My friend told me to skip the second one, 'The Whispering Room', saying it was a bit of a slog. I ignored them and read it anyway, and I'm glad I did. While the pacing might dip slightly in the middle of the series, it sets up crucial elements for the endgame. Skipping it would have left me with so many questions. Always go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. It's the only way to get the full impact of the finale. Koontz plotted this as one giant story split into five volumes, not five separate adventures.