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{"id":2981,"date":"2007-09-21T22:16:00","date_gmt":"2007-09-21T22:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2007\/09\/dean-koontz-the-taking\/"},"modified":"2007-09-21T22:16:00","modified_gmt":"2007-09-21T22:16:00","slug":"dean-koontz-the-taking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2007\/09\/dean-koontz-the-taking.html","title":{"rendered":"Dean Koontz – The Taking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a>On the drive to Myrtle Beach and back, then up to the mountains, I listened to talking book of Dean Koontz\u2019 <\/span>The Taking.
<\/span>
Seriously cool stuff. The heroine wakes up one morning to find nature has gone awry. The wild animals are scared. Strange torrential rain is falling and terror lurks in the night. As the story develops there are terrifying creatures, extra terrestrials that haunt the world, taking over the planet and removing millions of people. Are they planning to control earth and obliterate humanity? Then we learn that the heroine\u2019s husband is a former priest. She is a writer and a suffering victim. As they begin to rescue the children they learn that the children cannot be touched by the alien monsters.<\/span><\/p>\n

I won\u2019t give it away, but suffice it to say that Koontz is doing something I have dreamed of doing. I have often thought that modern horror and science fiction would make a fertile ground for a spiritual thriller. C.S.Lewis did it in his space trilogy. He was bold enough to write in a popular style and communicate profound and beautiful spiritual truths. Koontz is doing the same thing. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m fascinated by the appeal and possibilities that popular culture have to offer. Here\u2019s a Catholic writing successfully(and beautifully I might add) in the horror genre. I have a friend who is a very faithful Catholic who has written over 40 Harlequin romance novels. We should not be afraid of popular culture. We need good Catholic novelists, scriptwriters, writers of \u2018self help\u2019 books etc etc. C.S.Lewis made the same appeal. He said, (and I paraphrase) we don\u2019t need more Christians writing little religious books. We need more Christians writing little history books and little science books and little story books and little poetry books and little novels.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"