Rating: 
Summary: Should have been left with the Editor.
Review: The only reason I finished this book (and that took some doing) was to see if possibly the end might make more sense than the book did. Very boring, very scattered. It was as if a chapter was written, forgotten about and then re-started again. I had just finsihed Odd Thomas and was completely delighted but this book goes no where real fast. Good luck if you choose to read. I rarely give away or resell books, but this ones on the block.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best Koontz books I've read.
Review: Undoubtedly, Dean Koontz has grown tremendously as a writer. I've read just about every book he's written, and while I don't always like the ending, I'm always ensured to have a wild and wonderful read getting to the end.This book is brilliant, engaging, thrilling, and heart warming. The more I read, the harder it became to put the book down. The characters are well developed and Koontz gives the reader a very real and chilling glimpse into the world of Utilitarian bioethics. Reading the book, I believed that this twisted philosophy was just a figment of Koontz's creative mind. Unfortunately, this fascist society of mankind exists. Encyclopedia4U.com defines "Utilitarian bioethics" as follows: "Utilitarian Bioethics is a very controversial branch of Utilitarian ethics that espouses directing medical resources where they will contribute most to the sum of the number of happy people in the world. The upsides include easy medical decision-making by simple principles, and an increase in total number of happy people (and/or a decrease in unhappy ones). The downsides include many justifications for physicians to kill patients, and the classification of many disabled or young or old people as "nonpersons"." Scary!
Rating:
Summary: Some People Take Fiction Too Seriously!
Review: I read this book while I was in a psychological rehibilitation facility being wheened off of Depakote that caused me to have amonia in my blood and when I read this story I was like Lorilani is a very brilliant young girl!. The ways she survives her tormentor and drugged up mom and having to fend for herself just so the supposed "handicapped" are just that by name only. This book is a tour de force in modern science fiction/suspense crossover. I sincerely recommend this book. The Heaven part nearly kept me away from it cuz I don't like religious materials but this only has to do with the metaphorical Heaven. Anywho I have 31 of Dean Koontz novels and I find this one to be in at least the upper 7 or 8 of them over all. Grab it while you can!
Rating:
Summary: I'm convinced Koontz has utterly lost his mind!
Review: There is no other way to say it: Dean Koontz has not only lost his ability to write good books, but he must have lost his mind as well. This novel has to be in his bottom three. Let me put this into perspective. I discovered Koontz sometime around 1993, and you can ask anyone who knew me throughout the 90s: I never stopped raving about this guy. Books like The Bad Place, Phantoms, Lightning, Twilight Eyes and Intensity, to me, are Koontz's creme de la creme, Intensity being his best. Since then, he has been on a steady course to being a has-been, with the exception of False Memory, which was quite good. One Door Away From Heaven is his opus of garbage. I know the guy loves dogs, and so do I, but what he has done here is just plain idiotic. He started it in Dragon Tears, and one would hope that would be an isolated incident, but it seems it has completely taken over his mind. Anyone in his email fan club will agree with me when I say it: the guy thinks he's a freakin golden retriever. His back cover photos always include his dog, all his fan club emails are written from the perspective of his dog. Koontz, what's happened to you!?! I used to think Stephen King had fallen the furthest, but I have to say, King's tumble is nothing compared to Koontz's. It seems every book he writes has a handicapped person as a main character, his plot conceptions are moronic, his climaxes are disappointing to say the least, and he goes out of his way to rub it in our faces just how pure and perfect the good guys really are. At least the main character in this had some faults, but this is an exception, believe me. I also don't really care for his new "humourous" style of writing. In my opinion, he's not a funny guy, his writing is not funny, never was, and he should stick to just trying to write a good story that can scare the bejeepers out of us. He's obviously trying way too hard to be funny, and I don't know who he's trying to impress (his dog, perhaps?), but it sucks. It seems the only thing he has not lost his knack for is coming up with deliciously evil villains, and the guy in this one is a doozie, but not on a par with the likes of Edgler Foreman Vess or Candy, or even the rapist (therapist, get it?) from False Memory. I'm sorry, but I officially renounce my Koontz fan status. If I ever do read another one of his books, it will be because there were no other books around at the time.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST of Koontz. Brilliant!
Review: As I read many of the earlier reviews that claim boredom, dissatisfaction and other such critcism, I can't help but wonder if we were reading the same book.
If I could, I would give Mr. Koontz infinite stars for this one.
I have just read the last page, wiped the tears away and now find myself warmed and touched, delighted and inspired, changed in some way.
Now, that's writing!!!!
I have liked some of his works, and not liked others. I love his style and his brilliance, but have felt short changed by certain endings. Not this time.
"One Door Away from Heaven" is as close as I have come to being transported. I lost touch with time and space and even neglected food!!!
I could write about characters, plot etc etc, but that would not begin to convey the experience available in these pages. I initially decided not to read it, because of some of the reviews written here.
However, when it was given as a gift, I decided to read it any way.
Don't miss this one!!! Give youself a gift. Suspend your disbelief, read with heart and soul open, and you are in for sheer delight.
I read constantly, and while I enjoy many writers, I have to thank Mr. Koontz for taking me on a splendid ride, complete with laughter and tears, for taking my breath away, for creating characters I LOVED, and for leaving me on a high note, deeply touched. It was an unprecedented experience. That makes you #1 in my book!
Rating:
Summary: With Koontz you never know what you are going to get
Review: The trouble with Koontz's novels is that you never know what you are going to get. I have absolutely loved some of his novels (Twilight Eyes is my favorite), and some I have found extremely boring. I recently finished reading False Memory and From The Corner of His Eye, and I greatly enjoyed both of them. So I eagerly started One Door Away From Heaven. The only good part of the novel is the interesting characters. While Koontz's prose is occasionally beautiful, sometimes amazingly so, this is one of his novels where his words only come across as pretentious. He seems closer to the characters of Micky, Leilani and Gen and he uses simpler and more straigforward language when writing about them. The result is that they are easier to care about and they are more interesting. However, when writing about Curtis and Noah, he steps back, and uses loftier and more arrogant prose. This just leaves me cold and makes me want to skip ahead to parts about the other characters. And a lot of times he tries so hard to be funny, but his dialogue is just corny. While I will continue to be a big fan and I am sure I will read all of his future novels, I will always enter with trepidation, because you just don't know what you are going to get!
Rating:
Summary: Great reading!
Review: This is a great mix of scenes, all convulging on the same story. The characters are so well-written, that as the story unfolds, you cry with them, laugh with them, are driven to experience all of their emotions, amazements and frustrations as if you were with them all the time.
Very excellent reading.
Rating:
Summary: One Door Away From Heaven, Dean Koontz
Review: This is absolutely one of his best! It is second only to Watchers, my all time favorite. Dean Koontz is a master of description and insight, and he holds nothing back in this one. There are paragraphs so deep, so insightful and so profound, you'll have to catch your breath before going on. He seems to have a deep understanding of human feelings and he knows how to take you on a roller coaster ride! This book is the story of a little girl who reaches out to a young woman for help. She must escape a dire situation. Of course, there is always a supernatural, suspenseful element in all Dean's books. This one will blow you away. I am a long time fan, so take my word for it, this book takes you to another level of comprehension. It is truly enlightening. It is also classicly scary!
Rating:
Summary: Everything You Come to Expect in a DK book
Review: This was a great book. It starts out extremely confusing and by the end, you love each and every character! This is a book I'd love to see more of a conclusion/sequel to though. The first half of the book is in one of his famous multiple points for most of the main characters so at a point you just wish they'd get together already! :) It's got children, a smart dog, alcoholics, drug addicts, megalomaniacs, creepy old guys, UFOs, FBI, a fallen police officer, eye candy twin sisters, a nice Aunt, and almost everyone has a terrible childhood story! What more could you want in a Dean Koontz book? :) I'd give it 4.75 stars only because I really wanted more of the ending!
Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTED
Review: I was disappointed in the plot, in the flow and in the way that it failed to keep my attention and demand that I continue to read. This is not a typical Koontz book. It's most redeeming quality is the fact that it is written by a literary master. Koontz' artistry is top-notch. His storytelling ability is eloquent and humorous. I laughed out loud more than once. Yet I still found myself wishing that he'd kept it more succinct. The only reason I refused to put down the book is that I wanted it to be over -- to learn what was found one door away from heaven -- hoping that it wasn't another 600 pages in this tale. Die-hard Koontz readers may want to avoid this one -- you'll be disappointed. It is fun to see him tackle another genre, I guess, but it was painful.
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