dragonfire88's Full Review: Kevin J. Anderson and Kevin J. Anderson - Prodigal...
The story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the monster he created has been told many times since Mary Shelly’s book was first published. I’ve never read the book, but I have seen some of the movies, so I know the general story. Dr. Frankenstein and his monster even turned up in the 2004 movie Van Helsing. In January of 2005, a new book that dealt with Dr. Frankenstein and his monster was released. Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son was a very interesting addition to the story.
Carson O’Connor and Michael Maddison were detectives on the New Orleans police force. They had been partners for a while. They were working on a case that involved a series of strange murders. There were male and female victims, but there were some similarities, making Carson and Michael believe all the murders were committed by the same person. Two other detectives kept trying to but in on the investigation. Carson and Michael had very little to go on, but they were determined to solve the case.
Deucalion had been living in a monastery when he received a letter from an old friend. There was a picture of a prominent man in the letter that sent him traveling to New Orleans. Deucalion had thought that the man calling himself Victor Helios had died years ago. Deucalion had been created more than 200 years before by Victor Frankenstein. Deucalion had hated his life with Victor and eventually got away. He thought that Victor had died many years before. Deucalion named himself after getting away and lived as normal a life as was possible. Then he discovered that Frankenstein, now calling himself Victor Helios, was still alive. Deucalion traveled to New Orleans to destroy the man who had created him. Victor Helios was well thought of in New Orleans. He’d found a way to keep himself alive and young looking. He was also still conducting his strange experiments. Deucalion ended up meeting Carson and Michael.
Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son was a bit different for a Koontz book. It was connected to story first created by Mary Shelly, though Koontz gave it a different twist. He didn’t retell the story of Frankenstein. His story tells what happened if Frankenstein and the monster he created has survived until present day. I found that to be very interesting. Prodigal Son is the first book in a series. I don’t know how many books are planned. Koontz hasn’t done a series before, though he did write a sequel to a book once. This book was written with another author, Kevin J. Anderson, something else that Koontz hasn’t done before. I haven’t read anything by Anderson before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The book was fast paced, like many Koontz books have been. It wasn’t as descriptive as his books usually are. Maybe that was the influence of Anderson. I did miss Koontz’s more descriptive style though I do know that some people find him too descriptive.
Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son had some parts that were fairly normal for a Koontz book. There were still strange things going on throughout the book. I think that people need to have an open mind to really be able to fully enjoy the book. Carson and Michael were searching for a serial killer in New Orleans, which was fairly normal. Aspects of their investigation were shared. The murders they were investigating weren’t typical. Some brutal things were done to the victims. Most of the murders weren’t described as they happened, but a few were a little later in the book. The bodies of some of the other victims were described once they were found. Some people may be bothered by the descriptions since they weren’t easy to read even though they weren’t that graphic. There was some violence in a few other scenes of the book as well. I didn’t think the book was violent overall. A few events in the book weren’t that pleasant to read and could be upsetting to some readers. The most disturbing thing to me was a special meal that Victor went out for. The investigation into the murders did provide some mystery. There was also some suspense, including the way the book ended. There were things that weren’t resolved by the end, but that is normal since it is the first book in a series. A lot of what happened was setting up for things to come. Some humor was added throughout the book, usually by some things Michael said. Koontz has included humor in several of his other books as well.
Deucalion and Victor Helios were versions of the characters from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein had conducted experiments and managed to create life. What he created wasn’t pleasant to look at, and the people that saw him considered him a monster. In this book, Deucalion had managed to get away from Victor. Certain things about his life were shared, like that he had been in a carnival. As time passed, he became more human, gained compassion, and turned away from violence. Victor also changed over the years. Thanks to his experiments, he still looked fairly young even though he was more than 200 years old. He continued with his experiments, trying to create a perfect race. He was more of a monster than any of his creations. Victor and Deucalion were well developed. I found it interesting to read the thoughts and motivations of Victor. He is one of the best villains ever to be in a book. From the movies I have seen that featured Dr. Frankenstein, I didn’t think he was truly evil. Koontz’s Victor is. Deucalion and Victor weren’t completly new characters, but there were some things added to the characters.
New characters were added to the story. Carson and Michael were the most important of the new characters. Koontz characters usually do have more development. It isn’t uncommon for character development to suffer a bit in the first book of a series, especially one with several characters, since things have to be established and set up for the future books in the series. I wasn’t that bothered that the characters weren’t more developed because I figure that it will improve within the next books. A sub plot involving Carson’s younger brother did add some more background to her character. She and Michael also talked about something related to her father as well. Carson was more developed than Michael was. I did like Carson and Michael and am looking forward to reading more about them. I also want to find out more about Victor and how things related to him are going to work out. There were some other minor characters in the book that weren’t around too much. Some of them will probably turn up in the future books at least briefly. I am thinking that Carson’s brother will receive more attention later in the series. The plot jumped around between the different characters so there was never a lot of time spent with any one character.
Carson and Michael had been partners for a while when the book started. They had a good working relationship and were friends. It was established early on that Michael had stronger feelings for Carson. He hinted in some things he said. Carson pretended not to notice when he said those things. She actually returned his feelings, but she kept that to herself and never said anything. She was worried things would go wrong if they made their relationship more personal and she didn’t want to lose him as a friend or a partner. There was sexual tension between them. I think more will happen with their relationship as the series progresses. Not much of Carson’s relationship with her younger brother was shared. She really didn’t spend that much time with him. From some things that Michael said, he knew her brother. I do think her brother will be more important in the future, so more of their relationship should be explored as well.
CHARACTERS
Carson - Detective that was dedicated to her job. She was very serious when working. She was good at her job, but felt that she had to prove something to many of the others on the force. She was more open minded about what might be going on by th end of the book.
Michael - He was Carson’s partner. He wanted their relationship to change and become more personal, but she didn’t seem interested. He didn’t know that she was keeping her true feelings hidden. He was also very good at his job. He wasn’t sure what to think at first about some things. He tended to crack jokes.
Deucalion - Man that traveled to New Orleans with a very specific goal. He had been created by a doctor and considered a monster. He had found peace during his long life and was more human than the man that had created him.
Victor Helios - The name that Victor Frankenstein was using for his life in New Orleans. He was well known and well thought of there. He still conducted his experiments and had an ultimate goal. He was more of a monster than his creations.
Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son was released as a paperback in January of 2005. Late in 2004, a movie called Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein was on the USA network. I remember seeing advertisements for it, but I didn’t see the movie. There is a short note at the beginning of the book from Koontz explaining how he had written a screenplay for the movie. The network decided that they wanted to take the story in a different direction so Koontz pulled out. This series is the story that Koontz created in the screenplay. There was no explanation of how the other author was involved in the project.
I really enjoyed Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son. A few of the characters originated in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, but I still found this book to be entertaining and enjoyable. I think Koontz had a very interesting take on the story. I’m looking forward to reading the next book, City of Night. Koontz fans should read this book.
The New York Times bestselling author brilliantly re-imagines the classic story in a mesmerizing original four-part series that brings the 200-year-ol...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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