Review: Amazing
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2013
Dean Koontz introduces us to a wonderful new character, an 8 year-old boy who's physical presence is so hideous that when he was born, the midwife tried to kill him.  Addison's mother has removed all the mirrors in their secluded cottage because she says she can see herself in her son.  Leave it to Koontz to subtly say, that warped and disfigured outside can reflect our own inner being.Addison tells us that his mother can become so despondent over her son's appearance that she banishes him from the house, and then sending up a 'flag' to tell the boy when it's safe to come back in.  He assures the reader that his mother loves him in her own way, but it's a tough kind of love born of an outrageous act of nature.Unwilling to blame nature for his appearance, Addison spends his time in the woods where no animal fears him and where how he looks means nothing to them because they can see inside his heart.A wolf comes to Addison one day and leaves him with the impression that trouble is coming to the boy's neck of the woods.  What happens next is a heart-stopping chase and a glimpse into the heart of evil brought on by fear.This is an amazing short story by a writer at the top of his game.  I've been a Dean Koontz fan from the beginning(when he used to be Dean R. Koontz) and I have never been disappointed.  I look forward to reading his new book Innocence which I believe reintroduces us to Addison but as a grown man.