The Bad Weather Friend

With very few exceptions, I’ve never been too impressed with the Amazon “First Reads” offerings. There have been so many duds in the past couple of years that I usually don’t even bother downloading the monthly free book anymore.

This was a very pleasant, and unexpected, surprise. To have such an established author as Dean Koontz offered as one of the free reads is unusual to say the least. Even then, I was somewhat skeptical, thinking this must be some throwaway book that wouldn’t garner much interest.

It turns out this is a very fun read in the Dean Koontz style of mixing horror, suspense, fantasy, tragedy, and even a few laughs. A thoroughly enjoyable book that is well worth checking out.

I always enjoy Dean Koontz books. They're imaginative and entertaining. The Bad Weather Friend is a perfect example of a Dean Koontz book that presents a terrific story, well told.

Like a lot of stories, this one is told partially in flashbacks of our protagonist, Benny Catspaw. Benny starts this tale in his early twenties as a real estate sales agent (selling dirt, as Benny describes his trade) with a growing track record of success in the upper end of the Orange County, California market. Deep in his heart and mind, Benny is a nice guy. A very nice guy--that's important.

Then the wheels fall off of Benny's life--his career, his love interest, and almost everything else that he touches. What makes it worse is that Benny can't figure out why, and nobody will tell him. He as become persona non grata to most of the people he knows. Nobody will tell him why, and they won't even return his telephone calls or text messages. The only exception is an ex-policeman turned private investigator named Fat Bob, and a young lady who is a waitress by day and a budding PI working as an assistant to him.

Then, Benny receives an unexpected message and gift from an uncle Benny doesn't know he has. The gift isn't an object and it isn't money. It comes in a very unusual shape and size, and at its heart it is supernatural . . . and its name is Spike.

As the flashbacks begin, we look back on Benny's extraordinary life including family and education, and then return to Benny's unfortunate present. I won't go into any of the details, because I don't want to spoil your fun. Suffice it to say that as we bounce back and forth with Benny as he examines his present, considers his possible future, and looks at his past, the story is remarkable.

The story is absurd . . . but fun. Great fun. Trust me.

I got the Kindle edition via Prime First Reads. Prior to this, I had read some of the Odd Thomas books, but so long ago that I don't remember much about them, other than they were better than expected.

Concurrently, I have a paperback copy of Gustav Meyrink's "Golem" which is written in German, and I have to force myself to read it. I was so intrigued by the description of "The Bad Weather Friend" because it sounded like it was going to be about a Golem. There are some indications that the Spike character might have somewhat of the role of a Golem...a few hints here and there, but really, it is its own type of entity. Frankly, when I started this book, I had to force myself to keep reading it, as it truly was more cumbersome to read this, which is written in English that I use everyday, than it is to read something in a language I was somewhat raised with, but no longer use everyday! There's a ton of very uncommon and unusual words in this book. I highly recommend getting the Kindle copy of this because you can highlight the word and get a definition--usually the definition included "(archaic)" or "(dated)". So its full of archaic and outdated words, but in a sense, that it refreshing and I appreciate it. Almost all of the pop culture references were Midcentury. There's tons of little references to old songs, art, and bizarre names that mean things in other languages, or almost mean something in another language. There's little jokes or Easter eggs that reinforce the true meaning of the name, but for a lot of the readers, even with the reinforcements, I think the joke/ reference will be missed. An example was a character named Theron who is described as "beast," with that name, or rather Therion meaning beast in Greek. Usually, when a foreign phrase is used in dialog, the translation is given later in the dialog; its just the names that go untranslated, but accompanied by hints, like they are insider's jokes for the initiated.

It reminds me of 1940s sci-fi in the way it is written. That was my earliest impression, even before much that could be considered sci-fi had happened. Very retro. Even has omniscient narrator sequences. By the end, there's a lot of really retro sci-fi stuff along with an undercurrent of politics (specifically anti-capitalism). Talk of secret societies that use algorithms to repress nice people. Really the closest thing I can compare this book to would be "Illuminatus! Trilogy" by Wilson and Shea. Bizarre, weird, highly intelligent, odd yet meaningful names, politicized, sci-fi, historically rooted, occult, eschatological. Bad Weather Friend is an easier read in comparison, and I did get into it by the final third of the book.

Despite the dated cultural references and vocabulary, there are some very current themes in this book, including individuals being targeted via algorithms, and the dangers and consequences of EVs. There are several other themes in this book, including home design and origami (of metals, money, and space-time) but I am not trying to write a book here in this review!

One little incident from the book nags at me, I will try to describe it in a way that doesn't spoil anything for a prospective reader, and in hopes that it will help inform at the time it is read. There's an incident where a character gives himself an antidote to a very specific toxin. Something we don't really work with much these days. Back when we did, if the rabbit died, the worker took the antidote. But suppose that the rabbit died of natural causes, not a toxic leak. If that happened, and the worker took the antidote, he would die unless exposed to the toxin. I assume the author is aware of all this, but was afraid to spell it out, or maybe the author had the correct intuition of what happens in these circumstances but didn't know as a matter of absolute fact. Either way, the characters were unaware and assumed incorrectly in regards to the means of a death.

Bottom line: this book is superbly well written, sometimes in the same way that TV commercials for big insurance companies are well written, but it was initially difficult for me to get interested in it. Its difficult in the way it is difficult to read some older sci-fi stuff. It is very clever and I loved it for what it is. A lot of smart humor. Many deep insights. Kitschy at times. One of those rare books that I found myself highlighting with various colors, and typing notes into. One of those rare books that I surely will reread in the future. One that will stick with me.

When I started this book, I was unsure about it. The language is somewhat florid and bloated with descriptions and explanations about characters I knew were only going to be in the first chapter.

I kept reading, and soon there were author asides along with more florid prose and weird experiences.

What on earth was I reading? I didn’t know, but I started enjoying it, especially the dry humor which is my favorite kind.

I mentioned it to a friend, and she said that Koontz is the type of author you have to sink into a little bit.

That’s the perfect way to describe it. Just sink into it and enjoy the ride. I did.

Witty and funny. This was the author breaking all the rules, crashing the wall and winking at the reader and flexing his vocabulary for fun. I thought my command of the language was pretty good, but I found myself going to the dictionary a few times. I won't spoil it, but just a great premise and a satisfying read. The good guys are very good and the bad guys are evil. The pets are there too, though I was half hoping for the dog to communicate with alphabet blocks. Sadly no. Mr. Kootz puts so much reality into his fiction, at one point a character explains how she only reads fiction, because only fiction writers are telling us the truth. Love this one, not sure it could be a series, but it would great to see what happens next. Enjoy!