The Funhouse [School & Library Binding]

Dean R. Koontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1994

A story of vengeance when a young mother, having married in haste to a violent man, kills their child in belief that he is an evil creature. Her husband swears revenge, and sets out to kill any further children that she may have. First published in 1981 under the pseudonym Owen West.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dean Koontz was born in Everett, Pennsylvania, and grew up in nearby Bedford. He won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition when he was twenty and has been writing ever since. Mr. Koontz's books are published in 38 languages. Worldwide sales total more than 175 million copies, a figure that currently increases at a rate of more than 350 million copies a year. Dean and his wife, Gerda, live in southern California.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 333 pages
• Publisher: San Val (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785754652
• ISBN-13: 978-0785754657
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,513,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 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.

3 of 3 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.