THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412080650
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY GREGORY N. KROLCZYK
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART
DEAN R. KOONTZ
Alfred A. Knopf. 487 pp. $24.
Dean Koontz's first big foray into the ``mainstream'' was 1976's Night Chills, a techno-horror thriller about mind control through subliminal suggestions. While Koontz did an excellent job overall, his work was especially effective because insidious subliminals really exist and the events he depicts could actually come to pass.
Now, 18 years later, Koontz has taken new real-world horrors and set them to circumstances in Dark Rivers of the Heart.
The story centers around former Army Ranger/former cop Spencer Grant, a miserably desperate man who spends his days with his dog, Rocky, trying to come to terms with a past that has left him with a hole in his memory, a huge scar on his face and an even larger one in his soul. Making matters worse, the one good thing to happen in his life of late, a waitress named Valerie, has disappeared. Though he's only known her for a day, Spencer's sure she's the key to his future happiness, so sure that he drops everything and sets out to find her.
Unfortunately, what he finds is that Valerie isn't who she seems, but is instead the object of a relentless search being conducted by a clandestine government agency that will stop at nothing to find her. He also learns that his brief association with her has made him a target, too. But for Spencer the real horror comes in the form of a sociopath named Roy Miro, the leader of the aforementioned renegade agency whose position not only allows him to operate with complete impunity, it also gives him access to some very scary Orwellian devices.
That most of these devices are real is chilling enough; that they could be (and, according to Koontz, actually have been) used without constraint by power-crazed government agents to destroy innocent citizens is truly terrifying. What isn't so frightening, however, is Dark Rivers of the Heart.
Simply, the idea is better than the execution.
The main problem is the characters. As usual, it doesn't take Koontz long to get things going. Indeed, the first half of the book has Spencer and Rocky hunting for Valerie while unknowingly (at least for a while) being hunted by Miro, a scenario that culminates in an all-out (and overwritten) chase scene lasting for more than 40 pages. Unfortunately, the Spencer character doesn't really jell until he meets up with Valerie in the second half of the book. This forces Miro and Rocky to carry the entire first half, a task that neither is capable of: The Miro character lacks the depth needed to be truly disturbing; and Rocky is a dog, and a rather boring one at that.
The other problem in Dark Rivers of the Heart concerns the plot. In addition to the main story line, Koontz has two seemingly important subplots going. But as it turns out, neither has any effect on the outcome of the main story. This is extremely disappointing, especially considering the amount of time he devotes to them: I kept wondering exactly how he was going to manage to bring everything together. The answer is: He doesn't.
Finally, while certain parts of the story are incredibly predictable, others seem way too familiar for comfort, with glimpses of past works like Shattered, Watchers and Whispers showing through.
Of course, Dark Rivers of the Heart isn't without its redeeming qualities. After all, Koontz at his worst is still pretty good. As in most Koontz novels, the pacing is excellent; there's some pretty good chemistry between Spencer and Valerie; and again the subject matter is terrifying. But all in all, these pluses simply aren't enough to overcome the fact that this one is more disappointing than not.
- MEMO: Gregory N. Krolczyk is a writer who lives in Kill Devil Hills. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Dean Koontz
by CNB