What if mathematics and Chaos Theory proved that evolution was a false theory? What if, instead, all of the animals that ever lived, including man, appeared basically as they are, full-blown, at some point in time? And what if this was proven true, today, by a new hominid-like species appearing around the globe, tens of thousands of them, all at once, with opposable thumbs capable of grasping things and even learning our language? How would we react to them, and treat them–as pets, as friends, or as experimental lab animals? The idea that this could happen, that whole species of creatures can appear all at once, is the main idea behind Dean Koontz’s latest novel, Breathless, published in November of 2009 by Bantam Dell.
The story is made up of multiple subplots that ultimately tie together, despite being seemingly unrelated. There’s the main storyline about the creatures, set in Colorado and told from the point of view of ex-sniper Grady Adams. He encounters a pair of wondrous creatures one day, creatures he can find no reference to in any of his wildlife and history books. When they follow him and his dog home, he phones a veterinarian friend of his, Camillia (Cammy) Rivers, to come over and check out the animals. Cammy, in her subplot, has had her own strange experience when she sees horses and other animals pause as if in a hypnotic state of wonder for several minutes, and she can’t figure out what has caused their reaction, dismissing all sorts of possibilities, like illnesses, food they might have eaten, and air-borne fungi.
Cammy doesn’t realize what she’s unleashing when she e-mails two of her colleagues photos and info about the creatures, whom she’s given the names of Puzzle and Riddle. They immediately inform the Department of Homeland Security, who have their own plans about dealing with Puzzle and Riddle, and keeping knowledge about them from leaking out to the rest of the world. Their Sturm und Drang Gestapo-like tactics and efforts to silence any information about the two creatures adds a lot of suspense to the novel, and make it in part a cautionary tale about what can happen when bureaucracies become paramilitary organizations.
I won’t go into the other subplots very much, but the one that was for me the most suspenseful and that I liked the most was one involving the twin brothers Henry Rouvroy and Jim. It is like a modern-day and very satisfyingly twisted version of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “A Tell-Tale Heart.”
This is the first Dean Koontz novel I’ve read and reviewed. I had heard things about him, comparing him to Stephen King, often unfavorably, but I tried not to let that influence my impressions of Breathless, and I think I succeeded. Instead of asking “how does this compare to King’s work,” I considered how well I thought the main plot and the subplots were written, how realistic the characters seemed, whether or not the premise that the theory of evolution is incorrect could work in the context, how well the subplots get tied to the main plot, etc. I found I liked Breathless, but I ended up wondering if the title is supposed to refer only to what the characters of the novel feel when they undergo the experience of seeing and interacting with Puzzle and Riddle, or if it’s also supposed to refer to how the author wants readers to feel while reading the book. If it’s the latter, I have to say that, while I experienced a sense of wonder to an extent, I wasn’t left “breathless.”
Also, while mathematicians might be, as Koontz suggests, the “enemy” of people who adhere to the theory of evolution, and evolution might not be a valid theory, what does he replace it with? An idea that animals appear spontaneously under the right conditions at varied places around the globe? It is an interesting what-if scenario, to be sure, but all animals I can think of have left a skeletal record behind, indicating they (in the evolutionary family sense of “they”) have been in existence for hundreds of thousands to millions of years. This seems to be at odds with the theory that a new phyla of animal could spontaneously be generated.
Would I recommend Breathless? Yes, but with the proviso that one should try not to be too logical and nitpicky. Repeat the mantra: “I will suspend my sense of disbelief,” to yourself as you read Breathless, as, let’s admit, one must do to really get into and appreciate much of SF and Fantasy novels. If you do, you will probably find yourself enjoying Breathless quite a bit. I know that I liked reading it enough to want to search out more of Dean Koontz’s novels.
