have been writing ever since. My first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where I was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. During my first day on the job, I discovered that the previous occupier of my position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and I was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. I wrote nights and weekends, which I continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, my wife, Gerda, made me an offer I couldn't refuse: "I'll support you for five years," she said, "and if you can't make it as a writer in that time, you'll never make it." By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of my writing career. Gerda and I, along with our dog, Trixie, live in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early book shows future writing style., January 21, 2001

By 

J. Austin "jodylync" (Dublin, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beastchild (Paperback)

When this books was republished in 1992. Dean Koontz wrote an introduction as to what was happening in the world in 1969 when he was writing this story. Many of the fears and concerns he had about the world in general are similar to what some of the characters are feeling. This book is pure science fiction, but shows the action and suspense that Dean Koontz is famous for today. In the story, Earth has been overtaken by a race of aliens called the naoli, lizard-like creatures. Most humans have been killed in the war, but some are alive in hiding. The naoli believe that the humans must all be exterminated and any humans that are discovered are instantly killed. Hulaan is a naoli archeologist. While sifting through the catacombs of a Boston library, he is saved by a human boy. The boy Leo is wounded from a recent skirmish and unable to flee. Reluctantly, Hulaan leaves the boy alive. Soon another naoli discovers Hulaan's secret and labels him a traitor. Hulaan flees, taking the boy with him. As they run for their lives, they discover that the war was based on a terrible misunderstanding. Desparately, they try to inform others while they fight for their lives. Even if you are not a fan of science fiction, you will appreciate the writing style and the character development that Dean Koontz is known for.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea, January 2, 2003

By 

hrladyship (Las Cruces, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beastchild (Paperback)

In this early novel, Koontz describes a world which has been conquered by an alien race, the naoli. The differences between the two races erupted into war after they met in space and found they were unable to communicate effectively.

As the story begins, Hulann, a naoli, is digging through the ruins of an American city when he discovers a man child hiding in the basement of a building. The boy saves his life and Hulann tells him to run away and he won't turn him in. The boy won't go; he's been injured and can't go very far. A friendship develops, as surprising to both of them as it is dangerous.

Published in 1970, Koontz's future as a best selling author is foreshadowed. The premise is interesting and the story stirring. Fans of Koontz will enjoy this hard to find science fiction story.

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed in the Dean Koontz Companion, May 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beastchild (Paperback)

Any Koontz reader should know: According to The Dean Koontz Companion it is one of the best of the author's straight science fiction novels - written when he was 23&24. It is set after an alien invasion that wiped out all but a handful of human beings. Was re-issued in 1992 by Charnel House. The author will heavily revise the novel changing ...... and hopes to re-issue in paperback approx 1996/97.