Frankenstein Special Edition: Prodigal Son and City of Night

Frankenstein Special Edition: Prodigal Son and City of Night
Dean Koontz

The stunning first two instalments of Dean Koontz’s re-imagining of Frankenstein – including an extract from the final book, The Dead Town.Prodigal SonHis name is Deucalion – created centuries ago by a madman, who blessed and cursed him with supernatural powers. Deucalion arrives in New Orleans on the hunt for his evil creator as a murderer preys on innocent victims. Detective Carson O’Connor and her partner track the serial killer, but instead they find the next generation of Dr. Frankenstein’s monsters. They are much more, and less, than human – and about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting city…City of NightThey are much stronger, heal faster and think faster than any human – and they must be destroyed. But not even Victor Helios – once Dr. Frankenstein – can stop his engineered killers from their reign of terror. The only hope rests with Victor’s original ‘monster’ Deucalion and his all-too-human partners, Detectives Carson O’Connor and Michael Maddison.The Dead TownAs the war against humanity rages on, scattered survivors come together in a small Montana town to weather the onslaught. As they make their last stand, humanity’s fate hangs in the balance. And Deucalion finally faces his deranged maker in a climax that will shatter every expectation…

Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein

Prodigal Son

City of Night

The Dead Town

Dean Koontz

Table of Contents

Prodigal Son (#u3239e44e-48e9-57f5-a078-bca00f7dfe15)

City of Night (#litres_trial_promo)

The Dead Town (#litres_trial_promo)

Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein

1

Prodigal Son

Dean Koontz

For the power of man to make himself what hepleases means, as we have seen, the power of somemen to make other men what they please.

—C. S. LEWIS, The Abolition of Man

FIRST… (#ulink_94fe00c0-bdd6-5bbf-a4d0-5d03c811fb9d)

Although I’m a chatty kind of guy, never before have I found it necessary to explain up front how a book came to be written. In the case of the series to be known as Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein, a few words of explanation seem necessary.

I wrote a script for a sixty-minute television-series pilot with this title. A producer and I made a deal for the pilot plus episodes to be broadcast on USA Network. Because he liked my script, Martin Scorsese—the legendary director—signed on as executive producer. A hot young director, also enamored of the script, signed on as well. At the request of USA Network, I wrote a two-hour version. On the basis of this script, a wonderful cast was assembled.

Then USA Network and the producer decided that major changes must be made. I had no interest in the show in its new form, and I withdrew from association with it. I wished them well—and turned to the task of realizing the original concept in book form. I hoped both versions would succeed in their different media.

Subsequently, Marty Scorsese also expressed the desire to exit the series. I am grateful to Marty for being so enthusiastic and insightful about the show we wanted to make. For a man of his accomplishments, he is refreshingly humble, the very definition of grace, and anchored to real-world values in a business where many are not.

I would also like to thank the late Philip K. Dick, great writer and nice man, who twenty-three years ago shared with me the story of asking for “something too exotic for the menu” in his favorite Chinese restaurant. I’ve finally found a novel in which the anecdote fits. The entree that sent Phil fleeing makes Victor Frankenstein lick his lips.

Contents

Title Page (#u3239e44e-48e9-57f5-a078-bca00f7dfe15)

Dedication (#u9e66cc68-563f-57d7-9cfe-be761a188997)

FIRST… (#ud4fda284-75dd-52a5-ab59-d9c41012dbee)

CHAPTER 1 (#u64b90b54-0a7a-59d4-b450-e885466c231b)

CHAPTER 2 (#ueef0fd31-93d2-50e0-9a28-d7169ea49223)

CHAPTER 3 (#u87a99644-6a25-54b8-97bc-faa03cefa50d)

CHAPTER 4 (#u69cbeb5a-9a5b-5ac3-9a09-80b0748889ef)

CHAPTER 5 (#u8fdcdef3-3111-524f-b021-57723cf42ea0)

CHAPTER 6 (#ub7214be3-a5db-5497-befa-a18842b5d8be)

CHAPTER 7 (#u0b560c93-457a-5af0-b318-5e8d85468710)

CHAPTER 8 (#u5a005f0f-8270-5ea8-81ea-ab9a9ffeb2f3)

CHAPTER 9 (#uafd09ff9-e95c-57f1-b49d-4943b21c2723)

CHAPTER 10 (#u14a8df92-c1b0-5411-8404-0603b1978409)

CHAPTER 11 (#ua840d0b8-5203-5264-addf-b00eebb90334)

CHAPTER 12 (#u85a8791a-981c-59b6-8de1-1ac4989502bd)

CHAPTER 13 (#u96323dea-9b68-59fc-966f-c4cf26f8624e)

CHAPTER 14 (#u47e68908-164a-58fb-9bf7-11edfe741bf8)

CHAPTER 15 (#ub1a10ad2-a1fb-5f13-b903-4d1025ac298a)

CHAPTER 16 (#ue81403f0-30c5-58ef-bedc-5643d05d1566)

CHAPTER 17 (#ub64101bb-6b75-5ed0-8ad2-f48f7556b07f)

CHAPTER 18 (#uf665577c-c3ae-55cd-81c8-2f9fb988bdec)

CHAPTER 19 (#u3f34708a-4d87-53b4-bd5c-ed92ed3820c3)

CHAPTER 20 (#u16a6bb7d-b3c8-50e2-895f-4512bd1d2a86)

CHAPTER 21 (#u8a447db6-904c-51d3-b01b-47b05572ef33)

CHAPTER 22 (#u4bd0fb1a-5eeb-5e08-b193-d4718fb1638f)

CHAPTER 23 (#u6abe64d1-bd8a-5bf3-936f-7cc86f4fab71)