Seize the Night

But it arrived with torn out pages. Pages 296/297 we're just gone.

Chris Snow, his dog Orson, Sasha, and Bobby are all back, but this time it involves something more evil. Moonlight Bay looks more beautiful at night and Chris knows this from experience. Afflicted with a rare skin disorder that leaves him vulnerable to light, he has come to develop rituals that make the night his home. But as beautiful as Moonlight Bay is at night, that is when shows its menace. Now children are dissapearing. They are being taken right out of their homes and vanishing without a trace. There is nothing the families can do about it, because in Moonlight Bay, the cops work to conceal crimes and do anything they can to protect the town's deadly secret. Chris believes that the children's dissapearance and the town's secret are connected, and that the missing children are still alive. When an old friend of Chris's begs him to find her child, he plunges back into the realm of evil and mystery that only happens after dark. I read "Fear Nothing" and "Seize the Night" back to back. While "Fear Nothing" was the superior book in the Chris Snow series, "Seize the Night" is still a very worthy sequel. The story looks more into the mystery of Moonlight Bay, and it also offers creatures that are new and even more terrifying than the originals. The story was put on a much grander scale, because Chris attempts to rescue the missing children. In "Fear Nothing" the whole story revolved around Chris only helping himself. The characters are still top notch. In "Seize the Night", we get to take a deeper look into Bobby's past and see another side of him. He still has the great dialogue of a laid back surfer. I like Sasha better in this story, because Koontz gives her more of a role in helping Chris. The most surprising character however is Roosevelt. While he was in the first story, we learned nothing about him. He is the story's Dr. Doolittle, because he has the ability to communicate with animals. This also helps to give Chris's dog Orson more of a role in the story. The last thing that is great about both of the Chris Snow books is that they are in a first person narrative coming from Chris. It gives the story a more personal feel. "Seize the Night" does have its flaws however. At times I felt like I was reading a recycled version of "Fear Nothing". Koontz spends time repeating information about characters and events that happened in the first book. The sequel's job is to expand on issues from the first book, not repeat them. "Seize the Night" has very few flaws, and is almost as good as "Fear Nothing". The mystery of Moonlight Bay is expanded upon, new and scarier creatures are added to the story, and Koontz's character development of all the characters was amazing. The good news is that the ending was left open for another sequel. Hopefully Dean Koontz will choose to make the Chris Snow saga into a trilogy!!

This was my first Koontz book, and I loved it. Admittedly, I am a reader who gravitates toward alternative books, those who don't quite make it to the popular mainstream. Thus, my late acquaintance of Mr. Koontz. Silly me. Once again I am reverting to my quaint habit of listening to audio books as I weed in my garden. I started this one last summer, summer ended, as did the weeding, and I put it away, unfinished. I picked it up again first thing this summer, and started over, delightedly reminded of the intrigue that had held me quite rapt last summer. I didn't mind starting at the beginning again at all. Now, what intrigues me about this book is how believable it is, and how it dovetails so nicely with the poli-sci reading that I *do* do. It's more realistic than you might think. More horrendous than you would want to think realistic. Koontz knows something, and he's telling it the only way he thinks he can get it across. For those who dismiss what he has to say as pure fiction, well, do your homework.Even more than that, though, is Koontz's delightful way of turning a phrase, painting a picture with his words, making knowledgeable references to time and place and culture that most, if not all of us can relate to. More than once I smiled and even giggled as he captured an image with a brilliant metaphor. The man is good. He's very good. And yes, I'll read more by him. The point I want to make, though, is that if you are in the habit of following my reading and my reviews, this one fits right in. You might not think so, but check it out. You will be amazed. I know I was....geminiwalker

Continuing the adventures of Christopher Snow, Orson, Bobby and Sasha, "Seize the Night" moved so quickly I read it in one sitting. It was like a movie, experiencing everything in one night, but Koontz, as ever, goes beyond the mere adventure/thriller/horror theme. Its predecessor, "Fear Nothing", brought us the story of what's happening in Moonlight Bay. "Seize the Night" focuses more on the friendship and emotions of the characters; we get to know them better (except Orson, who's kidnapped and hidden for most of the book). And these definitely are people I'd like to know, and have as friends! The geek-speak and general banter worked for me - that's basically how my friends and I speak to each other, and that made the whole story more real. The surfer lingo was a plus. It made their conversations much more fun. Koontz's message that love, friendship and caring for one's fellow man are the most important things in life is familiar to most of his readers - it's a theme he's carried through many of his books, such as "Watchers", "Strangers", "Intensity", "Mr Murder", etc. And his characterisation is as wonderful as ever. As with his other books, I felt really comfortable with the characters, and I was concerned about what would happen to them. And the pace of the book, the scary situations, the action and adventure added to the thrill! The monkeys are back and as aggressive as ever, if not more so, while the mysterious figure from "Fear Nothing" shows itself, although it's as much of a mystery as ever (and a reminder of the Outsider in "Watchers". The way in which the residents of Moonlight Bay are changing is described more fully, and the way in which it's changing people who were "good" guys in "Fear Nothing" into villains is made chillingly clear. In fact, this book seems more like a movie on paper! I can't wait to see what the third installment will bring, and how the world will end in Mr Koontz's hands. One thing, though - try to read "Fear Nothing" before you read this book. That's where the characters are developed. "Seize the Night" is written with the understanding that the reader has met them all before, and has learned the basis of the story. Trust me, it'll make far more sense!

Although I am not in the habit of sharing my opinion of the books I read with the world at large, I had to say this - if you enjoyed "Fear Nothing", you will LOVE this sequel - I read it from cover to cover in one day, I couldn't put it down! I didn't think Mr. Koontz could write another book that I would enjoy as much as "Watchers" but I was wrong, I like this series even more...it is fast-paced, exciting, thought provoking, funny AND scary, all at once. All I want to know is - WHEN is the third book in the trilogy coming out? I can hardly wait!

This is actually the second book in a projected trilogy, but one of the neat things Mr. Koontz does here is that he writes it in such a way that it stands alone. Yet, if you've had the chance to read the first installment, _Fear Nothing_, this only enhances the experience further.Chris Snow, the protagonist, is limited to a night-time existence by the presence of a gene for XP, a condition that makes exposure to sunlight potentially lethal. This hasn't limited him or his amazingly positive outlook on life any. He has a collection of friends that anyone would be proud to have.In _Seize the Night_, we get a chance to explore more deeply into the abandoned army base at Fort Wyvern, wherein all manner of sinister, secret government projects were apparently underway, with some suggestion that they haven't all been abandoned. Wyvern is a great creation--an eerie place haunted by the genetically altered results of an experiment gone wrong. The entire town of Moonlight Bay is a memorable setting for these stories--government men and their local toadies have clamped down on all attempts to get the story out to the world at large. Indeed, it sometimes seems like armageddon may have been loosed upon the world from the seemingly peaceful area.The book is very highly recommended. If you have the chance, by all means read _Fear Nothing_ first, however.