the dead town

In the last installment of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein series we find Michael, Carson, Deucalion and a bevy of new characters in a small town in Montana called Rainbow Falls.  In the last book, Lost Souls we discover that Victor has been ‘resurrected’ by his clone, Victor Immaculate and resumes his work by creating not one, but two new races.  Communitarians & Builders.  Easier to kill than their predecessors, Communitarians are still no fun, but Builders, oh those are another story all unto themselves.  Quickly the town is being overtaken by Victor’s nutsos and it’s up to Carson, Michael & Deucalion to help the town save themselves and the rest of the world.

I can honestly say that I would have been more than happy had Victor perished and the story ended with Dead & Alive.  I don’t think it was really necessary to go into all of this again.  That being said however, I loved some of the new characters introduced in Rainbow Falls.

Mr. Lyss and Nummy were probably my favorites.  The grumpy old con artist and the mentally challenged boy-man complimented each other beautifully.  I loved their rapport.  I loved Nummy’s innocence and the way he rubbed off on Mr. Lyss.  I loved how despite really wanting to Mr. Lyss came to enjoy Nummy’s company and fiercely want to protect him.

Bryce & Travis were introduced in Lost Souls (along with Nummy & Mr. Lyss) however, they didn’t make an appearance in The Dead Town until nearly halfway through the book.  Travis’s search for his mother was nail biting!  I wanted so badly for her to be okay, but certain her fate was sealed. 

Now that it’s over I wish I could follow Deucalion on other adventures.  Like Odd Thomas he’s an unforgettable character and in this series, though he is the key he doesn’t get as much page time as he should.  I was happy to see Brother Knuckles, even in his short appearance.  Crossovers always excite me.

Despite these last two books being somewhat afterthoughts, the ending was slightly abrupt and anticlimactic.  But really, what did I expect?  It had to end sometime.  I think my favorite part of the book was Deucalion & Victor’s conversation about Mary Shelley’s book and the implications Deucalion brings to light.

Although I give this book only 3 stars, the series as a whole is 4.5 for me.  I loved Dean Koontz’s version of Frankenstein’s monster.  The surrounding characters were great, although by the end there were so many most of my favorites took a backseat.  Still, I’d recommend it to anyone who loves a good sci-fi horror book that’s easy on the brain!