[.ca] By the Light of the Moon (ISBN 0553582763)

Very plainly..........:
In my humble opinion, it is the worst, or should I write least favorite book I've ever read. Shep this, and Shep that. The novel was extremely irritating to the point I just wanted to pull out the pages and sling it across the room. This is my second Koontz book I've read. The first was "From the Corner of His Eye", which was wonderful. It is on my list of top novels. This book, by my opinion, is garbage. Find out for yourself if you like it or not. I would strongly recommend getting and reading "From the Corner of His Eye" though.

A BIG YAWN!:
Koontz's typical silly amalgam of anti-government paranoia and right wing propaganda (the good guys are warm and kind to everyone and hate Alec Baldwin, the non-governmental bad guys take drugs and believe in global warming). Simplistic fiction with nothing redeeming nor exciting. A plant crossing over the USA? C'mon guys, there are several better authors than Mr Koontz in all over the USA. Give them a chance instead of praising this rubbish pot.

I Wish I Could Rate This in the Negative Numbers:
Turn on your fans and get out the air freshener, folks! This one is truly a stinker! I didn't like this book at all. That stupidly unappealing Jillian character made a bad story even worse. I did not like her AT ALL. She was truly demented! I wish I could warn people about just how poor this work is. In some ways it reminds me of the movie "Minority Report," that is the part about anticipating crimes before they occur. I didn't like that movie either, but even it was better than this book. Shepherd may have had autism, but that stupid Jillian made him look neurotypical and socially savvy by a long shot. At least Shepherd didn't bestow an identity to some plant and pretend it was something one could have conversations with. At least he was polite and not looking for ways to insert verbal daggers like Jillian did. For Pete's Sake! And people criticize folks with AUTISM for having poor judgment and a general lack of social skills! If you want to read about "folding into time," read L'Engle's 1962 classic "A Wrinkle in Time" instead. That is vastly superior to this and is an excellent read for all ages. If you want a GOOD story with some supernatural elements, read Duane's "Wizard Alone." Duane's book portrays a wizard with autism in a sympathetic and interesting way and does not rely on heavy-handed cliches as this book does. Autism is explained in an intelligent, forthright manner in "Wizard Alone." Although Duane's book is geared for the young adult audience, it is still an excellent and unique look at autism and is well written with delightful characters. If you want to read an excellent book about realistic characters with autism, read Elizabeth Moon's book and Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time." Those are outstanding works that speak volumes. Be warned about this book. There is a plethora of better selections.

An Eerie, Fast-Paced Page-Turner Not to Be Read in the Dark:
Dylan O'Connor and his autistic brother Shep are on a road trip when they are ambushed by a stranger. Dylan is injected with something that is supposed to change him, something wonderful...if he doesn't die first. Jilly and her plant Fred are also traveling the same route and she discovers that she too is a "carrier" like Dylan. She joins forces with the brothers, and their race for survival relies on their quick wit in evading those who follow them and Shep's ability to remember the man who injected them. The story has a "Rain Man" mood, laced with Dean Koontz' expert ability to create suspense and mystery. What is the purpose of the injection? Is it for the good of mankind or is it pure evil? For years, I've read Koontz, back when he was Dean R. Koontz, and for years I wondered whether he was a pseudonym of Stephen King's, like Richard Bachman. Regardless of who Koontz is, he rates as one of the true masters of suspense and horror. Sometimes the scariest things are those based on fact rather than fiction. And Koontz has a way of making us believe anything is possible. A great read! By the Light of the Moon should be read with ALL lights on! I salute you, Mr. Koontz! ~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song (2007 Kunati Inc. Book Publishers)

Fast Pace:
Well, Koontz finally has written a book without a dog in it. Though they do show up in a puzzle. :) This book shows that the author has a command with the english language. His descriptions are beautifully crafted. Even so this book is a very fast read. But the end of the book leaves you wanting more. It is as if he did not finsh it, or their is a sequel in mind. By the Light of the Moon follows the tried and true formula, normal people who are unwillingly brought into a government conspiracy. This time the bad guy is a mad-scientist. While the good guys are a sensitive he-man, his impaird brother and a man hating heroine. Our trio ends up on the run from ex-special forces teams. Our trio are injected with a serum by a doctor who claims that the substance will either kill them, or drastically change them for the better. But now that they are injected, the men who are looking to kill him, will want to kill them as well. And so the three begin their flight from danger. But their flight takes on various directions as they are lead by Dylan's new ability of precognition. Our heros are Dylan O'Conner, who is an artist and guardian of his autistic brother, Shep. Dylan is a man who has sacrificed everything to take care of his brother. Then their is Shep, Dylan's autistic brother. Who is a walking thesarus. His episodes may seem redundent, but imagine what it is really like. I think that Koontz did a good job of writting this character. And finally our heroine, Jillian Jackson. Jillian is a commedienne that is just filled with angst. She verbally vents her anger on anything that she perceives as a slight.