The Long Sleep by Dean Koontz

He wakes up without a name and a past. Trapped in a labyrinth of mysterious rooms he does not recognize, his only clue to his identity is the name Joel. Then a faceless man, whom he identified as Sandman, goes after him. The next thing he knew he wakes up in a different room but this time with a beautiful woman he cannot not remember. He was sure however that the woman is harmless and trustworthy unlike the white-haired man he knew instinctively had another agenda. Pleasant though the woman's company is he feels something is wrong. When he starts asking he wakes up again in another place. One nightmare after another, he keeps seeing the same faces in different places each time he wakes up. Sometimes their demeanor would be different. He also figured they will put him to sleep every time he starts asking or he acts strangely. All these only serve to confuse him more, but one thing is certain --- they're trying to keep something from him by playing out different scenes. Joel now knows they are trapped in a huge facility probably used for research. He needs to get out of the building to find out the answers.

Koontz fans like me will enjoy this well-written book because of its interesting premise and the signature Koontz suspense. The nightmarish quality of the images and Joel's predicament got me hooked right away. The piecemeal information handed out to Joel (and the readers in the process) urged me to keep reading. The best part is trying to piece together the information Joel acquired in each setting as well as trying to figure out the parts played by the other characters, particularly the faceless guy. The cliffhanger ending was a welcome surprise as well. I had some idea about what might have happened to the world outside the building but I had no idea how it was related to Joel's story.


Rating: 9 out of 10
Note: Published under the name John Hill; expanded from the short story "Grayworld"