Intensity
by Dean Koontz
New York: Ballantine, 1995, 436 pp., paperback.

Intensity is not for everyone--with its graphic depiction of evil, readers may not have the stomach to get to the powerful philosophical and spiritual messages it conveys. I came close to setting it aside early, but the hints of spiritual depth kept me going. For those mature enough (or is it callous enough?) to get past some of the serial murder scenes, a strong story of courage and self-sacrifice emerges.

I was especially struck by the truth conveyed as the antagonist Vess muses:

If he worshiped, he would be an ardent pantheist, commited to the belief that all things are sacred, every tree and every flower and every blade of grass, every bird and every beetle. The world is full of pantheists these days; he would be at home among them if he were to join their ranks. When everything is sacred, nothing is. For him, that is the beauty of pantheism. If the life of a child is equal to the life of a bluegill or a barn owl, then Vess may kill attractive little girls as casually as he might crush a scorpion underfoot, with no greater moral offense though with considerably more pleasure.

Herein lies a fundamental ethical dilemma of evolution--or perhaps it's merely the underlying justification for those who take the step from attractive little girls to pre-born little girls who are savaged by abortionists.

Intensity lives up to its name. This one is definitely rated "R"; language issues are minimal, but Koontz wants us to feel the terrifying evil embraced by the antagonist in order to make the actions of the protagonist shine that much brighter.

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