Rating: 
Summary: 4 Stars--if there's a sequel
Review: One Door Away from Heaven held my attention throughout. Recent books by Dean Koontz have been disappointing, so this was a happy return to the enjoyment I always got from his material in the past. My one complaint with this book is that all the characters did not congeal by the end of the story. I had expected them to meet up and somehow become involved with one another at some point. It never happened. The story was so good and the characters were so likeable that I really hated to see the story end--it was over too soon! My hope is that there will be a sequel, which should prove very satisfying. This book really screams for a sequel!
Rating: 
Summary: This is serious literature!
Review: With the years Koontz' novels have become better and better. This one is definitely one of his best. His characters are well developed. The plots that he creates are thoroughly interwoven and lead to an excellent and very exciting climax. Of course, the characters are not realistic, Koontz does not want them to be. The monster father is too monstrous, the nine-year-old girl speaks like a fifty-year-old woman and the aliens are not of this world anyway, the Hollywood twins are too much like super James Bonds. Therefore the author creates a mix of genres (SF, Horror, mainstream, philosophical novel) which allows him to convey his message in different ways. He also breaks with the tradition that we frequently find that beauty comes along with goodness and vice versa. Beauty here is no concept of the mind, you can never be sure about a character. Nothing is real, but in the concert of the different characters, good and bad, before the background of a very realistic setting the message becomes very real, and we look into the abysses of the human mind and soul as well as at examples of goodness in some humans (and dogs). And we see all beings as parts of a larger context and concept. I see a minor flaw in the fact that the author sometimes is too much in love with his own imagery, so that it often becomes somewhat redundant and disturbs the advancement of the plot. The same is true for his philosophising.
But this novel is Koontz' first real attempt at serious literature and the attempt has been successful!
Rating: 
Summary: Very long winded...
Review: Usually, I enjoy Dean Koontz's books. Usually.Admittedly, the plots are often very similar. You usually have your two (at least) main characters, who have had a rough life or a dark past. One of them pretty much hates life, and is depressed; the other one has come out of it with a better outlook. In MIDNIGHT, for example, it was Harry and Tessa who had the good outlook, and Sam who didn't. Of course, by the end of the book, Sam learns that life ain't so bad. You also have the smart dog (usually a lab), the government plot/conspiracy/corporate plot/conspiracy. There are other similar elements in most of his books that I won't bore you with. The point is, his plots are a lot alike. And usually, I don't mind that. But in ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN, it almost seems like he phoned it in. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is thin (but dressed up with WAY too much wordage), and the ending is so Pollyana-like it's embarrassing. Lastly, Dean needs an editor, big-time. WAAAAYYYYY too wordy. Try FEAR NOTHING, SEIZE THE NIGHT, MIDNIGHT, or LIGHTNING. But stay away from this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best work
Review: I am a huge Dean Koontz fan. I have read Stangers and Watchers at least 5 times each, and have loved many others. The debth that is usually in his other books is not here. The characters are not as well developed, and I finished the book still waiting for things to happen. Pick from other Dean Koontz books, but this one was poor.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping and thought-provoking thriller
Review: Micky Bellsong, a young woman with a troubled past, stays with her aunt for the time being, trying to find out what to do with her life. In that crossroad situation, she meets young Leilani Klonk, a witty, precocious, and highly intelligent girl whose buoyancy and positive attitude neither wither despite her physical handicaps nor the abuse by her drug addicted mother and uncanny stepfather. Leilani fears that her father, whom she calls Dr. Doom, plans her murder -- and Micky believes her.
Dean Koontz's novel "One Door Away From Heaven" is definitely entertaining. The different storylines entwine slowly but surely until the book's gripping climax and thought-provoking end. The characters are quite memorable -- well-detailed protagonists, a really mean villain, aliens, and a very lovable dog. Some dialogues have an almost screwball comedy quality which makes you laugh out loud. Yet the book not only entertains, but also has a life-affirmative message.
At times, Koontz goes a little bit overboard with flowery descriptions and metaphors. Moreover, it takes a lot of pages until the different stories finally form a joint picture. The end comes somewhat abrupt and seems a bit forced. Nonetheless, "One Door Away From Heaven" is a thrilling and also rewarding read which will touch you and leave you with a warm feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Riding on past success
Review: The poor writing really detracts from what could have been an interesting story. Again, Koontz has too many contrived situations (especially at the conclusion) the characters are unrealistic, and the dialog unnatural. The extraterrestrial elements of this story are overshadowed by the psychopathic ones and the evil stepfather is one of Koontz's least original killers. This book might have been better in a shorter version and could have been much improved by editing out the attempts at clever description that quickly become annoying. (The dog is called "furry companion" and everything other than dog through most of the book.) There are too many characters and too many random tangents that come together even less effectively here than in "From The Corner Of His Eye." It bothered me that little resourceful Lelilani overlooks a quite simple avenue of escape -- leave the license plate number in the restaurant bathroom. Similarly, the "motherless boy" is inconsistently naive and intelligent. Even after his true nature is revealed his behavior still doesn't add up. It's disappointing to see books like this one become bestsellers. Reread any of Koontz' earlier works and skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Only one door between me and the exit
Review: A past reviewer said it best when they linked satisfaction with this book to whether one liked Koontz's recent works like the Christopher Snow series. Just like that series didn't work for me, this book doesn't do it either. Koontz's stories are usually well scripted and fast moving but this runs in place. Had to put this down after 300 pages and two weeks of false starts.
I'm afraid, unfortunately, when authors rest upon past achievement, lose touch with whatever sparks got them writing works like Watchers, and labor under extended writing commitments (presumably the case here) readers start to see output like this. No editor in sight, some lecturing and ranting. The character development was frenetic and exhausting but after all this fury one is left with people constructed of odd traits, appearances, and utterings that don't go well together. Leilani's handicap, Micky's dispair, and Geneva's dottiness should define these people but it seemed a whitewash. I'm just saying what others have said better. Koontz can do much finer work than this and I'm looking forward to him proving it.
Rating:
Summary: Boring...plus
Review: Anyone who reads Koontz as I have read all, must think that he has lost it a bit..this book was without a doubt the most boring book he has written to date..I very much struggled trying to keep up and usually wound up falling asleep......save your time and go to Ludlums new book...much better
Rating:
Summary: BORING!
Review: What a waste of time! None of the characters were fleshed out enough to make me care about any of them. Too many storylines going on at once, with none of them really explored fully. The only time it got interesting was somewhere around tape #10, where the main villain's beliefs on bio-ethics were discussed. Skip this one!
Rating:
Summary: Not For The Simple-Minded
Review: ...This book is heartfelt, moving, spiritual, riveting and compelling. For someone expecting scary monsters, lots of action and a short and sweet story, go to a bloody movie. This is a book for the thinking mind. Granted, it was a bit confusing, and I was frustrated at Curtis for a long time (how could a kid so smart be so friggin dumb at the same time) until we find out his true nature. Then you understand. This book did things for me no book has ever done before. It made me laugh out loud (Leilani has the best dialogue any literary character has ever had), moved me emotionally and spiritually (Leilani and Michelina really hit you hard with their stories), and it also manages to make you feel sympathy for the wretched Sinsemilla, Leilani's druggie mother, while you hate her at the same time. The ending is quite possibly the most beautiful, heartwrenching finale ever. With the revelation of what is found "one door away from heaven", one is filed with hope for even the most hopeless souls, and leaves you with chills. This book will always be one that is close to my heart, and one that I will remember forever.
| 
