Typically "Interesting" Koontz Characters

Struggling 22-year-old author & child of surf-culture 'Bibi Blair' - miraculously cured of cancer by a Golden Retriever that reminds her of her beloved OTRB companion 'Olaf' - is introduced by a psychic masseuse named 'Calida Butterfly' to the concept that, in exchange for her reprieve from death, she has to find and save a mysterious girl known as 'Ashley Bell' - while avoiding "The Wrong People" (mystically-obsessed Nazis) who want to hunt them down. Dean Koontz's unmatched imagination takes readers on an adequately-plotted, often bizarre/always quirky rollercoaster-ride of a paranormal-infused quest.
It doesn't attain the quality of other Koontz offerings (almost reading like a "stream-of-consciousness" exercise at times), but this book is undeniably well-written, thought-provoking, and populated by his characteristic intriguing oddballs.

Reader Suzy Jackson actually strives to *improve* the text.. but falls short. Her diction, timbre, and tone are unimpeachable, her emotiveness is praiseworthy, and she's backed up by exemplary technical support from Recorded Books engineers - but her reading cadence incorporates awkward injudicious pauses (improved with setting playback speed at 1.10X) and her character repertoire includes shrill interpretations of children & annoying "deep-voiced" caricatures of males. In toto, the performance on this project is "average" at best.

The book is also unnecessarily long - but a reasonable 7/10-star distraction for a few quiet afternoons (particularly for those accustomed to Dean Koontz storytelling). When Audible asks for a Credit, however (I got this book as a 'Plus' selection), you can find better options - including Koontz offerings - for your money.

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A good listen

This took a bit to pull me in, but once I got into it I was hooked. It was a good listen and I loved the narrator. I enjoyed the characters and the story and suspense. It was intriguing and enjoyable, if you like horror and sci fi. If you like Koontz, you will like this story about where reality and fiction meet.

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Very wordy

I actually read the first 21 chapters skipped to the middle and randomly read about three chapters that sounded relevant then went to chapter 121 and finished from there. Don’t think I missed much. Okay book just not a 13 hour novel. Should have been about 7

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The narrating made the story even better. I'm new to audible and so far I'm liking this

this is my first Dean Koontz book and I was not disappointed. I listened on my way home from work and I couldn't wait for the next chapter

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Unlike the majority of his work

A little slow at times, but I could tell Dean was having the time of his life writing this book, digging deep into the character of Bibi. Though different, she is as well-drawn as Odd Thomas, one of Dean Koontz's most-beloved characters.

The length of ASHLEY BELL, the complexities to it, the darkness, the weirdness, the way it becomes a book about writing and the imagination as much as it is a Dean Koontz thriller—all that may dissuade his readers from getting into it. It's quite unlike the majority of his work. If you find his stuff can be a bit formulaic, check out ASHLEY BELL. The dog bits really don't make up much of the plot.

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Ashley Bell

Had me in the edge of my seat. I enjoyed Suzy Jackson’s narration. Delightful and well done.

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A mystery

While you're not likely to find this story to be fast paced or pulse pounding there's a mystery that draws you in to the story and an investment in the characters that invoked a need to find the answers. There's a magical quality to many of Dean Koontzs' novels that can't be found in other authors. Included within are enough twists to keep you guessing and as always beautifully written 💖

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3 people found this helpful

Great narration, and creative characters

The narrator did a great job. The story itself was very long. I almost gave up, but I have difficulty leaving a story and read! (or unlistened to I should say!) the characters do come to life, and the imagination of the author is evident throughout. I enjoyed the beginning and the end. Dean Koontz always gets his readers to look deep inside the minds of his characters.

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Slow, Unoriginal “Wizard-of-Oz”-ish

A girl falls into a deep slumber after a traumatic event and has a dream of a parallel world where her friends and family exist, but not really. I had several thoughts of The Wizard of Oz as I listened to the story; it moved incredibly slow and was extremely predictable; if you’re into mystery, suspense or page-turners, give this one a skip; the actual structure of the writing and the storytelling ability of the author is very impressive. I may try another one of his books just because I like his style. This story wasn’t my favorite.

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Great Read, Slow Start but Gripping to the End

Another great book by the suspense master Koontz. As always, I love his integration of his favourite dog into his novels. Like many of his books, this one will make you think about life and and how powerful the mind can be. Would read again 100%.

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