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Watchers by Dean Koontz: A Unique Review
I Highly Recommend Watchers by Dean Koontz to All Book Lovers
Watchers by Dean Koontz is among one of my favorite books of all time. This masterpiece that Koontz created is a thriller, horror, drama, adventure, and love story all rolled into one great book. Not to mention, the characters in this story grab onto a reader's heart and never let go.
In honor of one of my favorite books, I have created a book review below, including a general plot summary, character profiles with photos of actors depicting how I envisioned the actors in my head, and an exclusive video interview with Dean Koontz, among many other fun facts and tidbits of information as well.
If you do give Dean Koontz' Watchers a read, I hope you find as much enjoyment in this book as I do. Also, feel free to come on back and leave your own review or feedback on the book. Happy reading!
Do You Enjoy the Work of Dean Koontz?
Have You Ever Read Any of Dean Koontz' Books?
"A suspenseful page-turner...Koontz gives us characters we can care about...and enough tension to satisfy any thrill-seeker."
~The New York Times
Why I Love Watchers by Dean Koontz
Watchers by Dean Koontz, is one of my favorite books of all time. I read a lot, but not just any book will make it to my list of books I consider favorites. It takes a special book, with a fantastic plot, and characters that endear themselves to me and become lifelong friends.
To make my favorite book list, a book must also be good enough for me to desire to read it over and over again. I believe I have read Watchers no less than 5 times throughout my life and I enjoy it every single time.
Watchers is the type of book that would definitely be considered "page turner." This book keeps the reader in such suspense that it's hard to put the book down at all! It is hard to place this book into any specific genre, as it possesses traits of a thriller, horror, drama, adventure, and love story, all rolled into one fantastic story.
General Plot Summary
No Major Plot Spoilers
Since I absolutely hate it when book reviews contain major spoilers for the story that is being reviewed, I have written a general summary of the book, addressing the direction of the story, but not giving away the specifics that make the story great.
Watchers is the story of a genetically altered, super intelligent Golden Retriever who has escaped from a government laboratory, in which it was created. The story is narrated from three main view points: the perspective of those helping the dog retain his escapee status, the perspective of law enforcement trying to recapture the dog and return him to the laboratory, and from the perspective of a criminal trying to recapture the dog for his own personal gain.
Koontz artfully intertwines these three very different perspectives throughout the book, showing the reader all of the conflicting vantage points of all characters involved. As the reader, we also see the main characters grow and transform as the story progresses.
Also thrown into the hunt for the genius Golden Retriever, is another genetically altered animal escapee from the very same government laboratory as the dog...however, this animal was an experiment gone very wrong and straight out of a nightmare, called "The Outsider." This experiment's intent was to create a war machine with one goal in mind...to create a ruthless, bloodthirsty killer. For reasons unknown, The Outsider has a deep hatred of the Golden Retriever and it's main goal is to kill the dog.
All in all, Watchers has two main themes throughout the book: hope and loyalty. These two themes are responsible for the transformation of the characters and the advancement of the plot line and kept me on the edge of my seat. Hope and loyalty also touch the reader as well, while progressing through the book, which is one of the many reasons that I consider this book a masterpiece.
My Recommendation
I would recommend Watchers by Dean Koontz to folks who enjoy suspenseful thrillers, Stephen King fans, dog lovers, and science fiction/fantasy fanatics. Dean Koontz fans too, of course.
To those of you who do not enjoy books from the horror genre, I would still recommend this book to you as well. While there are some scary elements to the book, I would by no means classify this as strictly horror.
Overall, no matter what your tastes are in books, if you enjoy a well written story, characters that become old friends, and books that grab you and never let go, Dean Koontz' Watchers is a must read.
Main Character Profiles
I have created a character profile for each of the main characters in the book. I think character profiles are a great way to gain insight on what a book is about without giving away key story plot lines.
The photos accompanying the character profiles below are just my own view on how I think the characters from the book would look; how I imagined them in my head while I was reading. These actors and actress do not have any affiliations with Dean Koontz' book, Watchers.
Nora Devon
- Raised by her vicious and reclusive Aunt Violet
- Believes she is ugly and wears loose, drab clothing
- Fears the outside world and expects the worst in people
- Debilitated by her fears, she becomes a hermit, never venturing far from her home
- Enjoys painting, but is too afraid of rejection to show anyone her work
Travis Cornell
- Orphaned at a young age
- Former member of the military Delta Force Anti-Terrorist squad
- Retired from real estate, after putting away enough money to live off of
- After losing his wife and all of his friends, believes everyone he loves is cursed with death
- Lonely and depressed; searching for meaning in life
Einstein
- Genetically engineered Golden Retriever with intelligence equivalent to that of a human being
- Escaped from the lab in which he was created
- Protective and loyal to those he loves
- Wry sense of humor
- Possesses a sixth sense that links him to The Outsider's whereabouts
- Favorite cartoon character: Mickey Mouse
Vince Nasco
- Occupation: Hired Hit Man for the Mafia and other criminal organizations
- Believes committing murder is a means of obtaining immortality by absorbing the "life force" of his victims
- Is a loner; keeps to himself
- Cool, calculating, and manipulative
- Has no conscience and shows no remorse for his crimes
Lemuel Johnson
- Occupation: Director of the Southern California National Security Agency
- Grew up in an upper middle class family in California
- Best Friend: Walt Gaines
- Workaholic; doesn't make friends easily
- Clings to his father's workaholic definition of success and happiness
Walt Gaines
- Occupation: Orange County, CA Sheriff
- Takes the protection of citizens of his county seriously
- Former member of the Marine Corps
- Grew up poor in Kentucky
- Best Friend: Lemuel Johnson
- Easy-going demeanor with a sense of humor
"We have a responsibility to stand watch over one another, we are watchers, all of us, watchers, guarding against the darkness."
~Nora Devon - Watchers