Devoted

I got this book on my Kindle. I was annoyed by how many times the author repeated things. It was a good but predictable story. Not his best but enjoyable read.

All fans of Koontz know of his deep affection for dogs. The heart-felt assessment of their loyalty, intelligence, and honesty in this novel—and the exciting forecast of the future of the ancient human-canine relationship—excels the treatment of the subject in any of the author’s other novels I have read. It is, of course, counterbalanced by an equally powerful threat to humanity. This conflict might be suggested by the title “New World Impending,” although “Devoted” also makes sense. Koontz’s abhorrence of deceit and brutality, his distrust of what we might call “The System” or simply Corruption fuels the plot, and his persistent optimism irradiates the conclusion. His style, although as lively and urbane as usual, does demonstrate some of his editorial weaknesses as well. He commits an occasional error of diction: “. . . she had never been completely known to him, not down to the deepest roots of her psychology. . . .” The word “psychology” means the study of the mind, not the mind itself. He is also especially wary of using the preposition “like.” He prefers wordy substitutes like “. . . clever ways to communicate, similar to what Dorothy had arranged. . . .” or the peculiar (antiquated) use of “as” instead of “like”: “He had been as a child to Dorothy.” Presumably, one motive for this mannerism is that he fears using “like” as a conjunction, and yet more than once he makes this blunder: “. . . vanished much like Dracula, in those old movies, swirled his cape and became a bat and was gone” and “Sheriff Hayden Eckman felt his world fragmenting just like Thad Fenton’s skull had been cracked into pieces and pried apart.”His mistakes in grammar are infrequent and follow no pattern, as in these two quotations, on adjacent pages: “Roger Austin, whom [correct] she knew to be an early riser . . .” and “. . . lawmen, whom [for “who”] he knew for certain were not corrupt. . . .” He once fails to make subject agree with verb: “. . . as was Vulcan and Bella and Kipp. . . .” And he is unreliable when it comes to distinguishing the verbs “lie / lay / lain” and “lay / laid / laid.” He gets it right 90% of the time, as in “. . . while the spirit of Woody lay [past of “lie”] abashed . . .” and “. . . a faint golden arc lay [past of “lie”] across floor and furniture. . . .” However, out of the blue we get “He circled and laid down and closed his eyes” [for “lay,” the past of “lie”].One might best blame Koontz’s editor, however, for most of these slight faults, and they can all be forgiven for the sake of the splendid narrative, characterization, and hope that make this novel a joy to read.

This is a weird story about a dog that can communicate with humans! And the process that brought he and others to this stage of development!Revolves around this dog and autistic boy !The people that developed this process are evil which provides a eerie background story!Only Joints could dream this up!

I have to say I wasn't quite sure how all the individuals would merge into one storyline until they did. This was very suspenseful and entertaining at the same time.

Interesting story that was intense, at times, and sort of sad in others. Kipis a remarkable character/dog, who could be ANYBODY'S companion. Devoted was another book that was HARD TO PUT DOWN ! Kip reminds me of several loving and intelligent dogs found in several other Koontz novels. THEY ARE DOGS .... Must I say more ? , though, DOGS with a PERSONALITY! ! Devoted is a RECOMMENDED READ for anyone who desires a Koontz novel that is full of suspense. If you have NOT already read Watchers..... THIS BOOK IS ALSO RECOMMENDED!

A great story of horror and hope. Koontz is a consummate wordsmith and a master of his craft. This book ended too soon, not for lack of a satisfactory conclusion, but for my own desire for more of the author's outstanding prose.

This book keeps you in suspense! The mysterious connection between mankind and dogs mixed with science fiction, murder, corruption, and greed won’t leave you disappointed!

There are several storylines and characters throughout the book. It does take a while before they all connect and begin to reveal their relationships to each other.

Il libro è ben strutturato, ancora meglio dopo aver letto the watchers

Anos atrás, na primeira vez que li algum livro do Dean Koontz, no caso o livro O Guardião, fiquei maravilhada pela escrita dele e pelo plot do livro, desde então, apesar de já ter lido muitos outros livros do autor, nem um deles tinha a cara de O Guardião. Este é mais um livro assim.A viúva Megan bookman e seu filho woody vivem em uma cidade pacata e tem sua vida tirada da rotina com o aparecimento de um ex-paquera que parece ter se envolvido em esquemas perigosos e corruptos. Woody é mudo e autista.Ben é um ex-seal e tem sua rota mudada por um cachorro que pede ajuda. Rosa é a guardiã deste cachorro chamado kipp, um cão da raça golden retriever, que guarda segredos sobre si.A história segue um enredo bem conhecido do Koontz, corrupção, tecnologia e uma dose de sobrenatural. Gostaria que o autor tivesse citado cachorros vira-latas também, já que ele adimira tanto assim cachorros. Toda a utopia reforçada durante o livro é muito pueril e exagerada, pega leve koontz. Em geral é um turn pages book, voce consegue ler rapido e te prende apesar de seus 130 capítulos para 400 págs.Agora segue a busca de outro livro dele que tenha a cara de O Guardião.

遺伝子操作で特特殊能力を持つ犬と研究所の事故で自らがバケモノと化した人間の話。ラブラドールのKippが自閉症の少年Woodyの危機に駆け付ける出会いの場面は実に感動的。これに対してバケモノと化したLee Shacketのイカレ度合いは超B級的で、醜い自分を憎み美しいものへの憧れを禁じ得ない所が読者の涙を誘った"Watchers"のThe Outsiderとは大違いです。登場する人物、関連する組織も敵味方共に多数出てきますが、Koontzの悪い癖で広げるだけ広げておいてさしたる必然性もなく無理矢理お話を「強制終了」させます。残尿感と欲求不満度は半端ありません。名作"Watchers"の続編と思って買いましたが、まんまとやられました。

Decepcionante! Comparável a Cinderela ou Branca de Neve. Só li até o fim porque sou amante da raça canina

Koontz at his best. Particularly enjoyed the characters and how each one was introduced. The story telling shows the author has honed his skills over all the years - an excellent page turning read. Recommended for all Koontz fans.(Does this guy like dogs?)!!!!