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Frankenstein: Prodigal Son

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Frankenstein: Prodigal Son

Written by: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Christopher Lane
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About this listen

From the celebrated imagination of Dean Koontz comes a powerful reworking of one of the classic stories of all time. If you think you know the legend, you know only half the truth. Here is the mystery, the myth, the terror, and the magic of...

Every city has its secrets. But none as terrible as this. He is Deucalion, a tattooed man of mysterious origin, a sleight-of-reality artist who has traveled the centuries with a secret worse than death. He arrives in New Orleans as a serial killer stalks the streets, a killer who carefully selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself. Deucalion's path will lead him to cool, tough police detective Carson O'Connor and her devoted partner, Michael Maddison, who are tracking the slayer but will soon discover signs of something far more terrifying: an entire race of killers who are much more - and less - than human and, deadliest of all, their deranged, near-immortal maker: Victor Helios - once known as Frankenstein.

©2005 Dean Koontz (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Horror Police Procedural Supernatural Suspense Mystery Paranormal Scary Fiction Exciting New Orleans
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What listeners say about Frankenstein: Prodigal Son

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good listen

really enjoyed this book great setup for the series. going to get the next book right now

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Frankenstein

I love this series. I enjoy the characters all of them. They work together. Good against evil great read

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

At least they named the right villain

Dean Koontz didn't usually write series, or sequels. Just as well, as many of his books were horror stories with settings I didn't want to revisit.

That has changed. This entry is one example. Police procedurals generally have continuing protagonists (Detectives, CSIs, etc.), but once a case is solved, the antagonists are not seen again. Except for Professor Moriarty.

Horror series are different, and Frankenstein is one of the most famous villains in fiction, second only to Dracula.

From that point on, we have a divergence. Serial killers, Bond supervillains, and detective buddy teams abound, and the most unlikely (and obvious) superhero you'll ever meet.

I don't know if I'm sticking around for the rest of the series.

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Love this series

I thought this was such a cool modern take on a classic story and really enjoyed the whole series. The last 2 books are not as good imo but the first three just make the whole thing!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Be Prepared To Go On..

..or to give up seemingly mid-plot.
This take on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein mythos is most original. Dean Koontz continues the effort at making the "Monster" (now self-named 'Deucalion') empathetic - while abandoning Shelley's description of the doctor as a tragic figure. Koontz rather fashions the "Maker" as a megalomaniacal "mad-scientist" villain.. assembling an army of superior beings (The 'New Race') designed to usurp humanity (The 'Old Race') as the dominant species on the planet. Deucalion teams up with New Orleans homicide detectives to stop the plans of Victor Frankenstein (now renamed 'Victor Helios').
Meanwhile, multiple serial killers are preying on the city's population harvesting organs; one of Victor's New Race creations ('Randal-Six') - experimentally created autistic - yearns to find the cause of satisfaction; a disembodied head named 'Karloff' mentally commands a severed hand (reminiscent of 'Thing' on 'The Addams Family'); and Helios's latest created wife ('Erika-Four') is designed to cater to his sadistic urges, but is revolting against him.
Yes, it's ludicrous.. but this genuinely weird tale is very entertaining (Koontz's storytelling skills make the necessary suspension of disbelief surprisingly easy). The imaginative plot is "keep-you-guessing" sinuous, the dialogue is humorous & gritty, the descriptions are viscerally powerful, and the setting is immersive. By Chapter Four I was engrossed in this clever "What If.." take on a Classic tale.

Christopher Lane does a remarkable job reading this book - with commendable tone, timbre, cadence, and pacing. His greatest impact, however, is with superlative voice-acting: Louisiana accents are notoriously difficult to mimic, but Lane is spot-on.
Furthermore, Brilliance Audio does a creditable job softening his natural sibilance. Well Done from all perspectives.

The main drawback to this 9/10 star entry in a five-novel series is that 'Prodigal Son' has very little standalone merit. In fact, you need to read the first Three books to get any semblance of plot element resolution. This initial book ends almost without warning: as though the editors just said "Okay..Chapter Limit Reached. Stop. Put it in Book Two."
Beware: If you are caught up in the story arc, you will feel compelled to purchase the next books in the 'Frankenstein' series simply to see what happens next. Fortunately, that would be a good decision. This episode, for instance, is easily worth the Credit.

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Great writing. Plot was just ok but interesting.

As usual, wonderfully written. The humanity of the original Frankensteinwas exquisite. The only drawback is the subject matter and I should have known better. Now on to the next Koonztz book!!!

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