One Door Away From Heaven

Rating:
Summary: Rather Spacey
Review: Wonderful prose as usual. A very slow read for me compared to his other books. It was like watching a grandfather clock, tick - first protagonist - tock - villian - tick - 2nd protagonist... Felt like the same situation was told over and over. The last 100 pages moved quickly.

Rating:
Summary: One of his better ones
Review: Why does a decent, well-adjusted guy like Dean Koontz always write about vicious, sociopathic killers? You may as well ask "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" if you're after a straightforward answer. You can tell there's an interesting story somewhere under the surface-like a tattoo lurking up the starched sleeve of a parishioner's Sunday best-but you'll have to read between the lines to find it.

Dean Koontz has written upward of seventy novels in his uniquely successful genre-transcending career, and "One Door Away From Heaven" is one of the better ones. It's not one of the best (those would include "Strangers," "Watchers," "Lightning," and "Dark Rivers of the Heart") but it's a good one, firmly lodged up near the top ten percent.

"One Door Away From Heaven" concerns itself with the murky world of bioethics, the field of modern medicine made famous by Jack Kavorkian. In his latest thriller, Koontz imagines what might happen if a sociopath who also happened to be a doctor became a little too zealous with this brand of cutthroat Darwinism.

Let me start with what I didn't like. The worst parts of this long-though never slow-moving-novel are when Koontz hauls out the soapbox and rails against the philosophy of bioethics for what seems like pages on end. His argument makes the issue appear as black and white as the latest Coen brothers film.

The best parts of "One Door Away From Heaven" are the more subtle strokes of humanity and quiet decency Koontz uses to draw his main characters. Leilani Klonk, a precocious nine-year old girl unlucky enough to be both disabled and the step-daughter of the aforementioned sociopath doctor, has reason to believe that she may not see her tenth birthday. With the help of Micky Bellsong, a young woman searching for a spiritual center, Leilani is able to take the first decisive steps out of the darkness that surrounds her.

"The world is full of broken people," Koontz writes in the novel's opening; he then makes it clear that the only way to repair one's self is by helping others. Koontz consistently writes his main characters with a sincere sympathy that can't help but affect his readers. It's hard not to care about the characters you're reading when the author so clearly does.

But if Koontz is such a nice guy, why is he also so good at creating those nasty sociopaths? You're sure to find one in every Dean Koontz novel, just as you're sure to encounter an adorable Labrador, and plucky, likable characters struggling to overcome the lingering effects of a bad childhood. "One Door Away From Heaven" thankfully breaks away from some of the repetitive plotting techniques that have beleaguered many of Koontz's recent novels, yet it still finds itself within the well-defined borders of Dean Koontz country. But maybe that's not such a bad place to be-a place where senseless evil is at least given the purpose of forging and defining by contrast the very forces of good that will battle and ultimately conquer it.

Rating:
Summary: Patience
Review: The other reviewers have already written most of my thoughts.

However, IF you do decide to read this book, DO NOT give up after page 168 or so. Persevere! It's worth the effort.

I only rated this book a 3 because ... Can't say because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Once I got 'hooked' which took a long time, I had to read it to the end.

Sorry to be so vague; I wish I were a better writer.

Rating:
Summary: Psychological / spiritual depth + great dialogue = Fun!
Review: Knowing a little of Mr. Koontz' background, I appreciate this novel for the evidence it shows of his tremendous personal oddessey. It seems to me that the two girls and the aunt each exemplify aspects of Mr. Koontz' psyche which he - like they - has managed, against all odds, to transform into gifts. The boy and his dog represent the sort of transformed world which could be capable of recognizing and accepting these gifts. Thank you, Mr. Koontz, for YOUR gift of a very inspiring story.

Rating:
Summary: Painful and excruciatingly boring...
Review: I enjoyed "Darkfall" and "Twilight Eyes," and found several other of his novels to be marginally enjoyable... but this was excruciating. I thought (with the title) that this novel might mark a change to more literary fiction, better contemplation of the "human condition," or better character development.

Nine year old girls don't speak like Leilani Klonk... giving them a super-high IQ and a disfigurament doesn't excuse poor character development.

For all of Koontz's readers and his longevity, I would have hoped he'd become a better writer. In reading Koontz's "Door Away..." I realized what separates him from King and Clive Barker. While other authors make finely-detailed and very human characters, Koontz is content to fill his novel with evil stepfather stereotypes and cardboard-flat children wise beyond their years.

Take a walk, go for a bike ride, have a conversation with a friend, or call a creditor to dispute a bill... anything you do would be more rewarding and a more human endeavor than reading this book and trying to wrap your head around these characters and plot.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to start . . .
Review: This book took me a while to get involved with. Kinda frustrating to have a chapter devoted to a particular character then not come back to that characters life for several chapters - particularly at the beginning. I found myself constantly going back a few chapters to figure out again who so and so was. I didn't get "hooked" until the story of "Curtis" running for his life took off and I had a feel for the characters which was about a third of the way into the book. I found the utilitarian bioethics of this book terribly disturbing and Dean Koontz did a good job opening that door. I might take his advice at the end of the book and read his recommendation. One more thing, wish he could have explained Sinsemilla's background and what happened to her more.

Rating:
Summary: don't bother
Review: This is the second recent book of Koontz's that I've not been
able to finish due to boredom. The previous,I opted to do house
cleaning instead, and this was after about 180 pages, three restarts, and three other books finished. This book goes on mindnumbingly through 3 different story lines that on page 168,
I couldn't bear any more. I have no clue,or interest, as to the
relativity of any of the story lines.I used to be a big fan but
I doubt I'll try any more of his books. It's like your friend who could take good pictures with a point and shoot,but now he has one of the new digital video cameras.What he wants to convey to you is probably pretty good, but he tries to utilize all the bells and whistles showing you how good he is with it, that he bores you to find any excuse to do anything else.I read for entertainment, and this isn't it.This takes tedious work, at least up to page 168. I'll read a Cussler, Ludlum, Sandford or Woods for awhile,maybe come back,maybe look at the ending(which I've never done before)to try to make sense of it,but right now,this book has inspired me to write this, then take a nap(it's 10:50am).

Rating:
Summary: I hear the school bell ringing.
Review: I typically buy Dean Koontz's new books without bothering to read the story summary, knowing that I'm in for a good, page turning read.

This book started out wonderful. I was enjoying the characters and intrigued by the story's plot. About half way through the book, the story took a turn and I began to feel as though I were sitting in the lecture hall of Koontz Academy.

I read his books for entertainment and a fun filled, exciting escape from the real world.

This book turned into a lecture on the evil of Bio-Ethics. While Koontz has prompted me to learn more about Bio-Ethics and their agenda, this book was not a satisfying escape from reality.

For true escape and great fun, I suggest Lightning or Watchers.

Rating:
Summary: Style over substance
Review: As an ardent Koontz fan who's read all but two of his books, I was anticipating getting pulled into yet another world of quirky, easy-to-care-about characters trying to put their lives together. They're here. Problem is they're drowning in metaphors and similes. From Dean Koontz I expect action and character, not poetry. He's strayed from his true story-teller mode and tried to become too literary. At one point I had to put the book down for a couple days (something I've never been able to do with a Koontz book before) because I was too irritated by all the unnecessary language littering nearly every paragraph. I hope this is not a direction his future books take, too. Please, Dean, teach a class on metaphor and simile, but give your readers the real thing.

Rating:
Summary: Koontz at his almost best
Review: This book had me enthralled in no time. A somewhat implausable story line is the only thing that keeps me from rating it 5 star. It is a very good read with sub plots that keep your interest going long after you should have gone to bed!!