SOMEONE NEW IS PLAYING GOD The Frankenstein story updated to the 21st century by the great American storyteller Dean Koontz. Frankenstein's monster has survived the centuries to become a creature living in the shadows of modern civilization, a haunted and really quite heroic figure dedicated to battling the truly monstrous evil that has also survived the years: the cruel genius who gave him life, Dr Frankenstein. The legendary monster is called Deucalion. The action takes place in modern-day New Orleans where the next generation of Dr Frankenstein's monsters is wreaking havoc. But it's Deucalion, newly arrived in the city, who is the obvious suspect in the eyes of Detective Carson O'Connor. The cool, tough cop is soon talking about an ages-old conspiracy, a near immortal race of beings, and killers that are more -- and less -- than human. She doesn't know Deucalion and she are on the same side. Deucalion seeks one final confrontation with the evil genius who created him, Dr Frankenstein. Dean Koontz, the master storyteller, creates a bold new legend.

About the Author

Dean Koontz is an international household name, a brilliantly gifted storyteller whose books have been bestsellers in many countries, selling seventeen million copies each year. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, he lives with his wife Gerda and their dog Trixie in southern California. Kevin J. Anderson is the author of many bestselling books, including books in the X-Files, Star Wars and Legends of Dune series.

Prizes

/ Key title SOMEONE NEW IS PLAYING GOD The Frankenstein story updated to the 21st century by the great American storyteller Dean Koontz. / Blockbusting new series straight into paperback to match US date / Includes a teaser of the second installment of the story, to be published in autumn 05 / There will be 4 books in total, 2 in 2005 and 2 in 2006 / E-newsletter promotion to core Koontz fans worldwide via Dean's website: ww.deankoontz.com / Koontz's last three books - The Face, Odd Thomas and The Taking - have all been worldwide bestsellers / A truly top-notch collaboration between two of the world's great storytellers / Competition: Stephen King Michael Crichton

Reviews

In this grisly thriller, the first in a new series by bestsellers Koontz and Anderson, Dr. Frankenstein has survived into the 21st century, masquerading as biotech tycoon Victor Helios. Helios wants to replace flawed humanity with his New Race, people born and fermented in pods, their personalities programmed by him, their imperfections removed in the lab. But at least one of his creations has become a serial killer, trying to assemble the perfect woman from parts of many. Like expert plate-spinners, the authors set up a dizzying array of narrative viewpoints and cycle through them effortlessly. These include one of Victor's creations who suffers from autism and is trying to understand it; a cloned priest who serves as a clandestine member of Helios's army; Helios's custom-made wife, unique among his creations in that she's allowed to feel shame; and, tying it all together, a classic buddy-cop set of homicide detectives who slowly come to understand that the butcher they're chasing isn't quite human. The odd juxtaposition of a police procedural with a neo-gothic, mad scientist plot gives the novel a wickedly unusual and intriguing feel. The familiarity of the Frankenstein myth makes much of the story arc predictable, but it's still a compelling read, with an elegant cliffhanger ending. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

'A modern Swift ! a master satirist.' Entertainment Weekly 'If Stephen King is the Rolling Stones of novels, Koontz is the Beatles.' Playboy 'Dean Koontz writes page-turners, middle-of-the-night sneak-up-behind-you suspense thrillers. He touches our hearts and tingles our spines.' Washington Post Book World 'Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. Serious writers might do well to study his technique.' New York Times Book Review 'Fast-paced and dark ! Koontz knows we live in a world where evil delights in justifying itself ! Classic literature that deserves a place on the bookshelf beside Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.' California Literary Review 'Koontz is writing right where popular culture swells into something larger, just as it did for Homer, Shakespeare, and Dickens. He's got the gift.' Australian 'Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.' USA Today 'Inspires both chills and serious thought ! has the power to scare the daylights out of us.' People 'The poet laureate of paranoid pop fiction.' Denver Post 'Koontz achieves a literary miracle ! stunning physical description, unique turns of phrase.' Boston Globe 'Near Dickensian powers of description.' Los Angeles Times

More than 200 years after the creation of his first monster, Victor Frankenstein, a.k.a. Victor Helios, is in New Orleans, manufacturing an army of creatures intended to take over the world. No longer bumbling giants cobbled together from cadavers, the new, improved race is biologically developed, intellectually programmed to follow orders, and externally indistinguishable from humans. A priest seeks a soul, a policeman finds he can murder, an autistic teen looks for happiness, and Victor's wife discovers she can lie. In the midst of this chaos, the original monster, 200-year-old Deucalion, bent on revenge against his creator, arrives in New Orleans to put an end to the experiments. Koontz and Anderson create well-rounded characters, then add plenty of suspense and action in a fast-paced plot. Scott Brick reads with his usual excellence; recommended for all fiction collections that include dark fantasy.-Janet Martin, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Pinehurst, NC Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.