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Phantoms

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Phantoms

Written by: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Buck Schirner
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About this listen

Closer...
They found the town silent, apparently abandoned. Then they found the first body strangely swollen and still warm. One hundred fifty were dead, 350 missing. But the terror had only begun in the tiny mountain town of Snowfield, California.

...and closer...
At first, they thought it was the work of a maniac. Or terrorists. Or toxic contamination. Or a bizarre new disease.

...and closer...
But then they found the truth. And they saw it in the flesh. And it was worse than anything any of them had ever imagined.

©2008 Dean Koontz (P)2008 Brilliance Audio
Crime Fiction Horror Suspense Thriller Scary Fiction
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What the critics say

"First-rate suspense, scary and stylish." ( Los Angeles Times)
"Schirner's pacing and pitch respond to the story's context, and his characterizations of female characters are impressive." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Phantoms

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing

this book was well written and the voice was perfect. I listen at 1.75x.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

This book is not one of Mr. Koontz's better works.


This book falls way short of Mr. Koontz regular quality of writing.
I couldn't get beyond some unrealistic
characters. Teenager speaking with a maturity and life wisdom of a 50 year-old therapist.. Any teenager finding themselves in a situation like that would have a compete mental breakdown, not walking down memory lane with an older sister who she doesn't know from Adam.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good premise, mixed delivery

Overall a great premise with interesting concepts. The delivery was more mixed. On one hand, the action and horror elements are well done and genuinely creepy/intense. On the other, the dialogue and overall style are heavy on exposition, hand-holding the reader where a much more subtle approach and allowing the reader to fill in the gaps would have felt more natural and less patronizing.
Overall: good horror/tension, pulpy dialogue and excessive exposition. Would recommend for a light read (for adults), or a horrifying read for late teens/early 20’s young adults.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not as creepy as I was hoping for

But it had its moments. Wasn't as much gore as there was at the beginning ether.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

awesome book!

Awesome novel. Awesome narration! I highly recommend listening to this book, just not at night time as some parts scared me and I had odd scary dreams...but that is how deep I was into this book!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

First ⅓ Brilliant..

..but 'Phantoms' eventually descends into the hard-to-swallow.
I never saw the film treatment.. but after listening to this story honestly don't have any desire to seek it out. The story starts with a legitimately captivating discovery of a small California town that "disappeared" - 500 residents - and their pets - either completely gone or found blackened and dead (or posed provocatively/chopped into pieces). It reminded me favorably of Michael Crichton's 'The Andromeda Strain', John Carpenter's version of 'The Thing', and short stories by Richard Matheson and Stephen King.
As he introduces them, Dean Koontz's characters are interesting/relatable, his plot is well-structured and well-paced, and his descriptions are gut-punch affecting.
Unfortunately, when he starts developing the Lovecraftian cause of his fantastical scenario, the book falls apart. The revelations about 'The Ancient Enemy' (that it shapeshifts into animals, preserves it's victims from decomposition, and eventually sheds absorbed bullets/eaten jewelry like drops of sweat, for example) get too clever by half. The Metaphysical also starts to overwhelm the Action. Koontz probably should have shelved the book after Chapter 17 and come back later to finish it.

Contributing to my overall rating of the audiobook as "passable" is distinctly average narration: Buck Schirner is consummately professional and his voice-acting is outstanding.. but a fairly uninterested tone and plodding pace render the performance unspectacular (setting playback speed at 1.15X improved the experience somewhat).

Altogether, this is a 7.5/10 star recording. I bought it as part of a BOGO sale.. but your Credit is well-spent if they ask you for it. Just be aware that there are better options available for those looking for a paranormal-fed suspense story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Way too long....

I enjoyed this story and audio performance but the book was way too long. I think it could have been culled a bit and the overall story would not have suffered.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not one of his best.

Phantoms is an okay novel, although I am of the opinion that Dean Koontz has written more intriguing books. As for the narration, Buck Schirrier is perfect for voice-overs but not for relaying fiction to listeners since his voice is extremely baritone with little inflection. In any event, if you enjoy Koontz you may get more out of Phantoms than I did. #Audible1..

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Read

I bought this in movie form years ago and really enjoyed it. I'd always heard the book was better and its definitely true. My only note not really complaint is the narrator has a fairly one tone voice making his work to create a voice for each character a bit one note but he gets to job done fairly well.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazed as always

Love this book. He never disappoints his readers. I always look forward to books I've not yet heard from Dean

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