The I.P.O.

I'm sure there are others who are going to relate to this: "The IPO" was listed with quite a few books by DEAN Koontz, and being a big DEAN Koontz fan, I bought it, assuming that it WAS by Dean Koontz. As I read it, though, I kept thinking that it was quite unlike his other novels. For one thing, it didn't "sound" like him - at all. And for some reason (perhaps because of the fact that children play such a large part in the story), John Saul - another author I enjoy - kept coming to mind. At any rate, the questions in my mind led me to look in the front of a few of my DEAN Koontz books to see if "The IPO" was listed as one of his novels. Of course, it wasn't. So, I went back to my iPad, opened my Kindle app, and the name DAN Koontz literally jumped out at me! At first, I was somewhat upset over the obvious marketing ploy, but I was more upset with myself for failing to pay attention to the details - something I'm usually quite careful about. Since I did have the book, though, and I did want something to read, I went ahead and read it. I'm glad I did. Once I'd accepted the fact that "The IPO" is by an author I'd never heard of until now, I read with the hope of "discovering" a new source of reading material, and that's exactly what happened! The characters are well developed and the plot is engaging, and I was hooked all the way to the end (which, by the way, came as a huge surprise). So, my recommendation? Read "The IPO" - not because it might be like the novels of DEAN Koontz (it's not) - but because it's a good story that will keep your interest. And because you might, like me, "discover" a novelist you'll want to read again.

I do like Mr. Koontz's style of writing, and the creativity of his premises in the books/stories he writes. This one was no exception. It moves along, provides plot twists that are surprising, but believable. Just what you want out of a mystery or suspense story. I didn't like the ending at all, but I did enjoy the entire rest of the story, as it provided a good bit of food for thought, and topics for discussions with friends. This book was interesting, well written, and very professional - as in, no typo's, grammatical errors, etc. etc. These are things that do help me to engage with a book on a whole different level than when I have to constantly overlook such amateur mistakes. Note: my pet peeve in reading e-books is the constant presence of grammatical errors, mis-spelled words, and typos. Worst of all - the usage of "I" instead of "me" in an effort to sound more intelligent/classy. For example "Come with Dave and I." It's "Come with Dave and ME" people!!!!! Seriously! If you're going to write/publish a book or story and then put it on Amazon, will you at least read a grammar book first?!?! Sorry for the rant. It's just welcome and refreshing that Dean Koontz's writing rarely, if ever, contains typos, grammatical errors, or mis-spelled words. So back to this particular book, I'd definitely recommend it; just know in advance that the ending may be a bit of a let down.

Wall Street has a newly launched stock exchange very different from any of the others. This one doesn't sell shares in corporations; it sells shares in orphan children, each one exceptionally talented and with his or her own ticker symbol. In return for their education and upbringing, each child will then owe their respective shareholders a hefty percentage of their future earnings. Young Ryan Tyler finds himself the first such orphan offered up for sale on the exchange without his consent or input as he is swept into a new home with foster parents, tutors, and a private school education; however, he knows more about his own situation than he's been told and has made contact with other orphans who have become ticker symbols as they try to piece together the real motives of the corporation that has become their legal guardian. The premise of the book was unusual, but drew me in quickly. The descriptions of each of the first children who were "adopted" into the corporation were detailed enough to make the reader feel their confusion and vulnerability as they were swept up into the system without any regard for their feelings or preferences. The next portions of the book became similar to a mystery as the reader follows Ryan and the others as they dig up the trail that led to each of their adoptions and the involvement of the corporation at each turn. There's plenty of insight into the corporation as well with background on the CEO and VP as they build the company, find new orphans for the system, and direct the progress of their investment children. Putting aside any questions of whether a similar company would even be legal because of child exploitation, servitude/indenture, and even contract issues, the idea of nurturing the talented to help ensure their future contributions to the arts, sciences, and other areas is intriguing and thought-provoking. While several of the exceptional children in the book would have been found and given scholarships or grants for their education, others would have been neglected by the system as it stands today. Can we find ways to reach most of the others without resorting to the sorts of tactics and dirty dealing used by the AVillage Corporation? Recommended.

Really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a Dean Koontz book, shame on me, just glanced at author. So new author, good book. Loved the the idea behind the story. Kept my interest and it was a quick read. The only thing I didn't like and don't like in any book it that he ended it so fast. I hate when a author wraps up a whole story it just a few pages at the end. It feels like something is missing or they lost their interest and just wanted to finish. Some author's will do this to lead you to the next book. I'm sure there will not be a sequel to this book. Over all, enjoyed it. May try another book by Dan Koontz

A very good story

Bought it by "accident" when I misread the author as Dean Koontz. I was happily surprised to find I enjoyed this book even more than I expected to. The story kept a good pace, had believable characters, a unique plot and was altogether a good read. I'll be looking for more stories from this author!

Due doverose premesse: il testo è in inglese e l'autore non è il più conosciuto Dean. Quindi niente delitti efferati, serial killer ecc. ecc. Il che , dal mio punto di vista, è solo un vantaggio. Detto questo se, come per le sceneggiature cinematografiche, ci fosse un premio per “il miglior soggetto originale” The I.P.O. meriterebbe un Oscar. Sarà che leggo tanto, ma ogni nuova lettura mi ricorda sempre qualche cosa di già sentito o già visto, Dan Koontz, invece, è riuscito a sorprendermi. I.P.O. è l'acronimo di Offerta Pubblica Iniziale, ossia la quotazione in Borsa, per la prima volta, dei titoli di una società. Fin qui, nonostante le mie scarse conoscenze in materia economica, nulla di nuovo. La vera sorpresa è stata QUALE società: Avillage, infatti, si occupa di adozioni. L'idea che i giovani siano il futuro di una nazione è vecchia come il mondo. Fino alla metà del secolo scorso la ricchezza di una famiglia di contadini era legata al numero di “braccia” che potevano lavorare nei campi. Certo due braccia erano anche una bocca in più da sfamare, per questo, come ho scoperto leggendo Tentativi di botanica degli affetti di Beatrice Masini, in caso di necessità non era insolito che i bambini più piccoli venissero messi in orfanatrofio fino a che non raggiungevano l'età minima per cominciare ad essere produttivi (per la cronaca tra i sette e i dieci anni). James Prescot, CEO di Avillage, adatta il concetto alla società moderna. Negli orfanatrofi ci sono molti bambini di “talento”, che non avranno la possibilità di avere una educazione adeguata per svilupparli. La sua fondazione si occupa di selezionare queste “risorse sprecate”, affidandole quindi a coppie di genitori “adeguati”. I bambini avranno accesso alle migliori scuole e università con l'unico vincolo che, nel momento in cui entreranno nel mondo del lavoro, una percentuale dei loro guadagni dovrà essere versata alla società, a copertura dell'investimento iniziale per l'educazione ricevuta. Se apparentemente Avillage sembra ispirata da nobili intenti, l'avidità umana è sempre in agguato. Bambini talentuosi possono essere resi orfani “ad hoc” e lo sfruttamento dei talenti facilmente può superare la soglia tra ciò che è morale e ciò che non lo è. Il secondo punto debole del progetto sono i bambini stessi. L'Offerta Pubblica Iniziale è legata ad un orfano di sette anni, Ryan Tyler jr., il cui Q.I. è decisamente sopra la media. Ryan infatti associa immediatamente la sua improvvisa adozione ad una notizia sentita casualmente in Tv ed inizia quindi la sua indagine per rispondere alla domanda che lo perseguita: quello in cui sono morti i suoi genitori è stato davvero un incidente? Nel complesso non si tratta di un giallo classico. Nella vita reale il confine tra morale e immorale è molto labile, niente è completamente giusto e niente completamente sbagliato. Dipende dai punti di vista e dalla parte della barricata in cui ci troviamo.

First thought that author was Dean K. From first the story was enthralling. An unusual different plot. Very well written. Loved it.

I was wary of this one, but got sucked in and loved it all they way through. The premise (a child being adopted by a corporation - really?) was not one I thought would have worked - but it did. Big time. Definitely one to pick up and read.