Breathless

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Jeffrey Cummings

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Grady Adams lives a simple, solitary life deep in the Colorado mountains. Here the 35-year-old carpenter works out of a converted barn, crafting exquisite one-of-a-kind furniture. There's little about this strong yet gentle man to suggest the experiences that have alienated him from the contemporary world. But that is about to change.

One day, while hiking, Grady spots a pair of stunningly beautiful furred animals unlike anything he's ever seen. They flee the instant they detect his presence, but the mystery of that brief encounter remains. In the days ahead, Grady will approach the creatures again, gaining their trust but coming no closer to solving their mystery. For this he enlists the help of an old friend, veterinarian Camellia "Cammy" Rivers, who, in turn, is stunned - and enchanted - by Grady's new "pets." But while Grady and Cammy carefully observe these enigmatic animals for clues to their origin, they, too, are being watched.

Soon Grady's home and hundreds of square miles of surrounding wilderness will be placed under quarantine by Homeland Security. And Grady, Cammy, and the two creatures they've come to feel they must protect at all costs find themselves virtual prisoners - and the unwilling focus of an army of biologists, naturalists, and research scientists. But it's a stunning event no one could have foreseen that convinces Grady and Cammy to do the unthinkable: to escape with the two creatures on a riveting race for freedom.

Don't miss the chance to chat with Dean Koontz! Join us on December 17 at 7 pm (ET) for Audible Live on Facebook. During a live video chat, Dean Koontz will be taking your questions and comments about Breathless, his other books, and much, much, more. Learn More and RSVP

©2009 Dean Koontz (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Critic reviews

"Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition." ( USA Today)
"Koontz is at the top of his game...both a great storyteller and a novelist of ideas...one of the most important novelists writing today." ( National Review)

awful

I love the Odd Thomas books and most of the Koontz books, I have read them all, but this one was a total waste of time. A clear statement of denial of evolution shows a disregard of the intelligence of his audience. worst Koontz book ever save your money. wish I could give a minus star

Creationist Drival

Only Koontz could have gotten this train wreck published. It is very clear that the author was only half way through writing this book and then decided to quit - and that's the good news. The bad news is that he wrote the first half. You have been warned.

Dumbest book i have ever read

This was like some kind of Dr. Seuss on a horror trip. The plot was goofy as if it was all thrown together in a hurry.Dont waste a credit on this. Mr. Koonts how about another Odd Thomas

A Total Waste of 8hrs and a Credit

Up to this point I have read all that Koontz has written. No longer. The only thing I got out of this book was a promise to myself to read the reviews and not buy a book just based on who wrote it. It is hard to believe the same person who wrote Watchers and the Odd series came out with this garbage.

Writer's block?

I can't believe what a terrible ending to a strange story. I've been a Koontz fan for years and this was by far the worst book he's ever written. It's like maybe the deadline came up and he just scratched out a couple of pages to close it out....or writer's block. Who knows, but I will definately be more cautious when purchasing a Koontz book in the future.

This was Dean Koontz?!

I love DK and kept putting off listening to this particular book due to the many negative reviews. I decided to go ahead and listen and realized the negative reviews were spot on. There are so many unanswered questions and many tangled threads that just don’t make sense and never quite seem to go together. It could have been so much better but just missed the mark.

Readers beware - propaganda alert

Did a religious group pay Koontz to crank out this bit of propaganda? What little plot there is wobbles atop one misunderstanding (or outright lie, maybe?) after another until it collapses completely near the end. Koontz has no business writing about science or theology - his perception is so flawed and biased that I'm tempted to start sending him textbooks. Get thee an education, mister. Won't bother reader another DK, that's for sure.

Not so good

I expect more from Dean Koontz. This story was very disjointed, hard to follow sometimes, sometimes fairly interesting but in the end, a total waste of 8 hours. The ending was very disappointing - it didn't tie the story together to make sense.

ugh

I have noticed a trend here; all of his books are becoming more and more religious. i would argue that this particular book belongs in the christian subcatagory, not the thriller. In this one, he is practically shoving Intelligent Design down his readers throats, though i've noticed the last few books the religious them has taken center stage, and the rest of the story is a poor second best.
i read and listen to books because i want to hear/ see the story, not to get preached at over and over again.
if your a hard core christian and beleive in things like intelligent design then you will probably like it. if you believe in logic more than blind faith than you'll get very tired of it before the end.
i really disliked it, wish i could get my money back.
i have been a fan for over 15 years but there comes a time where you just have to say "thats it," and this is mine. i wont be buying any more of his books.

Breathless and sleepy

Listening to this book near put me to sleep.The narration was the same tone all the time.I was waiting for something exciting to happen but it never did.