Customer Reviews

Strangers

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've just finished reading STRANGERS for the fourth time. And, undoubtedly, I'll read it again and again. When I checked out some of the other reviews I was astounded that some readers didn't like this story. They thought it was too long! Good Lord, it wasn't long enough! Or the ending wasn't feasible. Maybe it's because I love science fiction that I could appreciate the ending, and find it thoroughly believable. What happens in this story, dear ones, is that several people from varied backgrounds, who all come from different places, start manifesting strange symptoms that eventually draw them to a motel in the desert where they all stayed last summer. You see, something happened to them at the motel. And someone has erased their memories. However, like a bad penny, the memories start resurfacing and begin to affect each person: sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. I think Dean Koontz is at the top of his game with this story. His power of description is magnificent. And his ability to make you care for his characters is on the money. I just loved Ginger, the young Jewish surgeon who goes into a fugue state whenever something reminds her subconscious of the night her memory was erased. And Jorja, the Vegas waitress whose daughter is obsessed with the moon. Once again, Koontz's female characters show strength and resilience. His male characters aren't bad either. There's Dom, the writer, who wakes in the middle of the night in the closet and doesn't know how he got there, nor what he's so afraid of that he nails his windows shut while sleep-walking! And there's Jack, the thief, who just makes your heart ache when he has to say goodbye to his wife who has been in a coma for many years. I could go on and on about this thrilling story. But I won't because I want you to read it for yourself. If you like a story that grabs you by the seat of your pants and takes you for the ride of your life, a story that's written by a master of suspense who knows how to get your heart pumping, then this book is for you. I'm truly baffled by those negative reviews.

I love this book. I've read many of Koontz's books, but this is by far and away his best. It is the story of a group of people spread out over the country who all start experiencing strange things: a grown man becomes deathly afraid of the dark; another starts sleepwalking; a priest loses his faith; a young doctor has attacks that cause her to flee from she doesn't know what; and there are others. As they try to figure out what is causing these things they are drawn together, and to a motel in the Nevada desert. Koontz leaves the reader as much in the dark as the characters in the book, and it is a pleasure to try and solve the mystery along with them. A very interesting, involving, and exciting book, I highly recommend it to all.

Strangers(1986). A Novel By Suspense/Horror Author Dean Koontz.

Dean Koontz. His name is synonymous with things that go bump in the night and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, and is often compared to the King of Macabre, Stephen King. While his books usually are easily comprehendible and "to-the-point," with 'Strangers', Dean Koontz has produced his "epic". Almost every author has an "epic," or, in the case of Charles Dickens, sometimes 4 or 5. A novel huge in size and thought, with in-depth characters, profound messages and morals, massive and interweaving plots and sub-plots, it's most easily defined as a novel that "makes you think"! 'Strangers', weighing in at 681 pages, is a tale of government intrigue, with a massive cover-up that included brainwashing the memories of over 30 people who stayed at The Tranquility Motel in rural Nevada to make them forget the horrors of July 6th, 1984. After experiencing disturbing nightmares and odd disorders like sleepwalking and phobias, Ginger Weiss, Dominick Corvaisis, Brendan Cronin, Jack Twist, Sandy and Ned Sarver, and Faye and Ernie Block slowly are drawn back to The Tranquility Motel, where fate and destiny awaits... Did I enjoy 'Strangers' or not? Read on to find out!

Plot- As Ginger, Brendan, Dom, Faye, Jack, Ernie, Ned, and Sandy return to The Tranquility Motel, they seem to know each other like friends, even though they've never met. As the character's memory blocks slowly start to disappear, they slowly begin to remember the occurrence on July 6th, yet before they can determine what happen, the government decides to apprehend them and sanction them. Later, Brendan and Dom discover they have supernatural powers, able to lift things at will and heal injured people, and they believe it's related to what happened to them on that night. As miraculous healings and supernatural events begin happening all over the world, the government soon realizes its cover-up is fading, and they must either admit what happened or destroy the evidence and make up something. As the government prepares to wipe out the evidence of the mysterious event, they methodically capture the witnesses to the event and sanction them in a nearby base, Thunder Hill Depository, where the secret lays hundreds of miles underground. As the characters fight for their lives, they will have to learn to band together and help each other, and learn to face the truth of that horrifying night...

Opinions/Writing/Etc.-

Dean Koontz is a writer, who, unlike a large number of his contemporaries(Grisham, Ludlum), thinks up original, suspenseful, and delightful plots with each novel, and he never scrapes the surface of being generic or repetitive. With 'Strangers', Koontz tries his hand at a novel of immense proportions, carefully building up each of his characters personas and developing them throughout the novel, until each character seems like a close friend. This is important, because when the characters are in trouble or in danger, the reader feels and pities them, giving 'Strangers' a stronger depth and emotion. Throughout, Koontz explores many themes such as love, faith, friendship, and determination, and by the novel's end, you will piece together the morals and messages Koontz has interlaid within his writing. 'Strangers' moves along slowly at first, introducing the numerous characters and unearthing the controversial mystery, but as the novel nears its end, you'll be on the edge of your seat and the pages will fly by. Koontz's writing isn't fancy or overly descriptive like most classic novels, yet he's straight-forward and to-the-point, almost as if he's telling the story around a campfire to a group of enrapt listeners. The only thing that hurts the novel is that the "mystery" behind the suspense of 'Strangers' is fairly predictable and lackluster, yet, it's not as bad as it could have been. My opinion? A great novel!

Overall, 'Strangers' is a great thriller, full of mystery and suspense that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The plot is very epic, so, young readers, beware! The sheer amount of characters and plot twists will go right over your head. For those willing to take that extra leap and read 'Strangers', be prepared for an epic novel, full of mystery and hopeful themes that will definitely be a highlight in anyone's bookshelf.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF SUSPENSE, MYSTERIES, THRILLERS, AND DEAN KOONTZ! I STRESS THAT ONLY ADVANCED READERS, SUCH AS OLDER TEENS AND ADULTS, SHOULD GET 'STRANGERS'!

Also Recommended-

Phantoms- Dean Koontz
The Stand- Stephen King
Ghost Story- Peter Straub

Thanks For Reading!

I am a huge fan of Dean Koontz and have read a good majority of his books. To me, STRANGERS was right up there with INTENSITY. Strangers is the story of a group of people all suffering from wierd occurances. Everything ranging from sleepwalking, to fear of the dark to telekinesis. They are from all different parts of the country...but...they're all drawn together from an event that happened to them last summer. An event so big, that a certain group of people have taken steps to make sure that it was completely erased from their minds....did they do a good enough job?...... An excellent read, lovable characters and a truly inspirational and out of this world ending.

It has been a long time since I have read this book so my memory of the details is a bit hazy. But, after reading several reviews I felt it necessary to provide a slightly different perspective.

Yes, Strangers is wordy. Yes, Koontz spends a lot of time on character development early in the book.

But that's what makes this book so interesting. At the beginning, the description of these disparate individuals and their problems seemingly have no connection. As the story progresses though, you start to see similar patterns emerging in their experiences and begin to realize that there is a thread woven between these people. You then start to speculate yourself on what it could possibly be. That type of story telling is what makes a mystery so compelling and this one definitely is. I remember that the eventually revealed bond that these people share is one that I had surmised might be the cause but there were several that I was developing in my own head and was never truly sure.

I found this book fascinating and the length of it never even dawned on me as I read it.

This is the book that started me on my Dean Koontz oddessey ! The suspense is awsome ! Talk about a page turner ! Just as you are getting used to a character and intrigued by the odd things that are happening to them....You come to a new chapter and the start of a new character ? This in itself is sooo intriguing...you just know they all must be connected some way .....but they are all so different and from different areas of the USA. What could be the connection ? If you have never read Dean Koontz,start with this one and you will certainly be a devoted fan everafter as am I.If you read in bed at night,get used to lack of sleep ! You will not be able to put this down !

OK, I have to admit, the plot of "Strangers" definitely
intrigued me. And for a while, it was a pretty good book. However,
there are some major problems. First, it lasted too long. While I
normally prefer longer novels, this one could and should hav ended
about 2/3 of the way through. Instead, Koontz tried to keep us on the
point of a climax, which got boring before long.

Also, although I
like fantasy almost as much as I like science fiction, this book left
WAY too much unexplained...not in a good way, to let you draw your own
conclusions, either. They tried to explain all the various elements
with science, then with religion, and the attempts were not only
contradicting but also unsatisfying.

Finally, there's the utter lack
of originality in the book's conclusion. It's the same story ... that you've heard over and
over.

Yet, you'll notice that I gave it three stars. Why? Well,
despite it's flaws, "Strangers" has a greatly intriuging
beginning and steadily rising action. Also, the ending (though
predictable) is fairly suspenseful.

The bottom line is, although
this novel is not up to Koontz's standards, it's still an OK book.

I've read almost all the Koontz books, and this was one of the best. It would appeal to people who normally do not read books in the horror genre, as well as Koontz's ardent fans. The characterization is outstanding and the plot is intricate. I thoroughly enjoyed every page!

Strangers

Strangers is a story about friendship, inner strength and survival. Dean Koontz weaves a complex tale filled with many colorful characters.

(There are nine main characters and two sub-characters to keep track of in this lengthy novel).

A roadside motel and its neighboring diner are the main backdrop for the story, but Mr. Koontz manages to take us coast to coast as the plot unfolds. Somehow, a group of complete strangers seems connected though none can remember ever having met. The roadside motel is the common factor each of the characters share.

The book moves at a very good pace. The 698-page length seemed like 300 pages. I could not put the book down. I read the Berkley paper back, which contains a nice afterward from the author, the afterward proved insightful and humorous as does most of Mr. Koontz comments.

I highly recommend this novel. I rank it up their with Dean Koontz best works, as a matter of fact, `Dark Rivers of The Heart' may be the only Koontz book comparable.

I've read quite a few Koontz novels and I think this is one of his best. I was starting to lose faith in some of his books. Specifically the ones that were basically a buildup to a chase scene. Strangers is an excellent book. All the charcters have depth and even though there are numerous charcters it's easy to keep up with what each is doing. I was hooked from page one! I couldn't put the book down. The story keeps building up until the very last page. Although, the paperback copy of the book is 681 pages the action does not die down. I was also impressed by the variety and number of the main and supporting charcters in the book. Ginger Marie Weiss is an ambitious hardworking doctor having fugue like episodes, Ernie Block is a co-owner of the Tranquility Motel and develops an overwelming fear of the dark at age 52, Brendin Cronin a priest who suddenly loses his face, and these were just a few of the charcters. The amazing thing is the way Dean Koontz ties them all together at the end. The ending was especially suprising. You're giving little clues here and there to lead you up to the very last pages yet, I found the ending to be a suprise until I had about ten pages left. This book is a must read for all Dean Koontz fans and anyone who enjoys a thrilling read!