Horror

The Big Dark Sky

The Big Dark Sky

  • Downloads：4125
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-21 02:21:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Dean Koontz
  • ISBN：1542019923
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A group of strangers bound by terrifying synchronicity becomes humankind’s hope of survival in an exhilarating， twist-filled novel by Dean Koontz， the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense。

As a girl， Joanna Chase thrived on Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana until tragedy upended her life。 Now thirty-four and living in Santa Fe with only misty memories of the past， she begins to receive pleas—by phone， through her TV， in her dreams: I am in a dark place， Jojo。 Please come and help me。 Heeding the disturbing appeals， Joanna is compelled to return to Montana， and to a strange childhood companion she had long forgotten。

She isn’t the only one drawn to the Montana farmstead。 People from all walks of life have converged at the remote ranch。 They are haunted， on the run， obsessed， and seeking answers to the same omniscient danger Joanna came to confront。 All the while， on the outskirts of Rustling Willows， a madman lurks with a vision to save the future。 Mass murder is the only way to see his frightening manifesto come to pass。

Through a bizarre twist of seemingly coincidental circumstances， a band of strangers now find themselves under Montana’s big dark sky。 Their lives entwined， they face an encroaching horror。 Unless they can defeat this threat， it will spell the end for humanity。

Download

Reviews

Luann ，

Highly recommended by me， an admitted Dean Koontz fan， for anyone over 12， as one of his best novels。Dean is known for creating great， down-to-earth "good guys" and frighteningly complex "bad guys" and this novel has these in a larger cast of characters。 The book is satisfyingly complex， with several plot lines going at once until the ending。I loved the tribute to my hero science/sci-fi writer in the project name， although I didn't remember the reference at first， only that it seemed familiar。sp Highly recommended by me， an admitted Dean Koontz fan， for anyone over 12， as one of his best novels。Dean is known for creating great， down-to-earth "good guys" and frighteningly complex "bad guys" and this novel has these in a larger cast of characters。 The book is satisfyingly complex， with several plot lines going at once until the ending。I loved the tribute to my hero science/sci-fi writer in the project name， although I didn't remember the reference at first， only that it seemed familiar。spoiler alert - The only disappointment was no dog character， but he did add salutes to dogs in comments and actions by the human characters， so I've forgiven him for this omission。I loved the ending。 More to come？ 。。。more

Barbara ，

No one writes good vs evil like Dean Koontz。 He’s done it again in his latest offering: The Big Dark Sky。 Joanna Chase lives in Santa Fe， New Mexico when she starts having unbeckoned memories of her childhood in Montana。 Odd phone calls， dreams and other experiences seem to be appeals to return。 Koontz has invoked the power of synchronicity in this action filled thriller to keep readers on their toes （and under the covers）。 This book is filled with well fleshed out and interesting characters all No one writes good vs evil like Dean Koontz。 He’s done it again in his latest offering: The Big Dark Sky。 Joanna Chase lives in Santa Fe， New Mexico when she starts having unbeckoned memories of her childhood in Montana。 Odd phone calls， dreams and other experiences seem to be appeals to return。 Koontz has invoked the power of synchronicity in this action filled thriller to keep readers on their toes （and under the covers）。 This book is filled with well fleshed out and interesting characters all designed to keep Jojo moving towards the end of her quest。 There’s tech billionaire Liam O’Hara， current owner of Rustling Willows， the ranch where Joanna spent her childhood。 PI Wyatt Rider hired by O’Hara to investigate the strange goings on。 Jimmy Alvarez， with birth defects who was Jojo’s childhood friend。 Hacker Kenny Deetle and gal pal Leigh Ann Bruce。 Dr。 Ganesh Patel， and secret project partner Artimis Selene。 And let’s not forget Asher Optime， whose do-good mission is to restore Earth natural balance by eliminating mankind。 This may seem like a huge group of characters but Koonts has managed to keep them all reeled in and performing their task of entertaining the reader while we are perched on the edge of our seats。 。。。more

PottWab Regional Library ，

SM

REMEMBER UKRAINE NOW ReadingReindeer ，

This is truly a one-session reading for me！ I stayed up till 3 AM because I knew I couldn't sleep till the end， and The End is exactly the focus of this novel。 The End of Humanity is what some have in mind; far beyond a misguided attempt to return Earth to its formerly pristine [Before Humanity] condition， those in question operate from a Narcissistic megalomania which envisions the eradication of human greed and cupidity for eternity。Because this is a Dean Koontz novel， there is Hope in the mid This is truly a one-session reading for me！ I stayed up till 3 AM because I knew I couldn't sleep till the end， and The End is exactly the focus of this novel。 The End of Humanity is what some have in mind; far beyond a misguided attempt to return Earth to its formerly pristine [Before Humanity] condition， those in question operate from a Narcissistic megalomania which envisions the eradication of human greed and cupidity for eternity。Because this is a Dean Koontz novel， there is Hope in the midst of Despair， Sanity and Stability in the face of rampant insanity， Perseverance of Determination。 Thanks to a few， who become aware， Humanity is not going out of existence willingly nor gently。Also because this is a Dean Koontz novel， the megalomaniac murderer determined to be the Last Man On Earth is not the only threat， not even the most terrifying。 That threat comes From Elsewhere， and it's not new， but it is insanely determined on the COMPLETE destruction of the human race。 。。。more

Samsbookspot ，

I am a huge fan of Dean Koontz earlier books and I haven't read one of his books in a long time。 I was super excited to be approved for this one on #netgalley。Joanna Chase lives in Montana on RustlingWillows Ranch。 As a young girl both herparents die and she is sent to Santa Fe to live with an aunt。At the age of 34 Joanna is drawn back to the ranch along with a group of people from all walks of life。Unfortunately I cannot describe this book any better as the plot was a mess and hard to understan I am a huge fan of Dean Koontz earlier books and I haven't read one of his books in a long time。 I was super excited to be approved for this one on #netgalley。Joanna Chase lives in Montana on RustlingWillows Ranch。 As a young girl both herparents die and she is sent to Santa Fe to live with an aunt。At the age of 34 Joanna is drawn back to the ranch along with a group of people from all walks of life。Unfortunately I cannot describe this book any better as the plot was a mess and hard to understand。The chapters were short but filled with somuch detail that was unnecessary。There was also lots of characters that were hard to keep track of。For at least 50 percent of this book I had no idea what was going on。 The big reveal at the end kind of fell flat as I did not reallyunderstand it。Thank you to netgalley， Thomas Mercer and the author for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review。 。。。more

TC ，

Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more

Jenna ，

I'm not entirely sure I understood what I just read。 This is my first Dean Koontz book and maybe my last。 This is not my normal genre but I thought I would branch out of my comfort zone and I can say that wasn't the greatest idea。 Definitely not my cup of tea。 If you enjoy sci-fi horror this book may be the right cup。 I'm not entirely sure I understood what I just read。 This is my first Dean Koontz book and maybe my last。 This is not my normal genre but I thought I would branch out of my comfort zone and I can say that wasn't the greatest idea。 Definitely not my cup of tea。 If you enjoy sci-fi horror this book may be the right cup。 。。。more

Nancy ，

Dean Koontz is a master weaver。 He has the ability to take random threads of story line and beginning with a loose weave that doesn't seem to fit， he draws the threads tighter into a perfect pattern。 By the time The Big Dark Sky ended I was amazed at the way those threads fit together。 The Big Dark Sky has a variety of well-drawn characters that each bring their own uniqueness to the plot。 The real world is vivid enough to feel and the signature Koontz bit of horror makes perfect sense。 If you l Dean Koontz is a master weaver。 He has the ability to take random threads of story line and beginning with a loose weave that doesn't seem to fit， he draws the threads tighter into a perfect pattern。 By the time The Big Dark Sky ended I was amazed at the way those threads fit together。 The Big Dark Sky has a variety of well-drawn characters that each bring their own uniqueness to the plot。 The real world is vivid enough to feel and the signature Koontz bit of horror makes perfect sense。 If you like classic Koontz， this is a great read for you。 It's a world I didn't want to leave。I received an advance copy of The Big Dark Sky from the publisher and NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 #thebigdarksky #netgalley #deankoontz 。。。more

The Cats’ Mother ，

The Big Dark Sky is a stand-alone sci-fi/horror/suspense novel set in Montana， about a mysterious being with a plan that threatens all humanity， and the disparate group of people summoned to stop it。 I hadn’t read any Koontz for at least ten years， having had very mixed results in the past。 This one falls bang in the middle - I liked the premise， the characters （mostly）， the beginning and the ending， but struggled through the middle， finding myself frequently distracted and frustrated by the cho The Big Dark Sky is a stand-alone sci-fi/horror/suspense novel set in Montana， about a mysterious being with a plan that threatens all humanity， and the disparate group of people summoned to stop it。 I hadn’t read any Koontz for at least ten years， having had very mixed results in the past。 This one falls bang in the middle - I liked the premise， the characters （mostly）， the beginning and the ending， but struggled through the middle， finding myself frequently distracted and frustrated by the choppiness of the story-telling and the absurdity of the writing。 It’s hard to say too much without spoilers as this is a book which delays revealing what’s going on until about the last quarter， which I’ll confess added to my frustration。Joanna Chase is a successful author who has led a life of isolation since losing both her parents in quick succession as a child。 Then a voice from her past calls her back， through apparent control of her car’s electronic system， to the remote Montana ranch of her early years。 Asher Optime is a man on a mission - he wants to become the last man on earth by beginning a revolution that will exterminate the human species - starting with a collection of strangers to build the necropolis he hopes will inspire others。 Ganesh Patel is an extraordinary scientist at the head of a top secret project to find out who is killing specific individuals by internet， and what their objective is。 When these and other unique characters converge on the idyllic lakeside homestead of Rustling Willows， will courage overcome madness to save humankind？First off， it’s unusual to meet a Main Character who shares my given name （but please don’t call me Jojo！） Joanna， Wyatt， Ophelia， Colson and Kenny were likeable characters who were easy to root for， but they didn’t get enough time to be fully developed amongst the large cast of supports - some of whom were introduced as potential victims then never heard of again。 The way each chapter moved between them was maddening， and completely disrupted the flow of the story - what I presume was meant to be mini-cliffhangers to keep you turning the pages just ended up disconnecting me from the plot。 I therefore found this terribly slow for a suspense novel， until the action ramps up in the final 10% and the various players all come together for the last act。The writing - oh my， purple doesn’t even begin to describe it！ “Slowly sinking toward the great mountains in the west， the sun had for several minutes bathed the ghost town in a honeyed splendor that made some of the weathered buildings appear gilded。” gives you a taste。 There are assorted pop culture references， some for the author’s own books， and others that would probably give serious sci-fi fans an early clue as to what’s going on but went over my head。 You’re deliberately kept in the dark as to whether the evil antagonist is human， metaphysical， supernatural or alien - I didn’t work it out in advance。 It did all make a bonkers sort of sense， and I’ll admit I did like the twist in the final sentence。I also liked the way pompous ultra-malignant narcissist Asher Optime’s story plays out - he pretends his crusade is for the love of nature， but as one character calls him out: “your crusade is not about serving the planet or bringing a miscreated universe to an end。 Instead， it’s about your ambition， your pride， your ego， your sadism。” The chapters from his hateful POV mean that you’ll cheer when his fate is revealed （maybe that’s a spoiler but you don’t expect any other outcome in this kind of book do you？） I was hoping for more of an explanation of the “synchronicities” which are repeatedly mentioned and would’ve liked a more comprehensive wrap-up than the very rushed ending we get， but them’s the breaks！ All of my advance reviewing friends have rated this higher than me so I’d say if you’re a big Dean Koontz fan， go for it， but I won’t be rushing to read any more of his supernatural/sci-fi stuff - although I do plan to read the Jane Hawk books some day。Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC。 I am posting this honest review voluntarily。 The Big Dark Sky is published on July 19th。 。。。more

Claudete Takahashi ，

The Big Dark Sky is not an easy book to read as the story has many characters， very strange situations， crime， a bit of romance， and a new FBI area that deals with the unknown。 But once I could start to put things together I could not stop reading， Koontz's amazing use of the English language made the descriptions of people and places even more beautiful or frightening。 This is not the usual sci-fi story or crime story， if enjoy reading the unusual， go for this book， it'll be worth your while。I The Big Dark Sky is not an easy book to read as the story has many characters， very strange situations， crime， a bit of romance， and a new FBI area that deals with the unknown。 But once I could start to put things together I could not stop reading， Koontz's amazing use of the English language made the descriptions of people and places even more beautiful or frightening。 This is not the usual sci-fi story or crime story， if enjoy reading the unusual， go for this book， it'll be worth your while。I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Sue Plant ，

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing bookyou are either gonna love or hate this book。。i loved it。。。yes there are numerous characters and some you have to wonder at。。。why they were there， but the idea of being called back to your childhood home to help now that grabs your attention。。。。joanna chase for the first 8 years of her life lived on a ranch in montana， but after her parents died within two weeks of each other she is then brought up by her auntie would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing bookyou are either gonna love or hate this book。。i loved it。。。yes there are numerous characters and some you have to wonder at。。。why they were there， but the idea of being called back to your childhood home to help now that grabs your attention。。。。joanna chase for the first 8 years of her life lived on a ranch in montana， but after her parents died within two weeks of each other she is then brought up by her auntie elsewherebut strange things are happening around joanna， strange phone calls that want her to go back home to help。。。and why does the tv and the car turn itself on。。。。。spookyas each new character is introduced a scene is being set with the ultimate showdown coming。。。and this book really reminded me of the stand by stephen king and i dont really know why， as i said before you are either going to love or hate this one。。。and my only bugbear with this book was the ending。。。it was such a build up to end just like it did。。。。oh hum。。。。but he has a way of writing that stays with you long after you have finished the book 。。。more

Sue Plant ，

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing bookyou are either gonna love or hate this book。。i loved it。。。yes there are numerous characters and some you have to wonder at。。。why they were there， but the idea of being called back to your childhood home to help now that grabs your attention。。。。joanna chase for the first 8 years of her life lived on a ranch in montana， but after her parents died within two weeks of each other she is then brought up by her auntie would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing bookyou are either gonna love or hate this book。。i loved it。。。yes there are numerous characters and some you have to wonder at。。。why they were there， but the idea of being called back to your childhood home to help now that grabs your attention。。。。joanna chase for the first 8 years of her life lived on a ranch in montana， but after her parents died within two weeks of each other she is then brought up by her auntie elsewherebut strange things are happening around joanna， strange phone calls that want her to go back home to help。。。and why does the tv and the car turn itself on。。。。。spookyas each new character is introduced a scene is being set with the ultimate showdown coming。。。and this book really reminded me of the stand by stephen king and i dont really know why， as i said before you are either going to love or hate this one。。。and my only bugbear with this book was the ending。。。it was such a build up to end just like it did。。。。oh hum。。。。but he has a way of writing that stays with you long after you have finished the book 。。。more

Michelle Herzing ，

It has been a few years since I picked up one of Dean Koontz's novels， and The Big Dark Sky is a fantastic reminder to do so more often！ It attracted my attention because it is set mostly in Montana， among the mountains ， lakes and woods that I love so much， and while reading the book， I became a bit nervous that I will never see the Yellowstone area the same。 This is one truly unsettling story！I liked the way the author tells the story through multiple characters' experiences， all of which are It has been a few years since I picked up one of Dean Koontz's novels， and The Big Dark Sky is a fantastic reminder to do so more often！ It attracted my attention because it is set mostly in Montana， among the mountains ， lakes and woods that I love so much， and while reading the book， I became a bit nervous that I will never see the Yellowstone area the same。 This is one truly unsettling story！I liked the way the author tells the story through multiple characters' experiences， all of which are drawing them to the Rustling Willows Ranch with varying motives。 Supernatural events link them together in ways that unfold as the story progresses。 The build up to the final scene is harrowing， and I had to set the book aside several times due to the tension。 The only criticism is that a few characters were introduced in the beginning of the book who are spirited away to witness protection never to be heard from again （at least in this book）， and I felt the explanation for their involvement was a little vague。 Overall， it detracted little from my enjoyment of the story， just a bit of a question as I reflect。 Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of The Big Dark Sky。 The opinions in this review are my own。 。。。more

Donna Repsher ，

Dean Koontz has been keeping me entertained， surprised， shocked， mystified， terrified， amazed， and in awe， since I first read his novel， Night Chills， back in 1976， and he's done it once again in The Big Dark Sky， which gets 5 stars from this reader。 As the novel opens， 24 years in the past， we're at idyllic Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana， home to 9-year-old， Joanna Chase， whose mother died 12 days earlier， and whose death will be the impetus that removes her from the ranch， to grow up elsewh Dean Koontz has been keeping me entertained， surprised， shocked， mystified， terrified， amazed， and in awe， since I first read his novel， Night Chills， back in 1976， and he's done it once again in The Big Dark Sky， which gets 5 stars from this reader。 As the novel opens， 24 years in the past， we're at idyllic Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana， home to 9-year-old， Joanna Chase， whose mother died 12 days earlier， and whose death will be the impetus that removes her from the ranch， to grow up elsewhere。 In the years since then， she's become a novelist， seems to have writer's block， is still single， and is preparing her dinner when the first of the strange occurrences begin--from the garage， she can hear her car start by itself， and slowly but surely， more oddities occur， all of which seem to draw her back to her childhood home， of which she has a few fond memories， and one she's totally forgotten for reasons she can't begin to explain。 We next meet a less charming character， Harvey Spondollar， whose is outside his home urinating on his neighbor's rosebushes， when out of nowhere， his house suddenly disintegrates into tiny bits right before his eyes--and that's just for starters。In a style somewhat reminiscent of one of the author's earlier novel， Strangers， this disparate cast of characters， the good， the bad， the damaged， the used， and the incredibly demented and evil--some human， some not， are all brought together at Rustling Willows， for a reason I suspected but was unsure of until I got there， perhaps the most evil one being Asher Optime， who is certifiably insane and in the process of writing his manifesto while trying to rid the earth of all its human inhabitants， capturing and killing one person at a time while holed up in a ghost town not far from Rustling Willows。 The reader cannot help but wonder what or whom is pulling these characters together in this place， and yet the answer is right there from the beginning， because Mr。 Koontz tells us what it is--synchronicity， and what I feel is the author's true message for his readers， a warning about our slow but steady destruction of the earth and it's resources， senseless killings and wars where everyone loses in a long history of blood and violence， that must stop before the human race causes its own extinction。This novel is at times gruesome， macabre， and sometimes at odds with the poetic nature of Mr。 Koontz' writing style。 He's even included an homage to the work of Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov's robot novels， which may give you a small hint as to what's in store for you in this novel。 This reader found it both challenging and impossible to put down， and although the denouement seemed somewhat too abrupt， it's most certainly not a novel for the faint of heart， but it is a novel I highly recommend。I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel。 The opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more

Debrafleming ，

I was anticipating the latest novel from Koontz， but for me， this one was a let down。 I liked the general idea of the plot， but the portrayal of the disabled character left a bad taste in my mouth。 I understand why the character was written this way （for the sake of the plot） but it just did not sit well for me。 Side note， I may be a little more sensitive to this， since I am ND。Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance copy to read and review。 All opinions are my own。

Prasanna ，

This was my first Dean Koontz novel though I've wanted to read his books， especially during the early days of the pandemic， when one of his books became extremely popular because the plot involved a virus vaguely similar to the Coronavirus， and all sorts of claims were being made saying that he had predicted the pandemic years before。 Although I couldn't read that book， I did put in a request for The Big Dark Sky in NetGalley when I saw it was available for early reading。I have to say this book This was my first Dean Koontz novel though I've wanted to read his books， especially during the early days of the pandemic， when one of his books became extremely popular because the plot involved a virus vaguely similar to the Coronavirus， and all sorts of claims were being made saying that he had predicted the pandemic years before。 Although I couldn't read that book， I did put in a request for The Big Dark Sky in NetGalley when I saw it was available for early reading。I have to say this book has a lot of bizarre events that at first seem disjointed but at about 30% in the book， you feel yourself getting pulled into the plot。 It was like reading 3 or 4 short stories that initially seem unrelated but at the end the blocks all fit together to form a complete picture。 There is a writer， Joanna Chase， from Santa Fe， who gets weird dreams about the Ranch from Montana where she grew up and a strange caller pleading her to come back to her old home as someone close to her needs her help。 Then there is a serial killer who wants to obliterate entire humanity and is currently holding hostage two people in the basement of an old church in a abandoned town。 There is also a brilliant hacker who is on the run from a malevolent force which can destroy building and people alike using devices connected to the internet。 Then there is also an enigmatic agent（like in MIB） who is a genius and who is on a project to track down this alien force which has recently started to be more active and shown violent behavior。 Yep， one cannot imagine how all these elements will come together in a grand finale， but it does。I could feel my interest in the book ebbing and flowing， just when I thought that maybe I should just DNF the book， things would start getting interesting and I would go on to read couple of more chapters。 I would definitely want to try more of Dean Koontz books because though reading this book was a weird experience for me， when I was done with the book， I felt Koontz was one hell of a storyteller。 Only he could make this kind of a plot work。 。。。more

Michelle ，

This was an interesting book。 There were too many different characters and I wasn't sure how they all meshed together。 I had to reread the ending three times to figure out the ending。 For such an interesting read the ending happened very abruptly。 I usually do not read sci-fi books so I was stepping out of my comfort zone reading this book。 This was an interesting book。 There were too many different characters and I wasn't sure how they all meshed together。 I had to reread the ending three times to figure out the ending。 For such an interesting read the ending happened very abruptly。 I usually do not read sci-fi books so I was stepping out of my comfort zone reading this book。 。。。more

Josie ❃The Bubbly Book Reviewer❃ ，

Characters make or break a book for me and this one didn't hit the mark and was lacking depth。At the start， I was just following along with the many different points of view waiting for them to come together。 They did， but by the time they came together， I was already guessing what was going to happen。All except for one character which right at the end I loved。 With the teaser maybe Koontz will write more on them and I would read it！ Characters make or break a book for me and this one didn't hit the mark and was lacking depth。At the start， I was just following along with the many different points of view waiting for them to come together。 They did， but by the time they came together， I was already guessing what was going to happen。All except for one character which right at the end I loved。 With the teaser maybe Koontz will write more on them and I would read it！ 。。。more

Vanessa Dunning ，

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review。 An interesting read， lots of plots， I needed to re-read some of the pages。 I would like to see a sequel to this book。

Janine ，

I had no idea what was happening throughout the whole thing， but forced myself to finish and yeah I still have no idea what this was about really。

Brittany McGrath ，

The Big Dark Sky follows Joanna Chase and a huge cast of characters as they each embark on a journey back to Joanna。's childhood home and a mystery set there that has spand over centeries。 It is a scifi thriller that is complex and multilayered。 This book was nothing like I was expecting and I actually really enjoyed the plot once it got moving。 The first 100 pages were a bit slow， but once all the pieces started to come together， I was hooked。 However， I am a character focused reader and I foun The Big Dark Sky follows Joanna Chase and a huge cast of characters as they each embark on a journey back to Joanna。's childhood home and a mystery set there that has spand over centeries。 It is a scifi thriller that is complex and multilayered。 This book was nothing like I was expecting and I actually really enjoyed the plot once it got moving。 The first 100 pages were a bit slow， but once all the pieces started to come together， I was hooked。 However， I am a character focused reader and I found that the character development was lacking a bit due to the vast number of characters in the book。 Read an eARC courtesy of Netgalley; the publisher， Thomas & Mercer; and the author， Dean Kootz。 Thank you for the opportunity。Rating: 3 Stars 。。。more

Annarella ，

I had fun in reading this mix of paranormal and thriller。 It's a honest， entertaining， and gripping story that kept me reading。I don't it's right to compare Koontz to King as they are different authors with different strength and weakness。This is a good book and I enjoy the plot， the storytelling， and the world building。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine I had fun in reading this mix of paranormal and thriller。 It's a honest， entertaining， and gripping story that kept me reading。I don't it's right to compare Koontz to King as they are different authors with different strength and weakness。This is a good book and I enjoy the plot， the storytelling， and the world building。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Maya Grimley ，

Check out this review and more on my blog， Maya’s Reviews。Listen to this review and more on my podcast， Maya's Reviews。---A huge thank you to Amazon Publishing and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。// Content warnings: animal attacks， cult， death， mature content， mention of cannibalism， mention of incest， mention of teen pregnancy， mentions of child abuse， mentions of self-mutilation， mentions of sexual assault， murder //Please educate y Check out this review and more on my blog， Maya’s Reviews。Listen to this review and more on my podcast， Maya's Reviews。---A huge thank you to Amazon Publishing and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。// Content warnings: animal attacks， cult， death， mature content， mention of cannibalism， mention of incest， mention of teen pregnancy， mentions of child abuse， mentions of self-mutilation， mentions of sexual assault， murder //Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this novel before reading， as I may have missed some in my review。 This novel contains many dark themes that can be disturbing to some。--- // Quick Statistics //Overall: 4/5 StarsCharacters: 3/5 StarsWriting: 5/5 StarsSetting: 5/5 StarsPlot: 4/5 StarsMemorability: 3/5 Stars--- // Quick Review //The Big Dark Sky is a brilliantly written novel following the stories of various characters all connected to a mystery at the center of the spiderweb they’ve been caught in。 Full of suspense and showcasing Koontz’s excellent writing style， The Big Dark Sky maintains Koontz as one of the best thriller writers。--- // Other Information //Publisher: Thomas & Mercer， Amazon PublishingPage Count: 390 pagesRelease Date: July 19， 2022Series: NoneTags: Fiction， Adult， Mystery， Thriller， Science fiction， Suspense， Horror--- // Review //From the moment I started reading The Big Dark Sky， I was drawn in by the mysterious and paranormal nature of the novel。 The homicidal forces that surrounded the characters posed a serious threat and made me want to know more about the peril。 From a psychotic cult to murderous aliens， The Big Dark Sky presents a complex intermingling of evil forces that threaten to eradicate humankind。Dean Koontz is a master at using multiple points of view to build suspense and shows different storylines all barreling towards one focus。 Think a Stranger Things-esque meetup at the end of the season but just in a book （yes， Stranger Things is and always will be my obsession… go watch Season 4）。 The point is that I love media that utilize this form of storytelling and it almost always keeps me engaged with the story。The Big Dark Sky is relatively fast-paced after the first few chapters and， as I mentioned， contains what seems to be many small plots。 Still， they all connect in the end。 The suspense and stakes of the situation rise rapidly throughout the book。 However， I felt that the ending was too rushed and didn’t fit with the rest of the novel。 Frankly， it was underwhelming and left me a little disappointed in contrast to the rest of the events。 Without mentioning any spoilers， I will say that the final showdown between the characters and the monstrous evil attacking humanity would have been better had it been slowed down。 Even though the fight was very predictable， it felt like the villain came out of nowhere？ If that makes sense？Gosh， it’s so hard to review books without spoilers。Anyways， I was slightly disappointed with the characters in this novel。 Usually， I can handle a large cast of characters and distinguish them from one another。 Unfortunately， many of the characters just felt too similar to one another for me to truly connect to or care about them。 Characters like Joanne， Ophelia， Colson， and Asher Optime stuck out， though。 Joanne is a young woman whose past is shadowed by mystery， tragedy， and lies。 Though， she doesn’t know it until mysterious occurrences haunt her house and dreams。 The story allows her to discover the truth behind her past， unraveling the life she has known throughout her adult life。 Ophelia and Colson are both captives of Asher Optime， a psychopathic egomaniac whose sole ‘purpose’ is to start and finish the destruction of humanity。 For whatever reason—probably their homicidal tendencies—Asher reminded me a lot of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho （undoubtedly， though， Asher Optime could not possibly be more stylish than Christian Bale）。 Asher is determined to set himself apart from the rest of the human race。 However， his choice of action is not to spread goodness throughout the world but instead to kidnap people， make them hopeless， and then kill them… all in the name of his twisted agenda shaped by a cult。 Despite being completely evil， I found Asher Optime to be the most unique and memorable of the characters。 Perhaps it is because he is the perfect villain for a thriller/suspense novel。One of my favorite parts of The Big Dark Sky was the setting。 The isolation that the Rustling Willows Ranch offered added a chilling feel to the book。 It is truly one of my worst fears to be far from civilization… being in/near the woods just intensifies my absolute terror。 I’ve seen too many horror movies to know that taking a ‘fun’ little trip to an isolated place is practically a death wish。 Can you tell I’m not an outdoorsy person？All parts of the novel came together to form a relatively cohesive and chilling tale of deception， secrets， and evil。 Overall， I enjoyed reading The Big Dark Sky。 There were many aspects that made this novel a worthwhile and suspenseful read。--- FOLLOW ME: Twitter || Tumblr || BookBub || BookSiren || Anchor || YouTube || Spotify || Google Podcasts || Apple Podcasts 。。。more

Jean ，

The best thing about this book was the Jane Hawk reference。 This was a convoluted mess。 The plot was absurd and hard to understand。 The chapters were too wordy with nonsense detail which made it slow to read。 There were so many characters， it was hard to keep track。 And when the cast gathered for the big revelation， for the solution to the mystery， it fell flat。Thank you to NetGalley， Thomas & Mercer and Dean Koontz for a copy of "The Big Dark Sky" in exchange of an honest review。 The best thing about this book was the Jane Hawk reference。 This was a convoluted mess。 The plot was absurd and hard to understand。 The chapters were too wordy with nonsense detail which made it slow to read。 There were so many characters， it was hard to keep track。 And when the cast gathered for the big revelation， for the solution to the mystery， it fell flat。Thank you to NetGalley， Thomas & Mercer and Dean Koontz for a copy of "The Big Dark Sky" in exchange of an honest review。 。。。more

Bobbi Wagner ，

I loved reading this book。 This is an author that I never hesitate to pick up。 His books are well written and hard to put down。 They are written with alot of action and suspense。 This book is no different。 What will happen when a group of strangers meet under one dark sky？ As their lives entwin with each other so does the horror。 This is a story you dont want to miss。 It is one of the best yet by this author。 I found it to be fast paced and engaging。 There is great growth of the characters as we I loved reading this book。 This is an author that I never hesitate to pick up。 His books are well written and hard to put down。 They are written with alot of action and suspense。 This book is no different。 What will happen when a group of strangers meet under one dark sky？ As their lives entwin with each other so does the horror。 This is a story you dont want to miss。 It is one of the best yet by this author。 I found it to be fast paced and engaging。 There is great growth of the characters as well as the plot throughout the story。 I enjoyed how the author used details to make the characters come to life。 They are connectable， strong and supportive of each other。 The twists and turns are taken to a new level and will keep you coming back for more。 This is a great story that I highly recommend。 。。。more

Carrie Shields ，

𝑨𝒔 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆， 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈， 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎。。。𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒌𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚; 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓-𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆-𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕。。。I've loved this author since I was in junior high， and I have enjoyed watching his writing style change over the years。 even though his earlier books were more in the horror "lite" genre， he always wove a thread of hope into even the darkest of his tales。 H 𝑨𝒔 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆， 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈， 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎。。。𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒌𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚; 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓-𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆-𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕。。。I've loved this author since I was in junior high， and I have enjoyed watching his writing style change over the years。 even though his earlier books were more in the horror "lite" genre， he always wove a thread of hope into even the darkest of his tales。 His last several books have been more hopeful， focusing on strong women and the good of humanity overpowering evil。 THE BIG DARK SKY is a prime example。 Joanna Chase lived on a ranch in Montana until tragedy upended her life。 Now in her mid-thirties and living in Santa Fe with only vague memories of the past， she begins to receive pleas—by phone， through her TV， in her dreams: 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆， 𝑱𝒐𝒋𝒐。 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆。 Heeding the disturbing appeals， Joanna is compelled to return to Montana， and to a strange childhood companion she had long forgotten。 Joanna isn't the only one drawn to the ranch-people from all walks of life are drawn there too， their fates all woven together by some strange synchronicity that none of them understand。I wrote the author a letter last year， and he wrote a personal letter back， detailing many similarities in our lives， and he ended with， 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚。 That letter kept coming back to me while I was reading this book。 Beautifully written and a gentle reminder that we are all under the same sky。 。。。more

Yvonne （It's All About Books） ，

Finished reading: June 20th 2022DNF at 13% （51 pages） "Sunrise in Santa Fe， New Mexico， sometimes offered at peacock sky that opened the heart to wonder， even if the day included an appointment for a root canal procedure or， in Joanna's case， the prospect of a car mechanic issuing a diagnosis almost as unsettling as bad news from an oncologist。" *** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ ***（view spoiler Finished reading: June 20th 2022DNF at 13% （51 pages） "Sunrise in Santa Fe， New Mexico， sometimes offered at peacock sky that opened the heart to wonder， even if the day included an appointment for a root canal procedure or， in Joanna's case， the prospect of a car mechanic issuing a diagnosis almost as unsettling as bad news from an oncologist。" *** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ ***（view spoiler）[WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead！！Right。。。 I certainly didn't expect this to happen when I started reading The Big Dark Sky。 I confess that it's been a long time since my first and only experience with one of his books （2014 to be exact）， but it was a good first expression and I've been meaning to read another Dean Koontz book ever since。 The blurb of his newest story sounded fascinating， and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to refamiliarize myself with his writing。 I'm not sure if it was simply the wrong time for me to read The Big Dark Sky， but the fact is that this story and me sadly didn't get along at all。 I'll try to explain briefly why。First of all I want to stress the fact that I hardly ever have to make the hard decision to DNF a book， and I never take that decision lightly。。。 In fact， I only DNF a handful of books each year， so having to resort to such a drastic move twice in one week comes as a hard blow。 Especially when it's a story I fully expected to have a great time with。 Sadly， there was just something about The Big Dark Sky that I simply clashed horribly with。 My main issue is with the writing style， which felt so unnatural， wooden and simply like it was trying to hard。。。 A small sample above。 I felt so frustrated by the prose that I had a hard time absorbing what was actually said， and add the fact that nothing really made sense （or at least in the first part of the story） it was hard for me to find a reason to keep reading。I wasn't a fan of the multiple POV structure either。。。 It felt like there were way too many different POVs to juggle and somehow they also felt way too similar？ Things might have improved later on in the book， but after reading the reviews of those people who also struggled with this story I doubt this would have made a difference for me。 I tried skimreading to see if I could slowly get used to the writing style and lack of and/or strange plot， but I felt like I was only fooling myself and there was no other logical conclusion than to simply throw in the towel and DNF。 The Big Dark Sky and me sadly really weren't a good fit at all， but I do know that most people did enjoy it a lot better so don't give up on my account。 （hide spoiler）] P。S。 Find more of my reviews here。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more

Judy ，

Not my favorite Dean Koontz novel for sure， but an interesting horror/alien book。 This featured an omniscent AI being that knew everything - seemed God-like。 The writing style is clearly Dean Koontz with that lofty， intellectual prose that is quickly recognizable。 The clues to the mystery are difficult to trace and I enjoyed following the investigation by Joanna。 Joanna was summoned back from her current life in Santa Fe to her childhood home at Rustling Willows ranch in Montana by an anonymous Not my favorite Dean Koontz novel for sure， but an interesting horror/alien book。 This featured an omniscent AI being that knew everything - seemed God-like。 The writing style is clearly Dean Koontz with that lofty， intellectual prose that is quickly recognizable。 The clues to the mystery are difficult to trace and I enjoyed following the investigation by Joanna。 Joanna was summoned back from her current life in Santa Fe to her childhood home at Rustling Willows ranch in Montana by an anonymous phone message begging for her help。 She arrives once again in Montana and returns to face the strange childhood companion she had forgotten long ago。The story is convoluted and difficult to follow so you have to pay attention。 It did keep my attention， but I have to say I have enjoyed many other Dean Koontz novels much more。Thanks to Thomas & Mercer through Netgalley for an advance copy。 This book will be published July 19， 2022。 。。。more

Ann ，

The Big Dark Sky is the latest story from Dean Koontz。 I enjoyed the story as a whole， but it took some time to get into it because of all the various characters。 I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an early copy to review。

Crystal Rees ，

Dean Koontz can really tell a story！ I grew up reading every book I could get my hands on。 This novel was different， wonderous and packed full of emotions。 A worlds melded with AI and humans seeking righteousness， and traveling down a rabbit hole of madness。 There's craziness， despair and at times overwhelming hope woven through the pages。 The ending left you questioning if it was really the end of their story。 Hopefully not。Thank you Dean Koontz and Netgalley for this arc Dean Koontz can really tell a story！ I grew up reading every book I could get my hands on。 This novel was different， wonderous and packed full of emotions。 A worlds melded with AI and humans seeking righteousness， and traveling down a rabbit hole of madness。 There's craziness， despair and at times overwhelming hope woven through the pages。 The ending left you questioning if it was really the end of their story。 Hopefully not。Thank you Dean Koontz and Netgalley for this arc 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Big Dark Sky

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Big Dark Sky&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Big Dark Sky&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0