What a great story! I thought about it frequently afterwards.At times it was a roller coaster ride, frightening, intense, and I didn’t want to stop reading until I got through the current crisis. The main story is Laura’s life from birth to adulthood. A strange man appears at critical times in her life to save her from disaster. Laura is not a wimp. She does smart things. This is one of the few books where I don’t want to say much about the story. It is sooo much better not to know. There is suspense, danger, courage, clever things, and surprising things. The characters are rich.I had two problems. The author used the artificial device of interrupting scenes. For example, there’s a scene in 1977 and another in 1988. The author split each of those scenes into about four parts and then went back and forth between the two showing pieces of each scene. The effect was interruption, and I was angry at the author which took me out of the story. This happened a few times during the book. There was such great “natural” suspense and action, the author didn’t need to use this device. I would have been ok with splitting the scenes into two parts each, to allow the two climaxes/resolutions to be told together, but no more than that.Second problem was the narrator (Christopher Lane) using an effeminate gay guy’s voice for young girls. It was terrible acting - the wrong tone and voice for girls. Get a version with a different narrator (if ever available) otherwise read the physical book to eliminate that problem.The strange man was able to do something a few times but not another time which bothered me. The explanation given was not consistent since it did not apply to all situations. But the story was so good I was willing to look past it. Again I can’t say more. I don’t want to give anything away.The author does not used tired cliches. I was delighted to hear a character say “I’m a legend in my own scrapbook.”DATA:Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook reading time: 12 hrs and 58 mins. Swearing language: I don’t recall any. Sexual content: referred to a few times, nothing in detail. Setting: mostly 1944 to 1989, mostly California and Germany. Book copyright: 1988. Genre: time travel suspense thriller. Ending: satisfying and complete.OTHER BOOKS:I noticed that in four Koontz books, a main character has amnesia issues and/or erased memories. Some of the books have bad guys hypnotizing to erase someone’s memory. In other books a violent situation or accident causes amnesia. I don’t want to give away plots, so in the following list I’m using the word “memory” to indicate which books had a main character with one of these memory problems.The author loves dogs. He finds them noble, loyal, and heroic. In several of his books a dog has a major role. I’ve indicated below which of his books have dogs in the story (that I know about).I’ve reviewed the following Dean Koontz books, unless indicated. Dates are copyright dates.3 stars. The Key to Midnight 1979 (memory)3 stars. The Eyes of Darkness 19812 stars. The House of Thunder 1982 (memory)4 stars. Phantoms 19833 ½ stars. Darkfall 1984 (aka Darkness Comes & aka The Pitt by Owen West)3 stars. Strangers 1986 (memory)5 stars. Watchers 1987 (dog)5 stars. Lightning 1988(not read) Midnight 1989 (dog in supporting role)4 stars. The Bad Place 1990 (memory in beginning of the book)(not read) Dragon Tears 1992 (dog)(not read) Winter Moon 1993 (dog in supporting role)3 ½ stars. Dark Rivers of the Heart 1994 (memory) (dog)5 stars. Intensity 19952 stars. Fear Nothing 1998 (dog)3 stars. Odd Thomas 2003tttt3 ½ stars. Life Expectancy 20042 stars. Velocity 2005
Between 2008 and the summer of 2010, I'd spent a great deal of time wondering what was so great about Koontz. He was a bestseller, people raved about him on Amazon. But the first book I'd read from him, The Husband was bad. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Short chapters. Vivid descriptions of natural scenery while violent altercations were solved in less than half a page. Villains were stupid and underdeveloped. Koontz insists Evil exists with a capital E (fair enough) but doesn't say what the nature of it is.After that was Frankenstein, then Odd Thomas, then Darkest Evening, then the Odd sequels. They were decent, save for Darkest Evening, which was awful.But this....?This book filled me with horror. With a different sort of horror. Something far more terrible than any King monster. It's the complete and utter quality and talent this book was crafted with compared to Koontz's recent books. If Koontz name wasn't on Lightning and The Husband, you'd never be able to tell the same person had made them. It makes me wonder what happened to Koontz during the '90s, and THAT "isn't conducive to an upbeat mood" as Odd would say.The characters are wide ranging (for Koontz). We have the determined and optimistic Laura, her wisecracking friend Thelma, the bumbling but well meaning Danny Packard, and the melancholy and hardcore Stefen. Compare this with recent entries, in which ALL the good guys are cracking wise, and Koontz tries EXTREMELY hard to get a laugh out of you.The plot is ace. The first half deals with Laura growing up and facing trial after trial. Koontz shies away from dark material in his recent entries, but here we have junkies dropping f-bombs, perverts coming on to little girls, people getting shot in the head with enough force that the things come right off. The protagonists don't deal with these dilemmas with wise-cracks but with pain and confusion. The second half is more or less an action chase. Still good, considering there isn't as much action in recent entries save for perhaps The Husband. The climax could be better, but the great ending pages more than make up for it. Koontz recent entries, like Darkest Evening, have been known to have endings so syrupy-sweet they'd give you Type II diabetes. Here, it seemed just right.1980s Koontz doesn't waste our time with his political beliefs. He talks about gun safety for half a page. That's cool. He doesn't stop the plot so the Odd/Mitch/other protagonist/Koontz can whine about how bad modern society is or how bad Hollywood is or how bad atheists are because they have no morals because they don't believe in God. Here the prose and figures of speech were better as well. It's a bit mechanical, perhaps. Koontz says Laura "surveyed" her room when he simply could've said "look". We don't have Koontz comparing dog tails to trees.And speaking of which. No dogs...Sounds like a winner.
What do You think about Lightning (2003)?
How did I miss this one? I thought that I had read everything by Dean Koontz (some more than once) and I stumble upon Lightning, copywrited 1988.Scientific advances that we have only dreamed of exist within the pages of lightning, as is so true in many of Koontz' books. His characters are ordinary people, put in extraordinary circumstances, and evolve into extraordinary people. His characters are so relatable - they could so easily be one of your friends, or neighbors, or even you. That's the draw of his books. In Lightning, Laura is born on a day of unusual weather - complete with unusual lighting. The story follows Laura's life from birth through adulthood. She has a life full of loss and heartache, but she is a strong girl, who grows up to be a strong woman. Throughout her life, she has been protected by a guardian - a man who seems to always show up right when she needs him and just in time to save her from some type of tragedy. Just when you think you have it all figured out.....BAM! Dean Koontz reveals the truth and you are stunned. Never did I see this one coming. Amazing suspense (as always).
—Amy
This was my first exposure to Dean Koontz and one I still like best of all his writings, as I read it a second time. Maybe it is the idea that someone is watching over us and suddenly shows up to help us in a tough situation that makes it so appealing. It you want to feel a warm fuzzy feeling even if during a suspenseful read, this I think is the one that will give you that (maybe the second read of Lightning is even better than the first). Granted it is not clear if this strange appearance of someone coming from nowhere and going back to nowhere is warm or chilling at first; still it grows on you. And the suspense of why this is happening also adds to the thriller. And most of all it's a good read long after your have finished the book. The story and characters stay with you long after the book has been put back on the shelf; comes back at strange times like when the lightening is flashing and the lights go out. To me that is the sign of a great piece of writing when it lasts long after the read in a nice warm comforting way.
—Frank
Dean Koontz's Lightning is one of the first "adult" books I remember reading. It was certainly the first adult novel I read for leisure. This book came to me when I was, as a child, graduating from juvenile fiction on to something more substantial. It is the first such book I remember reading that wasn't assigned for school, and as such, it has a special place in my memory as a book that helped kick off my life-long love affair with reading. The story centers around time travel and one man's desire to help the woman he loves lead a fulfilling life. It's not Nabokov and it's not Heller. Hell, it's not even Hiaasen. But for what it is, it's fun, and Koontz was at one time a much stronger writer than Stephen King or most of his contemporaries. Imaginative and memorable, even if it isn't life-changing.NC
—Nathan
