The Taking

A maestro of page-turning suspense, Dean Koontz transcends even his own unique reputation as a recorder of our darkest fears—and finest dreams—in one of the most brilliant novels of his illustrious career. In The Taking, he describes a town shut off from the outside world and the horrifying struggle for survival that a young couple and their neighbors go through as familiar streets turn into death traps cloaked in fog. This small-town slice-of-doomsday thriller, gripping, sad, and victorious in the face of humanity's worst hour, asks the question that haunts all of us: What would you do in the middle of The Taking?

Molly and Niel Sloan wake up to the sound of rain drumming on their roof on the morning that will bring an end to the world they know. Their little California mountain village is being soaked by a brilliant silvery rain, which has disturbed their slumber and infiltrated their dreams. A peculiar odor wafts through the air, and the young pair can't get rid of their uneasy feeling.

While the rain keeps coming down, hours pass, and Molly and Niel hear alarming reports about severe weather events occurring all across the world. Their little community loses radio and television signal before dusk. Then the Internet and phone service go. Now, an eerie fog arrives with the unceasing rain, turning the once-friendly community into a haunting maze. By dusk, the Sloans and a few of their neighbors had assembled to address harm to the community as well as a sense of togetherness against an adversary they cannot yet recognize or even understand.

Unusual sounds are heard throughout the night, and unexplained lights may be seen floating among the trees in the distance during the rain and mist. As morning breaks, the rain lessens, but a melancholic gray-purple twilight remains. Molly, Niel, and their tiny group of friends will soon have to call upon bravery, strength, and humanity they never thought they had. Because something is stalking them with brutal efficiency, and it will expose to them in a terrible second what is happening to their world, somewhere inside the foggy darkness. The Taking is an adventure narrative unlike any other; it's epic in scale, searingly personal, and immediate in perspective. It's a frantic roller-coaster read that takes doomsday to Main Street and displays the skills of one of our most inventive and captivating novels at the height of his abilities.

taken from the hardback copy.