THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD Book Review

The House at the End of the World¹ by Dean Koontz, eBook, 407 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: Soon no one on Earth will have a place to hide in this novel about fears known and unknown. In retreat from a devastating loss and crushing injustice, Katie lives alone in a fortresslike stone house on Jacob’s Ladder island. Once a rising star in the art world, she finds refuge in her painting.

The neighboring island of Ringrock houses a secret: a government research facility. And now two agents have arrived on Jacob’s Ladder in search of someone—or something—they refuse to identify. Although an air of menace hangs over these men, an infinitely greater threat has arrived, one so strange even the island animals are in a state of high alarm.

Katie soon finds herself in an epic and terrifying battle with a mysterious enemy. But Katie’s not alone after all: a brave young girl appears out of the violent squall. As Katie and her companion struggle across a dark and eerie landscape, against them is an omnipresent terror that could bring about the end of the world.

BOOK REVIEW: I picked this book to fulfill one of the Kindle Challenge badges. I honestly cannot remember if I even read the description of the book or if I just looked for an author I recognized and picked by the cover (what I prefer to do). I actually really enjoyed this book a lot. After Katie experiences the loss of her parents, children, and husband, she chooses to seek solace instead of revenge.

Enter Jacob's Ladder Island. Where the description above says that she finds refuge in her painting, I feel like this is false. She is painting the scene that took her parents and children away from her and ultimately lead to the loss of her husband. She's trying to find closure but is still so full of anger that the only thing she can do is shut herself away from all people! She rarely leaves her island and she has her groceries and fuel delivered when she needs them. She has built a bunker in this house to give her all she needs to survive an apocalypse.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I kept coming back because I needed to know the who or what the agents from Ringrock were looking for. I knew that it was a Sci-Fi book but I was trying not to paint any pictures in my head of what the thing was until it was finally revealed. While there are some flashbacks for Katie, we eventually meet Libby. She lives on the other side of Jacob's Ladder with her parents and Nanny. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the narration of a 2nd character since it was brought in later in the book and not immediately done but there were times when I wasn't sure who was talking until I read Libby mention Katie or vice versa. While I did enjoy the story, I felt that there were some parts that seemed unnecessary to add in or should have been mentioned sooner/later to be more relevant, and almost felt like the ending was slightly rushed. I also think this was the first Dean Koontz book I've ever read so I'm excited to explore some of his other works!

4/5 Stars

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