Ticktock

This book is delightfully quirky and a quick read. Part screwball comedy and part horror story, it will make you laugh and it will make you want to keep the lights on. Filled with rapid, quick fire repartee and lots of non-stop action, I read it in one sitting, as I simply could not put it down, even though it was not at all what I expected. Tommy Phan is a successful novelist of detective stories. Unfortunately, his Vietnamese mother doesn't see quite it that way. She feels that he is turning his back on his Vietnamese roots, as he has Americanized his name from Tuong to Tommy. He also did not wish to become a doctor or work in the family business, as did the rest of his brothers. Tommy is living the American dream, which his mother simply will not accept. One evening, shortly after returning home, his doorbell rings. When Tommy answers it, there is no one there. He does, however, find a homemade rag doll on his porch, which bewilders him, as he cannot imagine who would leave him such a thing. Taking the doll into his home, the doll's stitches start popping, and so the fun begins. It is a little more fun than Tommy bargained for, and he flees his home with something evil in pursuit. Ultimately, he runs into Deliverance Payne, a beautiful seemingly intuitive blonde waitress, who gives him a hand in evading his demonic pursuer. She is certainly more than a sum of her parts and is not what she initially seems. Let the games begin! Tommy's life will simply never again be the same.

The story centers around a Vietnamese author named Tommy Phan who writes detective novels. One night, Tommy receives a strange package on his porch. When he opens it, Tommy discovers that it is a rag doll. Unfortunately, things start to become deadly serious rather quickly. There is an evil demon inside the doll that breaks out and is obsessed with killing Tommy. Not only is the demon a deadly one, but it is also highly intelligent as well. It managed to leave Tommy a note on his computer that comprised of "The deadline is dawn. Tick tock... Tick tock". Now Tommy not only has to survive the night without being killed, but he also has to solve the mystery of who sent the demon to him and why they want him dead. Over the years I have read most of Koontz's books. However, Tick Tock was always a book that I put off reading. The premise sounded like a rip off of the film "Child's Play", and I had heard some bad feedback on the book from certain people who had read the book. I finally decided to put my skepticism aside, and give Tick Tock a chance. I am so glad that I did, because it is seriously one of the best books that I have read in awhile, and that is just not limiting the criteria to Dean Koontz novels either. I am talking overall, and I read a lot of books. The book manages to hook you in from the first page and keeps you there until the very end. The suspense that this book brings is so intense, that it is almost unreal. However, although the demon may be scary and the suspense is almost overwhelming at times, the book's real appeal comes from Koontz's character development. Tommy Phan is one of my favorite Koontz characters. Koontz portrays Tommy as a man who is constantly fighting against his heritage to become more American, and it is his battle against those beliefs that makes his war with the demon harder. Koontz also manages to create one of the best female leads he has ever written as well. Along the way, Tommy meets and eventually falls for a woman named Deliverance Payne who joins him in the fight against the demon no questions asked. Del's different philosophies on life, her twisted sense of humor, and her wild past make Del an extremely interesting and likeable character. The relationship that develops between Del and Tommy is one of Koontz's more enjoyable ones. It truly brings a new meaning to the phrase "opposites attract". Overall, Tick Tock is now one of my favorite Koontz books. This book showcases Koontz's character development at its best, and supplies a perfect mixture of horror, suspense, humor, and romance.

I just recently started reading Dean Koontz's novels...Can't believe it took me this long to discover him! Out of the six I've read so far, Tick Tock is definitely my favorite! The many twists and turns really keep you guessing...Just when you think you know what might happen next, you turn the page and discover you were delightfully wrong! The mixture of horror and humor is brilliant and makes the story all the more believable. I especially enjoyed Del's relationship with her dog, since I am an animal lover - in fact the hide-and-seek game they play is almost exactly the same as the one I play with my cat. This is a must-read for all Koontz fans, and a great first book for those who aren't familiar with his work. You'll be hooked... I promise!

This book is definately one of his best. The horror is cleverly combined with the humor. It was scary and frightening throughout but at the same time I was laughing my head off. I have read it loads of times and still I keep laughing and laughing and laughing. Even as I sit here now I have a big grin on my face as I think about Tommy trying to comprehend the strange seriousness of the phrases Del keeps saying after all the terror he has just been though. My favourite line is just after Del has driven off in the van after T+D have just met and the monster jumped on the window of the van; Del says (after minutes of complete and utter terror)'so, that was the doll-snake, rat-quick little monster thing, huh?' In complete seriousness. Oh the laughter!

If you are willing to release your grasp on reality long enough to get into this book you will be rewarded with a delightful, if somewhat strange story. The characters are very likable, the dog is adorable (I'm partial to black labs), and the story is fast paced. Even the author's notes are good. Dean Koontz explains that the reason this book came out in paperback without first being published as a hardcover is because he felt the story was too short to expect readers to pay hardcover pricess. Thank you Mr. Koontz. You have made one more loyal fan. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but Ticktock is such a good story it is worth a hardcover price. I feel like I got a real good deal