Nameless Series, Seasons 1 & 2 (by Dean Koontz)
Over time, I made my way through both seasons of the Nameless series by Dean Koontz, available through the Amazon Prime library; ebook or Audible format. I listened with my Audible app. Each series includes six short stories. I love Koontz and was immediately intrigued by the character, Nameless. The first story, In the Heart of the Fire, is a great start to the series. Nameless appears in a town out of nowhere and saves the day. He’s a tough individual that not only protects victims from their perpetrator, he serves a vigilante type of justice.
In story number two, Photographing the Dead, taught me that Nameless, is such a unique character…he has no memory of himself nor does he know his name, and he is trained to kill. In this installment, Nameless tracks down a photographer who takes pictures of hikers and tourists he murdered. Nameless’ job is to provide a justice that otherwise may never happen.
The third story, The Praying Mantis Bride, introduces the reader to a woman who marries men and then kills them for their money. Yeah, I know, this plot has been written before. But, wait! Nameless and his crew have devised quite the clever plan to hold her accountable for her devious behavior. For the first time though, Nameless’ plan doesn’t work exactly as planned…
In story number four, Red Rain, Nameless seeks his version of justice for a woman who was badly injured and her two children were killed when the building she lived in was set on fire. He tracks down the arsonist and does what he’s contracted to do. This installment provides more mystique about Nameless’ background. Is he starting to remember things from his past? I had to stay tuned to find out.
In the fifth installment, The Mercy of Snakes, Nameless visits an assisted living facility where a doctor and nurse perform “mercy killings” of their residents at the family’s request. Their behavior is pretty repulsive and Nameless handles his business in a diabolical way. Of course the story ends with a bigger glimpse into Nameless’ forgotten past.
The last book of season one, Memories of Tomorrow, explains why Nameless is unable to remember his past. So now it all makes sense to me. Nameless is on a mission to recover a boy whose step-father has kidnapped him after killing his mom and grandparents. I really enjoyed these six short stories and looked forward to continuing on with season two.
On a side note, the painting pictured in the background is my husband’s artwork. Feel free to check it out here.
Season two opened with The Lost Soul of the City. There’s a lot happening in this first installment. Nameless still has no recollection of his past; although old emotions are seeping through. He meets a young man who is fighting for the opportunity to live his life free of bullying gang members in his neighborhood. His motivation is fueled by his mother, her illness, and the tragic loss of his father. Nameless aids the young man, Jim, in his fight against illegal firearms dealers. The story is so twisty and fascinating.
Once again, my husband’s beautiful painting was used a backdrop for this photograph. You can see the painting by visiting his website.
The series took a dip in enjoyment for me with the second story, Gentle is the Angel of Death. It’s probably me and not the story as this one was just okay. Maybe it’s because the concept of a doctor being a megalomaniac and killing people with the knowledge of his medical training isn’t a very unique story line. 🤷🏻♀️ Oh well, I didn’t give up and kept on reading.
Kaleidoscope, the third story, was also just okay and I’ll take the blame for that, again. (It’s not the story…it’s me.) I just wasn’t very sucked in this time.
I was curious to see what’s next, so I moved on to story number four, Light Has Weight, But Darkness Does Not. It was good; I really enjoyed listening to it. A mom and her daughter escaped a cult. The cult leader tracks them down and Nameless aids in their rescue. Only two installments left. Definitely curious to see how the story ends for Nameless.
Nearing the end of the series with, Corkscrew. Nameless continues to snuff out the despicable characters of society while developing relationships with people in a small town in the Texas panhandle. It’s so good for him to interact with genuinely kind human beings. I think it’s restoring his faith in people and opening his heart. As the series nears its conclusion, I hope to be closer to learning the secrets of Nameless’ past.
Yay! Finishing season two with Zero In, the sixth and final installment of the Nameless series. I am pleased with how the story ends. Koontz ties up everything well and gives the reader a few surprises. We finally learn who Nameless is and how he got involved in his underground enterprise of fighting for the underdogs. While I’m glad I read the series, it’s not my favorite work of Koontz’s.
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