Ebook/Thriller:. I want to thank Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in lieu of an honest review.
This book was pretty straight forward for the first half of the book. There are a variety of characters that are either in peril or about to be in peril. Being Dean Koontz, there will be a supernatural element from the jump. I wanted Ophelia to find a sock and some rocks and whoop Asher, but that didn't happen. Ophelia in peril is what kept me reading the story as fast as I did.
The second half of the book is where reality goes out the window, even for a supernatural book. It just has a lot going on, and then it just ends. I did like it.

I love Dean Koontz. I also love me any kind of weird ‘coincidences’ and with this one and a team of strangers getting together to face a horrifying experience, my kind of story!!!

Very suspenseful and considering the technology, quite creepy to contemplate. The changing points of view increase the tension and the denouement satisfies. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

This is the master of horrors newest book. I must say I love his earlier work more than this novel. It has many different POV’s which I find slightly disjointed. Found it difficult to follow. However, it does come together for a great ending to save humanity. Last half of the book was definitely better for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

If you have ever read a Dean Koontz book, you'll be familiar with his writing style. If not buckle up because you will meet quite a few seemingly unrelated characters. In The Big Dark Sky, Some unknown person or for lack of a better non-spoiler word, force seems to be in Montana. Specifically at a ranch that one of the main characters, Joanna lived at with her parents until tragedy struck.

Twenty-four years later strange things start happening to Joanna and she believes she needs to visit her former home. The childhood she barely remembers starts coming back to her, but does she recall what really happened? The POV shifts to an odious and deranged man, Asher who believes it is his responsibility and destiny to reshape the world. His spree of kidnapping and murder near Rustling Willows might continue indefinitely until he chooses the wrong victim, Ophelia. We then meet Wyatt, a private investigator who the current owner of Rustling Willows has hired to look into some rather strange occurrences. We shift to Kenny, a computer hacker Wyatt hires to explore the satellite that controls all the systems at Rustling Willows. Kenny has no idea what he is up against and soon his life will hang in a precarious position.

How do all these people and occurrences tie to Rustling Willows? You will have to come along for the ride because as usual, the author writes a story that just sucked me in. It moves at a brisk pace as we see these people come together and try to survive. I flew through this book until I noticed I was at the 90% mark. There was a lot to wrap up and that would be my only disappointment. Individual plotlines that were fully fleshed out were wrapped up in the blink of an eye. Anyhow that may just be me and after all everything, I wondered about was explained. Until we meet again Mr. Koontz, it is good to know the battle between good and evil is still alive in your mind.

As a child Joanna Chase, along with her unusual friend Jimmy, experienced an almost make-believe life among the wildlife on Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana. When tragedy strikes Joanna is sent to live with her aunt in Santa Fe. Now, an adult, Joanna begins to have vivid dreams and receive strange messages pleading for her to return to her childhood home. Meanwhile, through seemingly coincidental circumstances, others are drawn to Montana including a madman with the intent to end humanity.

The Big Dark Sky is a dark fantasy/horror novel with a sci-fi element. It follows a group of strangers who converge in Montana in an attempt to save humanity from a mysterious threat. I realize that I am in the minority on my rating and maybe this novel just wasn't a good fit for me. Initially I thought this was going to be similar to other good vs evil novels I have enjoyed in the past (not going to name drop). Although this novel does contain the good vs evil element it felt very disjointed at times. The novel mentions the term "synchronicity" and the work of the psychologist Carl Jung multiple times throughout to explain events but most of it just felt a bit over my head. Maybe I just don't like my horror novels to be too thought provoking? I will say that the first half of the novel kept me intrigued enough to keep reading. I really wanted to try and understand what was happening but that last half of the novel just became too over the top for me. I was a huge fan of this authors work when I was younger and it's possible that my reading style has changed since then because this just didn't entertain me quite like his early works did. The author also included a shameless plug for his Jane Hawk series which I kind of dislike when reading novels. So overall I wasn't impressed with this one but I'm in the minority so there are other readers who will definitely enjoy it more than I did.

When I was a preteen and into my early teenage years I absolutely loved Dean Koontz. Since then, I had begun to think of Koontz as kind of a second-rate Stephen King. I’m not sure what exactly led me to that way of thinking, but I stopped reading Koontz and devoured everything King wrote. Something inside me got excited, though, when I was given an advance copy of The Big Dark Sky. I honestly couldn’t wait to read it and when I started thinking back to Strangers, Watchers, Phantoms…man, I had to crack it open (figuratively speaking in the age of the e-book) and get reading. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do much to change my opinion of Koontz being Steve King Jr. I know it’s not fair to compare the two, but I can’t help it. I can’t be the only one.

The biggest problem that Dean Koontz has in his books is that he doesn’t have the knack for character development that King possesses. Sometimes, this can be blessing because King can get awfully long-winded at times and a less is more could be a blessing. But, even at his worst, King knows how to develop characters within the confines of a single story. Koontz can do it, but it often takes him several novels to do so. That’s fine when he’s writing a series like the Odd Thomas books, but in a one-off, it can be a problem. Such is the case with The Big Dark Sky. There are several characters in the book and Koontz doesn’t take the time to develop them and make you care about them. This coupled with the inexplicable happenings in the book causes issues because, by the end, you’re wondering what the hell happened and questioning whether you care. Koontz also has a habit of adding “convenience” to his stories. What I mean is that there is always a character that shows up at just the right time to save the day. There is always someone in the group who has just the right skill set or knowledge for that situation. It’s something that many (if not most) authors do, but when it’s this obvious, it gets distracting.

So, why did I give The Big Dark Sky three stars? It sounds like I hated it, huh? Actually, no, I enjoyed it. See, where Dean Koontz really shines, and the reason he’s had a decades long career with I don’t even know how many novels under his belt…it’s because he knows how to tell a story. For all his faults, Koontz can drag you into a story from the first chapter and make you sit there reading it until you hit that last sentence. He can set up a hell of a mystery and keep you going trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t, but you will be entertained along the way. You might finish a Dean Koontz novel and think that you wasted precious moments of your life, but if you really think about it, you enjoyed that time. Much like a big budget Hollywood movie, it’s not going to change your life, but it will keep you entertained for a short time and will probably have you poking around looking for something else he’s written before too long. I may not have rediscovered by love affair with Dean Koontz’ novels…that is likely gone with my childhood, I did discover that I was wrong to discount him. I’ll be reading other novels that I missed in the future, there is no doubt. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of The Big Dark Sky.

The novel is entertaining and starts off strong, intriguing, but it loses agility, perhaps due to the multiple characters that alternate in the chapters, only to pick up again in the final disturbing third. As I say, the novel is good, but for Dean R. Koontz it had very high standards.

This was my first Koontz book and won't be my last, a great mix of characters with enough personality and back story to make them real, a good storyline that kept me hooked until the end and great pacing!
Only lost a star because it was very "wordy" I know that sounds ridiculous but there's a lot of reading to do to find the story! After speaking to my friend who loves Koontz she tells me this is his style!
The book follows the different characters stories happening parallel to each other and you know eventually they'll come together as the author builds the story and weaves connections between them! I loved the parts about synchronicity and coincidence because I do believe in the power of the mind! Over all I really did enjoy this weird and wonderful book!

A Big thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this! This has not in anyway affected my review!

This is a typical Koontz book.
Stories of a few different characters are all eventually intertwined in the horror of one persons idea of what should be done.
I didn’t exactly enjoy this one, but it is well written and the storyline is a good one and very much a Koontz story.
Give it a go if you love this author. Just wasn’t for me but I certainly appreciate the opportunity to read this one and review.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Dean Koontz book I forgot how incredibly crazy thing can get.

We meet several characters that are drawn to Rustling Willow Ranch. A evil is calling them.

Joanna Chase grew up there now she’s going back.

You will soon be going away, Jojo, going away to grow up elsewhere.

I might reach out to you many years from now and ask you to come home.

A crazy man who wants to destroy humanity and a evil know one can see.

Just another day in the life of Dean Koontz writer extraordinaire.

Dean Koontz has been providing solid entertainment to millions of readers for about half a century now and, much to the joy of fans, he doesn’t show any signs of stopping. His latest offering, The Big Dark Sky, is filled with all the ingredients one would expect from Koontz and promises to be yet another winner.

Nine-year-old Joanna Chase’s fairy-tale life in the idyllic Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana was destroyed twenty-four years ago when she lost—within the span of two weeks—both her mother and father to accidents. Moved out of the ranch soon after and brought up by her aunt, Joanna has grown up to become an author, living in peace and comfort in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Starting one Monday evening, a series of bizarre, out-of-the-ordinary events, steadily intensifying, force her to remember her long-forgotten childhood and make her travel back to Rustling Willows. Wyatt Rider, Private Investigator and a friend of billionaire Liam O’Hara—the present owner of the ranch—is on his way to Rustling Willows too, to investigate the unsettling experiences that occurred to the O’Hara family during their recent stay at the place.

Also in Montana, secluded from the eyes of the law, a deranged nihilist named Asher Optime is working towards making the Earth free of humans by murdering a number of people. Meanwhile, a top-secret agency, born of a government-private collaboration, is bothered by the execution of quite a few individuals—all linked by a hidden thread—through alarmingly sophisticated methods and the investigation points towards Montana again. Thus, brought together by Synchronicity—the surprising coincidences that are more than what they seem to be—to Rustling Willows Ranch, a group of disparate people fight for survival—their own as well as that of the entire humankind—against a mighty opponent absolutely unlike any other.

Blending the supernatural and science deftly, Koontz once again narrates a fascinating story, populated by intriguing, amusing and memorable characters that the reader would love to meet on the real world—excluding the creepy Optime, of course. The mystery of Rustling Willows and the mounting suspense about what will happen to the characters that the reader has come to care about make the book unputdownable. Koontz’s vivid descriptions bring the atmosphere to life, making the reader shiver in the cold, unrelenting rain along with the novel’s characters. The witty interactions that Ganesh Patel, the endearing man who holds the key to the mystery, has with everyone else are tremendous fun to read. The plot is full of breath-taking action, unforeseeable twists and intriguing trivia about synchronicity, providing all-round enjoyment.

The only complaint I have with The Big Dark Sky is to do with the ending that is, while wholly satisfactory, a bit too rushed—particularly after all the enthralling build-up that ratchets up the tension with every chapter. That apart, The Big Dark Sky is a fantastic thriller that would delight the fans of Koontz as well as any other reader looking to have a highly enjoyable time. I also feel that Koontz might be planning to take at least a few of the characters from this novel on further adventures and I surely would love to see them again.

My sincere thanks to Dean Koontz, Thomas & Mercer Publishers and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy of The Big Dark Sky in exchange for my honest feedback.

Dean Koontz, O’ Dean Koontz.
Having written over 105 novels under his own name and several pseudonyms Dean Koontz shows no sign of slowing down and the latest novel The Big Dark Sky is a worthy addition to his library.
It has all the trademarks of classic Koontz—strong female protagonists, interesting male characters, insane evil, and an otherworldly threat.
In this latest outing, the threads of storytelling pull together a diverse cast of characters from Joanna Chase, a young author whose past is based on lies, to a deranged killer Asher Optime, who stores his victims under an abandoned church, in a confrontation under the Big Montana Sky. The ensemble cast also includes Jimmy Two Eyes, Ganesh Patel, Colson Fielding, Ophelia Poole, Wyatt Rider, Kenny Deetle, Leigh Ann, and the AI intelligence, Artimis Selene.
It is a testament to Dean Koontz's skill and experience as a writer that he can flesh out these characters and their stories in such a way that you want to know more about each of them and you find yourself rooting for them to survive the ordeal ahead of them. Dean Koontz, O’ Dean Koontz.
Having written over 105 novels under his own name and several pseudonyms Dean Koontz shows no sign of slowing down and the latest novel The Big Dark Sky is a worthy addition to his library.
It has all the trademarks of classic Koontz—strong female protagonists, interesting male characters, insane evil, and an otherworldly threat.
In this latest outing, the threads of storytelling pull together a diverse cast of characters from Joanna Chase, a young author whose past is based on lies, to a deranged killer Asher Optime, who stores his victims under an abandoned church, in a confrontation under the Big Montana Sky. The ensemble cast also includes Jimmy Two Eyes, Ganesh Patel, Colson Fielding, Ophelia Poole, Wyatt Rider, Kenny Deetle, Leigh Ann, and the AI intelligence, Artimis Selene.
It is a testament to Dean Koontz's skill and experience as a writer that he can flesh out these characters and their stories in such a way that you want to know more about each of them and you find yourself rooting for them to survive the ordeal ahead of them.
As with many other of his works The Big Dark Sky also explores more metaphysical subjects like intelligence, compassion, synchronicity, and quantum entanglement, the Jungian theory of a collective unconscious and its ability to shape reality, and although these subjects are touched upon they never slow down the flow of the story but only seem to propel it and the reader forward.
Also, present is Koontz's often lyrical and poetic descriptions of nature and the sublime beauty of it.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read that I highly recommend to the many fans of Mr. Koontz.
Thank you to #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer and #DeanKoontz for the ARC copy of #TheBigDarkSky.
As with many other of his works The Big Dark Sky also explores more metaphysical subjects like intelligence, compassion, synchronicity, and quantum entanglement, the Jungian theory of a collective unconscious and its ability to shape reality, and although these subjects are touched upon they never slow down the flow of the story but only seem to propel it and the reader forward.
Also, present is Koontz's often lyrical and poetic descriptions of nature and the sublime beauty of it.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read that I highly recommend to the many fans of Mr. Koontz.
Thank you to #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer and #DeanKoontz for the ARC copy of #TheBigDarkSky.

As I look at other reviews so far, I can tell that people really like this book. That’s cool. I didn’t.

Honestly, it’s kind of a mess.

I’ve tried explaining the convoluted plot of this book, the wooden dialogue, the bizarre reason behind everything and I get exactly the same response each time: uncomfortable laughter followed by, “Are you serious?”

There were certainly a few good scenes and, in the beginning, I was very curious as to what was happening and why. But then we get paranormal temper tantrums, a couple of random Jane Hawk references, one-dimensional villains, and an ending ‘gotcha’ that just made me cringe.

This one was definitely not for me.

*ARC via Publisher

A group of individuals from across the country, mainly strangers, have had inexplicable events happen in their lives. They all find themselves drawn to Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana. The owner of the ranch himself had unusual events happen while at the ranch and he fled with his family. Nearby lurks a madman who has visions of wiping out mankind. A worse threat than the madman, it seems that an evil presence has taken up residence over the ranch and the surrounding area. Can they come together and find a way to defeat both the madman and the evil presence?

There were parts that seemed long and drawn out but, overall, the story is great. And the ending? Uh oh!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz is a weird one.

While a longtime reader of Koontz, I'll admit that it's been very sporadic. I rarely pre-order Koontz books and usually read them on whims. I've found that Koontz goes through interesting eras in his writing where it seems that he is writing lots of books along a similar theme. As this is the first I've read of Koontz in awhile, I'm not sure if this fills that pattern.

This book is interesting. It feels like classic Koontz mixed with Mothman Prophecies/maybe a bit of the History Channel show about Skinwalker Ranch. This premise was one that interested me and admittedly was a big part in the initial drawing me in but I'm not sure it quite landed. The book starts with an interesting discussion of synchronicities, though, and that feels like vintage great Koontz. Honestly, I was a little surprised that it hadn't happened in a Koontz book before. It felt like it would have fit right at home in an Odd Thomas novel or a book like The Good Guy or Relentless.

As always, shadowy forces with near omnipresent knowledge and mysterious powers are very present in this book and honestly, by this point they seem to have diminishing returns. Too often, these Men-in-Black esque groups act as deux ex machinaes in Koontz's book and this book doesn't really stand out as this organization doing anything too different from how these groups work in his other books. Maybe, if there was more of a sense of an interconnected world between his stories this wouldnt' feel as repetitative (if it was the same group) but each time there is a shadowy government force it seems like it's a completely new one and I wonder how many secret government groups with mysterious powers can actually exist out there?

I did really enjoy the characters. The villain was really interesting and despite my above misgivings, Koontz is still a master of creating interesting villains. The main character, Joanna, is really interesting and could give a lot of Koontz's heroes and heroines a run for their money. She's honestly in my top half dozen Koontz-book leads which is probably why this book ended up being more of a success to me than not.

I think Koontz fans will love this book and it at least made me want to go back and read Odd Thomas so I guess that's a success at least.

Koontz’ Big Dark Sky is an exciting in-put-down-able thriller. It all centers around a ranch in Montana and Koontz beautifully captures the essence of the trees and mountains. It’s a story about dreams and lost childhoods and odd connections. It’s also a story about cults and crazed axe murderers. But, don’t forget the fantasy elements of herds if elk and grizzlies acting in odd special ways.

The story is told through several characters’ eyes. First, we get Joanne, a writer in Santa Fe, who gets mysterious calls that are impossible and dreams of her enchanted childhood that ended in tragedy and exile. We then get a narrative through the eyes of a Ted Kasinski type cult leader complete with a manifesto and a captive whose will he is trying to break. Of course, our grouping wouldn’t be complete without a pair of hackers on the wildest one-night stand and the world’s greatest genius.

It’s a thriller that gives nods to Koontz’ own Jane Hawk and another literary allusion. It often feels more like Stephen King’s horror than a techno-thriller.

Most importantly though it’s written to captivate the reader. All these mysterious things are going on and you just have to find out what’s going on. Don’t you?

Full disclosure - I have never read a bad Dean Koontz book. I just don't think it's possible for this man to write anything that isn't great.

Something weird is happening around Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana which was the childhood home of Jojo. She's a successful writer who has only the vaguest of memories of her time there.
Asher Optime (awful name) thinks that the world is diseased and can only be cured by the end of all human life. He's hiding out in an old abandoned town very close to the ranch.

There are many other characters, of course and all of them seem to be drawn for one reason or another to the ranch. Is there something sinister happening here or is it just coincidence?

The author is fantastic at giving you all the information that you need about the characters to make them real. So that the reader actually cares and the suspense that builds throughout is heightened by this.

This book was another hit from the author. Filled with mystery and intrigue the storyline keeps the reader turning the pages. This is a book which I would recommend to all.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dean Koontz and the publishers for a chance to read this novel as an ARC.
Dean Koontz is certainly a master story teller.
Joanna Chase spent her early childhood on Russling Willows ranch in Montana. Now 24 years later she is called back there, more like pulled back, as someone who sounds a lot like her mother wants her to return and help Jimmy, but that can’t possibly be. Then Jimmy’s plea to her to help him, from a cold dark place, she returns.
She is not the only one eventually to arrive at the ranch, we have some pretty bizarre coincidence that lead others to the same place for different reasons.
You are kept guessing as to what is install for everyone, and you can see and feel the journey they are all undertaking. A really frightening and thought provoking story. Especially the end passage. I enjoyed the story and storytelling very much. However I did find the ending was a bit to quick and thought we could have learned a lot more about what inhabits Russling Willow Ranch. Hence the 4 stars.