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!

Wow. Just keeps getting better. Koontz is one of the best writers of all time. He takes his time thru details of his words to bring the story alive in your mind. You can imagine the heart in the hand and the eye out of the socket. The loveless mother and psycho headmaster. So compelling it was hard to put down. I even laughed at loud at one part. So good it gives you so many emotions of horror, love, desperation, anxiety and amazement. I have always loved his books and I would put this one at the top 10. Phantoms will always be number 1 in my books. So read please.

I usually have mixed feelings about books authored by Dean Koontz. He tends to come up with unique, interesting and often scary stories. This one wasn't really horror... It was a little more magical and metaphysical. I also found it pretty humorous and enjoyable to read. But typical of Dean Koontz, the ending of the book came quick, fast, and in a hurry. His endings often feel very abrupt, like they came out of nowhere to meet a deadline. Such is the case with this book as well. I would still recommend this book to others as long as you are forewarned and able to accept an abrupt and kind of unfulfilling ending I would enjoy reading more about the craggle Spike... He was an interesting character and there are so many things I would still enjoy knowing about craggle-kind.

The Bad Weather Friend is the first book that I've read by Dean Koontz, and, as a result, I'm not sure if I'll read another. It wasn't a bad book, and I'm sure that anyone who is a Dean Koontz fan will enjoy this read...I just haven't yet decided if it's my cup of tea or if I'm even intrigued enough to invest the time to read another in order to decide when there are definitely other authors whose writing I enjoy more (as well as those for which I have so little appreciation as to not be able to finish the book...this was not one of those). In this book's defense, it kept me wanting to read it enough that I was able to (eventually) complete it even though I did not find it a "page turner" that I could not put down. With that being said, I had mixed feelings from the start because my husband, who's even more of a reader than I am, reacted with such distaste when I showed him what I was reading and wished me luck explaining that he had only attempted to read something by Dean Koontz once and was only able to get a few pages in before losing interest. I decided to give this title a chance despite that and don't regret it even though I'm not sure that I'll read another by this author.

I enjoyed the development of the three, main characters in this book who were likeable and kept me invested in the read because I wanted to find out what happened to them. The story itself was not at all what I was expecting because I was under the impression that it was going to be a thriller but was left settling into rather than sitting on the edge of my seat. There were aspects of the story that were just...strange (while trying to avoid any "spoilers", not just strange concepts, but I, personally, found the parenthetical kind of side-lined comments off-putting), for lack of a better description, and would have turned me completely off of the book had I not taken the bait with the main characters. On the other hand, other aspects of the story were intriguing enough to make it worth my while to hang in there for the characters. Overall, I'm glad that I read this book and enjoyed it enough to finish the read even though there were aspects that turned me off enough to leave me confused as to whether or not I have any desire to read another book by the same author to find out if this is his normal style of writing or if it gets better...

The Bad Weather Friend is one of Dean Koontz’s rare dark humor titles. I think the last one I read was Tick Tock many years back but while Koontz draws you into the depths of the sinister ISA from the more serious and recent novels like The House At The End of the World and Elsewhere, the humorous hero Benny feels like an annoying Seymour Krelborn from Little Shop of Horrors that you never can find a reason to root for. Benny is the proverbial nice guy who has a history of his own with the ISA but is happy to put any horrific experience behind him. His string of bad luck turns out to be a more sinister plot to destroy the nice guys of the world but Benny receives an unexpected surprise in the form of a mysterious creature named Spike who is more characteristic of a cartoon or Tim Burton character than a supernatural bodyguard. Maybe I had high expectations for this book but it didn’t carry me all the way through as I would have hoped. Sure there are some colorful tropes and kicks at current world things going on but midway through the book I was ready just to have Benny over with. The downers about this book are that the conflict resolution is way too easily addressed so there is no real climax to the story. Then there were noticeable errors like the irrelevant antidotes such as the description of the flag being lowers to “half mast” when it should have been “half-staff” for a school headmaster that mysteriously dies. It just seems like Koontz rushed this book big time. I purchased the audiobook which is excellently read by Ray Chase. He does an excellent job at narration and I would rate him five stars. I really enjoy Dean Koontz books but this is by far my least favorite of my reads. I will plan to donate this book to the library.

I have been a fan of Dean Koontz for a very (very) long time now and have generally enjoyed all his books, often reaching for a favourite comfort novel from his works. However, ‘The Bad Weather Friend’ diverges from his typical narrative finesse, presenting a challenge to stay immersed in the story. While the novel's core concept is undeniably compelling: imagine receiving a box with a seven-foot-tall guardian named Spike, who pledges to shield you from harm. This tantalising setup is laden with overwrought language and a sluggish tempo, which unfortunately detracts from the initial idea's excitement.

The novel's central figure is Benjamin ‘Benny’ Catspaw, a 23-year-old real estate agent residing in Orange County. Benny is a beacon of positivity, always seeing the best in people and never understanding the need for anger. Despite the unexpected termination from his job and the abrupt end of his relationship, Benny remains optimistic. He quickly rallies himself to find another job, maintaining his hopefulness even when further difficulties arise. Benny’s life may be going downhill, but his spirit remains unbroken.

Amidst all this upheaval, Benny receives a mysterious video message from someone claiming to be his great-uncle, Colonel Talmadge Clerkenwell. In the message, Talmadge says that he has sent Benny a blessing that will change his life. Not expecting much, Benny is surprised when he receives a large delivery claiming to be books that instead appears to be an oversized casket. Disregarding the delivery, Benny continues his day, hoping things will soon return to normal. However, upon returning home from a walk, he discovers his kitchen in disarray, as though multiple intruders had ransacked it. After carefully searching the rest of his home, the only thing out of place is the casket in his garage. Worried that the police won't take him seriously, Benny contacts his friend Bob, a retired police detective and current private investigator, for help. Bob brings Harper, a young waitress and his current protégé, to assist in the investigation. They soon discover that the casket contains Spike, the titular bad-weather friend.

From here, the story follows the adventures of Benny and his friends as they work to unravel who is behind the attempts to ruin Benny’s life. Interspersed between the chapters detailing the investigation, we get flashbacks to Benny’s childhood, with a particular focus on his time at Briarbush Academy. It Is here that Benny finally makes his first friends, Jurgen Speer and Mengistu Gidada. During his two-month stay at Briarbush, Benny and his friends uncover a conspiracy within the school involving experiments on the students and work together to expose these monstrous acts.

One of my issues with the story lies with Benny’s time at Briarbush Academy. With so much time focused on building up the apprehension around the culmination of events surrounding Briarbush, I expected this time to link to Benny’s current difficulties. But frustratingly, there are no ties or connections between the two timelines. I think it made the whole plotline of what happened at Briarbush redundant, as the events had no impact on Benny’s current difficulties. My other issue with this storyline is the language the boys use, and no, I don’t mean they have potty mouths. Benny, Jurgen and Mengistu are supposed to be 13, 14, and 15 years old, respectively. However, their vocabulary is more sophisticated than any boys their age I have ever met. I understand they are from wealthy families and have had all the advantages money can buy, but I found their conversations unrealistic. For example, here is a snippet from when Mengistu is speaking to Benny and Jurgen:

‘We will be alike to the millions who, in this culture, have trammeled themselves with infinite absurd bureaucracies, regulations, and rules to give their existence meaning after their ancestors declared no need for meaning two and a half centuries earlier. Shall we become termites in a colony, living for no purpose but to devour what little remains of our once glorious civilization, or shall we grow into men of responsibility?’

The language feels unrealistic from the characters, which makes it challenging to connect with them. Moreover, the writing style is excessively pretentious and verbose, which persists throughout the book. Mr Koontz has described everything in great detail, leaving little room for developing characters, world-building, or plot.

In addition to finding the writing style overblown and irritating, I was bothered by how Benny and his friends in the present-day storyline seemed to treat everything so casually. If I received a mysterious crate from an unknown relative containing a seven-foot-tall mountain of a man who called himself a "bad weather friend," I would be alarmed and have some reaction. But the story had no fear, alarm, or distress. Nothing at all. Everyone treated it like any other day, making jokes and acting as if nothing strange had happened.

Finally, although the book is classified as a thriller, suspense, and action novel, I don't think any of these categories are appropriate. The story takes a long time to build up, and when it finally does, it lacks any real tension or moments that would have you concerned for the main characters. The Briarbush Academy and present-day plotlines are resolved with little involvement from Benny, and there never appears to be any real danger to the heroes.

Overall, ‘The Bad Weather Friend’ lacks a cohesive and engaging plot, as the author, Mr Koontz, seems too busy describing every detail exhaustively. For me, it fails to reach the typically suspense-driven plot with rich characters and world-building Mr Koontz is known for. While the book is not unreadable, it is not one I would like to read again, nor is it something that will leave a lasting impression on me.

2.5 out of 5 stars. Rounded up to 3 stars.