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    Breathless
    Breathless
    Breathless
    Audiobook8 hours

    Breathless

    Written by Dean Koontz

    Narrated by Jeff Cummings

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In the stillness of a golden September afternoon, deep in the wilderness of the Rockies, a solitary craftsman, Grady Adams, and his magnificent Irish wolfhound, Merlin, step from shadow into light…and into an encounter with enchantment. That night, through the trees, under the moon, a pair of singular animals will watch Grady’s isolated home, waiting to make their approach.

    A few miles away, Camillia Rivers, a local veterinarian, begins to unravel the threads of a puzzle that will bring to her door all the forces of a government in peril.

    At a nearby farm, long-estranged identical twins come together to begin a descent into darkness…. In Las Vegas, a specialist in chaos theory probes the boundaries of the unknowable…. On a Seattle golf course, two men make matter-of-fact arrangements for murder…. Along a highway by the sea, a vagrant scarred by the past begins a trek toward his destiny.

    In a novel that is at once wholly of our time and timeless, fearless and funny, Dean Koontz takes listeners into the moment between one turn of the world and the next, across the border between knowing and mystery. It is a journey that will leave all who take it Breathless.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 24, 2009
    ISBN9781423357070
    Breathless
    Author

    Dean Koontz

    Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No. 1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda and their dog Anna in southern California.

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    Reviews for Breathless

    3.5/5

    541 ratings47 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Did not really flow into each character as his stories usually do and left me with questions.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Although only mildly suspenseful and tense, it is definitely entertaining and uplifting. Very enjoyable read, a refreshing and welcome departure from the PC mold that frames most modern literature.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The gospel of Mr. Dean Koontz. I am one who has been reading and enjoying his words for a long time. Now the wonderful “heroes” and the “spiritual” aspects of these stories amaze me. Thank you for the great tales.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Grady Adams lives on his own in the Colorado mountains together with his massive Irish Wolfhound named Merlin and the book takes off when they come across a pair of animals Grady has never seen before. Grady asks his friend Cammy Rivers - a vet - to come and take a look, and she names the unique, gentle, inquisitive creatures Puzzle and Riddle, and it soon becomes apparent that these creatures will change the world.Meanwhile there are two sub plots taking place that eventually link up at the end to make for a great climax. I've said it before, but Koontz loves to write about dogs and animals and Breathless carries on this theme.There was a particularly good section of writing that made me laugh and is a good example of why I keep returning to Koontz. The excerpt comes from Page 216:"If Northcott's smile looked like a grimace, then his grimace was more like the expression of a man who found a live cockroach swimming in his soup at the very moment he broke a tooth on a ball bearing spooned from the same bowl."Classic! All in all, this was an easy read and highly recommended for animal lovers everywhere.
    • 3/5
      really liked this book up until the end; the ending was a let down
    • 1/5
      Oy… this narrator doesn’t fit the characters. While he isn’t monotone, there is no difference in how the characters are presented. I would have rather read this book… then again maybe not.. so disjointed.. and if it all ties together later.. I’ll never know.. I can’t make myself finish it.
    • 3/5
      Really like Koontz but this should be a short story.
    • 2/5
      It was a nice change of pace to have Koontz write about another kind of dog, besides his beloved goldens. I love this, the wolf hound, and the 2 main characters that were human. The story moved along at a quick pace, kept me interested even though there were a couple too many characters, until near the ending. Then things fell apart for me.
      I realize that all the characters end up connected in the story, but it seems to pat for me, how things were woven together. It's like Koontz ran out of steam near the end, and just threw something together. I would have loved it if his creatures were a little more fleshed out, and their escape a bit more interesting, or even harrowing (that was way too easy). One of the main character's past was glossed over, and things were left out of that story line. Another's was quite short, and missed most of his background as well, while his feelings & difficulties with his fight with alcoholism, & his reasons for self-maiming. Why did that one man give away all his gambling winnings?

      Too many lose ends for me, unanswered questions, characters never mentioned again, and an un-finished-feeling, easy ending. I certainly would not minded having to stick around for another hundred pages, while all of this was explained.

      1-30-15 - novel reread, accidentally. review still stands.
    • 3/5
      The beginning of the book did leave me breathless...I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. It gets a bit bogged down about half-way through when more characters are introduced.Puzzle and Riddle are interesting creatures for a suspense-thriller. It seems like they bring out the best in people as they focus on the good around them. It's too bad that they are mythical/magical creatures, I think we all need to see the good in our lives.
    • 2/5
      Read the blurb of my husband's copy, and decided to read the book. Shouldn't have. I expected some sciency SF, but it was just a thriller. And it wasn't all that thrilling - reading about all the different psychopaths was awful, imo. And the ending was totally unsatisfying. If he'd focused on the good guys, and saved the pages wasted on the bad guys for more discussion of science, it could have been pretty good. I can't bear to give it one star because the good guys were interesting, and I didn't hate it so much I put it down... 1.5 rounded to 2 stars.
    • 4/5
      In the Colorado Rockies, Grady Adams and his Irish wolfhound, Merlin, have just discovered two creatures unlike anything they've ever seen before. As they welcome these mysterious animals into their home, they soon discover that their arrival coincides with a wondrous event that will forever change their lives and millions of other all over the world.

      Breathless is a great story packed with suspense, great character development, and fantastic descriptions.

      Long time readers appreciate Koontz's ability to tell a good story and also touch the reader in a special way. Many of his stories are spiritual without being spiritual. That makes no sense at all, except it is true, at least for this reader.
    • 3/5
      Typical Koontz. All the animals are wonderful, the dogs never poop in the house, and mystical thinking works better than science. The last Koontz book I liked was Watchers and that still goes.
    • 3/5
      As I continue to read Mr. Koontz I can’t help but notice that he has mellowed with age. From the anger and terror of books like WHISPERS and COLD FIRE he now brings us books that have a reminiscent amount of the terror he imparted and other than that are rather heartwarming and uplifting. All I can say is hmmmmm? In this book two little white fluffy balls of fur are sent to earth to save humanity. It was a quick read that I enjoyed more than his last two publications.
    • 3/5
      Back in my mid-twenties I devoured Koontz novels like they were going out of style. I do still enjoy them once and awhile, but I found more enjoyment lately from the audio versions. Although this novel had a creepy murderer, as most of his books do, it did not seem to reach the level of intensity I expect from Koontz. Usually this intensity stems from the actions of a psychopath, so this novel offered a more relaxed tone.The book follows the narratives of several different characters. The various characters come from different parts of the country and various walks of life. Grady could not have imagined that his stumbling upon two magnificent creatures frolicking on his land would bring them all together. The appearance of the creatures creates a sea of change, but unfortunately, not everyone involved has good intentions.When Grady discovers the creatures he contacts his friend Camilla, who is also a veterinarian, to see if she knows anything about them. She is amazed by Grady's discovery, and after referring to a colleague, the government swoops in, trying to take control of the situation. Grady and Camilla fine themselves doing whatever is necessary to protect these two magnificent creatures.Cummings did a good job narrating, considering there were many characters he needed to bring to life for us. My biggest complaint with this novel was that there were too many characters to learn as new ones were even introduced within the last couple of discs. With themes of unexplained beings, conspiracy, and evil, you may enjoy this book as much or even more than I did. I recommend this book for personal leisure or for book clubs that enjoy reading books with an extra-terrestrial content.
    • 2/5


      This should have been a short story or novella. But, when there are millions of dollars at stake, that's what you get. Koontz can still sleep well, and what we get is a stretched out, weak novel. That doesn't mean I found it complete crap. Some ideas were intriguing. The theory against accepting evolution per se is wrong in the sense that many genome mutations take place at the same time, but the argument about keeping our minds open to any flaws of well-respected scientific theories is a good one. Even though not original or worth writing a book around it. It seems to me the whole theory came up later, to add on to this image of the unique creatures in the meadow. Definitely one of his weakest books. I'm sure he knows that.
    • 2/5
      It appears in this novel that Dean Koontz has had several ideas of stories that won't quite make an entire novel, but if he throws them all in together, well, he'll be able to tie them together, won't he just? Not exactly... There are four plots going on here. The actual, real plot involves an ex-war veteran and his dog discovering two animals in the woods. Animals, that sound rather a lot like sifaka lemurs (but they're not, they're something new, something extraordinary and very cute). They're appealing enough for me to draw them, actually... Anyway these creatures manage to bring together the ex-war vet and a genuine vet. But don't go expecting romance, cos you won't find any. So, these creatures then become known to Homeland Security and things start to turn to custard. It's a great idea for a plot, could have been expanded and turned into a real nail-biting thriller like the Koontz of old. But it's not. Three other stories are running alongside - a psychopath invading his twin brother's life, a man hired to kill a woman and child and a scarred beggar. None of these apparently have anything to do with the creatures and the eventual attempt at a tie-in will disappoint you. Koontz has some pretty stupid, sketchy science and a conclusion that will have you yawning. I'm not sure what's happened to his writing - his earlier books have kept me up into the wee small hours and although churned out at a rate of knots had amused me. This one... Well, I struggled to finish it. In fact I almost threw it down in disgust when I heard his explaination for the the creatures. What a cop-out.
    • 1/5
      The beginning of the story was really good. Elements of intrigue, suspense, and mystery. But, when the two mystery creatures became known, the story took a nosedive quickly towards corniness. If Koontz had kept the two creatures shrouded in mystery, I think the story would have been much better, keeping the reader engaged. Needless to say, I should have tried harder to stay with the book. But, after the mystery creatures were no longer a mystery, I felt as if I was reading a children's novel about two furry muppets.
    • 2/5
      This only just held my interest. A number of characters with strange experiences that all come together at the end. Although initially I liked the idea it seemed a little contrived with a rushed ending. The bad guys were too bad and the good guys too good.
    • 4/5
      Comfort food reading. Not a challenge, but I like the dog element.
    • 1/5
      If you read much Koontz, you get used to the outlandish situations and static, black and white characters that are either all good or all evil. And, if you're like me, you'll endure those hardships with a wry smile because occasionally Koontz manages to put together a pretty good story, at least.And then along comes Breathless. I haven't read much new Koontz in a long time, and why I decided to pick this one up is a minor story that doesn't have any bearing on the review. Needless to say, I decided to give it a go, and it brought the weight of all Koontz's terrible writing transgressions down upon me. So, with this travesty now safely in the rearview mirror, I bid farewell to reading anything by Koontz I haven't read before. I have a couple old standbys that I'll continue to re-read on occasion, but I won't waste time on anything else. I just can't take it anymore.(With the caveat, of course, that I may amend this decision if he ever gets around to finishing the Fear Nothing/Seize the Night trilogy, since I've already read the first two books anyway.)
    • 3/5
      This book is classic Dean Koontz with a strong male lead character and supernatural elements. I enjoy this style of writing, when the author has three or more stories developing and then combines them at the end so you can see how they all come together. Also, none of Koontz' over the top gore.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book along with most of the Dean Koontz books I have read. This was really good and I had trouble putting it down once I started. With the short chapters and seperated plot lines made for a real quick read. Great characters, very suspensfull, only compliant might be the ending was a little abrupt and for me left a few questions hanging that I would have liked to get answered.
    • 2/5
      Who wrote this?? I am a die-hard Koontz fan, and this is the first of his novels that I have read that didn’t “feel” like his.I love Koontz because his plots are plausible, always involving some kind of psychopath that is playing psychological mind games to terrify his victims. This book is not at all like that. I didn’t even find it particularly suspenseful. The book is more sci-fi than anything.The beginning of the book was very confusing with six different storylines. They do, in the end, come together but I found it hard keeping track of all the different people (one of the downsides to listening to audiobooks is that you can’t easily flip back and forth in the book). The main character, Grady Adams, is going out for a walk with his Irish Wolfhound, Merlin, and they spot two furry animals as large as dogs but as nimble as cats that aren’t like anything previously known to science. The sudden arrival of these creatures seems to be linked to other strange phenomena.I kept waiting for the “action” to occur, but it didn’t happen. I did not feel totally captivated by the story, as I usually do with Koontz. For me, this but was just “ok”. This is a more recent novel, although nothing like Velocity which was the latest Koontz novel I read in January which is much more like his earlier works.I hope that this is not the new Koontz! I’ll go back to reading his older novels.MY RATING: 2 stars (this is the lowest rating that I have ever given, and it saddens me to give it because I'm such a Koontz fan)
    • 2/5
      This story starts off well but then peters out toward the end of the book. I also felt like the book ended with too many unanswered questions. I am usually a Koontz fan but this one was a disappointment compared to the others I've read.
    • 2/5
      SOOOO disappointed. Im not sure this book was even written by Dean Koontz. Never in ALL of his books has he written dead ending character story lines such as this. The story doesnt even develop the characters enough to care what happens to them. The story line had potential, two animals, unlike anything ever seen on earth, encountered by a man and his dog. Add the tortured female veterinarian to the mix and I started to think, maybe a little romance brews, maybe they save the animals, discover their origin. But, yuck, no. There is a variety of seedy characters that would seem to have the potential to cause problems for the man and the vet chick, but instead they mostly peter out to randomness. Dont bother to read it, although if you are a rabid Koontz fan like myself, you will, and regret it like me.
    • 3/5
      Breathless by Dean KoontzReviewed by Moirae the FatesIn the stillness of a golden September afternoon, deep in the wilderness of the Rockies, a solitary craftsman, Grady Adams, and his magnificent Irish wolfhound Merlin step from shadow into light…and into an encounter with enchantment. That night, through the trees, under the moon, a pair of singular animals will watch Grady's isolated home, waiting to make their approach. A few miles away, Camillia Rivers, a local veterinarian, begins to unravel the threads of a puzzle that will bring all the forces of a government in peril to her door. At a nearby farm, long-estranged identical twins come together to begin a descent into darkness…In Las Vegas, a specialist in chaos theory probes the boundaries of the unknowable…On a Seattle golf course, two men make matter-of-fact arrangements for murder…Along a highway by the sea, a vagrant scarred by the past begins a trek toward his destiny…(Synopsis provided by goodreads)I am a huge fan of Koontz’s writing, however for me, this book wasn’t as good as some of the others. That is not to say it was bad. I wish we had more information about some of the characters and some of the stories. I found Camillia to be the most interesting of the characters and she and Grady’s story was the most interesting for me.The story about the twins was really creepy too creepy for me which is saying something.If you are thinking about picking up one of Koontz’s books for the first time, I would suggest something other then this one.Overall rating *** 3 out of 5 starsCover art The cover art didn’t wow me.Obtained My local library.
    • 4/5
      The introduction of a brand new species of animal changes not only the people who discover them, but the world. I enjoyed this book, as I do all Dean Koontz books but I would have like to see an ending that had more detail for the reason of the new animals and how the world was going to change.
    • 4/5
      A page turner for me, I enjoyed the characters and the suspense. HOWEVER, as I neared the end of the book with few remaining pages left, I wondered where the story would go. The ending is disappointing compared to the rest of the story.
    • 3/5
      Koontz is one of my favorite authors. During the read, I was excited with the complexity of the characters, the pace and the plot(s), and read the book straight through, just to be disappointed at the ending. It seemed a 'stretch' the way the characters were related, somewhat. Still worth the read.
    • 4/5
      I used to be a HUGE fan of Dean Koontz, but his novels this past decade have really disappointed me...until now. Breathless is a return to the Koontz of the early 90's that I know and love. Breathless incorporates a nice blend of mystery and thrills, philosophy, and wonderful characters. It asks questions and presents perspectives that truly causes readers to think. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. My only complaint is the abrupt way it ended. I just hope that this isn't an anomaly but a return of the real Koontz.