The Taking: A Novel

Is it the end of the world or the beginning - again? Molly and Neil, a writer and an ex-priest, are living through the end of the world. Do they get drunk and stay that way or fight back? Molly finally realized that she and Neil must save the children - so that's what they do. With the help of a few wonderful dogs, they save the children, and the world!

I've read this book three times now. I love how koontz could write a book that made you think that aliens have invaded but it ends up being something else. I'm a Christian and this book never fails to help me continue to praise God for all his blessings.

How can a book both scare you and inspire you? When it’s a Dean Koontz. In an apocalyptic world gone mad, a couple find hope in the struggle to survive, not just for themselves, but others. A tour de force that tells us there is always hope. And, of course, a dog leads the way!

The story starts slow but quickly builds up. It can be too dark for some readers but the last chapter brings it all together. Would make a great horror or sci fi movie.

The creativity and impressive prose kept me reading despite my ambiguous feelings about science fiction. Throughout the story, the mysteries taking place and the questions being asked, draws the reader in, inviting them to draw conclusions of what is happening to the world. Without saying too much, I loved the ending. and then there's the magical dogs of course. Well worth the journey -- and hope!

Whatever you do, do not start reading this book while home alone on a rainy night! I’ve read enough Koontz, I should have known better! Beyond that, this is an awesome book. Following Molly, Neil, and a dog aptly named Virgil, you will be led through layers of the surreal, picking up along the way tiny clues leading you to form ideas, question them, rewrite them, toss them aside, and pick them up again. You will walk with the characters as they try to make sense out of the impossible. Koontz gave just enough clues that, when the secrets were revealed finally, I felt that I had, deep down inside, known it all along. Excellent book!

Dean Koontz has been one of my favorite authors since I read NIGHT CHILLS in 1976. Since then, I've loved many of his novels, including WHISPERS, PHANTOMS, WATCHERS, and LIGHTNING. He always seemed to me to be a more spiritual Stephen King - Koontz's stories were as harrowing and exciting as King's, but I felt a greater element of resolution and redemption in Koontz's novels.That said, I must admit that THE TAKING is a disappointing novel. Somehow I missed it when it was first released 2004, so it wasn't until last week that I had a chance to read it. Its subject matter - alien invasion - is interesting to me, and it is an unusual topic for Koontz, so I was intrigued. The novel focuses on Molly and Neil Sloan, a happily married couple with Koontz-style shadowy pasts (she went through a terrible trauma as a young girl - we learn more about this slowly as the novel progresses - and he faced a loss of faith that is never fully addressed). Molly awakens in the middle of the night to an unnatural and oddly-smelling torrential rain. Coyotes behave strangely, neighbors disappear, and inanimate objects suddenly come to life. Molly and Neil make it into town where they find a group of people hiding out in the local tavern, convinced that some alien race is using the mysterious rain to "seed" our planet with life forms of their own. There, Neil and Molly have to decide which group to ally themselves with - the "peaceniks" who believe the rain has some benevolent purpose, the "boozers" who have given up and just want to get loaded before the aliens take over, the "fence-sitters" who can't make up their minds what to do, and the "fighters" who want to wage war against the aliens, even if it's a fight to the death. It's not hard to guess which of the four groups our intrepid young heroes choose to join!A lot of strange things happen in THE TAKING - some will remind you of King's "The Mist" or maybe WAR OF THE WORLDS. The story is interesting, and I liked Molly and Neil and wanted them to survive. Unfortunately, what starts as an alien-invasion story ends up as a religious parable about God and demons that would give the "Left Behind" novels a run for their money. Fans of Koontz will recognize his love of dogs in THE TAKING (he has always seen something spiritual in dogs, and here that connection is made definitive). Koontz likes guns, too, and there are plenty of those to go around. He also takes a few digs at those scientific fools who believe in global warming - I mean, all this crazy weather we've had lately can't be the result of global warming, right? It must be aliens . . . or God.As I said at the start of this, I have been a reader of Koontz's work for a long time. I understand his politics - it's not my politics, but who cares? He writes good stories! But this one just went too far. If you like the "Left Behind" books and enjoy a little apocalyptical symbolism with your horror novels, you will probably like THE TAKING. If, on the other hand, you find the battle between God and the Devil to require more suspension of disbelief than an alien invasion, then you might want to try one of Koontz's other novels. Molly actually reminded me a bit of Chyna Shepherd from INTENSITY (1996) - that one's about a psychopathic killer and a young woman working through demons of her own.One final note - Koontz seems to have had some fun with a thesaurus in writing THE TAKING. I found some of the language used in the novel to be overblown and pretentious, which is not usually Koontz's style. And there were a few too many T. S. Eliot quotes (I actually find literary allusion quite stimulating, but here it felt contrived).So, not the best of Koontz's novels. Ultimately, disappointing.

Frightening possibility of the end of the world. A bit wordy but otherwise definitely nail biting with great characters and thought provoking ending.

I’d wanted to read this book for a long time but couldn’t find it new anywhere and found out it’s currently out of print. I decided to take a punt on a secondhand one described as good. Unfortunately it’s condition was overrated and I would describe it as fair at best maybe even slightly lower. Obviously I won’t buy from this particular Seller again.It’s a great book, Koontz is a masterful (horror) story teller and in my opinion this is one of his best. A recommended read for everyone, if you can find a decent copy

This is the first Koontz book I have read and disliked.Very long on detail you can skip pages constantly and still follow the story line.The descriptive passages or pages actually lend nothing to the story and bore you witless.The ending leaves questions unanswered and is totally unsatisfactory .

Quite far fetched and ending was very disappointing.Fizzled out like a damp squib.Not one of his best in my opinion

I wondered how koontz would manage the ending turning horror to a happy ending as he likes to do. He managed admirably. Always a writer who likes to seed metaphysics inside his horror genre, I always find him fascinating and full of hidden wisdom, turning a science fiction nightmare into a biblical event. Excellent reading.

What a way to look at the world, some story or is it. amazing as always Mr D Koontz .