By the Light of the Moon

A Novel

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Kate Rudd, Seth Podowitz

Dean Koontz has surpassed his longtime reputation as “America’s most popular suspense novelist” (Rolling Stone) to become one of the most celebrated and successful writers of our time. Reviewers hail his boundless originality, his art, his unparalleled ability to create highly textured, riveting drama, at once viscerally familiar and utterly unique.

Author of one #1 New York Times bestseller after another, Koontz is at the pinnacle of his powers, spinning mysteries and miracles, enthralling tales that speak directly to today’s readers, balm for the heart and fire for the mind. In this stunning novel, he delivers a tour de force of dark suspense and brilliant revelation that has all the Koontz trademarks: adventure, chills, riddles, humor, heartbreak, an unforgettable cast of characters, and a climax that will leave you clamoring for more.

Dylan O’Connor is a gifted young artist just trying to do the right thing in life. He’s on his way to an arts festival in Santa Fe when he stops to get a room for himself and his twenty-year-old autistic brother, Shep. But in a nightmarish instant, Dylan is attacked by a mysterious “doctor,” injected with a strange substance, and told that he is now a carrier of something that will either kill him...or transform his life in the most remarkable way. Then he is told that he must flee—before the doctor’s enemies hunt him down for the secret circulating through his body. No one can help him, the doctor says, not even the police.

Stunned, disbelieving, Dylan is turned loose to run for his life...and straight into an adventure that will turn the next twenty-four hours into an odyssey of terror, mystery—and wondrous discovery. It is a journey that begins when Dylan and Shep’s path intersects with that of Jillian Jackson. Before that evening Jilly was a beautiful comedian whose biggest worry was whether she would ever find a decent man. Now she too is a carrier. And even as Dylan tries to convince her that they’ll be safer sticking together, cold-eyed men in a threatening pack of black Suburbans approach, only seconds before Jilly’s classic Coupe DeVille explodes into thin air.

Now the three are on the run together, but with no idea whom they’re running from--or why. Meanwhile Shep has begun exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. And whatever it is that’s coursing through their bodies seems to have plunged them into one waking nightmare after another. Seized by sinister premonitions, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to crime scenes—just minutes before the crimes take place.

What this unfathomable power is, how they can use it to stop the evil erupting all around them, and why they have been chosen are only parts of a puzzle that reaches back into the tragic past and the dark secrets they all share: secrets of madness, pain, and untimely death. Perhaps the answer lies in the eerie, enigmatic messages that Shep, with precious time running out, begins to repeat, about an entity who does his work “by the light of the moon.”

By the Light of the Moon is a novel of heart-stopping suspense and transcendent beauty, of how evil can destroy us and love can redeem us—a masterwork of the imagination in which the surprises come page after page and the spell of sublime storytelling triumphs throughout.

©2002 Dean Koontz. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Perhaps more than any other author, Koontz writes fiction perfectly suited to the mood of America post-September 11: novels that acknowledge the reality and tenacity of evil but also the power of good; that celebrate the common man and woman; that at their best entertain vastly as they uplift. By the Light of the Moon is one of those best, exciting and deeply moving.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Koontz seems to know us, our deepest foibles and fears.”—USA Today

“Surefire plotting and a roster of characters built out of painful tragedies make the pages move…. Koontz has a touching faith in the human spirit.”—People

Definitely Worth Reading!

I'm thrilled that I made it through the first few chapters and hung in there with this book, because it's definitely a worthy read! I wanted to find the sequel because I'm thoroughly invested in these characters and their commitment to be honorable with their evolving gifts that were forced upon them and to one another. I got somewhat of a Rainman, Umbrella Academy, Black Mirror vibe as I read this. Great read!

Great listen.

Awesome story with a few twists and turns to keep it interesting. Vivid characters that anyone could relate to.

Loved this book!

Great story line! I was captivated by first chapter! I was sad to see it end!

great

Fun and entertaining the details paints a picture
so you can easily visualize what's happening

Not bad, but not my favorite

The audio in this is pretty horrendous at times. Switching from the female character narrating male voices, but never the male narrating the female, to male/female conversational dialogue. It's just weird, nonsensical, and takes you out of the story.

The story itself suffers from a lot of painfully unnecessary character dialogue as well. I suppose it's meant to develop the character, but it drones on and is most often meaningless.

loved it

Dual narration was a new experience for me, but fit this book well. As usual for the Dean Knootz books I've read, there is a respect for the magic of the world. I loved that he portrayed Sheppard in a positive light, as a full character with quirks and amazing qualities.

Loved this!

I am a Dean Koontz fan. I love the 3 main characters in this book.

Cake.

The story is good, and the narrators delivered it well. I found myself rooting for the three main characters, and there were quite a few surprises thrown in there.

I found myself annoyed at the way Koontz used unnecessarily big or even just formal words that nobody would ever use in conversation. Do you know anyone who refers to their seatbelt as a safety harness? And for someone who insists on writing in such a way, you'd think he's find another word for "evidently." Maybe Shep can help with that.

Amazing Characters

I am a new D.K. reader and found this to be a fun, fast paced, an engaging story. The characters were likable and believable. They made me laugh and cringe. Shep properly drove me crazy.
I look forward to more of the same.

My Review

The story was great and I liked the main characters. I also liked the narrator.