Dean Koontz's take on the aftermath of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus novel takes the reader into the darkest corners of one man's insane and grand design to rid the world of humanity. Two hundred years after Victor Frankenstein's death, his first creation who now calls himself Deucalion, sensed that Victor was still alive somewhere and that he must stop him. His worst fears were confirmed when he finds out that Victor has been working secretly for many years refining his techniques and perhaps had achieved immortality.
Prodigal Son introduces Deucalion who has changed profoundly through the years. Calmer and wiser now he nevertheless feels that he is still the monster Victor created him to be. But he learned that he has gifts which made him question the purpose of his existence. His discovery of Victor's whereabouts strengthened his conviction that he survived because his mission is unfinished.
He is not alone in this quest. Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison have discovered events which they thought were the work of a psychopath. They were right, but some of the more bizarre murders were someone else's work.
In City of Night, Deucalion, with the help of the two detectives, were unlocking more information on the New Race that Victor has been sending out to replace key positions in the government, law enforcement, and others. Victor believes his plans are working perfectly but something has gone wrong in several of his creations. It seems like the empire he has been building is starting to fall apart.
At this point, most of Victor's creations have started to show signs of defects. They're out of control. The trio however will discover unlikely allies. Erika 5 and Jocko, also Victor's creations (the latter a former tumor), decided they wanted to oppose their creator. Some of the New Race also had a change of heart, claiming that they felt Dead and Alive. Victor would never have imagined what was waiting for him when they finally got him cornered. But Victor had a plan in case this happens...
Victor is still alive. They saw him die at the landfill and thought everything was over. But he's back, stronger and more persistent than ever. This time he's determined to seed out the inhabitants of a seemingly peaceful town and unlike the New Race, his Communitarians and Builders are faster and more efficient. A few people noticed the peculiar actions of some of the residents and must now fight to survive the onslaught. But first they have to alert the rest of the town and find Victor.
Lost Souls introduces new characters who will play key roles in stopping Victor's scheme.
In The Dead Town, Victor seems to be progressing well in his plans. By now they know that Victor created a clone in the event that he dies. They know too that although not nearly as strong as the New Race, the Communitarians and Builders are proving to be deadly opponents.
Lyss and Nummy have been trying to escape from what they thought were aliens after they saw what the Builders did. Bryce and Travis have already escaped from the hospital and its weird employees and went to find Bryce's friend Sully for help and all three are now looking for Travis' mother. A few residents have set up resistance as well. They were still no match for the Builders however. As these characters discover the horrors left by the Builders, they find that they must rely on each other's strengths and hope their friendship and trust will keep them sane and alive.
***
This is one of the few series that you won't stop reading until you get to the last page of the last book. This is a nice mix of old school (mad scientist plus his creation) and contemporary horror/suspense (new technology/science gone bad, conspiracies).
I like the balance of power among Victor, Deucalion, and the other characters. Although faster and stronger than his creator, Deucalion still had vulnerabilities. And Victor despite his creations and cunning mind was not immortal after all. Deucalion's abilities are equal to or greater than the New Race and Communitarians so the humans involved are not really that helpless in the fight.
Koontz wrapped up the series really well. The last book had flashbacks of the previous books and Shelley's book. The final confrontation between Deucalion and Victor was significant too. I agree with what Deucalion said about Victor's 'suffering' in reference to the events in Shelley's book. They both suffered, yes, but Victor's was exaggerated and insincere.
Unlike the original Victor, the clone lacked qualities that enabled the latter to survive for so long. He refused to acknowledge that he can make mistakes, unlike the human Victor who had contingency plans in case everything goes wrong. Nonetheless, they were both arrogant; confident of their intelligence and invulnerability.
Despite his success for so many years Victor's work was insignificant compared to what other real people have done in history. His creations were known to only a few people. Still, part of what Victor said about humanity was true. Even if we're part of the same species, we hurt and kill each other. We don't need monsters and mad scientists to see evil in this world. Some people have done worse than Victor.
Rating: 10 out of 10.
