I can’t resist plugging a certain excellent Dean Koontz novel here, as I know a few friends in particular who would love “Phantoms.”  I’ve only read a tiny fraction of Koontz’ novels.  (Dear Lord, that guy writes a lot.)  But I’ve always loved the ones that I have read.  They’re quickly paced, they’ve got fun, creative horror-sci-fi premises, and I like stories where the good guys have guns and guts and just fight right the hell back.

“Phantoms,” in my humble opinion, is the scariest Koontz book I’ve ever read.  I think my favorite will always be “Lightning,” with its terrific surprise plot device.  But “Phantoms” is the Koontz novel that best amped up the fear factor.

I can’t describe the story’s antagonist … or even its overall plot, for fear of spoilers.  Suffice to say, a small Colorado town goes off the grid, and investigators arrive to find that something horrible and mysterious has happened there.  Despite that cliche’ setup, the reveal is darkly inventive, detailed, and wickedly illustrated.

The book might also induce smiles because it is such a right-leaning Cold War period novel.  (It was written in 1983.)  Upon discovering Very Bad Things, our Middle American heroes wonder if it’s the work of “the Russians.”  (Terrorism isn’t mentioned, if I recall.)

It’s damn fun.

[UPDATE:  Blog correspondent Len Ornstein just told me he was unhappy with my recent recommendation after he read this book!  Your mileage may vary, I guess.  My rule for this blog is Caveat Reador.]