Saturday, January 2, 2010
Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son
11:46 PM | 
Posted by
JonG
Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson
Bantam Books: Feb 2005, paperback: 496 pages, $7.99
Introduction & Overview:
Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son is the first book in the Frankenstein trilogy by Dean Koontz. Dean Koontz's Frankenstein was originally written as a script for a television series on USA network. Martin Scorsese liked Koontz's script and signed on as executive producer. However, after a disagreement with a "hot young director" over major rewrites to the script, Koontz backed out and Scorsese shortly followed him. The other two books in the series are Frankenstein: City of Night and Frankenstein: Dead and Alive.
Deucalion is 6 foot tall, strongly built, with one side of his face ravaged by fire. He was living in a monastery in Tibet, preferring to avoid people. He harbored the capacity for homicidal murder and through the teachings of the Tibetan monks; he hoped to find inner peace. A messenger, who mutters "Yeti" when he sees Deucalion, delivers a mysterious letter addressed with several names. Upon seeing the reaction when Deucalion reads the letter, an old monk asks him if someone has died. Deucalion replies with "Worse. Someone is still alive." There have been a series of serial killings in New Orleans. Most of the corpses had varying body parts missing. A few of the corpses had organs missing. It was the latter that had caused Deucalion such concern. Not because of what the bodies were missing but because of what they had - extra organs. Deucalion immediately leaves for New Orleans, but not before the old monk tattoos Deucalion's face with a pattern of protection in dark blues, blacks, and greens.
New Orleans homicide detectives Carson O'Connor (the novels protagonist) and Michael Maddison are assigned to investigate the serial killings. O'Connor and Maddison are stymied when they discover that one of the bodies had two hearts. O'Connor's world is shattered when she meets Deucalion and discovers the unnatural mysteries wrapped around Deucalion and a prominent member of the community named Victor Helios. Deucalion tells her that he is two centuries old, made from the body parts of dead men, and brought to life with lightning. That he is, in fact, the Frankenstein monster. He then reveals that the true identity of Victor Helios is Victor Frankenstein. Following Deucalion's shocking revelations, O'Connor and Maddison embark upon a harrowing trail, eventually leading to a confrontation with one of Helios' "New Race".
In a sub-plot, Randal Six is an eighteen-year-old member of the "New Race" who Helios purposely designed with autism. Randal Six saw a picture of a twelve-year-old boy who had autism. The boy was Arnie O'Connor, son of Carson O'Connor. In the picture Arnie was averting his gaze, but he was smiling. Randal Six is determined to conquer his fear of the outside world in order to find Arnie. He is convinced that within Arnie is the secret to happiness.
Comments:
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was used as a springboard for this modern tale. I was, therefore, interested in reading this novel to see what Dean Koontz did with the Frankenstein mythos. I was glad to find that some of the things I liked about Shelley's Frankenstein are also present in this novel - basically the monster vs. human theme. I liked the way that the authors took Shelley's Monster and, over the passage of time, allowed him to grow into a human. Deucalion shows true remorse for his murderous past and an equally true caring for humanity, which he is attempting to do by thwarting Helios' ominous plan. I also liked the transformation of Shelly's Victor Frankenstein from a man, to a figurative monster who is only concerned with building a "New Race" with deliberate animosity for the human race. This human vs. monster dichotomy extends throughout the sub-plots. Randal Six as well as others of the "New Race" struggle against Helios' programming to find the meaning of happiness. Because of the previously mentioned reasons, I feel Koontz made the Frankenstein mythos work to create an enjoyable read.
I also liked Koontz's strong characters. I sympathized with Deucalion over the agonies of his past and grew to care about him for what he has become. I grew to dislike Helios for his total disregard for humanity. The interplay between detectives O'Connor and Maddison, often comical and laced with unspoken romantic tension, made both characters seem very real.
Koontz also portrayed Arnie and Randal Six's struggle to find their way among the autism that holds them captive to be very accurate. As someone who works in the field of human services, I found Koontz willingness to address the issues of autism very refreshing.
Koontz's chapters are short and move between different characters perspectives, thus keeping the pace fast and the story line moving. The novel ends with a cliffhanger involving Randal Six and Arnie that is definitely designed to hook you into the second book. I give this book a B+.
Bantam Books: Feb 2005, paperback: 496 pages, $7.99
Introduction & Overview:
Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son is the first book in the Frankenstein trilogy by Dean Koontz. Dean Koontz's Frankenstein was originally written as a script for a television series on USA network. Martin Scorsese liked Koontz's script and signed on as executive producer. However, after a disagreement with a "hot young director" over major rewrites to the script, Koontz backed out and Scorsese shortly followed him. The other two books in the series are Frankenstein: City of Night and Frankenstein: Dead and Alive.
Deucalion is 6 foot tall, strongly built, with one side of his face ravaged by fire. He was living in a monastery in Tibet, preferring to avoid people. He harbored the capacity for homicidal murder and through the teachings of the Tibetan monks; he hoped to find inner peace. A messenger, who mutters "Yeti" when he sees Deucalion, delivers a mysterious letter addressed with several names. Upon seeing the reaction when Deucalion reads the letter, an old monk asks him if someone has died. Deucalion replies with "Worse. Someone is still alive." There have been a series of serial killings in New Orleans. Most of the corpses had varying body parts missing. A few of the corpses had organs missing. It was the latter that had caused Deucalion such concern. Not because of what the bodies were missing but because of what they had - extra organs. Deucalion immediately leaves for New Orleans, but not before the old monk tattoos Deucalion's face with a pattern of protection in dark blues, blacks, and greens.
New Orleans homicide detectives Carson O'Connor (the novels protagonist) and Michael Maddison are assigned to investigate the serial killings. O'Connor and Maddison are stymied when they discover that one of the bodies had two hearts. O'Connor's world is shattered when she meets Deucalion and discovers the unnatural mysteries wrapped around Deucalion and a prominent member of the community named Victor Helios. Deucalion tells her that he is two centuries old, made from the body parts of dead men, and brought to life with lightning. That he is, in fact, the Frankenstein monster. He then reveals that the true identity of Victor Helios is Victor Frankenstein. Following Deucalion's shocking revelations, O'Connor and Maddison embark upon a harrowing trail, eventually leading to a confrontation with one of Helios' "New Race".
In a sub-plot, Randal Six is an eighteen-year-old member of the "New Race" who Helios purposely designed with autism. Randal Six saw a picture of a twelve-year-old boy who had autism. The boy was Arnie O'Connor, son of Carson O'Connor. In the picture Arnie was averting his gaze, but he was smiling. Randal Six is determined to conquer his fear of the outside world in order to find Arnie. He is convinced that within Arnie is the secret to happiness.
Comments:
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was used as a springboard for this modern tale. I was, therefore, interested in reading this novel to see what Dean Koontz did with the Frankenstein mythos. I was glad to find that some of the things I liked about Shelley's Frankenstein are also present in this novel - basically the monster vs. human theme. I liked the way that the authors took Shelley's Monster and, over the passage of time, allowed him to grow into a human. Deucalion shows true remorse for his murderous past and an equally true caring for humanity, which he is attempting to do by thwarting Helios' ominous plan. I also liked the transformation of Shelly's Victor Frankenstein from a man, to a figurative monster who is only concerned with building a "New Race" with deliberate animosity for the human race. This human vs. monster dichotomy extends throughout the sub-plots. Randal Six as well as others of the "New Race" struggle against Helios' programming to find the meaning of happiness. Because of the previously mentioned reasons, I feel Koontz made the Frankenstein mythos work to create an enjoyable read.
I also liked Koontz's strong characters. I sympathized with Deucalion over the agonies of his past and grew to care about him for what he has become. I grew to dislike Helios for his total disregard for humanity. The interplay between detectives O'Connor and Maddison, often comical and laced with unspoken romantic tension, made both characters seem very real.
Koontz also portrayed Arnie and Randal Six's struggle to find their way among the autism that holds them captive to be very accurate. As someone who works in the field of human services, I found Koontz willingness to address the issues of autism very refreshing.
Koontz's chapters are short and move between different characters perspectives, thus keeping the pace fast and the story line moving. The novel ends with a cliffhanger involving Randal Six and Arnie that is definitely designed to hook you into the second book. I give this book a B+.
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks, Vintage, $7.99, Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages, July 2006
Introduction & Overview:
The Traveler is the First novel in a trilogy called The Fourth Realm by Author John Twelve Hawks. As the novel begins, Travelers were believed be extinct and Harlequins, who were few in number, were thought of as an unnecessary and wanted presence.
Maya was raised from early childhood by her father Thorn, to be a Harlequin. A Harlequin is a trained bodyguard whose sole purpose is to protect the lives of Travelers at all cost and without concern for themselves. They operate very much in the tradition of the Samurai down to their devotion to duty and the sword carried in a tube around the shoulder. Maya rejects her Harlequin upbringing, preferring to live a "normal" life.
Gabriel and Michael Corrigan, unknown to themselves, are Travelers. A Traveler is able to leave their body and travel to alternative realms. There are six 'realms' or "parallel worlds' styled after the six realms of Buddhist teaching (gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, hell). i In the novel, the realms are real places coexisting in the universe. The realm we live in is the fourth, the human realm. Because they have traveled to different worlds, Travelers tended to see things from a different prospective and were thought of as prophets or shamans by many people.
Linden, a French Harlequin, cajoles Maya into finding the Corrigan brothers and ascertaining whether or not they are able to traverse the realms. To help the Corrigan brothers develop their 'gift', Maya needs to enlist the aid of a Pathfinder. A Pathfinder is a special kind of teacher who usually has had spiritual training. They show Travelers how to cross over into the different realms using one of the 99 paths.
The Tabula are a group devoted to order. They base their principles on the works of the philosopher Jeremy Benthan and his Panopticon, which basically states that all actions should lead to the overall unity of mankind. ii They believe "You don't need to watch everyone if everyone believes they are being watched". The Tabula developed the Vast Machine to help accomplish this goal. The Vast Machine's main component is a Quantum Computer that enables the Tabula to watch over humanity and the world. Travelers and Pathfinders, along with their proctor Harlequins, spend their lives living "off the Grid" to avoid detection by the Tabula's Vast Machine. The Tabula believe the teachings of the Travelers are a danger to humanity and world order, thus they are determined to exterminate the Travelers.
As the plot proceeds, Maya must find the Corrigan brothers, get them to understand the meaning of being a Traveler, and find a Pathfinder to help them cross over into the six realms. Maya must accomplish her mission before the Tabula find the Corrigan brothers and use them for their own goals.
Comments:
I interpret this novel as a social/political morality play, written in a science fiction/fantasy genre style. John Twelve Hawks presents large concepts about these issues: the erosion of personal freedoms, surveillance, the loss of privacy and government control/double talk. These issues appear to me to be relevant to our times, but to others they may appear as rhetoric. There are elements of spirituality (not necessarily religious) overtones dispersed throughout the story line, but I didn't find them to be overwhelming. One of the science concepts that I found interesting was the Tabula's Quantum Computer. The quantum computer used subatomic particles suspended in an energy field to radically expand its computing power.iii
I think people will either like this book or hate it. Some may feel it contains scare tactics and/or new age dribble. As you may be able to tell by the number of links I included, this book brought out my curiosity and made me think. His characterization is good, as is his pacing. I enjoyed the thought and detail put in to the story line and it kept my interest throughout. "I can acknowledge that The Fourth Realm combines science fiction, fantasy and thriller genres within a dystopian framework. I hope that science fiction fans will think - "hey, this isn't exactly what I'm used to, but I enjoyed reading it." - John Twelve Hawk. iv When all's said and done, this isn't exactingly what I'm use to, but I enjoyed reading it. I'll give it a B+.
[i] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_realms
[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham
[iii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer
[iv] http://www.sffworld.com/mul/146p1.html
Introduction & Overview:
The Traveler is the First novel in a trilogy called The Fourth Realm by Author John Twelve Hawks. As the novel begins, Travelers were believed be extinct and Harlequins, who were few in number, were thought of as an unnecessary and wanted presence.
Maya was raised from early childhood by her father Thorn, to be a Harlequin. A Harlequin is a trained bodyguard whose sole purpose is to protect the lives of Travelers at all cost and without concern for themselves. They operate very much in the tradition of the Samurai down to their devotion to duty and the sword carried in a tube around the shoulder. Maya rejects her Harlequin upbringing, preferring to live a "normal" life.
Gabriel and Michael Corrigan, unknown to themselves, are Travelers. A Traveler is able to leave their body and travel to alternative realms. There are six 'realms' or "parallel worlds' styled after the six realms of Buddhist teaching (gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, hell). i In the novel, the realms are real places coexisting in the universe. The realm we live in is the fourth, the human realm. Because they have traveled to different worlds, Travelers tended to see things from a different prospective and were thought of as prophets or shamans by many people.
Linden, a French Harlequin, cajoles Maya into finding the Corrigan brothers and ascertaining whether or not they are able to traverse the realms. To help the Corrigan brothers develop their 'gift', Maya needs to enlist the aid of a Pathfinder. A Pathfinder is a special kind of teacher who usually has had spiritual training. They show Travelers how to cross over into the different realms using one of the 99 paths.
The Tabula are a group devoted to order. They base their principles on the works of the philosopher Jeremy Benthan and his Panopticon, which basically states that all actions should lead to the overall unity of mankind. ii They believe "You don't need to watch everyone if everyone believes they are being watched". The Tabula developed the Vast Machine to help accomplish this goal. The Vast Machine's main component is a Quantum Computer that enables the Tabula to watch over humanity and the world. Travelers and Pathfinders, along with their proctor Harlequins, spend their lives living "off the Grid" to avoid detection by the Tabula's Vast Machine. The Tabula believe the teachings of the Travelers are a danger to humanity and world order, thus they are determined to exterminate the Travelers.
As the plot proceeds, Maya must find the Corrigan brothers, get them to understand the meaning of being a Traveler, and find a Pathfinder to help them cross over into the six realms. Maya must accomplish her mission before the Tabula find the Corrigan brothers and use them for their own goals.
Comments:
I interpret this novel as a social/political morality play, written in a science fiction/fantasy genre style. John Twelve Hawks presents large concepts about these issues: the erosion of personal freedoms, surveillance, the loss of privacy and government control/double talk. These issues appear to me to be relevant to our times, but to others they may appear as rhetoric. There are elements of spirituality (not necessarily religious) overtones dispersed throughout the story line, but I didn't find them to be overwhelming. One of the science concepts that I found interesting was the Tabula's Quantum Computer. The quantum computer used subatomic particles suspended in an energy field to radically expand its computing power.iii
I think people will either like this book or hate it. Some may feel it contains scare tactics and/or new age dribble. As you may be able to tell by the number of links I included, this book brought out my curiosity and made me think. His characterization is good, as is his pacing. I enjoyed the thought and detail put in to the story line and it kept my interest throughout. "I can acknowledge that The Fourth Realm combines science fiction, fantasy and thriller genres within a dystopian framework. I hope that science fiction fans will think - "hey, this isn't exactly what I'm used to, but I enjoyed reading it." - John Twelve Hawk. iv When all's said and done, this isn't exactingly what I'm use to, but I enjoyed reading it. I'll give it a B+.
About the author:
John Twelve Hawk (JXIIH) claims to live "off the Grid" like the characters in his book. However, little is actually known about him. Many people speculate about his identity and rumors abound. One, for instance, is that John Twelve Hawk is a pseudonym of one of the authors at Doubleday. Other guesses range from J. K. Rowling to Stephen Hawkins. On his website (at Random House/Doubleday) he claims "I am currently living in a cottage in rural Ireland. There are no CCTV cameras for miles around. I don't have a phone or regular access to the Internet." v I don't know the truth about the controversy. Personally I prefer "off the Grid" but suspect the pseudonym is the truth.
[v] http://www.randomhouse.com/features/johntwelvehawks/
John Twelve Hawk (JXIIH) claims to live "off the Grid" like the characters in his book. However, little is actually known about him. Many people speculate about his identity and rumors abound. One, for instance, is that John Twelve Hawk is a pseudonym of one of the authors at Doubleday. Other guesses range from J. K. Rowling to Stephen Hawkins. On his website (at Random House/Doubleday) he claims "I am currently living in a cottage in rural Ireland. There are no CCTV cameras for miles around. I don't have a phone or regular access to the Internet." v I don't know the truth about the controversy. Personally I prefer "off the Grid" but suspect the pseudonym is the truth.
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