Archive for October, 2010
Sunday, October 31st, 2010
As an early reviewer for “What the Night Knows”, I was eagerly anticipating the novella “Darkness Under the Sun”. It serves as both a prequel and sequel to “What the Night Knows” and delves deeper into the mind and persona of serial killer Alton Turner Blackwood. The childhood and making of the monster that would become a serial killer is chronicled through Blackwood’s journal in “What the Night Knows”. The setting for the novella is before the murderer begins the killing spree that gains him notoriety as the sick, twisted killer that he will come to be known as.
Though “Darkness Under the Sun” can stand on its own as a novella, I found that I had much more insight into the novella having read “What the Night Knows” first. The character of John Calvino, who is introduced toward the end of the novella, is in fact the main character in “What the Night Knows” and the conversations that take place in the novella between its main character and Calvino have much more depth if you understand more about Calvino’s character and what he witnessed and endured at the hands of Blackwood.
Personally, I truly enjoyed “Darkness Under the Sun” and thought that it was eerily spooky, but I wonder if it would have had the same impact if I hadn’t had the insight into Blackwood and Calvino that I did by reading “What the Night Knows” first. It is short — I read it in just over an hour — but it is definitely worth $1.59 and you also get a preview of “What the Night Knows” after the novella.
My advice? Purchase the e-book, go ahead and read it and enjoy it. Then buy “What the Night Knows” when it is released in December and read the novella again once you have had the pleasure of reading it and see how much more you can relate to the characters then.
And for those that are wondering, yes there is a dog in the novella, though it plays a very minor part toward the end of the work almost as an afterthought.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: alton turner blackwood, cheers, darkness under the sun, Dean Koontz, dog, e-book, endured, john calvino, journal, killer, monster, murderer, novella, peter west, prequel, sequel, serial killer, sick, twisted, What the Night Knows, witnessed
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Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves on the trees, the slightly cooler temperatures. Call me crazy, but I like a little chill in the air in the morning especially after one of the hottest summers that I can remember in my lifetime. Mind you, I don’t care much for snow, ice, and cold. Below 50 is colder than I like, but mid-50′s to mid-60′s is just right in the morning — just so long as I don’t have to scrape frost off the car windows or not feel my nose or ears from the cold wind. I also don’t mind it when it’s dark in the morning when I go to work. It seems more peaceful and serene. If I had to rank my favorite seasons, Spring and Fall would be tied for first, followed by summer then winter. I try to appreciate all the seasons of the year — some are just harder to love than others.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: air, autumn, car, cheers, chill, cold, colors, cooler, dark, fall, frost, hottest, ice, leaves, morning, peaceful, peter west, scrape, seasons, serene, snow, spring, summer, temperatures, trees, wind, windows, winter, work
Posted in Miscellaneous, Weather | No Comments »
Thursday, October 21st, 2010
Dean Koontz has been my favorite author since I first picked up a copy of “The Bad Place” back in 1990. I liked it so well that I subsequently purchased nearly every book he has ever published. When I was selected to be an early reviewer for “What the Night Knows”, I was beside myself with joy and anticipation. Let me just say, the book did NOT disappoint.
Two decades ago as a young boy, John Calvino snuck back into his house only to discover his parents had been brutally murdered. When he hears the strange sound of bells ringing in his sisters’ room, he locates a gun and investigates to find the sinister, hulking, misshapen form of Alton Turner Blackwood standing over his dead sister, his other sister already viciously and violently killed as well. After taunting John and issuing a promise to revisit the atrocities on his future family, Blackwood turns and John shoots him and empties the ammunition into the killer’s face.
Later, John learns that his family was the last of four families that Blackwood intended to kill, 33 days apart. Now a homicide detective, John Calvino learns that impossibly, the murders are somehow happening all over again. With his own family to protect, John has to figure out a way to stop the cycle from repeating and deal with Alton Turner Blackwood once and for all.
“What the Night Knows” is a suspenseful, riveting, pulse-pounding, spine-tingling, creepy, supernatural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and checking your closets, mirrors and crawlspaces for things that literally go bump in the night. Never before has Koontz dealt so well with the topic of ghosts, malevolent spirits and demons. This is definitely one of his best works to date and is a must-read, especially if you are looking for a gripping page-turner!
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: alton turner blackwood, atrocities, bells, bump in the night, cheers, crawlspaces, creepy, cycle, Dean Koontz, demons, detective, edge, ghosts, gun, hulking, john calvino, malevolent spirits, mirrors, misshapen, murder, page-turner, peter west, pulse-pounding, ringing, riveting, seat, sinister, spine-tingling, supernatural, suspenseful, taunting, The Bad Place, thriller, vicious, violent, What the Night Knows
Posted in Authors, Books, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
The pace of life seems to have increased exponentially from the time I was a child. As a society, we have become a very impatient culture. It is most evident when driving — watching car after car do anything to get in front of just one more car, like a few seconds is going to make that much of a difference. I never have been able to figure out why people can’t just wait their turn like everyone else. At the stores these days, the majority of people are just downright apathetic and rude. While the items I purchase are being checked out, I have seen so many customers just stand at the end of the belt with their arms crossed and an angry glare on their face. Some even tap their foot impatiently. I just don’t get it. I don’t remember it being so bad when I was younger. People would actually strike up a conversation and talk to each other in the store while waiting in line. The world was a happier place then. People would also gladly allow you to merge onto the highway or would wave you on at an intersection. Not anymore. We are living in the age of me. Few people truly care about anyone else but themselves and it is a sad testament. Though I long for yesteryear and hope things will change back to the way they were, I am not holding out much hope. Our society is too far gone down the path of immorality, ignorance and hate.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: age, angry glare, apathetic, arms crossed, car, care, cheers, conversation, culture, driving, happier, hate, highway, ignorance, immorality, impatient, intersection, life, line, living, living in the age of me, majority, me, merge, pace, people, peter west, place, rude, sad testament, society, store, talk, tapping foot, too far gone, wait their turn, waiting, watching, world, yesteryear
Posted in Life, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Friday, October 15th, 2010
I have been thinking a great deal lately about why I write. A very small percentage of writers write enough books and make enough to be able to make a living at it, so it isn’t for the money. Although I care about people reading my work, I honestly don’t desire to be famous. Sometimes I use writing to vent emotions that cannot be released any other way, but that also is not the primary reason why I write. Surely it is just as entertaining to me to write as it is to read my books, but it isn’t the entertainment factor that causes me to yearn to write either.
I think I write because it nourishes the soul. It affords me self-reflection and exploration of thoughts, feelings, and emotions. At times it is like being able to have a conversation with myself without anyone thinking I am crazy. I have said many times that “writing is the one thing that when I’m doing it, I don’t feel like I should be doing something else”. That is definitely true. Writing gives me purpose and it gives me hope. In my works, I create the environment and characters and I determine every action, reaction, and outcome. While I often cannot control what happens in the real world, I have total control over every aspect in my writing. I guess that reinforces my desire for order, logic, and reason. It is nice to be able to bring order to chaos, light to darkness, and for good to triumph over evil.
To me, writing is as crucial and vital as the air I breathe, the food I eat, and the roof over my head. I guess the bottom line is that I don’t write for a living, I write to live.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: action, air, bottom line, breathe, chaos, characters, cheers, control, conversation, crazy, crucial, darkness, desire, eat, emotions, entertainment, environment, evil, exploration, famous, feelings, food, good, good over evil, head, hope, light, light to darkness, live, living, logic, make a living, money, nourish, order, order to chaos, outcome, peter west, purpose, reaction, read, real world, reason, roof, self-reflection, soul, thoughts, triumph, vent, vital, why write, work, write, writing
Posted in Fiction, Life, Miscellaneous, Novels, Short Stories, Writing | No Comments »
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