I’ve read some really terrible reviews of this book, and I’ve never understond them. I thought the book was very clever. Now, though, I’m wondering…it was intended to be a parody, wasn’t it? I’m thinking either it was and few people “got” that, or it wasn’t and I was highly amused by what was supposed to be a serious story. 
In my opinion it was so obviously intended to be humorous but you never know…
So how do you see it? Good parody/humor horror novel, or poor “serious” horror novel?
I have not read the book.
A few weeks ago, though, it was reviewed in Entertainment Weekly. The critic raved about the book, calling it brilliant satire, and gave it an ‘A’. But it was pretty obvious that his review was tongue-in-cheek, and that he actually thought the book was terrible, and so trite and full of cliches that it ‘must’ be parody. Clearly, he was as confused as you were, but sided on it being a poor ‘serious’ horror novel, and wrote a satirical review of it, if that makes sense.
The following week (or perhaps two weeks later), there was a letter-to-the-editor from Koontz, thanking the critic for the review. It was pretty clear (I thought, anyway), that Koontz was well aware of the critics real take on the novel, but Koontz thanked him anyway, glad that he picked up on the humor. Koontz insisted that it was satire, and was funny on purpose, and pointed to a few Swiftian references in his book as proof.
So… who knows? Maybe it was intended as satire, or maybe he’s just trying to save face after the bad reviews… “Yeah, I MEANT it like that!”
I read it as satire…but the edition I read had a foreword or afterword by the author explaining that it was supposed to be a satire.
Koontz is not a very good writer anymore, but I’m sure he’d never intentionally publish something like that if it was meant to be serious.
It was obviously satire, okay maybe not obvious to a casual reader, but DK has been dipping into humor more and more with his last dozen or so novels.
I think he’s as good as ever, possibly better. His satire slays me, nothing better than horror and comedy blended to perfection.
Ok, suppose we’re right, and it is satire. Do you think people who hated it understood it to be so?
I read “Tick Tock” on a plane a while back, and I thought the story was SUPPOSED to be a screwball comedy, as mich as a thriller.