CarlAlves

Set in a small town in California, Molly Sloan and her husband Neil wake up to strange, downpouring rain that animals are having extreme negative reactions toward, which is part of massive changes taking place in the world. All forms of communications, including the Internet, are down. The novel starts off strong, and Koontz keeps a narrow focus, something which he isn't always capable of doing. Molly and Neil investigate what is happening and find out that aliens are taking part in an invasion of the planet, one of my favorite literary topics. Even more disturbing, the aliens are reanimating the dead. The Sloans find themselves in a battle against aliens in their town.

By keeping the focus only on this small town, Koontz is able to personalize his tale as opposed to dealing with a worldwide invasion. In certain ways it is reminiscent of the movie Signs. There is sufficient tension throughout, and the pace is strong. Dean Koontz is often hit or miss, but this one kind of hits the middle. Definitely not the worst that Koontz has written, it's also not up to par with his best novels.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street