The Big Dark Sky

Written by Dean Koontz

Narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi

A group of strangers bound by terrifying synchronicity becomes humankind’s hope of survival in an exhilarating, twist-filled novel by Dean Koontz, the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

As a girl, Joanna Chase thrived on Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana until tragedy upended her life. Now thirty-four and living in Santa Fe with only misty memories of the past, she begins to receive pleas—by phone, through her TV, in her dreams: I am in a dark place, Jojo. Please come and help me. Heeding the disturbing appeals, Joanna is compelled to return to Montana, and to a strange childhood companion she had long forgotten.

She isn’t the only one drawn to the Montana farmstead. People from all walks of life have converged at the remote ranch. They are haunted, on the run, obsessed, and seeking answers to the same omniscient danger Joanna came to confront. All the while, on the outskirts of Rustling Willows, a madman lurks with a vision to save the future. Mass murder is the only way to see his frightening manifesto come to pass.

Through a bizarre twist of seemingly coincidental circumstances, a band of strangers now find themselves under Montana’s big dark sky. Their lives entwined, they face an encroaching horror. Unless they can defeat this threat, it will spell the end for humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781713652199

Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No. 1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda and their dog Anna in southern California.

Reviews for The Big Dark Sky

[Jim Lorigan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If he gets paid by the word he should be worth billions. 90% meaningless crap! .

[coachtim30 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars because it was somewhat disappointing after comparing it to the interesting and intriguing "Devoted" and "The Other Emily", both of which I read recently. Without giving away spoilers (in order to let you make up your own mind), let me just say my failure to connect with this book was mainly due to two issues: too many underdeveloped characters and a plot involving an all-knowing, all-powerful entity that never seemed to completely bake. When I picked up this book and read the blurb about the number of disparate characters coming together to fight an unknown menace, I immediately thought - "Watchers"! Sorry, but this doesn't come close to the engagement I had with that story.I was especially disappointed with the plot (and main antagonist) - neither made complete sense. Sorry, I really wanted this one to work.

[andsoitgoes_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Have been a fan of Dean Koontz for many years but feel as though his last few books are following the same pattern and I am not interested in the same characters set in different locations unless it is a series. I'll just stick to the Jane Hawk series for now. Disappointed.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story takes on several genres in it's telling, but Dean Koontz can always be counted on to produces a suspenseful, action filled story. He seems to be returning to some of his earlier writing styles with stories that have more of a supernatural feel, and like those early books this one was a more than average entertaining read. There are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages, but there is also a very large cast of characters to keep up with. Our heroine, "JoJo" Chase began to have memories of her childhood when she lived in Montana...then the mysterious phone calls started. The last straw was the mysterious dreams and other strange experiences that sent her returning to her childhood home. Tied into the plot is a cult-like leader and a serial killer bomber and behind everything is a puppet master controlling it all. It starts out slow but picks up rapidly making this suspenseful read one of Dea Koontz's best.

[celticlibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The vast isolation and the big skies of Montana provide the ambience and setting for a suspense thriller that only Koontz can write.I've long been a fan of this author and always enjoy seeing what dark fantasy he can come up with next. This was quite entertaining, though a bit annoying since it hops and skips through the narrative told from many different points of view thus making the continuity of the story quite choppy. There are a lot of white hat characters to get to know quickly and the stereotypical megalomaniac who must be stopped. All parties converge on Rustling Willows Ranch in a showdown that combines science, artificial intelligence, and an existential force that has to be reckoned with to save all of humanity. Further describing the characters or the plot is unnecessary and would spoil the story for readers so I will just leave the publisher's synopsis stand without adding further details. As always, Dean Koontz loves words and flowery prose and uses that to enhance the tension. Although the expected end result comes to pass, the journey is fun as all is revealed on the way.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a huge Dean Koontz fan so of course I really liked this book and as always read it straight through! However, the set up of all the characters especially the bad ones took up most of the book then the ending happened so fast, it left me shaking my head! Also, feels like book one of a series! I would definitely read a book two because of the great characters especially the good AI, Artimis Selene who identifies as a woman and the good scientist Ganesh Patel! The human bad guy, Asher Optime is a horrific evil character...no more I certainly don't want to spoil anything. Overall, very good as usual just a fast short ending!