The Funhouse [Mass Market Paperback]

Dean Koontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

Years after leaving the carnival, her hated first husband, and the child she could never love, Ellen has a new life, a new husband, and two beautiful children, but now the carnival is coming back to town, and Ellen is going to have to pay for her sins. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dean Koontz was born into a very poor family and learned early on to escape into fiction. His novels have sold over 200 million copies worldwide and more than thirty have appeared on national and international bestseller lists. He lives in southern California with his wife, Gerda and a vivid imagination. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Open market ed edition (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425142485
• ISBN-13: 978-0425142486
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Authors, A-Z

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's with all the bad reviews?, March 18, 2005

By 

Jessie (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Funhouse (Mass Market Paperback)

Just another great Dean Koontz book as far as I'm concerned. A woman named Ellen gives birth to a deformed, monstrous child with claws and she kills it, even though her husband, who's a barker at a carnival, loves it and doesn't understand how dangerous it is. He nearly kills her when he finds out and tosses her out of the house. Fast forward several years and Ellen has two new children of her own and a new life. But she's turned into a religious fanatic, like Carrie's mother from Stephen King's first novel, and her children, espescially her son, are afraid of her. And now her old husband Conrad is tracking down her children in an effort to destroy them as revenge. Ellen's 17 year old daughter Amy and a few other dope-smoking rebels head out to the carnival for some fun and when they enter the Funhouse, where Conrad works, they get more than they bargained for. Much more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but there was one major element missing!, March 11, 2009

By 

D. Vasko (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Funhouse (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked this up at my local gym. The plot seemed interesting, and I had never read one of Koontz's books before. I won't bother repeating the synopsis, but I can say that I did enjoy the book. As far as entertainment value, I was turning page after page. BUT....
**slight spoiler**
I could not believe the story ended without the mother coming face-to-face with the carny father. The kids ended up dealing with all the drama of the Dad's wrath, and the Mom wasn't involved at all. There was NO closure on the parents relationship, and/or the mother's anguish. I couldn't believe the book ended that way. It was quite a let-down.

If you can overlook thiat glaring omission, the rest of the story was worth the read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Very Weak, September 3, 2001

By 

Kolors "Jimmy" (Pocatello, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Funhouse (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel was alright through the first 100 pages or so, but after that this became abrasively boring and tedious. I had next 254 pages already played out in my head. Very predictable. I'm glad this is just an early novel by Dean Koontz writing as Owen West.