Devoted

What I throughly enjoy about Dean Koontz are his character arcs. Devoted is a coming of age story for an autistic kid and the story is at its best when it revolves around his journey and the ones that build around him. One of my favorite details of this book is the heavy references it makes to makes to Koontz's significant classic, Watchers, which makes this a sequel of sorts.

The story was turning out to be a great follow-up to Watchers. The pacing of Devoted was excellent, until the last quarter, the third act. At the pivotal moment at the story, we're looking through fresh eyes of various unlikeable characters in separate locations and break away from the significant POVs that built the story since the beginning. These jumps were sporadic and unnecessary. By the end of the book I was glad it was finally over.

I've always thought conclusions were more critical than the rest of the story. I will always leave appreciating the book based on its payoff and character's finished development. I'd even prefer a slower buildup rather than a underwhelming ending.

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Koontz Ranking:

1 - Lightning
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2 - Phantoms
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3 - Watchers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 - Last Light
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 - Devoted
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6 - The Neighbour
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
7 - Nameless series
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8 - Odd Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
9 - Twilight Eyes
⭐️⭐️

As a die-hard Dean Koontz fan for more years than I can remember, it has been a while since coming back to one of Dean's alternate worlds. And my god, I was not disappointed.

While I do not normally read books that stray this far from reality, Dean has always had a way of creating a fictional world that seems so possible and true that you almost forget that these situations don't exist. DEVOTED was a perfect example.

Woody and his mother, Megan have been living a private life since his father was killed in a work-related helicopter accident. Woody, a high-functioning autistic boy who has not spoken a word in his 11 years, finds himself uncovering the truth behind his father's death while investigating the company he worked for and the men behind it. What he doesn't know yet is that he is gifted in ways he could never imagine and his connection to some special canine friends may just be the thing that not only saves Woody and his mom, but mankind.

A deeply moving story filled with incredible bonds of love and canine friendship. And as we always expect from Dean, one amazing Golden Retriever!