Mike Marsbergen

Like watching a master at work

Reviewed: 2024-05-05

Dean Koontz returns with the final season of NAMELESS, a series of short, speculative techno-thrillers. Season One ended with Nameless—the roaming, amnesiac agent of justice—discovering a worldwide plot to turn the planet into a dystopian hellscape. Season Two sees him dismantling the secret organization behind said plot.

As usual with this era of Koontz, his writing is full of intense depth, detailed description, captivating characters, vivid imagery, and a genuine love for the language. Every single story in the collection had me marveling at some point or another at the man's skill.

We get more of Nameless' backstory and life when he's not out righting wrongs—and these passages are some of my favourite parts. The way Dean describes the wearers of the triskelion—the strange symbol Nameless keeps seeing throughout the series—and the dystopian future its wearers wish to bring about, is chilling. Every sentence in these stories feels like watching a master at work.

I listened on Audible. Edoardo Ballerini narrated brilliantly, showcasing the thoughtfulness of the writing and bringing powerful performances to all the different characters throughout.

A satisfying conclusion. Would love to see more in this format from Koontz.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

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Gorgeously written and compelling

Reviewed: 2024-04-17

NAMELESS: SEASON ONE was Dean Koontz's first plunge into the Amazon Original Stories program. It was 2019, and he'd just moved from his longtime traditional publisher to the industry disruptor, Amazon Publishing—a real shock, and a huge win for Amazon. Securing Dean among their stable of authors added a sense of legitimacy to their publishing division.

NAMELESS follows an amnesiac character by the same non-name. Employed by a shadowy yet altruistic agency, each story in this six-part collection sees him travelling the country with a new mission and a new target, guided by fractured visions of the future and the past. When the law fails, Nameless brings justice.

The stories are almost entirely standalone pieces, best enjoyed individually, with enough time to digest what you've read in between. I listened to the audiobook version, often while doing the dishes or other random tasks. Dean's knack for characterization, and the narrative voice he uses in this latter period of his writing life, shine through with every carefully crafted sentence and inventive simile. Many times I had to pause after listening to a chapter and say to myself, "Damn, can this dude write!"

I didn't get totally consumed by every story in here, but I did really enjoy most of them. The ending was compelling, so I'm excited to see what revelations Nameless has in season two.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

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Unlike the majority of his work

Reviewed: 2021-01-02

A little slow at times, but I could tell Dean was having the time of his life writing this book, digging deep into the character of Bibi. Though different, she is as well-drawn as Odd Thomas, one of Dean Koontz's most-beloved characters.

The length of ASHLEY BELL, the complexities to it, the darkness, the weirdness, the way it becomes a book about writing and the imagination as much as it is a Dean Koontz thriller—all that may dissuade his readers from getting into it. It's quite unlike the majority of his work. If you find his stuff can be a bit formulaic, check out ASHLEY BELL. The dog bits really don't make up much of the plot.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story, disappointing readers

Reviewed: 2018-04-27

Koontz certainly knows how to write a villain, or in this case two. And James Anderson Foster did a stellar job with his parts. Elisabeth Rodgers on the other hand was a bit robotic and I found myself tuning out the Jane Hawk segments of the story. I would have preferred reading this, and would have given it a 5/5.

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2 people found this helpful