Joey Shannon, an alcoholic whose life has been going nowhere for 20 years, returns to his hometown for the funeral of his father. As he leaves town, he gets a mysterious second chance to relive the night in 1975 when his life began its downward spiral: to both literally and figuratively take the road that he didn't originally take. On this road he is supremely tested by conflict with his successful and charismatic older brother P.J., by conflict between his cynicism and his lost faith, and by conflict between the ultimate good and evil.
Les avis clients, y compris le nombre d'étoiles des produits, permettent aux acheteurs potentiels d'en savoir plus sur un produit et de déterminer s'il répond à leurs besoins.
Pour calculer le nombre d'étoiles et leur répartition en pourcentage, nous n'utilisons pas une moyenne simple. En effet, notre système prend en compte certains critères comme l'ancienneté d'un avis ou encore si l'auteur de cet avis a acheté l'article sur Amazon. De plus, il analyse les avis pour en vérifier la fiabilité.
The first work included in this book, which also happens to be a novel, is the best one. In it, Koontz explores characters and themes in his evocative prose, that exposes layers that would have remained hidden and unseen otherwise. But thereafter the works became sharp, bitter, and rather pointless. However, Koontz's writing made the experience memorable.
This book and the multiple short stories it contains, is amazing. So far, everyone has surprised or shocked me. There's something to be said for the writing too--beautifully vivid descriptions that resonate. The characters are well rounded--complex and yet the writer can switch from different ages to different genders really well. Most of the stories are pretty disturbing but at the same time they all teach you something, and just when you think you can't be surprised anymore--you are.
I flipped through a lot of Koontz books on shelves in bookstores to find a short story collection. I'm a writer, and I love Koontz's works, but I never found a short story collection by him...until I discovered Strange Highways. Strange Highways is a collection of two novellas, and twelve short stories. Not every short story collection is "perfect." King's Night Shift collection could have done without two stories, but again, short story collections always have "slinkers," but if you like most of the stories, then I'll say it's a pretty good collection.
The first story is the self titled "Strange Highways," which takes up the first hundred and sixty eight pages. The story deals with a failed man named Joe Shannon, who came back to his hometown in order to bury his father. He is haunted by a ghost, and on the same night, Joe has the ability to go back in time to stop a serial killer who will shock you and may not totally be human at all. 5/5--a must read for any Koontz fan
"The Black Pumpkin," is the second story, and one of my person favorite. Tommy warns Frank not to buy that black pumpkin because the pumpkin carver is a very strange man, not to mention he warns Tommy about the evil pumpkin. And that night, Frank gets what he deserves. 5/5--a great and enjoyable read about an evil pumpkin
"Miss Attila the Hun" is a straight up, alien invesion like short story. A lovely school teacher is put to the test when she confronts a mysterious being that wants mankind to go "mad." This is one of those stories where you get something good out of bad. 3/5--worth reading, but could have been a lot better.
"Down in the Darkness" puts a man to the ultimate test when he discovers his new home has a strange celler that only he could enter, and what's waiting down there is nothing more but evil. The man than decides to get rid of a "few people" in this celler. 5/5--a good story about the human condition and the supernatural.
"Ollie's Hands" puts a mute man to the test when he saves a pretty girl from suicide. He has strange powers, mostly from his hands. When the young woman wants more powers from Ollie, she doesn't know there's a price to be paid, even Ollie couldn't control it. 5/5--another great story about human condition and a gift that has prices.
"Snatcher" deals with Billy, a man who gets his money from stealing purses. When he steals a black purse from an old lady, he gets more than he wanted: a gets a mysterious creature that wants to collect him. 5/5--the first time we meet this creatue, it almost reminded me those goblins out of Darkfall.
"Trapped" puts a single mother and her child in a battle with lab created rats. This story is a little creepy, it actually gave me a few chills. 4/5--a good mixture of horror and science fiction, however, it didn't really bring nothing new to the field.
"Bruno" is the weakest story of all. It's about a private eye being a doorway to alternative possiblities, brining a human like bear animal and an alien. 2/5--I wasn't really into it at all.
"We Three" is a mixture of horror and science fiction. It puts three children at risk at the end of the word (which they had caused) with a mystetrious baby in the girl that wants to destroy the remaining humans. 3/5--a good concept, but it could have a little longer.
"Hardsell" puts a police officer on the trail of a serial killer who can actually change into other beings, and our police officer might have the same ability as well. 3/5--the twist was okay, but this story does have some plot holes.
"The Night of the Storm" is a straight up science fiction story about robots ruling the world. When a group was scent to "hunt" in the woods in order to feel more alive again, they are put in situation with their true creators...men. 4/5--I like the concept of robots vs. human, however, it was hard to relate to these characters.
"Twilight of the Dawn" is the last short story in this collection. It's about a man who doesn't believe in God, who doesn't want his young son to fall victim of God. When both the wife and son dies, the man sees something supernatural, questioning his faith. 5/5--a good story about faith and human's beliefs, not to metnion it's the saddest story in this book.
"Chase" is a novella about a Vietnam vet being stalk by a killer after he saved a girl who was on the killer's hitlist. 3/5--it's an okay story, but it could have been a lot better and more a thriller.
Strange Highways is one of those books you must get if you like Koontz's work or if you like speculative fiction.
I enjoyed every story in this book, but some more than others for sure. I loved that there was a mix of science fiction, horror, and fantasy wrapped up in this package.
The stories I liked the best were:
Strange Highways - An enthralling supernatural horror story about second chances. The Black Pumpkin - Almost a coming-of-age Halloween tale with a very dark turn at the end. Down in the Darkness - A cosmic horror story about a doorway and stairwell that only appears when it wants to, and what lies beyond it. Ollie's Hands - A very sad tale that will change the way you view homeless people and how you imagine their lives. Snatcher - Fun, yet eldritch. It's always a hoot to imagine what happens to people who rob others, and what their comeuppance might look like. Kittens - A twisted piece about a child taking vengeance into her own hands. The Night of the Storm - An insight into what life from the perspective of sentient and feeling robots could be like, with an us vs. them mentality when it comes to humans. The existential dread from a robot's perspective is enough to give you nightmares. Twilight of the Dawn - Morose and sentimental. Breaks your heart and sews it back together.
I found this book to be a bit long for my current standards. However, once I began each story, I was enraptured and found that I had to finish each one in a single sitting.
Nice to read some of Koontz's shorter fiction. Whilst there's nothing earth shattering here (I think King does short stories much better IMO) the stories are are still reasonably diverting and entertaining.
Certainly not his worst book by far (I think 'The Funhouse' has that honour) but nor is it his best. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could but felt generous.
