Relentless by Dean Koontz // Is it a Serious Book or Parody?

Name: Relentless by Dean Koontz // Is it a Serious Book or Parody?
Author: Dean Koontz

Relentless by Dean Koontz is funny — I will give you that.

But when you realize that this book is supposed to be horror, being funny does not seems to be a praise.

A 9 year old kid whose IQ is impossible to calculate, a wife who is highly successful children’s book writer, a best-selling author, a book reviewer who murders people after giving their books negative review, a family who has made a bunker in case there is a nuclear war, a dog who can time travel, a family who is directing the culture by murdering the artists — everything is bizarre in the book.

The book opens fast, and moves with fast pace, even speed up at the end. There is some boring spaces. But personally, I did not like the entire kid-dad conversation. It’s over-stretched for no reasons.

For example:

Dad: What is it?

Kid: I cannot tell.

Mother: Don’t ask.

Father: Just tell me what it is?

Kid: You will not understand.

Dad: Explain me.

Kid: You don’t have intelligence to understands it.

And there is such scenes many times. Just tell it is what it is. The reveal is not even that mysterious.

I completed the book in a single day — so it was short and fast paced. I am not saying the book was bad, it’s just hilariously random. Like author is on something when writing it.

But kudos to imagination.

However, I read this review on Goodreads, which is also funny. It takes a dig on how Dean Koontz wrote this novel to give middle finger to all the negative reviewers. The review discusses the various scene and situations of books that were parallel with the real life.

If that is the case, if it is to show the reviewers in negative light, then it is more funny.

What writer writes a book to defend their work.

Book Review

Moreover, let’s leave it all. And focus on the review.

Cubby is a successful writer. A bestseller. He cannot be trusted around electronics or anything physical because he is so lame (as he tells again and again and again) — then there is mysterious past – which if it was not there, it would not have been mattered at all. You can skip that chapter and the story still make proper sense.

He got a negative review from a very popular book critic. While his publishers and marketing team is happy, he starts defending his novel. His wife, PR and everyone said to ignore the critics, but he does not. He go to see him. Starting a chain of events, where the book critic blows his house and starts to hunt his family to murder everyone.

The genius kid milo is always on computer. He is super smart — like Sheldon Copper, and equally obnoxious and annoying.

The female character is also smart and talented. She does not sit back, and ready to murder to protect her family.

Then there is family of female character, who is full on gun nuts. They built a safe bunker in their house and a place full of supplies, books, seeds and many things in case there is a war.

Now talking about the book critic — he seems to be have unlimited supply of money and resources. He has killed many authors and artists, whose work revolutionize the society. So basically this hidden society is the gatekeeper of change.

They are working for hundred of years, and somehow a writer who cannot even shoot straight ruin it all for them. And why the critics was even playing with them. If the point was to stop the change in the society, and move the direction in a certain direction, why were they torturing the author’s family.

Could not they have just killed the artist in easy manner?

There are few random things happens in the book like that. How does the supreme leader of such widespread agency live without any surveillance or security.

The book was wrapped up very quickly, using a nonsense method. Time travel.

But all in all, I liked the how fast the book was — so all in all you can give it a read.

Book Summary