Watchers (novel)

Infobox Book |
name = Watchers
title_orig = Watchers|

image_caption = 2003 paperback edition
author = Dean Koontz
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Horror novel
publisher = Berkley Publishing
release_date = February, 1987
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 512 pp (paperback)
isbn = ISBN 0-399-13263-5
preceded_by =
followed_by =

Watchers is a novel written by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 1987. A film adaptation was released in 1988.

Premise

On his 36th birthday, Travis Cornell woke up at five, and went hunting. While out in the woods, he meets a dog who will change his life. With this dog, he flees from an enemy he doesn't see, to fight a battle he doesn't want to fight. Along the way, a woman with a terrible past, and a hit man who kills for fun, will get dragged into the final confrontation with the Outsider.

Plot Summary

Travis Cornell, a retired Delta Force soldier, stumbles upon a dog while hunting out in the woods. Travis and the dog end up fleeing from an unknown predator, and Travis ends up adopting the dog as his own. Travis names the dog Einstein, due to what he perceives as its unusually intelligent behavior. Over the next few days, Travis learns that Einstein is much more intelligent than he originally thought; in fact, Einstein is sentient, and possesses a human-level intellect, possibly capable of reading and spelling.

Meanwhile, Travis meets and is drawn to Nora Devon, a kind but self-loathing woman who lacks social skills due to her sheltered upbringing by her cold, cruel aunt. With Einstein's help, Travis manages to draw Nora out of her shell, and the two form a relationship.

Unfortunately, Travis learns from Einstein that he is being hunted by a monstrous creature, the Outsider. Einstein was a product of a government experiment into improving animal intelligence, the ultimate goal being to create an intelligent dog to be used as a spy. The creature is another product of the experiment, an ape-like monster designed to be a weapon of war. The monster is driven by an uncontrollable instinctive hatred, but is also self-aware; it hates itself for its horrible nature, and also hates Einstein for being the "favored son" of mankind. Like Einstein, the Outsider has escaped from the project and is now intent on tracking and killing Einstein.

Einstein is also being hunted by a megalomaniacal hitman named Vincent Nasco. Vincent, a killer for the Italian mafia, believes that he has the ability to absorb the life-force of others by killing them; his ultimate goal is to become immortal. Vincent was hired by the Russians to kill the American scientists associated with the project that created Einstein and the Outsider. Along the way, he disobeyed orders and interrogated his victims, learning about the true nature of the project and the existence of Einstein.

Travis, Einstein, and Nora flee from place to place from the Outsider as well as the US government, while unknowingly being tracked by Vincent. The three protagonists manage to escape the government by creating new identities for themselves, but must confront Vincent and the Outsider in a final confrontation in a remote mountain cabin.

Characters

Travis Cornell - A lean, sinewy man with deep-set eyes the same dark brown as his hair. A man that's had his fair share of loss, Travis is in a deep state of depression, trying to relive his youth in the mountainside forests when he encounters a filthy, travel-worn golden retriever, the dog that would forever change his life, as well as renew his faith in it. Quickly, Travis is sucked into the mystery of something terrifying...something that, until recently, he would dismiss as impossible.

Einstein - A golden retriever that Travis Cornell crosses paths with while in the woods, the dog discourages Travis from venturing further. Upon a terrifying encounter with an unknown creature, Travis and Einstein flee the forest. Travis adopts Einstein, but it doesn't take long for Travis to realize that this isn't a normal dog. Although friendly and courageous, there is something else, this dog is more intelligent than other dogs, "much" more intelligent, and only the dog knows the true horrors that are to come.

Vincent Nasco - Vincent's job allows him to perform his most favored and empowering act: murder. Vincent is a hitman who was recently hired to exterminate what were referred to him as "Doctors." Upon further investigation, Vincent realizes that these doctors all have something in common: they all worked at a lab, producing terrifying, and astounding specimens. With money on his mind, Vincent plans to use this newly-obtained information for personal gain, and searches.

Nora Cornell (Devon) - Nora is attacked by a rapist named Arthur Streck and is saved by Einstein and Travis. She and Einstein have a close relationship.

The Outsider - The outsider is a recombinant next generation super-soldier self-hating ape like creature with an "urge" to kill, which has been genetically implanted by Dr. Yarbek. It gouges the eyes of all of its victims because it knows that it is a hideous war machine. Its only desire is to kill the loved dog, Einstein. The Outsider is the "Black Sheep" of the Francis Project. All who meet it for the first time are revolted by its hideousness. It is intelligent and knows it is ugly. It knows that it will never find a mate, which is every animals instinct. In the end when Travis corners it in the barn, it repeats "kill dog kill dog kill dog kill dog" over and over. It breaks down in tears while its saying it and pleads with Travis to kill it.

Dr. James Keenes - Along Einstein's travels this animal vet saves his life from Canine Distemper. He quickly befriends the Cornell family while learning about their dog's secret joins in on the crusade to keep Einstein free.

Adaptations

There are a number of movies based on the book, all of which have a similar script with minor details changed (rather than being true sequels to the previous movies, each "sequel" is actually a remake of the original). In all the movies, the dog is called Einstein and is a Golden Retriever, and the monster is called "The Outsider". Einstein and The Outsider are also usually able to detect each other through telepathy. The scientist who creates both creatures sometimes changes names (and has been played by both men and women), and the appearance and overall nature of The Outsider is inconsistent. The names and occupations of the people who befriend Einstein also vary. Despite these cosmetic changes, the general feel of the movies is that they are all following the same script, with name and location changes. The only "True Sequel" is Watchers III, which is set five years after Watchers II and is set in the jungle, although Watchers III seems more like a homage to Predator than anything else.

External links

* [http://www.allreaders.com/Topics/Info_1097.asp Watchers Book Review]