The Taking: A Novel

· Sold by Bantam
4.5
102 reviews
Ebook
432
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

This ebook edition contains a special preview of Dean Koontz’s The Silent Corner.

In one of the most dazzling books of his celebrated career, Dean Koontz delivers a masterwork of page-turning suspense that surpasses even his own inimitable reputation as a chronicler of our worst fears—and best dreams. In The Taking he tells the story of a community cut off from a world under siege, and the terrifying battle for survival waged by a young couple and their neighbors as familiar streets become fog-shrouded death traps. Gripping, heartbreaking, and triumphant in the face of mankind’s darkest hour, here is a small-town slice-of-doomsday thriller that strikes to the core of each of us to ask: What would you do in the midst of The Taking.

On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain on their roof. It has haunted their sleep, invaded their dreams, and now they rise to find a luminous silvery downpour drenching their small California mountain town. A strange scent hangs faintly in the air, and the young couple cannot shake the sense of something wrong.

As hours pass and the rain continues to fall, Molly and Niel listen to disturbing news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. Before evening, their little town loses television and radio reception. Then telephone and the Internet are gone. With the ceaseless rain now comes an obscuring fog that transforms the once-friendly village into a ghostly labyrinth. By nightfall the Sloans have gathered with some of their neighbors to deal with community damage...but also because they feel the need to band together against some unknown threat, some enemy they cannot identify or even imagine.

In the night, strange noises arise, and at a distance, in the rain and the mist, mysterious lights are seen drifting among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn, but a moody gray-purple twilight prevails. Soon Molly, Niel, and their small band of friends will be forced to draw on reserves of strength, courage, and humanity they never knew they had. For within the misty gloom they will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to their world—something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency. Epic in scope, searingly intimate and immediate in perspective, The Taking is an adventure story like no other, a relentless roller-coaster read that brings apocalypse to Main Street and showcases the talents of one of our most original and mesmerizing novelists at the pinnacle of his powers.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
102 reviews
Charlotte Cox
June 30, 2018
Terrible! So sickening! It has almost turned me against reading Dean Kuntz anymore. Too much gore,not enough story line. Just one disgusting scene after another. Like seeing blood & guts all the time,with no chance of finding a small amount of common ground,or a funny bit of info,or a break in the constant ooze! Don't waste your time or money on this book!
1 person found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Chadsquatch McWick
June 7, 2023
$moke a doobie and enjoy this Mysterious and Creepy story. You won't be disapointed...unless you're interrupted. Brilliant!
Did you find this helpful?
Andy Curto
January 5, 2019
This book is strange and crazy in all of the best ways. It is definitely a page turner and probably my second favourite of Koontz (I have read quite a few of his books, my all time fave is the Odd Thomas series of books). If you like End of the World stories with a demonic and/or alien element, not knowing who is going to live or die, and a female heroine, I would suggest this book.
10 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Dean Koontz, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.