Rating: 
Summary: What a Great Book!!!!
Review: What a great book! This is by far one of Koontz's best works. Junior Cain was a character that I loved to hate. I enjoyed how Koontz walked you through Cain's narcissistic thoughts and justification for murder. The ending tied everything together beautifully without any questions unanswered. A must read!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: From the Top To The Bottom Of The Bookshelf
Review: It was a beautiful day in the 1960's, what better way to end it then to push your wife from 150 foot tower. That is exactly what Junior Cain does and as far as everyone is concerned, (everyone except Detective Tom Vanadium) he is innocent. Pursued by Tom and the sense that someone named Bartholomew is his nemesis and must be destroyed the story begins. In usual Koontz fashion his characters are colorful and he doesn't waste a lot of time in scene description. He describes the scene in a short concise manner unlike many other authors. You quickly come to like most of the characters but will spend much of your time wondering what they have to do with the plot. Normally, Mr. Koontz's books grab you from the first page and continue to build throughout with very few low points. About 100 pages into it, this book became the exception. This book is 622 pages long and many of them it seems were put in just to drag it out. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Dean Koontz fan and have read many of his books. However, this one just didn't do it for me. I started this book on a plane from Washington, DC. to San Diego, CA. back in March and just completed it the other day. Normally, I would complete one Koontz novel in a trip like this. This book just doesn't grab you and get you to a point that you can't put it down until near the very near the end. If you are contemplating a Koontz book, take it from someone who has read many, "Don't start with this one". Don't pass up Mr. Koontz though, he has plenty of good ones out there. The list below is done in order of my favorite books by Mr. Koontz. If I didn't like Mr. Koontz work, I would only be giving this book 1 star instead of 2 and I won't be placing this one on the same shelf as the ones below. Other Dean Koontz books I have read:
Face of Fear
Lightning
Sole Survivor
The Bad Place
The Door to December
Fear Nothing
Icebound
Intensity
The Key to Midnight
Hideaway
The House of Thunder Dark Rivers of the Heart
Dragon Tears
Tick Tock
Mr. Murder
and I am getting ready to start Midnight sometime in the next week.
Rating:
Summary: Profound, Unique, and Unparalleled
Review: While I understand the critical reviews by other readers, I believe the issue stems from the fact that this novel is simply not typical Koontz. In my view, it is superior to his other endeavors. The main difference is this book is very spiritual. It raises many interesting and profound questions, brings to life a set of extraordinary, intriguing characters (who the reader is much better off having met), and these things take precedence over suspense and a thrilling plot. In short my recommendation is that if you are looking for an easy thrill (not at all a bad thing to be after in Koontz) this isn't the book for you. However, if you're interested in being brought into a world of profoundly rich characters and perhaps challenged in your perceptions of the world, I strongly advise you to purchase this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: The reviews shock and dismay me .....
Review: A decade ago I swore I would never read another Dean Koontz book again, after the dreadful "Lightning", but a friend said that I just had to read this one, so I took the plunge ..... and was once again amazed at how such an incredibly bad writer can continue to have such a following.
Consider this: "The ball of sodden Kleenex was gripped so tightly in Junior's left hand that had its carbon content been higher, it would have been compacted into a diamond." Now, that sentence wouldn't be so bad, in and of itself, it it weren't for the fact that Koontz makes every little gesture and nuance a catastrophic event, in this case the mere clutching of a Kleenex. After a point it completely wears the reader down. It certainly wore me down. I give up.
You still don't believe me? Then read this nifty chapter opening: "While the slats of ash-gray light slowly lost their meager luster, and sable shadows metastasized in sinister profusion, the sentinel silence remained unbroken between Junior Cain and the birthmarked man."
I'm sorry, but I'm out. No more Koontz ..... Ever.
Rating:
Summary: A mixed work but overall worth the effort
Review: Getting into this book was easy. Staying with it was a little harder throught the middle and as I finished this book I found it to be worth the time I put into it. I have read many, many Koontz books and this is by far the first book to actually raise some feelings from me regarding the characters in the book. The way things work out in the book can only lift ones spirits and give people a new sense of hope. Although I was not very impressed with the way the main plot of the story ended, I was still left with a fullfilled feeling due to the uplifting emotionall story that Dean gave us. If you want a book to bring up feelings you thought you had forgotten, this is the one.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book was the greatest I have ever read. Very few books have ever made me cry, and this one did. It had everything: humor, religion, psychology, suspense...whatever else there is to throw into a book. I actually was upset when it ended because it was so great i hated to lose the excitement of reading it. It definitely rekindled my love for reading. There's nothing more but "wow" to say. It robbed me of words to describe how great it was when it ended. Everyone should read this book... even people who don't like reading! It will make them love reading. Dean Koontz is by far, as in millions of miles far, the best writer i have ever come across.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book
Review: A must read. The twist and the turns keep you going through this strange and dark but fascinating book.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Writing Sullied by Efforts at Extreme Cuteness
Review: The beginning of this book is absolutely top-notch. I found myself staying up hours past my bedtime, fascinated by the plot twists, the writing, and the amazingly well-executed parallel universes concept. The tower scene and aftermath are sheer, dark genius. In fact, much of the book is sheer genius and packed with eye-popping, yet subtle, surprises. However, the problem with this book is the problem I find in all of Koontz's works: his interjections of cuteness into his narratives. Ugh! I tried, but I couldn't stand the cutesy names: Celestina, Angel, etc. I couldn't stomach the improbable, Hallmark moment relationship between the single mom and the Good Doctor. When Angel yapped on and on about Oreos, I wanted to throw my book across the room. When Bart made his oh-so-precious remarks about Life, the Universe, and Everything, I was usually enlightened, but sometimes extremely irritated. A little of the out-of-the-mouths-of-babes technique goes a LOOOOONG way. The baby-talk scenes between Bart and Agnes and Celestina and Angel went on for pages and pages and were so annoying and cloying that I skipped over as much of the pointless, syrupy, nursery-school dialogue as I could. The private detective and his dentist wife also provided more than their share of too-precious moments. I could have done without any restaurant scenes between the two of them. Frankly, by the end of the book, I was so annoyed by Celestina (the perfect minister's daughter, single mom, and painter), the inanely babbling Angel, and the other syrupy characters that I was rooting for the bad guy to wipe them all out. In addition, I didn't feel any sympathy for a certain women who is killed near the beginning of the book (I don't want to give anything away). Just the fact that she sang those two songs the author mentions, and seems to have spent all of her time warbling about the goodness of life and keeping a breathtakingly gloriously happy diary, were enough to turn her into an unsympathetic character to me. Ugh. There's no denying that Koontz writes a good tale that keeps the pages turning well past bedtime. However, I am hoping that in his next book the only sickeningly sweet character will be the dog.
Rating:
Summary: From the Corner of his Eye
Review: I loved this book! Dean Koontz seems to have undergone a recent spiritual transformation. Although I like his earlier works, this book, as well as his new One Door Away From Heaven, uplifts its readers. His characters, human and canine, are wonderful. You won't expect what happens at the end of chapter 1! It is about love overpowering evil, but not without sacrifice, yet beauty and truth prevail in the end. I think it's his best work yet.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably impressive writing...
Review: Although I'm still reading this book (a few more pages to go), I just had to write a review on how impressive and intelligent the writing is. I'm a huge fan of Dean Koontz and have read many of his books already (and eventually plan to read them all), but it didn't really hit me how talented a writer he is until I read this book. The book is long, but it never feels like it. It is such an enjoyable book and just adds to my belief that Koontz is one of the greatest writers ever. Ignore the negative reviews and give it a chance. Koontz fans (and newcomers) will definitely love this book and the author.
| 
