The Big Dark Sky

by Dean Koontz

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.

• ISBN10: 1542019923
• ISBN13: 9781542019927
• Publish Date: 19 July 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thomas & Mercer
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 390
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

This book is classic Dean Koontz in that it is full of twists and turns, it is smart and thought-provoking, and it leaves you wondering exactly what you just read! However, I didn’t love it the way I love his earlier work.

The characters had a lot to do with it. There was a fairly large cast of characters, and while I loved the variety among them, they felt less developed than they could be. I wanted to know more, but instead I was left less connected to any of them than I wanted to be. And that made it hard to really care and get behind any one of them.

In addition, the plot was extremely convoluted with a lot of threads leading to the center. There were so many strange things happening, and even by the end, there are questions about how some of these things connect to one another. I reread the last part of the book twice and I’m still unsure of some of the conclusions made. The extra padding within the story just muddied the waters a little too much, in my opinion.

All of this makes it sound as if I didn’t like the book, but I did. It was by no means my favorite Koontz read, but he still has the ability to drag a reader in and make them read to the end, fueled by the need to understand it all.

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Big Dark Sky is an SF/horror thriller by Dean Koontz. Released 19th July 2022 by Thomas & Mercer, it's 390 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out 1st quarter 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

I've had varied experiences with Dean Koontz over the last several decades. This is a very *odd* book but universally well written and seriously engaging. There were hours during the read when I was so invested in what was happening that I was even unaware of the passage of time. The plot is quite convoluted and I found it very difficult to keep all the secondary characters straight. It's for that reason that I recommend the electronic format since it makes searches much easier.

There are shades of Canterbury Tales here, with the characters' individual journeys to the meeting place intertwining along the way. There's an overarching plot which defies description and is more or less a world-threatening dark power ranged against the protagonist for the future of humanity (or annihilation).

The denouement and resolution felt rushed to me. I had to go back and re-read it a couple of times and still wasn't 100% sure I understood. There are some foreshadowings hinting at another related book, which would be intriguing.

Four stars. This one, in my estimation, suffers from moderate book bloat in the middle. The intro and denouement are engaging and progress rapidly.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.