This sequel features the same characters we met in Fear Nothing. Surfer Bobby Holloway, DJ Sasha Goodall, Orson, the intelligence-enhanced beer swilling pooch, Roosevelt, Doogie and more are present and again involved in strange doings.

Seize the Night is a true sequel. Reading it without having read Fear Nothing is NOT recommended. It's like watching Godfather III without seeing the previous two. The story starts one month after Fear Nothing ends and is a more involved plot. It takes place in two nights. Moonlight Bay, still a police state, seems to be coming apart a bit more each day. Five children have been kidnapped, with the police seemingly indifferent. When the son of Chris's old girl friend is one of the missing, Chris and Orson head out to Fort Wyvern, a place that any fool knows is off-limits for the faint of heart. Having only the dark of night in which to work, Chris doesn't discover the boy and is faced with even a more bitter disappointment. Orson is missing.

Chris enlists the help of his friends, but what are they up against? Have the children and Orson been kidnapped by a serial killer? Are they being used in genetic experiments in the dark bowels at Wyvern? And why are most of the animals in Moonlight Bay acting really weird?

I've been a fan of Dean Koontz and have followed him through his endless collection of pseudonyms. In past books, I could always count on him having a happy ending. In his last two books I'm just looking for an ending. That is in no way a complaint, but the endings of both Chris Snow books have been cliff-hangers. I've read that this is a trilogy, but the way things are going, we could be on the Rocky or Rambo syndrome: no end in sight.

There are some flaws with Seize the Night. I found the endless surfer talk to be off-putting. Too many bros, bitchin', sharky and other surfer terms made me feel as though I was reading the book version of Endless Summer. Monster worms, an alternative red sky universe, residents transforming into horrible creatures, the time travel egg room – all of these morphed into something that was close to a vicarious overload. Koontz threw in so many scenarios that I really didn't know what was happening.

He offers a view of time-travel that I've never considered. We've all thought of going forward as well as backward in time, but going sideways is a new concept. With Koontz describing it, I don't ever want to go to his sideways destinations. I was also tempted to skim-read some parts, and that's not a good indication of compelling writing. When Chris finds a suicide in one of the Wyvern housing projects, the incident went on and on and on . . .

If you're expecting vintage Koontz, forget it. Obviously I've enjoyed these two books enough to buy them and then to take the time to read them, so that's saying something. Know what? Book three is an auto-buy. I've got to find out what happens to the inhabitants of Moonlight Bay. Why is the navy ship in the bay, a ship that appeared on the last pages? Is Chris serious about his proposal to Sasha? I want things tied up. Oh, maybe not neatly, but I want closure in at least one of the three books.

Bottom Line: Koontz has written better books, but an average attempt from him is still better than most writers.

--Linda Mowery