One Door Away From Heaven

Rating:
Summary: A book of the greatest importance
Review: We live in strange times. A man of letters, one who hangs out with the New York literati and who, of all things, claims to be a Christian, writes The Cider House Rules, a thinly disguised apology for abortion. A man known as a horror writer, one who seldom if ever is regarded as an Important Author, who plies his trade writing commercial fiction, a man who (as far as I know) has never made any public professions of faith, writes an absolutely stunning novel blasting the merchants of death who pose as compassionate relievers of suffering.

What gives? Why is John Irving, who ought to know better, the defender of the indefensible, while Dean Koontz, journeyman ...(not my opinion of him, but how he's often regarded), gets the whole relativistic ethics thing straight? I don't know. But I'm sure glad for Dean Koontz, even as I am deeply ashamed of John Irving.

For me, One Door Away from Heaven stands in relation to the Koontz canon as The Thanatos Syndrome stands in relation to the Walker Percy canon. Neither is the author's best book, but each may be and probably is his most important one. Because the Planned Parenthoods and Peter Singers of this world are our worst enemies. They must be exposed at all costs. And it takes a very special kind of writer to do it. Koontz has the right stuff. May his tribe increase.

One Door Away from Heaven is probably too big and sprawling and unruly to ever be considered great literature. But it has an indomitableness, an unstoppability, about it. It just keeps coming, like a righteous juggernaut, right at'cha. It also has almost a kind of holiness about it--not in the least self-aggrandizing, but focused entirely on the good, the beautiful, the true, the eternal. Yes, it must look into the essence of evil, and that means a good deal of material that is dark, but you always know the author intentions are pure and good. The contrast between Leilani Klonk, physically deformed but possessed of a heart and a humanity that can scarcely be contained in her damaged vessel of a body, and her psuedofather, Preston Claudius Maddoc, aka Dr. Doom, physically perfect, uncommonly intelligent, 'ethical' murderer, shows this with absolute clarity.

Moreover, there's a wonderful playful quality about the book which comes out most clearly in Curtis Hammond's inability to grasp the nuances of normal human socializing but also, remarkably, in the very nub of its message, which has everything to do with the title, and which is also brilliantly on display in Curtis's unusual plan to save our world.

All in all, I am in awe of Dean Koontz and what he is doing in elevating the homely genre of suspense/thriller into a startling and revelatory vehicle of socio-religious observation and commentary.

Rating:
Summary: Not the usual Koontz page turner
Review: Dean Koontz is my favorite author and normally I devour his books within a couple of days because I get so involved with the characters and the plot. I can hardly stand to put his books down for a minute! Unfortunately this book was not quite up to par. I trudged along with it for about two weeks, picking it up hear and there when I had a few spare moments.

The plot just didn't seem to have the depth of the usual Koontz novel and didn't hook me the way his books usually do. My lack of interest had a lot to do with the characters in this book. First of all they weren't developed as well as I would have liked, not enough background on some of them. I would have liked to have had a little more background on the book's villan and it's hero, Curtis.

On the other hand I would have been happier not to read more about Leilani, Micky and Sensemilia. I cringed everytime a passage involving them came up. Leilani, set up to be the heroine of the book, came off as an annoying little know-it-all. The way she was written left me with absolutely no sympathy for her. As for Micky, I didn't learn enough about her to even form an opinion of her.

If this is your first Dean Koontz book and you didn't care too much for it PLEASE read any of his other books and I guarantee you won't be disappointed! One of his earlier books, "Strangers" was the one that got me hooked on Koontz and I highly recommend it!

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Summary: Koontz is Back
Review: After a few lackluster performances, such as False Memory, Dean Koontz is back in a big way with this new book, "One Door Away from Heaven." This book grips you and sucks you in much like "Intensity" and some of his earlier works. I was racking my brain for the first half of the book trying to see how the plot worked, and how he was going to tie it all together at the end, well he did it, and very well.

The characters develop nicely, especially Preston Maddoc, the enraged sociopath-killer who reasons out why he is killing people, he comes across as kind of a sexy Jack Kevorkian, if there is such a thing. The book is good work by Koontz, especially that he dealt with the issue of mercy-killing and how that can be twisted around with utilitarian ethics. This book had a purpose, and I appreciated it.

One knock was the whole concept of the dog, and the dreams, seems a little touchy-feely for Koontz, and me, but for that I will not fault him all to much.

Joseph Dworak

Rating:
Summary: Excellent page turner from the very first page!
Review: I have read quite a few of Koontz's novels but none can compare to this one, the detail is unparalled and the characters seem lifelike. Curtis is hilarious, I cannot describe how funny what he says is. At one part of the novel you will be terrified, wondering what will happen next and on the next page you will be laughing very hard. In some parts of reading this book I actually had to stop because I couldn't stop laughing, my cheeks were hurting I was laughing so hard. Then I'd pick the book back up and burst into laughter again. The action started at around page 20 and it kept up until the very end.
The only downside to this book is that it will take over your life until you finish it. I sat and read this book until my eyes were hurting, went to sleep and started again till it was finished. It actually made me late for work because I had 80 pages left and didn't want to stop reading. That's how good it is. So basically, I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone in search of a funny, scary, page-turner.

Rating:
Summary: A new direction! Hooray!
Review: I LOVE this book! I can't recommend it too highly!

I've read most of Koontz's books and, while he is a great writer, most of them are simple chase thrillers that are entertaining enough, but without much substance. After reading one of these (especially the ones that are high on the "gross-out" factor), I feel just as I do after eating cotton candy--although superficially tasty, it has no nutritional value, leaving me feeling a little queasy.

But then there are his other books! More and more, his books are starting to have heart and substance, with characters that you honestly care about. I first saw this in "Watchers," and more recently in "Tick Tock" and "Fear Nothing" followed by "Sieze the Night." And now with "One Door Away from Heaven," he has achieved a masterpiece! From the first page, he captured me with his vibrant, funny, complex characters. Instead of presenting just one intelligent, appealing character, he presents us with an entire group of fascinating, memorable characters that come alive in these pages! Although damaged by life, they are good at heart, striving to put their lives back together.

Without giving any spoilers away, I will say that one of the characters is not at all what he/she appears to be; even though Koontz gives plenty of clues, I laughed aloud in admiration at his artistry when I finally figured out who/what this character is.

Without being heavy handed, this book deals with the purpose of life and how love and caring bind us together in our fight against evil. Despite the evil villains in this book, and the trials our heroes go through, there is essentially a hopefullness, a spirituality, and a sense of wonder running through this book that left me feeling touched in a very fundamental way. Each of the heroes in the book independently ponders how "meeting a special person can instantly turn your life around for the better," and that's how I feel after encountering this book. I can only award this book my highest praise--this is exactly the book that I would wish to write myself if I only had the talent!

Rating:
Summary: One too many Koontz books
Review: This was my first and last Dean Koontz book, so maybe I'm not an objective reviewer. But I was completely underwhelmed. I found it boringly overdescriptive, entirely too many points of view for me to care enough about the characters individually, and that whole dog thing at the end was a little too precious for me. Like, in the end it all comes down to dogs. How disappointing.

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Summary: Dean Koontz has found his sense of joy again!
Review: Dean Koontz seems to have come out of wherever he has been. After a run of cynical and not very upbeat books, Mr. Murder and the like, he seems to be recovering his sense of wonder, hope and even joy. The characters in this book are people that he really seems to like. This book was terrific! It's nice to see some optimism and hope in the world--I was sorry to see the story end and as is usual, the next three novels I read, paled in comparison. Keep it up, Mr. Koontz--it's nice to have you back!

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Summary: Moving and Memorable...
Review: I must admit that I am not usually a fan of Mr. Koontz and his published works. Not that he isn't talented, far from it, it is just that sometimes it takes effort to read his books and follow his line of oft-twisted logic. This book, however, pulled me in from the first page and managed to keep me hooked until the very end. I found myself laughing out loud at times as well. Dean Koontz has crafted a marvelous piece of fiction, and for that he has my praises.
The characters that populate this book are the most memorable that I have come across in any genre. Leilani is hilarious and tragic in her own right- as are Curtis, Old Yeller and Michelina. These people (and animal) seem to jump off the page and become solid representations of the fictional world. I suppose that is what makes this book so great...the characters are beleivable and real.
At its heart, I believe that this novel is a philisophical one, a journey that Koontz wants to take us on so that he can show us some of the truly frightening things that are out there in our world today. While he is not dealing with the fear of fangs and fur, talons and teeth, Dean is showing us that the truth is stranger that fiction.
Koonts takes us on a journey that causes us to question right and wrong and seriously evaluate our morals and beliefs. This is a good thing. Through the eyes of his characters, we gain insight into the lifes of those that are disable, addicted, lost, forgotten and worn out. We also see plenty of compassion, heart and sincerity. This book will make you think. It will make you want to read it over and over again, making sure that you did not miss anything important. I highly suggest this book to readers of any genre, it is one that bridges all gaps.
Told with uncanny wit and humor, it will have you hooked from the first page. I wont reveal any plot details, you can get those from the editorial review put up by AMAZON.COM, but I will say this: If this is the new direction that Dean Koontz will be taking- sign me up on the waiting list for his future novels, perhaps he will become a major mainstay on my bookshelf from now on. Read this book. Think about it, read it again. It is THAT good.

Rating:
Summary: My last Koontz book for a while......
Review: I have found Koontz to be a masterful storyteller in all of the books that I have read by him (Phantoms, Watchers, From the Corner of His Eye, Intensity), but this book was horribly and unnecessarily wordy and cumbersome. The desriptions of everything from the lawn to the moonight were ridculously lengthy and the dialogue throughout was unrealistic and misguided. Pray that this book comes out as a movie, b/c it will take you MUCH longer than two hours to needle through.

Wanna read a wonderful book? Try "The Weight of Water" by Anita Shreve....it's wonderful!

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!!!
Review: I love all of Dean's books, but 'One Door Away from Heaven' and 'From the Corner of His Eye' are his absolute best!! Sure, they delve into the unknown; ET's and spiritual areas, but what interesting ideas he has! Similar to Stephen King, but definitely has a style of his own. Love it and highly recommend!