There once was a killer who knew the night, its secrets and rhythms. How to hide within its shadows. When to hunt. He roamed from town to town, city to city, choosing his prey for their beauty and innocence. His cruelties were infinite, his humanity long since forfeit. But still . . . he had not yet discovered how to make his special mark among monsters, how to come fully alive as Death. This is the story of how he learned those things, and of what we might do to ensure that he does not visit us.
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"I was enjoying this short by Koontz and the it ended. I wanted to know more. I think I will be reading the novel that follows the story line. It starts off with a young boy who is afraid of being beaten up by the nieghborhood bullies. Then he finds a friend. Or at least what appears at first to be a friend. If you enjoy suspense then you will enjoy this short."
— Amy (4 out of 5 stars)
" Nice quick read. The bad guy, is good, very good. Like to see him in a full length novel. "
— J, 2/9/2014" I was honestly a little bored and disapponted as Koontz stories go with this one. I know that it is a novella and not a full-on book like I'm used to of his but even his writing seemed rushed and lacking in this one. The actual storyline did not completely dissapoint, however, despite its briefness and seeming incompleteness. It is still as dark and twisted as we have become to expect of Koontz. My own personal "game" with his books is to refrain from reading the dustjacket or a synopsis ahead of time and to guess whether the nemesis is entirely human or not. This story was no different in that respect. I do have to note that the storyline and tone of this book put me more in the mind of Stephen King than most of Koontz's other books, in some regards, however. "
— Courtney, 2/6/2014" A short story - easy to read. If you like Dean Koontz, you'll like this. "
— Teresa, 2/1/2014" It's been a while since I read a book with such atmosphere. Plus, Koontz once again used interesting characters and original setting. "
— Madao, 1/28/2014" This was a decent read, though very forgettable. "
— John, 1/25/2014" Great novella! Made me really want to read the upcoming novel! Can't wait! "
— Tonia, 1/23/2014" I liked this. I listened to this on cd in two days. I liked the way it was connected to the full length novel he wrote after this. I really enjoyed that book so this was a nice premise. "
— Becky, 1/20/2014" Pretty entertaining short story. Its a prequel to another book Koontz has coming out that I probably wont read. However I did find this novella captivating and pretty intense. "
— Bob, 1/20/2014" Good teaser novella for another book by Koontz. Can't tell yet if the characters are the same or different, but it did get me easily hooked. "
— Jeff, 1/1/2014" Better than his recent stuff, but still not as good as his early works. "
— Shawn, 12/11/2013" Creepy! I was in the mood for a scary book - this was a quick read (novella) - I liked it and got my "scary" fix for now. "
— Jane, 11/23/2013" This is a short novella that I read in half an hour. Enjoyably creepy, and proves that Koontz is still a Master of Horror. "
— Sara, 10/16/2013" short novel- disappointed as it had the potential to be a great thriller "
— Sarina, 10/7/2013" Creepy novella. An Amazon special for free. Short and a precursor for his upcoming novel. "
— Susan, 10/2/2013" I actually listened to this on audio and was so glad that I did because it was really fun. I had tried audio before but it never seemed to click with me. Spooky. "
— Karendenice, 7/24/2013" Good novella. Koontz does his usual good job of creating a suspenseful yarn and this novella accomplishes it's true purpose: to entice you to read the forthcoming novella about antagonist, which comes out later this month. "
— Vanessa, 7/19/2013" Nice and creepy, if you like that sort of story, which I do. It's nice to see Koontz get back to his creepy roots and lose some of the new age stuff. It makes me want to read What the Night Knows. "
— Mary, 7/15/2013" This was my first Koontz and I was particularly fond of his descriptions found in the book. I wasn't aware that this was actually a small prequel to one of his other books and the story actually made me interested in reading it. I'm not really a lover of horror stories, but this was enjoyable. "
— Fly, 3/4/2013" Great short story by Dean Koontz, one of my favorite authors! Can't wait to read the full novel that that is is a prequel to! "
— Adria, 10/29/2012" An interesting short story that is a companion piece to novel coming out in December that i'm really looking forward to, This exclusive also contains the first three chapters of the new book. Nice entertaining read for a $1.50 "
— Kipp, 8/10/2012" A great prequel to What the Night Knows - although it's not necessary to read it - gives useful background. "
— Julie, 3/12/2012" A great novella, it really makes me want to rush out and read What The Night Knows! "
— Kate, 11/26/2011" As a short story this was very well done. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. My only dislike was that it was a short story. I would have enjoyed more to this story. Guess I need to read "What the night knows". This story is worth the read specially in October. "
— Brian, 10/14/2011" Loved this one. Even though it is listed as the Prequel to "What the night knows", I believe it should be read second. "
— Leslie, 10/4/2011" just started this on the way home. grabbed me from the start. so we shall see. "
— Sandi, 9/14/2011" Good but so very anti-climactic. It was over and I was turning the pages looking for the rest of it. "
— Debra, 8/24/2011" Prequil to "What the Night Knows". Short story, but a good one. "
— Nana, 8/14/2011" A pretty good scary story. This was my first time reading anything by Koontz. While the writing itself wasn't terribly remarkable, the mood/tone of the novella was definitely creepy. I thought the ending was a little corny but not overly so. I'd like to read more from Koontz. "
— Tiffany, 8/1/2011" Short story about the background of Alton Turner Blackwood, the killer in the novel What the Night Knows by Koontz. Quick read and very eery. Just makes me shudder. "
— Gina, 7/8/2011" Good short story and lead in to the book What the Night Knows. "
— Sunnie, 5/23/2011" This was a decent read, though very forgettable. "
— John, 5/12/2011" This story is pretty dang scary! I think it's a precursor to a full-fledged novel and I'm not sure I want to read a whole novel about the dude in the novella. CREEPY! "
— Mimi, 5/1/2011Dean Koontz is the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, including suspense thrillers and books for young readers. His books are published in thirty-eight languages, and his worldwide sales top 500 million copies. Several of his books have also been adapted into feature films and television miniseries. He has been hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as “America’s most popular suspense novelist.” For more information, visit his website at www.deankoontz.com.
Steven Weber is an Earphones Award–winning narrator who has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has been named by AudioFile magazine three times for best narration of the year. As an actor, he made his film debut in 1984 in The Flamingo Kid and has since acted in numerous films and television series, including Wings and The Shining. He has also appeared in many stage productions, including National Anthems and the Broadway musical The Producers.