The City (with bonus short story The Neighbor)
By Dean Koontz
- Release Date: 2014-07-01
- Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Includes Dean Koontz’s short story “The Neighbor”!
This ebook edition contains a special preview of Dean Koontz’s The Silent Corner.
Dean Koontz is at the peak of his acclaimed powers with this major new novel.
A young boy, a musical prodigy, discovering life’s wonders—and mortal dangers.
His best friend, also a gifted musician, who will share his journey into destiny.
His remarkable family, tested by the extremes of evil and bound by the depths of love . . . on a collision course with a band of killers about to unleash anarchy.
And two unlikely allies, an everyday hero tempered by the past and a woman of mystery who holds the key to the future.
These are the people of The City, a place where enchantment and malice entwine, courage and honor are found in the most unexpected quarters, and the way forward lies buried deep inside the heart. Brilliantly illumined by magic dark and light, their unforgettable story is a riveting, soul-stirring saga that speaks to everyone, a major milestone in the celebrated career of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz and a dazzling realization of the evergreen dreams we all share.
Praise for The City
“Beautifully crafted and poignant . . . The City is many things: serious, lighthearted, nostalgic, courageous, scary, and mysterious. . . . [It] will have readers staying up late at night.”—New York Journal of Books
“[Koontz] can flat-out write. . . . The message of hope and depiction of how the choices you make can change your life ring true and will remain with you once the book has been closed.”—Bookreporter
Acclaim for Dean Koontz
“Perhaps more than any other author, Koontz writes fiction perfectly suited to the mood of America: novels that acknowledge the reality and tenacity of evil but also the power of good . . . that entertain vastly as they uplift.”—Publishers Weekly
“A rarity among bestselling writers, Koontz continues to pursue new ways of telling stories, never content with repeating himself.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. ‘Serious’ writers . . . might do well to examine his technique.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[Koontz] has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.”—Los Angeles Times
“Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.”—USA Today
“Characters and the search for meaning, exquisitely crafted, are the soul of [Koontz’s] work. . . . One of the master storytellers of this or any age.”—The Tampa Tribune
“A literary juggler.”—The Times (London)
Reviews
Another Koontz Masterpiece
4By Koontz Fan 101Once again I have fallen in love with a Koontz protagonist. If you are familiar with his work and are wondering whether this story lives up to the D.K. standards of FANTASTIC and AWESOME, the answer is without a doubt a resounding ABSOLUTELY! Mr. Koontz gives his protagonists endearing qualities that capture the heart and mind of the reader; innate kindness, the ability to gain understanding, wisdom and strength through devastating tragedies, as well as the ability to sense the supernatural and act accordingly. The protagonist in The City is no exception. As with John Calvino, Odd (or is it Todd?) Thomas, Jane Hawk, and many others, I find myself once again wanting to meet this character... to know more about him... to keep in touch with him... often wondering what he’s doing now. Thank you, Mr. Koontz, for this story. Thank you for the takeaways... a warmed heart, an awareness of things unseen, knowledge of what things were like during a time period when I wasn’t paying attention, a renewed hope that there are truly good people in this world, and so much more. Your truly, Shelley CollinsThe City
5By SunnyarensExcellent!The city
3By MeangjpSorry to say not one of his better ones.The City
5By TraceeGreenThis book made me cry because of kindness, don't need to say anything else.Disappointing
2By EbethnjakeDon't waste your money. The story is very slow and never really goes anywhere. Nothing like his other books.BORING!!!
2By Stang88okThis is by far his slowest & least interesting book. I own every book he has written & I wish I could get my $ back for this one. Buy it when it ends up in the clearance bin.The City
5By ceemax579I missed the original good,evil,dog, child stories so wonderfully spun. This was reminiscent of those adventures. A great book to read.Gets better as you read
5By Mr. SheppyI'm a longtime fan of Koontz's, and have loved nearly all his books. For the first handful of chapters, I thought this was going to become the second one I'd not enjoyed. But as I read further, the nature of the story, the characters, and the world built on the pages grew on me and drew me in. By halfway through, I was enthralled. By 2/3 of the way through, I could no longer put it down and read far into the night, despite badly needing to be in bed early. The point: this is a fine story with charming characters and a mysticism that's old-school Koontz.The First Book
1By bzerkedI have not been able to finish…’nuff saidSteer Clear
1By MD in PHXI am a huge Dean Koontz fan. I've read many of his books and have like or (mostly) loved each one. However, this book was a true outlier in his pantheon of amazing tales. It was literally a slog, possessing none of his trademark transcendent prose. Move on and pray that his next book is more of his regular excellence.The City
1By DoubledelightroseSlow and simpleGripping and haunting
5By AndasolaI've followed Koontz ever since I discovered Intensity. And I've read many others of his books, including the Odd Thomas series. But this particular tale filled me with so many emotions. And I could not put it down. Jonah's voice was so beautiful throughout and his love for his family brought me to tears. It is a heady mix of love and humor tinged with terrible danger. Read it...but read the short story, The Neighbor, first. It's a nice intro to the amazing siblings, Amalia and Malcom.Dean Koontz's finest work!
5By MissySee1313I have been a fan of Dean Koontz for many years. I would consider him to be one of if not my favorite author. I have read almost all of his novels and enjoyed each for different reasons and to varying degrees. Until the City, I would say that the Frankenstein series and of course the Odd Thomas series were by far my favorites. When I began to read The City, I found that I often stayed up too late to read and found excuses to put off tasks that I should be doing and reading instead. The City grabbed me and would not let go. This novel is in my opinion the absolute finest of Dean Koontz's work. It was touching, thought provoking, funny, just absolutely amazing. The characters were so real to me that I found myself dreaming about them as if they were family members or people in my day to day life. How I wish that I had a Grandpa Teddy, a slightly crazy but loved like a brother best friend Malcolm, a kindly father figure neighbor Mr. Yoshioka and of course Miss Pearl. Even the characters of pure evil were so entirely real to me as I read and became so drawn into this amazing dream of a novel. I am sad to be done with reading The City as it was such a wonderful heart wrenching, soul stirring and beautiful piece of work. I can not wait to start reading it a second time. I believe that this will be a book that I will read time and time again, each time deriving new meaning and new feelings from it. I may not go so far as to say it is a life changer, but I will certainly say that it made me think of my life in a new way, to appreciate my life and certain aspects of it in a new light and to realize that although some days may be a butter side down day...everything will be alright in the end. Thank you Mr. Koontz.The City
5By TJ, EsqMore like a mosaic, than a jig-saw puzzle, The City is another Masterpiece. A devoted Stephen King fan, I must honestly compare the two authors: Steve is like beer; Peter, like vintage wine.
