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Phantoms  By  cover art

Phantoms

By: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Buck Schirner
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Publisher's summary

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

Critic reviews

"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)

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What listeners say about Phantoms

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,582
  • 4 Stars
    1,384
  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Phantoms

This was a scary book, I hope they never make it into a movie. I love Dean Koontz stories, he always finishes them, nothing is left to guess at (whew!)

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

Except for a slow beginning - lots of time spent with characters hovering over dead bodies - the story is great. Good suspense, scary (& sort of plausible) idea.

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10 people found this helpful

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

I liked it.

I liked this, it was hard to turn off my ZEN to do work wanted to leave the book on. It was a little predictable but not by much. Enjoyed the way the "IT" was taken out, cool idea by the author.
The characters were well rounded and found myself getting to know them on a personal level and pictured them as they were described by the narrator who did a pretty good job of it.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

I believe that this is the best book that Mr. Koontz has ever written. You better hang on, it takes you for a ride.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A bad B Movie script

I thought this book started out being as frightening as anything I've read. However the further it got, the more it became like a really bad B SciFi movie. It even had the waving tentacles and goo. Unless you're into that sort of thing, don't waste your money on this one.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

A great read and a must have for Koontz collectors. On a side note, the narrator has a wonderfully deep voice, but he does have a mild lisp. You can't tell most of the time, but some lines are particularly challenging to him and you can tell.

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6 people found this helpful

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

Nothing tastes like lovin like something from...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! And I have. This is so much bigger and better than the movie. Excellent early D. Koontz.
This is one of my top five all time reads/listens. Sure it's a little dated and a little corny but it's so entertaining, imaginative, fast-paced and scary. You can't be a fan of Dean Koontz if you haven't read/listened to Phantoms.

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5 people found this helpful

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

Airport Paperback

A bit of dysfunctional family looking for a new start.
A bit of tortured middle aged protagonist.
A little bit of angsty teen.
A free educated insecure young woman.
The typical hoodwise Blackman (racist AF).
A lot of unremarkable redshirts.
An Asian sciency woman (another racist AF).
A typical educated old Englishman with remarkable insights (cliche much).
A boogieman (the only thing that keeps the story going).
A boring side story.
Cameo Biker Gang.
MIB.
Christian Satanic/Messianic Allegory.
Romance between middle aged protagonist and young woman (Barf).
Use some halfassed research about unrelated real life mass disappearances.
Set in a mountainous village in the middle of nowhere.

This all addsup to one...
Messy tale...
that builds up but never deliver.
Good if you are bored on an Airplane, bus, train or car...
Otherwise good material for burning or toilet paper.
Unless it's an audio book or ebook then delete and look for better horror/thriller elsewhere.

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4 people found this helpful

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

Couldn’t Finish

I hate to be cruel but I couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters. The narrator’s voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Especially for female characters.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Classic Koontz

One of his better books. And it was turned into a decent movie which is usually hit or miss in this genre, especially with the special effects. This book has likable characters and a strong plot. You feel trapped in the small town just like the other characters. There plight is scary and it kept me listening even though I’ve read this book several times before. If you haven’t read this, give it a chance. Koontz was at his writing prime when he wrote this. The narration and production fit the story well. Unfortunately, I really enjoy a Koontz or King novel, but lately I’ve had to reread their classics to get a fix. Their new novels are well written, but are either shallow repeats of their earlier works or are just shallow.

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3 people found this helpful