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Life Expectancy

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 16,667 ratings · 1,032 reviews

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed a...more

Mass Market Paperback, 476 pages

Published June 15th 2007 by Bantam (first published 2004)

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Feb 18, 2008 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Life Expectancy is probably my favorite book of all time. It was so different than any book I had ever read, and was much different than I expected. It flows so perfectly from the first person point of view, and the characters are unforgettable. Plus, it has clowns...

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Apr 02, 2008 ♥ Marlene♥ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dean-koontz

This is what I wrote reading this book........

This is the second time I am trying to read this book.

I am a huge Koontz fan but this book really disappointed me.

It is so far, not exiting or scary at all, because the main characters are not frightened.
They are constantly making funny (not) remarks and it is just not realistic.

You are a hostage and you are constantly cracking jokes!!! No way.

I have read 170 pages of the book and am really struggling (again!) to read more.

And that is really an excep...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-it

This is one of my favorite Dean Koontz novels. It has all of the elements you would expect to find in a DK novel!

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Oct 20, 2008 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you question all good looking men.

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Jan 13, 2008 ayrdaomei rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Koontz fans, fans of thrillers with a dash of the supernatural

Shelves: finished

This one took me a couple weeks to read, but I did finish it (good sign #1) and by the time I was done, I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time (good sign #2).

It's written in the first person, which works better here than in Koontz's The Taking, but not as well as it did in Odd Thomas. The premise of the story is a fun one: on the night of Jimmy Tock's birth, his dying grandfather predicts the time of Jimmy's birth, his weight, a physical ailment...and that Jimmy will suffer five terrible days in...more

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Apr 23, 2008 Jack rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: only bored die-hard Koontz fans

Recommended to Jack by: a crazed clownish friend

Dean Koontz reigns as the Henry Ford of novelists. Ford invented assembly line production, a way of mass-producing automobiles. Ford out produced other automakers and at the same time delivered a quality product. His Model T remains perhaps the most successful automobile ever made. Ford Motor Company occasionally made mistakes; the Edsel of the mid-1950s was its most glaring and infamous. Dean Koontz, like Ford has developed a method of cranking out novels at an amazing pace, over 60 in the spa...more Dean Koontz reigns as the Henry Ford of novelists. Ford invented assembly line production, a way of mass-producing automobiles. Ford out produced other automakers and at the same time delivered a quality product. His Model T remains perhaps the most successful automobile ever made. Ford Motor Company occasionally made mistakes; the Edsel of the mid-1950s was its most glaring and infamous. Dean Koontz, like Ford has developed a method of cranking out novels at an amazing pace, over 60 in the span of about 30 years. Koontz too, has developed a wildly popular product: 22 New York Times #1 bestsellers, and dozens more making the bestseller list. He also makes mistakes, and Life Expectancy rattletraps along as Dean Koontz’s Edsel.

Koontz's standard assembly line formula calls for immediately tossing the reader into an improbable situation, usually involving something supernatural that stretches belief. As his story rolls down the line, Koontz, through strong, believable characters and meticulous research, constructs plausibility. Once his readers take the hook, Koontz leads them on a Ludlum-like roller coaster ride culminating in a rip-roaring climax. The finished product routinely sells, and Life Expectancy, another bestseller, illustrates that. But, despite Koontz’s success and book sales, Life satisfies like years-old McDonald’s fries lifted from the floorboard of an old Edsel.

True to formula, Koontz starts "Life" with a supernatural bang: “On the night that I was born, my paternal grandfather, Josef Tock, made ten predictions that shaped my life. Then he died in the very minute that my mother gave birth to me." It seems our narrating hero Jimmy Tock’s grandpa, while in his hospital death bed, predicts ten days of life threatening – life changing crises for about to be born Jimmy’s future, down to the very year, date and even day of the week they will arrive. Fittingly, this night of Jimmy’s birth and of his grandpa’s date-picking looms as an ominously dark and stormy one. Jimmy’s dad Rudy Tock dutifully writes down each dreaded date on a circus pass that Konrad Beezo, a manifestly insane circus clown that Rudy met in the waiting room, gave him. At the same time, Beezo is being informed by a doctor that his wife, a circus aerialist, has just died giving birth to a baby boy. Beezo, being insane and not too happy about the news, responds in a very unclown-like manner, gunning down everyone: doctors, nurses, patients, cops, but spares Rudy, his wife and their just-born little Jimmy because Rudy, after all, had become his waiting room buddy. Beezo then grabs his own newborn son and flees into the stormy night. Typical of Koontz’s formula, this opening sounds improbable and stretches belief. But we ain't seen nothin' yet.

At this point Koontz usually displays his skillful ability to build complex, likeable or hate-able characters that we really love or loathe. He dazzles us with special knowledge on the intricacies of his premise. Not so this time. Jimmy, now grown and following in chef dad’s footsteps, becomes an apprentice pastry chef. But more than fluffy crullers, Jimmy cooks comedy. If Comedy Central Network had a cooking show, Jimmy would be a natural. And apparently its genetic, because Mom, Dad and Grandma Rowena appear as stand-up-comic wannabes, which Koontz artificially wields, brandishing some witty dinner table conversations.

Along about the fifth prediction (the predictions tend to run together after awhile) 20 year-old Jimmy meets his wife-to-be, Lorrie. They bump into each other while being held hostage by an insane criminal who happens to be setting explosives in the old mine tunnels underneath their Colorado town. The criminal determines to destroy the entire town just after he robs the bank. This evil doer’s name? Why it’s Punchinello Beezo, the insane clown Konrad’s now grown son, who Jimmy snidely describes as “a graduate of Hannibal Lecter University, ready for a career in hospitality services as the new manager of the Bates motel." Punchinello’s accomplices are Honker and Crinkles…yes, two circus clowns. Lorrie, as coincidence would have it, also happens to be a natural born comedienne. Jimmy and Lorrie fall in love while entertaining Punchinello and his clown henchmen with impromptu comedy routines to relieve the tension as the villains set explosives. The evil triumvirate serves as a Bud Abbott for the lovebirds Lou Costello while they prepare to destroy the town.

Forget Koontz’s formula,these characters and this tale crossover into preposterous. "Life’s" premise and its characters ring patently false, functioning as mere vehicles to steer Koontz’s brand-new comedic engine. For Koontz fans, Life drifts so far from his natural course, we are left clutching for the wheel and scratching our heads. Is it camp, or is it crap? It’s almost as if Koontz has been waiting his whole life to write this book, as if Brando was crying out: “I coulda been a comedy writer! I coulda been a comedy writer, instead of a novelist, which is what I am.” Yet Koontz didn’t peddle however many millions of books by being a poor writer. In its way, Life entertains, and there exists strewn about, moments of excellent craft, like the smattering of lifeboats rowing away from the Titanic.

In some ironic sense, Jimmy Tock’s book-ending reflection on life’s meaning also mirrors Life’s epitaph. “By laughing, you do not use up your laughter, but increase your store of it” Jimmy preaches. And Koontz does provide a packed carload of clown’s humor, but too often we find ourselves laughing at the author and his buffoonish characters. Jimmy further instructs: “the more you expect from life, the more your expectations will be fulfilled.” We expected more from Koontz. (less)

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Jan 09, 2009 Jodyishappy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a strange book. I don't know how else to describe it. When my husband told me it was a weird one but he thought I would like it, I really I was almost sure I didn't want to read it. I almost pasted it up, but I am glad I didn't. I never knew where it was going to go next. I never even tried to make predictions like I normally would. It also was filled with so much dry humor that you just had to laugh. The entire time I was reading this one, I couldn't help but think that the author...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 3 of 5 stars

With his bestselling blend of nail-biting intensity, daring artistry, and storytelling magic, Dean Koontz returns with an emotional roller coaster of a tale filled with enough twists, turns, shocks, and surprises for ten ordinary novels. Here is the story of five days in the life of an ordinary man born to an extraordinary legacy—a story that will challenge the way you look at good and evil, life and death, and everything in between.Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfath...more With his bestselling blend of nail-biting intensity, daring artistry, and storytelling magic, Dean Koontz returns with an emotional roller coaster of a tale filled with enough twists, turns, shocks, and surprises for ten ordinary novels. Here is the story of five days in the life of an ordinary man born to an extraordinary legacy—a story that will challenge the way you look at good and evil, life and death, and everything in between.Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the frist and last time since his stroke.What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson—five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his twentieth year; the second in his twent-third year; the third in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; the fifth in his thirtieth.Rudy is all too ready to discount his father's last words as a dying man's delusional rambling. But then he discovers that Josef also predicted the time of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact height and weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly—the unexplained anomal of fused digits—on his left foot. Suddenly the old man's predictions take on a chilling significance.What terrifying events await Jimmy on these five dark days? What nightmares will he face? What challenges must he survive? As the novel unfolds, picking up Jimmy's story at each of these crisis points, the path he must follow will defy every expectation. And with each crisis he faces, he will move closer to a fate he could never have imagined. For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days when his world turns is a mystery as dangerous as it is wondrous—a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive, only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through.(less)

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Jul 09, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense

3 ½ stars. Tongue in cheek mystery suspense.

I was disappointed when I saw this was first person. Sometimes it works, but usually it’s not as good for me, and in this case first person did not help. The plot premise was odd. It didn’t draw me in as much as other plots. When the book begins, we are told something disastrous will happen five times during Jimmy’s life. It feels like a scavenger hunt. The first day comes and we watch a disaster which Jimmy survives. Then we wait a little and watch th...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jimmy Tock is probably my favorite of all of Dean Koontz characters - and that's a lot considering one of Koontz' strengths is character development. Jimmy was born on the day his grandfather died. Before his grandfather died and the minute of Jimmy's birth, his grandfather sat up in bed and stated that Jimmy would have five horrible days. He listed the dates in question. Jimmy's family didn't know what to make of Jimmy's grandfather's prophesy until the first of the dates arrived and Jimmy, ind...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Rich rated it 3 of 5 stars

Probably a 3.5. After being peer-pressured into reading this, I was initially disappointed by how long it took to get going. The opening story (about the prophesied five terrible days and the killer clown at the hospital) is definitely a gripping way to start. But then the family's witty banter at the dinner table discussing how to get ready for the terrible day (while entertaining) doesn't seem to match the seriousness of the tone and makes you wonder if we're actually supposed to be dreading w...more

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May 04, 2011 Jenn & Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall, this book was thoroughly enjoyable, although I did unfortunately find it somewhat predictable, but only moderately. The basic story is told by the protagonist and follows from his birth until present day. As his father waits in the hospital waiting room for his wife to give birth, Jimmy Tock's grandfather dies at the same moment of his birth, but not before he tells of five horrible days that his grandson will have to face and conquer in his life. At the same time, a demented clown, ye...more Overall, this book was thoroughly enjoyable, although I did unfortunately find it somewhat predictable, but only moderately. The basic story is told by the protagonist and follows from his birth until present day. As his father waits in the hospital waiting room for his wife to give birth, Jimmy Tock's grandfather dies at the same moment of his birth, but not before he tells of five horrible days that his grandson will have to face and conquer in his life. At the same time, a demented clown, yes, clown, is waiting for his wife to give birth, but when she dies, he kills the doctor and nurse, before he "thanks" Jimmy's father, Rudy, for inadvertently allowing him to escape. When Jimmy finally reaches the day of his first horrible event, it turns out to be tragic and welcoming, as he meets his future wife through a demented and horrific twist of fate. As each new horrible day comes forward, the suspense builds, and the characters try to shape their lives around these fates while attempting to live as normal a life as they can.
A few of the 'critiques' I have for this story are that Koontz drags on a little and explains every single thought and almost every event Jimmy Tock thinks about and lives, dragging the story on a little bit. I did not feel that I needed to know every type of dessert he enjoyed making. The character of Jimmy Tock understands he is a
boring' man, and he sometimes is, which becomes slightly annoying at times. When the second horrific event comes in to play, which is actually before the second predicted bad time, I correctly guessed who the mad man was, but neither Jimmy or Laurie could guess, which was a little unbelievable after the first bad day. It drove me a little nuts that they could not figure it out. Also, Koontz goes cliche when the character has the chance to eliminate the villain and chooses to chain him up, only for him to mysteriously escape, which is never explained. Finally, the last of the five bad days is a little more disturbing and grotesque than the rest of the story, and almost does not seem to fit. I actually wish I had read over those chapters and skipped to the ending. Koontz has some heartfelt and emotional quotes about life, and what is actually expected and received from it. He goes into his own personal philosophy, which is intelligent, well thought out, and quite beautiful. Overall, a story worth a read.(less)

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Apr 09, 2011 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had given up on Dean Koontz. I hadn't enjoyed many of his newer books as much as I had enjoyed the first few books I read of his, and I thought my days of reading him were over. That all changed when I was picking out books for my honeymoon.

I literally decided to read this book because it was small and I knew it wouldn't take up much space in my backpack. That's it, that's the reason. There were other books I wanted to read instead of this one but they were much bulkier and I wanted to be abl...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Adam K. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Koontz continually proves me wrong, and maybe it's because I haven't yet read enough of him to really know for sure what his "thing" is. I thought it was really psychotically deranged killer pursues female protagonist for 400 pages and that's it. Usually the derangement is something on par with Michael Myers--a particularly soulless and nihilistic evil. Well, there appears to be more to Koontz's writing than that, and Life Expectancy is an other deviation I'm delighted to read. I just read From...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jason gave me this book for Christmas - he had listened to it as book on tape and really liked it, and thought I might like it too. I didn't - I LOVED it!! Laugh out loud funny at times, and yet also reflects on what makes a good life, relationship, and family, all in a suspenseful story!

I loved the characters - the main one, Jimmy Tock, but also all the supporting cast of characters. Each one was fleshed out and real. There was a unique banter amongst his family that I both recognized my own fa...more

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Jul 26, 2009 Alan Marchant rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, horror, comedy

feel-good horror story

With Life Expectancy, Dean Koontz takes on the challenge of writing an entirely wholesome horror story. Many readers may not care for the mix of creepiness, humor, and schmaltz. But I found it refreshing.

Life expectancy is the life story of a young baker, Jimmy Tock, and his wife, told in first person. They are happy, optimistic, family folk. Therefore their story is virtually free of profanity or gratuitous nastiness. But they are also blessed with "interesting lives" that...more

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Jun 27, 2009 Remy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Dean Koontz book. I expected a horror story, but this book was actually quite funny. I just grabbed it off the paperback section of the library to take to the beach, and I was pleasantly surprised. Initially, I found the main character, Jimmy, a little like Ignatiuos Reilly from "Confederacy of Dunces," but he actually had a great deal more sense. I think it was more in Koontz's writing style. The characters were so likeable, that I wanted to be friends with them; except for the...more

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May 20, 2009 Resonance rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was starved for something to read this last weekend and happened upon this book. Horror isn't my usual genre but I've read a few Dean Koontz books in the past and liked them, so I thought I'd give this one a spin.

It's got an interesting enough plot -- as a child is being born, his grandfather makes a set of deathbed prophecies about him (the first of which are shortly proven true as they relate to his birth) which culminate in an exact prediction, to the day, of five individual days he will e...more

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Feb 14, 2009 Nick added it

Shelves: q32008

level one:
What is the protagonists family trade? Jimmy Tock is an aspiring pastry chef, as is his father. The Tock's have a long line of baker's and chef's in the family.

Who died on the night of Jimmy's birth and also predicted 5 Horrible dates in Jimmy's life? Jimmy's grandfather, Josef, died just minutes before Jimmy's arrival on earth. Before Josef bit the dust he wrote down on the back of a circus ticket 5 dates in the future that would be horrible and burdensome for his grandson.

What other...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Breanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it, in the very same hospital. As Jimmy's mother is working to bring him into the world, his grandfather suddenly sits up and predicts that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson — five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. Before they can discount Josef's words as delusional rambling, he also predicts the time of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact he...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Angela~twistedmind~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As usual, Koontz delivered. I love his little humorous quips almost as much I love it when he pens something profound. I can always count on adding a few new quotes to my quote journal when I'm reading Koontz. Life Expectancy is full of action, thrills and anticipation of what's about to happen throughout, nearly from the first page. Towards the end, there is one HUGE surprise, as far as I'm concerned. I, at least, never saw it coming. Perhaps I should have? Nah. You really come to like the char...more As usual, Koontz delivered. I love his little humorous quips almost as much I love it when he pens something profound. I can always count on adding a few new quotes to my quote journal when I'm reading Koontz. Life Expectancy is full of action, thrills and anticipation of what's about to happen throughout, nearly from the first page. Towards the end, there is one HUGE surprise, as far as I'm concerned. I, at least, never saw it coming. Perhaps I should have? Nah. You really come to like the characters, even feeling a little sorry for the bad guy......well, one of them. The entire family is quirky and I don't think any dinner at their house would be boring or even 'normal'. Jimmy Tock, the main character, is extremely likable and nearly from the beginning you really want things to turn out peachy for him. Lorrie? Well, not much gets by Lorrie, and she doesn't entertain much foolishness. She is a get it done kind of girl. Grandma Rowena is, well, she's simply a character!! Anyone who enjoys Koontz will like this one.

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when , at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the first and last time since his stroke. What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson-five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his twentieth year; the second in his twenty-third year; the thrid in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; the fifth in his thirtieth. Ruby is all too ready to discount his father's last words as a dying man's delusional rambling. But then he learns Josef also predicted the time of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact height and weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly-the unexplained anomaly of fused digits-on his left foot. Suddenly the old man's predictions take on a chilling significance. (less)

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Oct 07, 2010 Johnny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If there is any Koontz novel I wish I'd written myself, it's "Life Expectancy”. This book hits all the right chords: the absurdity of life, the interconnectedness of human beings, recognizable characters, signature humor, all put together with the reality of sudden violence.

Minutes before Jimmy Tock was born, his dying grandfather made several predictions not only about his birth, but also gave warnings of five terrible days to come in his future. Together with his family, Jimmy prepares himself...more If there is any Koontz novel I wish I'd written myself, it's "Life Expectancy”. This book hits all the right chords: the absurdity of life, the interconnectedness of human beings, recognizable characters, signature humor, all put together with the reality of sudden violence.

Minutes before Jimmy Tock was born, his dying grandfather made several predictions not only about his birth, but also gave warnings of five terrible days to come in his future. Together with his family, Jimmy prepares himself for the inevitable.

Told from Jimmy’s own first person perspective – and partly from his wife’s at the end of the novel, in a kind of cheesy “gotcha there!” attempt to add a rather fabricated final twist – the book wraps you in its arms of familiarity. This technique, previously applied to novels as “Twilight Eyes”, the Chris Snow books and the Odd Thomas series, is one of Koontz’s greatest accomplishments as a writer. The only downside of it in this particular case, might be the load of bakery and pastry analogies Jimmy Tock often resorts to while describing something.

Spending time at the Tock family dinner table is like a verbal rollercoaster ride – only backwards; you don’t see the loops coming until you’re suddenly upside down already. Grandma Rowena herself alone is worth her weight in gold.

The first of the terrible days Jimmy has to face is excellent storytelling, moreso because it’s the most incredible fashion in which the hero and heroine in a Koontz tale meet up.

From the moment Lorrie Lynn Hicks walked through that library door, I shared Jimmy’s sentiments and fell head over heels in love with her. Like Jimmy says, she’s the type of girl you want your family to meet. She’s so ad lib, imaginative, resourceful and brave, but also vulnerable, scared and insecure at the times she should be.

While riddled with violent events, “Life Expectancy” is a story filled with humor, which displays itself mostly through the dialogues. These characters often go on wild tangents, make crazy out-of-place remarks, create misunderstandings, and all the while there’s simply no telling whether they’re serious about it or just pulling someone’s leg.

Some of the more action driven parts, like the off-road driving in a snowstorm, can become a little boring after a while, but only compared to the other scenes where heroes and villains trade wisecracks. The lack of witty dialogue is only natural in this case, but it creates the risk of the story getting a bit dumbed down to nothing but a cheap action tale.

The later chapters trade in some of the humor for some heavy drama. When Lorrie gets shot and has to be rushed to the hospital, we feel with Jimmy and totally understand his sentiments when he says that “we don't fear our own deaths as much as the deaths of those we love”. We remember from “Odd Thomas” that Koontz doesn’t always necessarily write a happy ending for his characters – and at the ending of “Life Expectancy” we see that he even tries to copy his misleading about Stormy Llewellyn’s death in a rather unsuccesful practical joke.

The most devastating chapters, however, must be when the story’s real twist is revealed, Jimmy turns out to be a Beezo biologically, and the villain is the only suitable donor for an ill child. Punchinello’s attitude in the prison, the reaction of both Jimmy and Lorrie, and his sudden change of heart seem to be ripped out of some soap opera – not to mention the baby switching at birth – but it never comes over as an old cliché; it works and fits the rest of the book.

This novel is actually unique in that it has so many villains, the better to illustrate the differences between good and evil. Not only are there father and son Beezo, but also grandpa Vivacemente who makes for a very formidable final nemesis.

“Life Expectancy” is about man being confronted with his own mortality. Because you have no idea what the future holds in store for you, you’d better enjoy life to the fullest, embrace your family and friends, choose the path that destiny lays out for you. Our lives aren’t shaped solely by the environment in which we grow up, but also by our own personal decisions.(less)

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Aug 02, 2010 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

I'm not sure where to shelve this book, Suspense seems like the best option, although there is humor in it as well.

Dean Koontz is becoming my favorite author. His writing is free flowing, descriptive without being too wordy and well developed. I like the humor that pops out when you least expect it.

Life Expectancy has a lot going on in it. The story begins with a baby being born at the exact same moment that is grandfather takes his last breath. Before the grandfather dies, however, he tells hi...more

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Jun 12, 2010 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

So, I have this sister in law who is afraid of clowns. I don't really share her fear at all, but after reading this book I can understand a little better why someone would be (though to be honest that mini-series based on Steven King's IT that I watched with my sister when I was younger makes me feel for my sis-in-law). Really though, my knee jerk reaction when I realized who the villains in this book were, was to laugh. My Husband thought it was hilarious too.

I give this book a 2 1/2 - 3 stars...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Camille rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am giving this book 3 1/2 stars. This book was our book club selection for the month of August. Having never read a Dean Koontz book before, I was unsure as to what to expect. I found a cleaver story, told by an author sharp enough to twist a story just as the reader thinks they are beginning to figure it out, but does not flop it on it's side. As someone who may not suffer from full Coulrophobia (in the book a fear of clowns is referred to as Harliquinaphobia,but this is not correct) but has...more

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May 29, 2011 Dracoiratus rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review is for the audio book version read by Jeff Harding.

Another good book by this author it's pretty well paced throughout. The basic story is that when Jimmy (the main character) was born, his paternal grandfather died in the same hospital, but not before predicting five terrible days in Jimmy's life and providing the dates for those days. Given that he also predicts various things about Jimmy's birth that all turn out to be true, Jimmy and his family take the prediction of these terribl...more

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May 21, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book ive read from Dean Koontz and all i can say is wow i am exhausted from what i have read in such a good way. The Story of Jimmy Tock who at the moment he is born his grandfather dies, but before Josef dies he tell's his son to jot down predictions for his son. Among them were that although called James everyone would call him Jimmy and he would be born with the condition Syndactyly. More sinister was five dates in the future were terrible events would occur. In the same hos...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I remember the day my son decided he really wanted to go to school with his clear umbrella with pink dinosaurs. He was maybe 6 or 7 and I couldn't tell him it was a bad idea. I couldn't explain that the other little boys might not understand why he liked it so much. I wasn't home when he came home, but the umbrella went into his closet and never saw the light of day again. To me that was a very sad day. The fact that I can even remember that specific day almost 20 years ago puts it pretty high o...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Christopher Owen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Simply put, this novel is nothing short of incredible. Highly original, darkly amusing and almost (ALMOST) too clever for it's own good.

For me the mark of a good book is the inability to put it down. Getting so caught up in the story and the characters that you think abouto it even when you're not reading it.

I'll try to avoid spoilers, but my favorite thing about this novel is how evrerything is connected. It's obvious that Koontz had every detail planned in advance. One thing leads to another...more

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Sep 18, 2012 David S. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, suspense, audio

I believe this is the first time that I don't think that I would have finished this book if had not been for listening to it on Audio. The voices were great, but, the subject matter was kind of original; however, the ending went where it had to so that was kind of a disappointment.

Koontz has been a writer that I have had a love/hate relationship for the past 25 years. I have rated some of his novels: "Odd Thomas" and "Strangers" as great works of fiction. So much so that I will most likely keep...more

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Koontzland - Dean...: Life Expectancy (Group Read - August 2011)	125	98	Apr 09, 2013 01:23pm
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This book made #10 on TOP 10 THRILLER NOVELS...	1	42	Apr 02, 2009 08:30pm

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About Dean Koontz

Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.

Dean R. Koontz has also published under the na...more

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Quotes from Life Expectancy

“No one's life should be rooted in fear. We are born for wonder, for joy, for hope, for love, to marvel at the mystery of existence, to be ravished by the beauty of the world, to seek truth and meaning, to acquire wisdom, and by our treatment of others to brighten the corner where we are.” — 189 people liked it

“Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.” — 176 people liked it

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