77 Shadow Street

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Enter the world of the Pendleton: The original owner became a recluse - and was rumored to be more than half mad - after his wife and two children were kidnapped in 1896 and never found. The second owner suffered a worse tragedy in 1935, when his house manager murdered him, his family, and the entire live-in staff....

Craftsmen and laborers working on renovations disappear or go mad....

For years, the Pendleton is a happy place, until a bad turn comes again....

Voices in unknown languages are heard in deserted rooms, everywhere and nowhere....

Disturbing shadows move along walls but have no source....

Images on security monitors show strange places that exist nowhere in the building or its grounds....

A young boy talks of an imaginary playmate - who turns out to be terrifyingly real....

A figure like a man but clearly inhuman is glimpsed in the courtyard gardens at night and in other locales, perhaps a hoaxer of some kind, seemingly oblivious of those who see it - until it suddenly takes an interest in one of them....

©2011 Dean Koontz (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

There are no dogs to save you this time!

Dean Koontz spins a horror story that does not require a dog to save the world!

The poor (well, not too poor) residents of an old building encounter odd goings on. Are they hallucinating when the building appears to change? Have alien beings descended? Are those other-worldly ghosts or tricks of the mind?

77 Shadow Street is a book for the masses and will likely shovel in quite a few new Koontz readers. The book seems reminiscent of another Koontz titled The Taking but it is certainly not a re-hash. Sadly though, I kept comparing 77 Shadow to The Taking and it started getting on my nerves because so many strange things happen in this book that were just enough alike for me to keep doing a comparison.

Likely Koontz wanted people to be more scared and unnerved by the goings-on in the building and while I did get that eery claustrophobic feeling a few times it did not scare me as much as I would have liked.

Peter Berkrot read for the audiobook and was not the right choice as he did not bring that sense of forboding required to bring 77 Shadow Street to life. This is one of those books where I wonder "If I read it would I like it more?". Likely I would have liked it more but it's too late now.

If you are a Dean Koontz fan, you will like it. It has all the trimmings with unique characters, some fun evil people, a fast-paced storyline and a very unique plot. Trixie fans will still like the book with the lack of dogs since the cats are naturally quite evil, proving Labrador Retrievers are still the best companion when all hell is breaking loose.

-Bill

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

hit or miss

Would you listen to 77 Shadow Street again? Why?

As with most Dean Koontz books they are hit or miss this is a hit, not a 5 star but a solid 3 plus so i gave it a 4, some parts are pretty funny, in that D.K sort of way.

What other book might you compare 77 Shadow Street to and why?

sort of like the Langoliers by s. King

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan you will like the book,

29 of 32 people found this review helpful

Not his best work

I'm admittedly, a huge Koontz fan, readily downloading his latest books as soon as they're available. 77 Shadow Street, however, fails to live up to his normal edge of your seat style. There are far too many characters, a strange scientific twist that's all too reminiscent of Michael Crichton's "Prey" and in the end, the book labors over description with far too much detail.

Sure, it's got some great lines and the normal Koontz morality about good and evil. Sadly missing was a canine protagonist. All in all, fairly disappointing. Sorry Dean!

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

WONDERFUL

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

Yes, but then I like everything Dean Koontz does. Most his books have such twists I can't figure them out, until near the end, if then.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, the twists and turns kept me coming back for more, even after I had to put it down for a while

Which scene was your favorite?

No really favorite, liked it all.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but was unable, not enough time.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Disappointing for Koontz Fans

I was disappointed. I usually rave about Dean Koontz but this book didn’t “do it” for me. It was okay. It’s worth listening to as long as you don’t have the expectation that it will be as good as some of Koontz’s previous books.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book is great for the hyperactive. It will bore them into a coma

Would you ever listen to anything by Dean Koontz again?

Will wait for a review from other listeners.

How could the performance have been better?

As the reader progressed in the story I could pick up his boredom with the story. Just a bad performance.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from 77 Shadow Street?

If I were the editor and Mr Koontz I would buy every print copy of 77 Shadow St and have them recycled into a better purpose. Toilet Paper

Any additional comments?

Character development and Sterotypes are better in a game of Clue than in this book. A complete and total waste.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Dean Koontz - 77 Shadow St.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A story that could make you shiver.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dean Koontz again?

Definitely.

What didn’t you like about Peter Berkrot’s performance?

There was no problem with his performance. The problem lies with the story.

What character would you cut from 77 Shadow Street?

The One,

Any additional comments?

How many times can mold, mildew, fungi be described before the only emotion left is one of repulsion. It's hard to believe that anyone would find this story remotely scary. Dean Koontz should stick to wraiths and the spiritual realm rather than depicting monsters and ghouls. The only redeeming features are the experience through a child's eyes and the final chapter with its benign insanity.

14 of 16 people found this review helpful

one of the worst I have ever read

Would you try another book from Dean Koontz and/or Peter Berkrot?

I will try another book by Dean Koontz. I have read all his previous ones

What could Dean Koontz have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He could have at least tried to follow some kind of a story line

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Berkrot?

Dick Hill

What character would you cut from 77 Shadow Street?

I would cut nearly all of them because they added nothing to the storyline.

Any additional comments?

The best I can tell this is totally worthless. I can hardly believe Dean Koontz even wrote this!!

17 of 20 people found this review helpful

I wasted my credit

What disappointed you about 77 Shadow Street?

The story just goes on and on about the same thing with a number of characters - I just wanted to go

Has 77 Shadow Street turned you off from other books in this genre?

I've been a Dean Koontz fan for years but it seems this story was something he threw together just because his editors told him it was time for another book.

29 of 36 people found this review helpful

Bad and boring!

What would have made 77 Shadow Street better?

This book was so boring that I could not finish it. Usually, Koontz's books, although not amazing books (except for a few select titles), are still fun to read and often really funny. Not this one. After about two hours, I decided that I have beeter things to do with my limited time. Disappointing!

17 of 21 people found this review helpful

Bit boring really

Have you seen that Family Guy episode when they make fun of S King and D Koontz, saying they'll make a story out of anything? That's what this was like. Haunted house, check, kid with problems, check, future of world depends on ex-military/navy seal, check, the end.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Detailed but a poor read

I usually enjoy Dean Koontz, but his most recent books have failed to hit the mark for me. I'm not sure whether he has found God in recent years but this book would certainly suggest so. Very preachy, not nearly has disturbing as early novels.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

awful !!

I love Dean Koontz but this is awful hate the narrator, story really hard to follow sound quality really poor very very disappointed want my credt back !

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I agree with Sarah, BORING

I found this book uninteresting and somehow predictable. I would save the narrator, however, who is very good.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lost its way

I enjoy koontz books and i have read most of his work . I was disapointed in this story . I felt the plot became very complicated and over discriptive . It lost a lot of the suspence by jumping from character to character.

over all if you like the syfi koontz then this is for you ..

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Mmmm

Had some good ideas but not quitre up to his normal standards. Performance was good but not amazing.

Mediocre.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes as I was sewing whilst listening - had I just been listening I'd have said no!!

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The little autistic girl. The fact it only had one setting.

What does Peter Berkrot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He reads it so I can do other things at the same time!!

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Another book where I got to the end and thought "is that it?!!"

Not a patch on my favourite Dean Koontz (Watchers).

this is a must

Excellent, a little confusing in parts, but just great to listen to and wish it to go on...

1 of 2 people found this review helpful