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The Bad Weather Friend
Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them.
Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.
How strange—though it’s a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what’s inside the crate. He’s a seven-foot-tall self-described “bad weather friend” named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He’ll find Benny’s enemies. He’ll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn’t such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.
In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.
Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.
How strange—though it’s a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what’s inside the crate. He’s a seven-foot-tall self-described “bad weather friend” named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He’ll find Benny’s enemies. He’ll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn’t such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.
In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2024
About the author
Dean Koontz
956books37.1kfollowersAcknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook:Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook:Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,101 reviews
February 1, 2024
At one point in my life I read almost everything that Dean Koontz wrote, even though he specialized in the horror/supernatural genre, and my first love has always been the mystery/thriller genre. But Koontz has a captivating, smooth writing style that made his fantasies alluring. But after a few years of reading almost everything he wrote, I realized that his characters had no depth. There were either exceedingly evil or implausibly innocent and good. I stopped reading his thrillers, although persisted with the Odd Thomas series till the end. The Odd Thomas books had a lighter comedic tone.
THE BAD WEATHER FRIEND was an Amazon “First Reads” pick for January, and I couldn’t resist getting it because the blurb promised that it would have a comedic tone.
Amazon “First Reads” lists it as a “thriller”. It is not. It is a comedy/fantasy. So many readers who are expecting a typical Koontz-type thriller are going to be disappointed.
Short Summary
Benny Catspaw, age 23, is fired from his job and his girlfriend dumps him. Then Benny acquires a craggle—a supernatural “bad weather friend”, called Spike.”Many of your friends will be fair-weather friends, Benjamin, but I will be there in bad weather, in worse weather, in any weather.”Benny also acquires a new girlfriend, and the three of them go searching for the reason that Benny was fired.
The book toggles back and forth between the present and Benny Catspaw’s childhood history with his crazy (and maybe murderous) mother, his cruel (and definitely murderous) grandmother, and a short stay at a boarding school where the pupils are slowly being turned into hybrid human/insects. It is at the boarding school, however, that Benny encounters two boys with whom he bonds before being whisked away to another loveless home until he reaches 18. Throughout these ordeals, Benny stays optimistic and “nice”.
The Interpolations
Throughout the book, Koontz intersperses short digressions (in parentheses) emphasizing that this is a joke, inserting jocular remarks about book clubs and reading fiction. For example:’(the final lines of this chapter are an example of a plot device called “foreshadowing,” which is useful for setting the mood and creating an atmosphere of uneasy expectation.)’
Koontz also engages in short rants about things he dislikes, like abstract expressionist art, white-on-white European style kitchens, and furniture designed for appearance rather than comfort. Viz.:’When he considered any aspect of contemporary America, from business to politics to the arts to the sciences, he had to admit that flash, filigree, and flimflam defeated substance almost every time.’
Overall, there isn’t much story, nothing new (the bad guys are still exceedingly evil but we don’t spend much time with them); however, every time I’d get bored, Koontz would throw in something to make me giggle. Like:Spike spoke in what might have been Latin or an even more ancient language. To Benny, in his agitated and stressed condition, the tumble of words sounded something like, “Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom”.
(If you don’t get that one, you’re too young.)
So, considering all the giggles, I am going to give it a four-star rating—not a high 4-star, maybe even somewhere between 3.5 and 4.0, but a fun read.
THE BAD WEATHER FRIEND was an Amazon “First Reads” pick for January, and I couldn’t resist getting it because the blurb promised that it would have a comedic tone.
Amazon “First Reads” lists it as a “thriller”. It is not. It is a comedy/fantasy. So many readers who are expecting a typical Koontz-type thriller are going to be disappointed.
Short Summary
Benny Catspaw, age 23, is fired from his job and his girlfriend dumps him. Then Benny acquires a craggle—a supernatural “bad weather friend”, called Spike.”Many of your friends will be fair-weather friends, Benjamin, but I will be there in bad weather, in worse weather, in any weather.”Benny also acquires a new girlfriend, and the three of them go searching for the reason that Benny was fired.
The book toggles back and forth between the present and Benny Catspaw’s childhood history with his crazy (and maybe murderous) mother, his cruel (and definitely murderous) grandmother, and a short stay at a boarding school where the pupils are slowly being turned into hybrid human/insects. It is at the boarding school, however, that Benny encounters two boys with whom he bonds before being whisked away to another loveless home until he reaches 18. Throughout these ordeals, Benny stays optimistic and “nice”.
The Interpolations
Throughout the book, Koontz intersperses short digressions (in parentheses) emphasizing that this is a joke, inserting jocular remarks about book clubs and reading fiction. For example:’(the final lines of this chapter are an example of a plot device called “foreshadowing,” which is useful for setting the mood and creating an atmosphere of uneasy expectation.)’
Koontz also engages in short rants about things he dislikes, like abstract expressionist art, white-on-white European style kitchens, and furniture designed for appearance rather than comfort. Viz.:’When he considered any aspect of contemporary America, from business to politics to the arts to the sciences, he had to admit that flash, filigree, and flimflam defeated substance almost every time.’
Overall, there isn’t much story, nothing new (the bad guys are still exceedingly evil but we don’t spend much time with them); however, every time I’d get bored, Koontz would throw in something to make me giggle. Like:Spike spoke in what might have been Latin or an even more ancient language. To Benny, in his agitated and stressed condition, the tumble of words sounded something like, “Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom”.
(If you don’t get that one, you’re too young.)
So, considering all the giggles, I am going to give it a four-star rating—not a high 4-star, maybe even somewhere between 3.5 and 4.0, but a fun read.
January 20, 2024
I loved this book!
It is written with humour and sarcasm and is a perfect fairy tale about evil fighting the good in the world.
Benny Catspaw is a nice guy. He had a hard and bizarre childhood, but it didn't destroy his niceness. The bad forces in the world cannot stand his niceness and are planning to do everything in their power to destroy his career and life. They could succeed but one day he gets a parcel from his unknown uncle that sends him a friend for the bad weather named Spike.
“Many of your friends will be fair-weather friends, Benjamin, but I will be there in bad weather, in worse weather, in any weather.”
Spike, the Craggle, helps Benny to win against evil forces. During this captivating adventure, we are told the story of Benny's family, life and his short stay at Brairbush Academy where he met his only two friends in his life.
It is very hard to get bored with this book as the style of the book is making you giggle page after page.
A very good read and I am happy I picked it from the January First Reads List in Amazon.
It is written with humour and sarcasm and is a perfect fairy tale about evil fighting the good in the world.
Benny Catspaw is a nice guy. He had a hard and bizarre childhood, but it didn't destroy his niceness. The bad forces in the world cannot stand his niceness and are planning to do everything in their power to destroy his career and life. They could succeed but one day he gets a parcel from his unknown uncle that sends him a friend for the bad weather named Spike.
“Many of your friends will be fair-weather friends, Benjamin, but I will be there in bad weather, in worse weather, in any weather.”
Spike, the Craggle, helps Benny to win against evil forces. During this captivating adventure, we are told the story of Benny's family, life and his short stay at Brairbush Academy where he met his only two friends in his life.
It is very hard to get bored with this book as the style of the book is making you giggle page after page.
A very good read and I am happy I picked it from the January First Reads List in Amazon.
May 1, 2024
This is most assuredly a love-it-or-hate-it book. Obviously, I loved it and I am not entirely sure why. It may be the most bizarre book that I have ever read cover to cover although, I quit reading it once but took it up again after reading a review or two.
Benny Catspaw is a nice guy, a very nice guy, to some an irritatingly nice guy, to others, a dangerously nice guy. And that is why there is an apparently worldwide plot to do away with him. One day, he loses his job as a real estate salesperson although he wasn't really fired. Later that day, his girlfriend leaves him after not actually breaking up with him. He is definitely having a bad day but it takes a lot to get Benny down.
Shortly thereafter, he receives a very large package from his uncle and he is unable to open it - not psychologically unable, he does try but he can't figure out how to open it. His buddy Fat Bob comes over and tries to help. Fat Bob is a detective and Benny's good friend. He is accompanied by his protegee Harper Harper, a lovely young woman who is in training to be a detective. Fat Bob tries to open the package with less than the expected results. In fact, Fat Bob seems to be in a catatonic state afterward, but someone else appears. Spike is almost seven feet tall with a large build and looks like a hoodlum. Spike is a craggle, which is a protector of sorts, and he has some strange abilities. For example, when he wants to freak someone out (which is the most he can do because Cragglelaw prohibits him from physically harming anyone) he can make his eyeballs come out of their sockets showing all the blood vessels and connective tissues. He can extend them for quite a distance and generally, they have the desired effect, which is freaking out the target person. Spike can do lots more but......
If you've read this far, you probably have the sense that this is not a typical book. In fact, I would say that it contains elements of Alice in Wonderland and Psycho. Naturally, it can't be taken seriously and will only be enjoyed by an individual with an unusual sense of humor. I took me a while to get into the book and that explains why I DNFed it once before reading the entire book. The plot is far too strange to explain so I shall not try.
I laughed more often than I ever have while reading a book but I have a very twisted sense of humour. How is yours?
Ciao
Benny Catspaw is a nice guy, a very nice guy, to some an irritatingly nice guy, to others, a dangerously nice guy. And that is why there is an apparently worldwide plot to do away with him. One day, he loses his job as a real estate salesperson although he wasn't really fired. Later that day, his girlfriend leaves him after not actually breaking up with him. He is definitely having a bad day but it takes a lot to get Benny down.
Shortly thereafter, he receives a very large package from his uncle and he is unable to open it - not psychologically unable, he does try but he can't figure out how to open it. His buddy Fat Bob comes over and tries to help. Fat Bob is a detective and Benny's good friend. He is accompanied by his protegee Harper Harper, a lovely young woman who is in training to be a detective. Fat Bob tries to open the package with less than the expected results. In fact, Fat Bob seems to be in a catatonic state afterward, but someone else appears. Spike is almost seven feet tall with a large build and looks like a hoodlum. Spike is a craggle, which is a protector of sorts, and he has some strange abilities. For example, when he wants to freak someone out (which is the most he can do because Cragglelaw prohibits him from physically harming anyone) he can make his eyeballs come out of their sockets showing all the blood vessels and connective tissues. He can extend them for quite a distance and generally, they have the desired effect, which is freaking out the target person. Spike can do lots more but......
If you've read this far, you probably have the sense that this is not a typical book. In fact, I would say that it contains elements of Alice in Wonderland and Psycho. Naturally, it can't be taken seriously and will only be enjoyed by an individual with an unusual sense of humor. I took me a while to get into the book and that explains why I DNFed it once before reading the entire book. The plot is far too strange to explain so I shall not try.
I laughed more often than I ever have while reading a book but I have a very twisted sense of humour. How is yours?
Ciao
February 4, 2024
The Bad Weather Friend
By Dean Koontz
This was great! Not a complete horror story but a fascinating strange book with strange situations. It also has great characters, action, humor, and a really nice guy! Benny, the nice guy, finds himself jobless and blacklisted, because he is a nice guy. He has a relative he didn't know that sends him something, this is when his luck changes. He gets a bad weather friend!
The story bounces between his childhood and present. It makes sense. The ending is terrific!
By Dean Koontz
This was great! Not a complete horror story but a fascinating strange book with strange situations. It also has great characters, action, humor, and a really nice guy! Benny, the nice guy, finds himself jobless and blacklisted, because he is a nice guy. He has a relative he didn't know that sends him something, this is when his luck changes. He gets a bad weather friend!
The story bounces between his childhood and present. It makes sense. The ending is terrific!
February 25, 2024
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This novel is about Benny who is a super nice guy but is having the worst day possible. It is almost like someone is out to get him. He is informed that this is the case and we are along to find out who is behind all the stuff that has happened to Benny on this day.
If you are going into this expecting a typical Dean Koontz novel you are in for a little surprise. It has attributes that is a Koontz staple but overall this is a departure from his usual style of book. Instead of good versus evil this is more nice versus mean spirited. If I had to use one word to describe this book I would use the word "quirky". Throughout the book it has a comical quirky style of storytelling as we proceed with the investigation. This book also has sub plot of a flashback of Benny and his time in a school before his teen years. The story telling style remains for this sub plot also. I would say this is a strong character book especially for Benny's comrades. I really enjoyed these characters. This novel is a strong allegory about today's society as "niceness" seems to be waning and instead of being a strength of character it is construed as a detriment. I was probably going to go with a four star rating until the reveal of the antagonists. Really Koontz? We are doing this again? It seems like every new release has the same no name organization that has no rhyme or reason for their sadistic actions. How about switching up the face of the antagonists in one of your books so I can be somewhat surprised.
There is not much action in this book as it really is a character driven book that is delivering a message. The message at times did get a little heavy handed. But I did not mind it that much because I enjoyed the camaraderie between Benny and his supporters. My only complaint were the antagonists which really isn't this book's fault. If this was the first time Koontz used this type of antagonist I think it would have landed for me. But since we have seen it so much lately from him I was like ho-hum. Koontz and his beliefs are once again at it. Overall this was a fun eccentric read that provided a good time.
This novel is about Benny who is a super nice guy but is having the worst day possible. It is almost like someone is out to get him. He is informed that this is the case and we are along to find out who is behind all the stuff that has happened to Benny on this day.
If you are going into this expecting a typical Dean Koontz novel you are in for a little surprise. It has attributes that is a Koontz staple but overall this is a departure from his usual style of book. Instead of good versus evil this is more nice versus mean spirited. If I had to use one word to describe this book I would use the word "quirky". Throughout the book it has a comical quirky style of storytelling as we proceed with the investigation. This book also has sub plot of a flashback of Benny and his time in a school before his teen years. The story telling style remains for this sub plot also. I would say this is a strong character book especially for Benny's comrades. I really enjoyed these characters. This novel is a strong allegory about today's society as "niceness" seems to be waning and instead of being a strength of character it is construed as a detriment. I was probably going to go with a four star rating until the reveal of the antagonists. Really Koontz? We are doing this again? It seems like every new release has the same no name organization that has no rhyme or reason for their sadistic actions. How about switching up the face of the antagonists in one of your books so I can be somewhat surprised.
There is not much action in this book as it really is a character driven book that is delivering a message. The message at times did get a little heavy handed. But I did not mind it that much because I enjoyed the camaraderie between Benny and his supporters. My only complaint were the antagonists which really isn't this book's fault. If this was the first time Koontz used this type of antagonist I think it would have landed for me. But since we have seen it so much lately from him I was like ho-hum. Koontz and his beliefs are once again at it. Overall this was a fun eccentric read that provided a good time.
January 5, 2024
Not having paid for the book (an AFR) is the only saving grace for this story. Given that a quarter of the reviews are 1 to 3 stars at this point, there are a number of people who are in the same camp. Dean Koontz’s work is generally engaging, but this one left me stranded. The story is overly simple and is told by the recap. Benny is nice, mean people suck, and they don’t like nice people. Add in a type of fairy godfather and you have the book. The blurb interestingly enough calls it “a new kind of thriller.” That is because it is not really a thriller at all. If that is what you are expecting, then you will be disappointed. It gets to be too tongue-in-cheek, with a bit too much sarcasm and whimsy. There were a number of strange rabbit trails, pun intended, even for Koontz. The book toggles back and forth between the present and Benny Catspaw’s childhood history. The back story never develops any relevance to the main story (sci-fi versus fantasy) that I can tell except at the very, very end when Koontz ties it in, but not in a meaningful way. Maybe it is a setup for a sequel. It is a separate storyline and detracts from the narrative in the present. If you want a cutesy story, then you will likely find it a satisfying read. If you want a gripping thriller, then you will definitely not.
March 30, 2024
Pointless.
January 4, 2024
Miss the writing style
Dean Koontz has been a favorite author for many years. I have reread many of his books over the years.
This won't be one of them. The story had great premise and went nowhere.
Hopes dashed that a good Koontz h a d come again. I think I will take a walk through Moonlight Bay to get over my disappointment in this excessively wordy book that just didn't hold together
Dean Koontz has been a favorite author for many years. I have reread many of his books over the years.
This won't be one of them. The story had great premise and went nowhere.
Hopes dashed that a good Koontz h a d come again. I think I will take a walk through Moonlight Bay to get over my disappointment in this excessively wordy book that just didn't hold together
June 3, 2024
Generously giving this two stars. Boring and tedious. No tension whatsoever in the story. Main character is bland and uninteresting. Actually, I didn’t care about a single character in the book. Sometimes the author talks directly to the reader. I guess it’s supposed to come off as a wink-wink, funny in-joke? Idk? Proud of myself for getting through this book without a trip to the liquor store 😂
June 18, 2024
DNF
I was interested for a while. But it got a bit stranger and stranger which kept me from finishing the book.
I was interested for a while. But it got a bit stranger and stranger which kept me from finishing the book.
February 16, 2024
This is a very atypically told Koontz novel, focusing on the battle between good and evil (as he frequently tends to do) but told with nothing but humor and sarcasm and oddness. The narrator pauses to tell you what one of the characters wants you, the reader, to feel upon occasion, there's no doubt how much of the story will play out, and it shifts back and forth from the protagonist's bizarre childhood to his contemporary troubles, which he accepts with equanimity and optimism. You know that the good guys are going to live happily ever after but keep turning the pages to see the clever way they accomplish it and enjoy the witty quips and quippy wits. It's a fun and feel-good horror extravaganza.
December 16, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this book. I am an avid Dean Koontz fan and of course I give this book a five star rating. It's hard to write with out spoiling the book. This book seems somewhat different than his last few. It's more of a mystery with a little paranormal thrown in. It has it's weird and strange turns as all his books do but this is one long story on it's own instead of multiple stories coming together. If you like Dean Koontz you'll definitely like this book.
January 26, 2024
The Bad Weather Friend is the first book I have read by esteemed author Dean Koontz. Prior to this, I had his work down as predominantly horror, a genre that I typically don’t read, however, after reading this book I will be checking out his extensive back catalogue, as well as his forthcoming works.
The synopsis has this book sounding quite unusual (it is), and a hardboiled thriller (it isn’t). The Bad Weather Friend unfolds as a captivating blend of fantasy and paranormal interwoven with plenty of humour and sarcasm.
The storyline focuses on twenty-three-year-old Benny Catspaw who is going through a series of unfortunate events such as he has just been fired from his realtor job for no reason, then his girlfriend dumps him and he is sure someone is out to get him. He receives Spike in the post who is a Craggle, a bad weather friend, who has been sent to Benny to help him fight his evil spirits.
Avid readers of my reviews will know I love weird books. I like novels that don’t follow the norm and are quite wacky so this book enthralled me from the start. The chapters are short and are cleverly titled. The plot moves at a decent consistent pace and there are plenty of flashbacks to when Benny was younger. I also found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion.
If you like strange stories that will give you a giggle and have you wondering what on earth you are reading then The Bad Weather Friend is definitely the book to pick up.
The synopsis has this book sounding quite unusual (it is), and a hardboiled thriller (it isn’t). The Bad Weather Friend unfolds as a captivating blend of fantasy and paranormal interwoven with plenty of humour and sarcasm.
The storyline focuses on twenty-three-year-old Benny Catspaw who is going through a series of unfortunate events such as he has just been fired from his realtor job for no reason, then his girlfriend dumps him and he is sure someone is out to get him. He receives Spike in the post who is a Craggle, a bad weather friend, who has been sent to Benny to help him fight his evil spirits.
Avid readers of my reviews will know I love weird books. I like novels that don’t follow the norm and are quite wacky so this book enthralled me from the start. The chapters are short and are cleverly titled. The plot moves at a decent consistent pace and there are plenty of flashbacks to when Benny was younger. I also found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion.
If you like strange stories that will give you a giggle and have you wondering what on earth you are reading then The Bad Weather Friend is definitely the book to pick up.
January 30, 2024
I cannot believe I finished it.
January 27, 2024
I can see why Amazon offered this one free to their Prime members. It's a conglomeration of the author's worst habits. Koontz shows off his fancy vocabulary with archaic words, even going to the trouble to define them in some places. Digressing into constant rambling of meaningless description and dialogue, to hide the fact there's no story, to meet his publisher's word count quota, and voice his negative opinions of the world we live in. I made it to 56% with a lot of struggle.
April 4, 2024
When I was a kid, there was a TV series with a feature called "Fractured Fairy Tales" that I liked a lot. I think it was semi-adult fairy tales, humorous takes on fairy tales done in a very short amount of time with fast talk and fast humor. I think it was on the show Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Anyway, this book reminded me of that, in a way. It seemed to me to be a sort of adult fairy tale, with lots of fast humor and snide remarks. Basically, it was a story of good vs evil, where good wins out at the end and everyone lives happily ever after. If you try to take it seriously, you probably won't like it.
There were some great characters in the book. The main character, Benny, had a problem... he was too nice. And for that, people wanted to do away with him. He had a friend (one of only a few in his whole life), Fat Bob, who was a private detective weighing over 300 pounds. Fat Bob didn't mind being called that. As an example of the books style, Fat Bob is introduced with this description... "Every three years, he underwent a CT scan of his arteries to see whether he should start going to church, but in spite of eating everything that his doctor told him not to eat, he never had any plaque. His resting heart rate was sixty, his blood pressure 120/70. His dad, Fat Jim Jericho, had weighed in excess of three hundred pounds all his adult life and lived to be ninety-seven, when he was shot to death by a jealous husband. Fat Bob was of the opinion that he had inherited good genes and that he would outlive his father if he led a more discreet love life."
Fat Bob has an assistant, a woman named Harper. Benny asks if that's her first or last name, and finds out it's both. Her name is Harper Harper. They meet, fall in love, and are talking family after one day.
But an even more interesting character is Spike, who is sent to Benny to be his protector. Spike has been protecting overly nice people for the past 1800 years or so. He's not quite human, by the way, and he has a few unusual abilities that tend to make people a little nervous.
But without the humor, the story isn't really that good. I happen to like his style of humor, but I'm sure it would get tiresome after a while. Still, if he writes any more books with some of these characters, I'll read them. In fact, I'll probably be looking into a few of his other books. I can't remember if I've ever read any.
There were some great characters in the book. The main character, Benny, had a problem... he was too nice. And for that, people wanted to do away with him. He had a friend (one of only a few in his whole life), Fat Bob, who was a private detective weighing over 300 pounds. Fat Bob didn't mind being called that. As an example of the books style, Fat Bob is introduced with this description... "Every three years, he underwent a CT scan of his arteries to see whether he should start going to church, but in spite of eating everything that his doctor told him not to eat, he never had any plaque. His resting heart rate was sixty, his blood pressure 120/70. His dad, Fat Jim Jericho, had weighed in excess of three hundred pounds all his adult life and lived to be ninety-seven, when he was shot to death by a jealous husband. Fat Bob was of the opinion that he had inherited good genes and that he would outlive his father if he led a more discreet love life."
Fat Bob has an assistant, a woman named Harper. Benny asks if that's her first or last name, and finds out it's both. Her name is Harper Harper. They meet, fall in love, and are talking family after one day.
But an even more interesting character is Spike, who is sent to Benny to be his protector. Spike has been protecting overly nice people for the past 1800 years or so. He's not quite human, by the way, and he has a few unusual abilities that tend to make people a little nervous.
But without the humor, the story isn't really that good. I happen to like his style of humor, but I'm sure it would get tiresome after a while. Still, if he writes any more books with some of these characters, I'll read them. In fact, I'll probably be looking into a few of his other books. I can't remember if I've ever read any.
February 3, 2024
'The Bad Weather Friend' has the joyous feel of an author letting himself off the leash and writing something that pleases his heart. It seemed to me that Dean Koontz, who is pushing eighty and has more than a hundred novels in print, used this book to vent his detestation of the way being nice is seen as being weak and being a selfish asshole billionaire who looks down on the rest of humanity is seen as strength.
Here's a passage where the supernatural Spike is explaining to nice guy Benny what motivates the ultra-rich bad guys to do terrible things. He explains that it's not all about money and power. I think, once you've read this, names of right-wing Billionaires (sorry for the tautology) will come to mind.
"Some know they’re doing evil, but some don’t. In each case, they’re all the same—impatient, shortsighted, reckless fixers. Seeing themselves as fixers gives their lives meaning.”
“Fixers?”
“They’re people who can’t let anything be as it is. No matter how good the thing is, it’s never good enough for them. Everything they look upon seems either not quite right or wrong, and they’re convinced they know how to fix it. Most of the time, they utterly destroy it before rebuilding something less good from the rubble.”
“What sense does that make? If my car has a broken windshield wiper, I don’t blow up the car before starting repairs.
Koontz, Dean. The Bad Weather Friend (p. 286). Thomas & Mercer. Kindle Edition.
Dean Koontz delivers his message passionately but with flair, humour and a playful dash of gothic drama.
His authorial voice addresses the reader directly in the same way that an early nineteenth or even eighteenth-century novelist would have. The author even passes on to the reader messages from Spike, one of the main characters, about how the novel should be read.
The chapter titles are a tongue-in-cheek version of the nineteenth-century way of setting the reader's expectation of what is to come. For example:
WAITING WHILE MS. URNFIELD EATS MORE STEAK TARTARE, BENNY REMEMBERS DR. FERNSEHEN LIEBHABER
The character names also go back to the humour of an earlier time. Ms, Urnfield is a horrible woman who is probably responsible for the deaths of many people so a name that reminds the reader of cemeteries works well. Dr, Fernsehen Leibhaber, whose name roughly translates to 'enthusiastic TV watcher' is a burnt out child psychologist who loses herself in reality TV and game shows.
The story has a quest structure that moves between two timelines. a contemporary one in which twenty-something nice-guy Benny is combating the forces of evil that have blown up his life, and one where Benny is a child surviving abusive parents, being homeschooled by a psychopathic grandmother and being confined in a remote private school under the control of a mad scientist.
In contrast to the early novel trimmings, the story brims with witty references to horror movies and thrillers and satirises the decadence of the compulsive display of vulgar wealth.
The characters in the novel are archetypes rather than people. Not the dull but worthy kind of archetypes beloved of didacts but flamboyant, wow-think-of-the-CGI-you'd-need-to-put-THAT-in-a-movie archetypes worthy of a Marvel movie.
To me, this felt like a novel where pursuing the quest of dealing with the bad guys while remaining a nice person was more important than the destination. This is just as well as the journey was much more exciting than the conclusion, as is often the case with fairytales. I mean, who really wants to read about the day-to-day of Happily Ever After?
I finished this book a few days ago and I'm still not sure what to make of it except that it was weird and fun and made me wish there were more Spikes in the world,
To help you get a feel for the experience of reading the novel, here are the (often bemused) comments that I made as I was reading it.
The notes I made as I read 'The Bad Weather Friend'
19.0%
"This is bizarre. It's unlike any other book by Dean Koontz that I've read. It's a dazzling concoction: a sort of Don Winslow meets Karl Hiaasen with a dash of Mark Twain thrown in. I've no idea where this is going or why it wants to get there but there's no way I'm putting this down now. I'm intrigued.*
47.0%
"This is weird in every way: how the story is told, who is in the story, what the story is about, and the reaction the writer seems to want from the reader. And yet, it works.
I couldn't say what it's working towards or why, but it keeps me turning the pages. "
67.0%
"We left reality behind a long time ago and are now travelling through a cartoon landscape, done in primary colours that make the movie 'Barbie' look like Cinema Verité. Think Roald Dahl writing a Road Trip novel with Frank Baum.
Oddly, it's a soothing, mildly amusing experience. I'm wondering if any Minions will appear before the finale and whose side they'd be on.
Here's a passage where the supernatural Spike is explaining to nice guy Benny what motivates the ultra-rich bad guys to do terrible things. He explains that it's not all about money and power. I think, once you've read this, names of right-wing Billionaires (sorry for the tautology) will come to mind.
"Some know they’re doing evil, but some don’t. In each case, they’re all the same—impatient, shortsighted, reckless fixers. Seeing themselves as fixers gives their lives meaning.”
“Fixers?”
“They’re people who can’t let anything be as it is. No matter how good the thing is, it’s never good enough for them. Everything they look upon seems either not quite right or wrong, and they’re convinced they know how to fix it. Most of the time, they utterly destroy it before rebuilding something less good from the rubble.”
“What sense does that make? If my car has a broken windshield wiper, I don’t blow up the car before starting repairs.
Koontz, Dean. The Bad Weather Friend (p. 286). Thomas & Mercer. Kindle Edition.
Dean Koontz delivers his message passionately but with flair, humour and a playful dash of gothic drama.
His authorial voice addresses the reader directly in the same way that an early nineteenth or even eighteenth-century novelist would have. The author even passes on to the reader messages from Spike, one of the main characters, about how the novel should be read.
The chapter titles are a tongue-in-cheek version of the nineteenth-century way of setting the reader's expectation of what is to come. For example:
WAITING WHILE MS. URNFIELD EATS MORE STEAK TARTARE, BENNY REMEMBERS DR. FERNSEHEN LIEBHABER
The character names also go back to the humour of an earlier time. Ms, Urnfield is a horrible woman who is probably responsible for the deaths of many people so a name that reminds the reader of cemeteries works well. Dr, Fernsehen Leibhaber, whose name roughly translates to 'enthusiastic TV watcher' is a burnt out child psychologist who loses herself in reality TV and game shows.
The story has a quest structure that moves between two timelines. a contemporary one in which twenty-something nice-guy Benny is combating the forces of evil that have blown up his life, and one where Benny is a child surviving abusive parents, being homeschooled by a psychopathic grandmother and being confined in a remote private school under the control of a mad scientist.
In contrast to the early novel trimmings, the story brims with witty references to horror movies and thrillers and satirises the decadence of the compulsive display of vulgar wealth.
The characters in the novel are archetypes rather than people. Not the dull but worthy kind of archetypes beloved of didacts but flamboyant, wow-think-of-the-CGI-you'd-need-to-put-THAT-in-a-movie archetypes worthy of a Marvel movie.
To me, this felt like a novel where pursuing the quest of dealing with the bad guys while remaining a nice person was more important than the destination. This is just as well as the journey was much more exciting than the conclusion, as is often the case with fairytales. I mean, who really wants to read about the day-to-day of Happily Ever After?
I finished this book a few days ago and I'm still not sure what to make of it except that it was weird and fun and made me wish there were more Spikes in the world,
To help you get a feel for the experience of reading the novel, here are the (often bemused) comments that I made as I was reading it.
The notes I made as I read 'The Bad Weather Friend'
19.0%
"This is bizarre. It's unlike any other book by Dean Koontz that I've read. It's a dazzling concoction: a sort of Don Winslow meets Karl Hiaasen with a dash of Mark Twain thrown in. I've no idea where this is going or why it wants to get there but there's no way I'm putting this down now. I'm intrigued.*
47.0%
"This is weird in every way: how the story is told, who is in the story, what the story is about, and the reaction the writer seems to want from the reader. And yet, it works.
I couldn't say what it's working towards or why, but it keeps me turning the pages. "
67.0%
"We left reality behind a long time ago and are now travelling through a cartoon landscape, done in primary colours that make the movie 'Barbie' look like Cinema Verité. Think Roald Dahl writing a Road Trip novel with Frank Baum.
Oddly, it's a soothing, mildly amusing experience. I'm wondering if any Minions will appear before the finale and whose side they'd be on.
January 2, 2024
genre bending
Amazing book that was well executed. It was by far the most entertaining book that I’ve read in a long time. It shows that nice guys do sometimes get the girl. Benny has had a hard life and known misfortune. His father was killed in front of him, he was sent to live with an evil grandfather and later sent to the boarding school from hell where young men may be turned into bug-like creatures. By far, the scenes set in the school are the most enthralling. The craggy friend sent by an uncle is kind of like a golem. The adventures they have together to make the world right are incredulous. Not sure what to make of this book, but it did hold my attention and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.
Amazing book that was well executed. It was by far the most entertaining book that I’ve read in a long time. It shows that nice guys do sometimes get the girl. Benny has had a hard life and known misfortune. His father was killed in front of him, he was sent to live with an evil grandfather and later sent to the boarding school from hell where young men may be turned into bug-like creatures. By far, the scenes set in the school are the most enthralling. The craggy friend sent by an uncle is kind of like a golem. The adventures they have together to make the world right are incredulous. Not sure what to make of this book, but it did hold my attention and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.
March 3, 2024
I’m a Dean Koontz fan and have liked most of what I have read of his, but this one is different. The first thing I noticed was the writing was different, and I thought jokingly, did Jeff Strand ghostwrite this?? The dialog and the flow of the story reminded me so much of Strand, who I also like.
I didn’t connect with the characters, and didn’t care for the story for the most part. Hopefully, if you read it, you’ll love it, but for me it’s about 2.5 stars.
I didn’t connect with the characters, and didn’t care for the story for the most part. Hopefully, if you read it, you’ll love it, but for me it’s about 2.5 stars.
April 5, 2024
A looney cross between Koontz’s earlier Tick Tock and Jason Pargin’s John Dies at the End. If you were a fan of the afore mentioned books or the 90s cartoon The Tick this book is for you. I for one had a blast with this zany book and I hope that we will at some point get a sequel.
4.25/5
4.25/5
January 14, 2024
Not sure what I just read, wouldn't do it again
January 17, 2024
This book is badly enough written that a couple of times I checked the cover to make sure it was written by Dean Koontz, and not Dan Kuntz, or some other knock off of the famous author.
January 29, 2024
This was my first time reading a Dean Koontz book and it will also be my last. What a dumb story. A real estate agent is targeted by a secret society of billionaires because he's too nice. That's it. They ruin his life because he's nice and that's terrible threat to their idea of a utopian society. So, an alien being is shipped to his house and helps him uncover and destroy the two billionaires who set forth the plot against the nice real estate agent.
Utterly ridiculous. And, of course, this guy doesn't know how to write young women, something painfully obvious when he had her tell the real estate agent how she and her girlfriends really want a John Wayne type to come rescue them. My eyes nearly rolled out of my head.
Utterly ridiculous. And, of course, this guy doesn't know how to write young women, something painfully obvious when he had her tell the real estate agent how she and her girlfriends really want a John Wayne type to come rescue them. My eyes nearly rolled out of my head.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2024
A Fast Engaging Read
I am utterly amazed at how fast I read this book!! I believe I read the whole thing in about 5 hours?? It just gripped me from the very beginning and didn't let go. At all. And even better is the fact I really liked Benny the main character. In many ways he reminds me of myself. I have autism so I often can be confused by other people if they are not clear in what they are trying to say or convey. Like that opening scene where Benny is talking to his boss at the real estate agency. That conversation would have confused me too... I also would have been confused about the why. Because his boss had not explained it at all. Which I certainly feel is unfair...
But I loved the writing style in here. The story flows so smoothly and one can read it super fast plus the story is so interesting. It doesn't stall either but keeps going. Lots of stuff happens, some of it weird and of a supernatural nature. There is definitely some weird stuff in here. Unexpected stuff.
So why did I rate it 4 stars and not 5? Well lets just say I don't exactly understand the core message in here. The thing about nice people being a threat. I guess I sort of understand it but its more I don't believe it. I think those rich people are too busy doing rich people stuff to care about some small time guy just trying to live his little life. Maybe it he was running for office or something he would be a threat but how many people does a real estate agent actually meet? still this was a very fun story to read. Very entertaining.
But the author is right that nice people are often mistreated by others. They are seen as easy targets. Unfortunately.
I am utterly amazed at how fast I read this book!! I believe I read the whole thing in about 5 hours?? It just gripped me from the very beginning and didn't let go. At all. And even better is the fact I really liked Benny the main character. In many ways he reminds me of myself. I have autism so I often can be confused by other people if they are not clear in what they are trying to say or convey. Like that opening scene where Benny is talking to his boss at the real estate agency. That conversation would have confused me too... I also would have been confused about the why. Because his boss had not explained it at all. Which I certainly feel is unfair...
But I loved the writing style in here. The story flows so smoothly and one can read it super fast plus the story is so interesting. It doesn't stall either but keeps going. Lots of stuff happens, some of it weird and of a supernatural nature. There is definitely some weird stuff in here. Unexpected stuff.
So why did I rate it 4 stars and not 5? Well lets just say I don't exactly understand the core message in here. The thing about nice people being a threat. I guess I sort of understand it but its more I don't believe it. I think those rich people are too busy doing rich people stuff to care about some small time guy just trying to live his little life. Maybe it he was running for office or something he would be a threat but how many people does a real estate agent actually meet? still this was a very fun story to read. Very entertaining.
But the author is right that nice people are often mistreated by others. They are seen as easy targets. Unfortunately.
May 6, 2024
The Bad Weather Friend was a return to an old favorite author of mine from many years back. I don't really have a reason for not reading his work for so long but something about this cover and title grabbed my attention and I decided it was time to read Dean Koontz again. I am very happy that I did!
This book is a mash-up genre that I would describe as fantasty/comedy. I think Koontz himself describes it perfectly in this quote from The Bad Weather Friend:
""Where do craggles come from? "Benny asked, feeling as if he was trapped in a collaboration between J.K. Rowling and Monty Python."
This was a unique and fun storyline and I laughed out loud several times while reading. The writing is fluid and well-paced. I had forgotten how talented an author Koontz is.
This book is a mash-up genre that I would describe as fantasty/comedy. I think Koontz himself describes it perfectly in this quote from The Bad Weather Friend:
""Where do craggles come from? "Benny asked, feeling as if he was trapped in a collaboration between J.K. Rowling and Monty Python."
This was a unique and fun storyline and I laughed out loud several times while reading. The writing is fluid and well-paced. I had forgotten how talented an author Koontz is.
January 7, 2024
This was an Amazon "First Reads" book for January. Something about the description looked a little gentler than his usual fare so I picked it up. It is early days but I really love Benny who is a gentle soul. He makes me think of Odd Thomas who was another favorite Koontz character.
FINAL
This was indeed gentle and "nice." So much so that it lacked much conflict which made it fall flat in the end. The villlains who didn't like people being consistently nice didn't seem to have a very good reason for their over-the-top venom. I get the reason Koontz took on this general theme but it didn't pay off for me. His real triumph in that sort of message is The City which remains my favorite of his books.
FINAL
This was indeed gentle and "nice." So much so that it lacked much conflict which made it fall flat in the end. The villlains who didn't like people being consistently nice didn't seem to have a very good reason for their over-the-top venom. I get the reason Koontz took on this general theme but it didn't pay off for me. His real triumph in that sort of message is The City which remains my favorite of his books.
July 16, 2024
This book is quite weird. And while I did expect an element of weird (Dean Koontz is rather known for a bit of weird in his books) I wasn’t quite expecting this level of odd. The book is told in two timelines the present and a time when the main character Benny was at boarding school. The present tense timeline was interesting in a weird way, but I liked it. If that had been the whole book I think I would have liked it a bit better. The flashback timeline was beyond bizarre and I had a hard time keeping myself focused and reading those parts. The writing is good and the book moves quickly (beyond the parts I slowed way down). Benny is a nice guy, but when he has a horrible day he is sure that someone is out to get him even if he doesn’t understand the who or the why he’s pretty certain it’s why he loses his job, his girlfriend breaks up with him, and no one will return his calls. Plagued with what he’ll do next in life he receives a strange inheritance from an uncle had never heard of and his life goes from sad to bizarre pretty quickly.
February 22, 2024
This book was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be some type of thriller but it ended up just being a silly story about why we should all be nice! Otherwise a 7 foot cragle (bad weather friend) will come and mess with you. Overall a very silly story written with a rather serious tone with some unnecessary supernatural elements.
Check out my YouTube book review here:
https://youtu.be/Khj_wb_TLPs?si=gHMVx...
Check out my YouTube book review here:
https://youtu.be/Khj_wb_TLPs?si=gHMVx...
February 6, 2024
I read about 100 pages of this novel and was about to give up. Reading some reviews by other readers induced me to continue reading. I should have gone with my original sentiment.
I think that this book is classed as a fantasy horror novel. It reads like a young adult novel with adult themes. While I was reading this, I was reminded of the Harry Potter novels. It wasn’t the subject matter but the phrasing and overly flowery language. Also, the outlandish or alliterative names of various characters brought some English farcical novels to mind. I thought the plot was outlandish and I didn’t like the stratagem of jumping back to the childhood of the protagonist in every other chapter.
I was glad that I got to read this book as a free Amazon “first read”. I would have really been disappointed if I paid good money for this…
I think that this book is classed as a fantasy horror novel. It reads like a young adult novel with adult themes. While I was reading this, I was reminded of the Harry Potter novels. It wasn’t the subject matter but the phrasing and overly flowery language. Also, the outlandish or alliterative names of various characters brought some English farcical novels to mind. I thought the plot was outlandish and I didn’t like the stratagem of jumping back to the childhood of the protagonist in every other chapter.
I was glad that I got to read this book as a free Amazon “first read”. I would have really been disappointed if I paid good money for this…
January 20, 2024
I should have listened to the bad reviews. But it’s Koontz! I was about 200 pages in when I began asking myself, “What the heck am I reading?” I’m a huge believer in quitting books you don’t like, but I had put too much effort in. This was an awful and stupid story and I am now going back to reread the bad reviews. I forced myself to- and skimmed like crazy - to finish this one. I don’t think I’ve ever given a one star before.
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