The Face: A Novel

Written by:
Dean Koontz
Narrated by:
Dylan Baker

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
321
Narrator
8
Release Date
May 2003
Duration
19 hours 33 minutes
Summary
Acknowledged as “America’s most popular suspense novelist”(Rolling Stone ) and as one of today’s most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human. Now he delivers the page-turner of the season, an unforgettable journey to the heart of darkness and to the pinnacle of grace, at once chilling and wickedly funny, a brilliantly observed chronicle of good and evil in our time, of illusion and everlasting truth.

He’s Hollywood’s most dazzling star, whose flawless countenance inspires the worship of millions and fires the hatred of one twisted soul. His perfectly ordered existence is under siege as a series of terrifying, enigmatic “messages” breaches the exquisitely calibrated security systems of his legendary Bel Air estate.

The boxes arrive mysteriously, one by one, at Channing Manheim’s fortified compound. The threat implicit in their bizarre, disturbing contents seems to escalate with each new delivery. Manheim’s security chief, ex-cop Ethan Truman, is used to looking beneath the surface of things. But until he entered the orbit of a Hollywood icon, he had no idea just how slippery reality could be. Now this good man is all that stands in the way of an
insidious killer—and forces that eclipse the most fevered fantasies of a city where dreams and nightmares are the stuff of daily life. As a seemingly endless and ominous rain falls over southern California, Ethan will test the limits of perception and endurance in a world where the truth is as thin as celluloid and answers can be found only in the illusory intersection of shadow and light.

Enter a world of marvelous invention, enchantment, and implacable intent, populated by murderous actors and the walking dead, hit men and heroes, long-buried dreams and never-dying hope.

Here a magnificent mansion is presided over by a Scottish force of nature known as Mrs. McBee, before whom all men tremble. A mad French chef concocts feasts for the mighty and the malicious. Ming du Lac, spiritual adviser to the stars, has a direct line to the dead. An aptly named cop called Hazard will become Ethan’s ally, an anarchist will sow discord and despair, and a young boy named Fric, imprisoned by celebrity and loneliness, will hear a voice telling him of the approach of something unimaginably evil. Traversing this extraordinary landscape, Ethan will face the secrets of his own tragic past and the unmistakable premonition of his impending violent death as he races against time to solve the macabre riddles of a modern-day beast.

A riveting tour de force of suspense, mystery, and miraculous revelation, The Face is that rare novel that entertains, provokes, and uplifts at the same time. It will make you laugh. It will give you chills. It will fill you with hope.
Reviews
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Monica G.

The very first books from Dean Koontz I had bought and listen to was "Drangon Tears" it left me just wanting more of Dean Koontz. So I went to the libracy and Pick up the "Face" WOW what a book I could not get out of my car driving in circle just to listen what would happen next. Once I was done I couldn't stop talking about the book so I passed it to my co-worker, who was also under Dean spell, and it began: we started a audio book club at work. there was about 5-6 of us but we were in love just passing books and then chatting about them at lunch. Our Audio Book club lasted 5 yrs then we all started to move on to other jobs and having withdraws what we do now we have gone on we pick up book and tell someone they need to get it so on and so on. Now I found this web site and I am in love all over again. I just cant wait to tell my friends. Thank you for this get idea. Monica G. :)~

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lynn johnson

A lot of the reviews were not so great for the reader, but I disagree. I think the story and the teller are a perfect match! As usual, Dean Koontz does a great job spinning his web to snag his prey. And I the willing am grateful to be present at such a feast. Koontz again does a masterful job!

Until now, I haven't been a Koontz fan or even a fan of this genre, but I must say that "The Face" had me hooked from beginning to end. Yes, it does get wordy as other reviewers have noted, but that's part of the beauty of this book. Koontz is a master of detail and painter or word pictures. I especially loved his depiction of Elfrick, the 10-year old son on the never-to-be seen title characters. Also loved the way he lampooned so many folks in this book including Hollywood types, politicians and academics. Bravo Mr. Koontz. I'll be back for more!

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br67tb

Great Book - kept my interest all the way through.

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Melissa Maurice

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were so engrossing, particularily the intelligent and engaging child, Elfrick...who's inner monologue was responsible for more than one or two bursts of laughter! Great action, original and interesting - not like anything you've read before. Highly recommended!

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Myrna Bermundo

The book is very intriguing. Then again, I like Dean Koontz. Like all of Dean Koonts books, its a page turner if I was reading the book. I stayed in my car for many a times so that I could finish listening to the audio. I can't wait to get the rest of the audios.

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Kay McKay

One of the best I have listened to...I didn't want to get out of the vehicle and go to work! Could barely wait to listen some more...a must listen to book!

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William Morgan

This was my first book by Koontz and I loved it. The author wove an exciting tale and the reader made it a thrill to listen all the way though. I had to go on a business trip in the middle of the book so I picked up the paperback at the airport and read a few chapters on my trip. When I got back, I switched back to the disks to finish the story. I'm going to listen to more Koontz.

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jiffer60

The reason this gets a 3 is not so much that the story deserves it but the reader brings it down. The story, so far, is pretty good and Koontz is very descriptive. He uses great words and I am always trying to broaden my vocabulary so this is nice to listen to. However, the reader is drone and nasal and has very little enthusiasm. He really is ruining the story as a whole. I find that I have to keep rewinding because I've missed something due to my mind drifting off because the reader is just so boring. It's too bad because the story is quite interesting.

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Lili

A good story! Not long and drawn out, I love long stories as long as they are captivating. Dean Koontz hit it out of the ballpark yet again!

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Anonymous

This is a memorable mystery even though it seems a little "drug out". I liked the story.

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Anonymous

A very good book. Not at all what I had expected and I like when an author can do that. The ending blew me away.

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Anonymous

Plot was somewhat interesting, but unabridged version was long and tedious to the point of nausea. Made me think the author was getting paid by the page or by the word (and got bonus points for prolific use of a Thesaurus). Unabridged version may be better, but actually I've decided to strike this author from my rental list entirely based on this one book.

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Cyndie Browning

Some of Dean Koontz's books are awesome, and others, not so much. Alas, "Face" is one of the latter. For one thing, the "Face" of the title never actually appears in the book, and for another, all the elements of the plot have been done before. I waded through the entire story (all 16 disks of it) and was only too glad when it was finally over. If you're just lookin' to kill time, go ahead and rent this book; otherwise, pick somethin' else.

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Colleen

unusual book so far. so unique that I anxiously await the last of the CD's.

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Kathleen Guger

I have read and listened to several of Dean Koontz books but for some reason could not keep focused on this one. I did not even get through the whole book. It may have been the person reading or the book but it seemed to go on and on but go nowhere.

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Robert Lanois

The master of chill Dean Koontz does it again. This story as it is told is chilling and suspensful. Full charactors find themselves in unbelievable circumstances. If you are new to Dean Koontz try this book. You will not want to put it away until you hear the last words. Wonderfully read and charactorized the reader puts you right in the action.

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Michael Scott

I used to be a huge fan of Koontz in the early days. However lately, his work is either a hit or miss. The Narrator may have helped in this regard, but I felt the puerile attempt at humor while dealing with villian in the story to be quite irritating, and left me wondering if I am outgrowing Koontz. This same "cuteness" is present when dealing with the fiends in other of his later works as well, such as the "Brother Odd" series, and The Husband. It's the same wit in all three, and just as aggravating.

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Anonymous

a slow start almost had me thinking i had picked a dud but in hindsight alot of that had to do with my previous selection being of a different genre and me needing to switch gears to adapt. I think either you like koontz or you dont and if you do, this is more of the same, i like it and him and would only comment the narrator would not be my favorite voice for alot of books...but tolerable. All said and done i would reccomend it....if you like koontz

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Laurajean

This was my first Dean Koontz book in a while and I really enjoyed the story! I agree with some of the other reviews that sometimes the Koontz tends to drone on endlessly, but you have to admire his ability to paint a complete mental picture of the situation. I would be remiss not to acknowledge the hysterical way the narrator, Dylan Baker, portrayed the Corky Laputa character. His “folktale” like story telling added an additional dimension to this book.

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Tracey H

This story was a pleasant surprise. Full of intriguing twists and supernatural overtones, The Face kept me glued to my CD player. I was so hooked into the story I had to carry my portable disc player around rather than wait for my commute!

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Patti

I've always been a fan of Koontz, but this drove me almost as crazy as his characters. His inane descriptions of everything from the time of day to a yellow rain slicker made the story just drag. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for more bad news.

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Hope

I really enjoyed this story, although it was slow moving at first and took me a couple of chapters to really get into it. I found myself involved in the story and could not wait to find out what happened.

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Penny Kapp

My review is based on my feeling of the greatness of the story... but NOT on the version I listened to (unabridged). I cannot give a bad rating based upon the version I listened to but I would never again get an UNabridged version of Dean Koontz. He has a way with words, but he REALLY got carried away in this book and I wanted to fast forward MANY times. It became very frustrating. HOWEVER... the story was great, the thought process is genius, and if I filter out the excess crap, it is a wonderful story!!!

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Dennis Smallwood

Overall I enjoyed this book. As a physician I found some medical signs and symptoms that were inaccurate...and at times Mr. Koontz's obsession with alliteration a bit distracting ( if not clever).... The reader apparently felt he had to introduce even more cynicism into an already very cynical book and therefore creates an imbalance in a book that would have balanced cynicism with hope. I found it interesting that I couldn't find a copy of the book in the bookstores.

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Maureen

Wonderful Book. Very interesting characters. Plot was terrific-the twists and turns really catch you off guard. I could not stop listening. A must read!

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Anonymous

Although it could have been shorter, and the descriptions sometimes seemed arduous, this was a good book. The characters were interesting and the story was facinating. It's made me want to read some more Koontz.

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Anonymous

I'm a Dean Koontz fan and really enjoyed it but it could have been a lot shorter. It keeps you on edge the whole time trying to figure out what was going to happen next. A good blend of reality and the supernatural with memorable characters. A good read but not before bedtime!

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Anonymous

This was an excellent book. Koontz was thorough as usual and the book truly delivered. It was worth it to rent the unabridged version too.

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Pam Cate

I'm not done with this book yet, but I'm loving it. I have actually had about a week between the last CD that I listened to, and getting the next set, and I'm going nuts waiting!!! I really like it. Dean Koontz is wonderful!!!

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Gordon Imms

I plowed through and listened to all the disks only because I had invested so much time already. The story was way to long. If it was shortend by half it would be worth the listen

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Anonymous

The book was good to fair. I don't think it would be considered one of koontz best works. It's long and draw out. The ending was worth the wait, but what a wait to get to the ending

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Anonymous

This was a great entertaining story with all of the thrills and chills that Koontz is known for. However, there were parts where I just wanted the storyteller to get on with it - generally speaking, I enjoyed this and would recommend it especially to Koontz fans.

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Nancy Smithson

I love Dean Koontz, however this book was a bit verbose. Definitely had the Dean Koontz heart jumping factor, the narrator was easy to listen to, just long.

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Anonymous

I could not get into this story. Listen to the first couple of cd's, one of them twice. Then gave up.

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Linda Osborne

This book made me realize what the word "overwritten" means. It would go on and on for my whole commute with a series of bad metaphors about the rain and such. I don't know what went wrong with this normally interesting author, but this book was way too tedious for me to wade through looking for the narrative. I would NOT recommend this one!

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Anonymous

too long, it sux. the narrator bored me. a little too weird

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Anonymous

A little too long. Hard to get through the middle. Enjoyed the first 4 and last 4 CDs. If it wasn't for the drawn out middle of the story, I would have given it 4 stars, possibly 5 because the end was satisfying.

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De McCrae

Although I have always enjoyed his work, I found this book to be tedious, and too wordy. The narrator had a pleasant voice, but as time went on, I just lost interest and did not finish listening to the entire series.

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LadyBug86

Excellent read!!! I thought it might be to long but every word drew me in. Expect ,twists and turns and a ride of your life. Glad I rented , you will be too

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