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Dylan O'Connor and his autistic brother, Shepherd, check into a hotel on their way to one of Dylan's art shows. A seemingly mad doctor randomly picks him --- or so it appears to be --- injects him with some "stuff" and warns him about a group of diabolical folks who will hunt him down to destroy the doctor's "life's work". The "stuff" has some fascinating effects, which are "without exception interesting, frequently astonishing and sometimes positive."
Another hotel guest, Jillian Jackson, a standup comedian with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, falls victim to the same insane doctor and the trio hooks up out of necessity. Shortly thereafter, the evil doctor dies in a ball of flame by the hand of the very hunters he warned them about. A wild series of chase scenes spans the following 24 hours, with some skin of your teeth escapes, fingernail chewing scenes and a few pages best read with one eye closed.
It is a classic good versus evil story, with flashbacks to a time when Dylan and Shepherd were younger, a time when Shepherd's autism was cemented. Dylan makes some astonishing discoveries about his brother and his feelings for him. While the brothers are enmeshed in their revelations, Jillian has her own demons to deal with. Despite the immediate problem of staying ahead of their pursuers, the three aid each other in tackling the weighty issues of their pasts, plus look to their somewhat questionable futures. The psychotropic drug alters their lives forever and they become a weird variation of American superheroes.
It had been a while since I read a Koontz book. If I had any criticism about this one, it would be that he seemed to take more care with his earlier writing. That, or my reading palate has matured. I'm certainly not saying BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON isn't worthy of your time. The story is highly intriguing and moves along at a good clip. And, as usual, the author rounds out his characters with rich personal details. He endows them with believable flaws that make them more charming. Nevertheless, I tend to agree with a fellow who commented on one of Koontz's recent novels when he said that the author must be getting paid by the word. He felt that it was a pretty good 250 to 300-page thriller but, unfortunately, it had taken him 600 pages to write it. BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON clocks in at a few pages over 400 and I reiterate that he pens an engrossing tale. He just might have done it quicker. However, since the sole purpose of the book is to entertain, why grouse about a few extra pages?
As I said, BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON is a worthy read, despite its stretched length. Koontz fans will gobble this one up. Old-time fans, like me, though, may prefer the days when he was struggling to entertain his reader, not to please his publisher.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
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