Lightning

Lightning

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01  ·  rating details  ·  27,064 ratings  ·  927 reviews
A bolt of lightning brings a blond-haired stranger into Laura Shane's life. But is he the guardian angel he seems? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space?
Paperback, 384 pages
Published September 2nd 2003 by Berkley (first published January 1st 1988)
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Watchers by Dean KoontzOdd Thomas by Dean KoontzIntensity by Dean KoontzLightning by Dean KoontzLife Expectancy by Dean Koontz
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4th out of 63 books — 515 voters
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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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Jane Stewart
What a great story! I thought about it frequently afterwards.

At times it was a roller coaster ride, frightening, intense, and I didn’t want to stop reading until I got through the current crisis. The main story is Laura’s life from birth to adulthood. A strange man appears at critical times in her life to save her from disaster. Laura is not a wimp. She does smart things. This is one of the few books where I don’t want to say much about the story. It is sooo much better not to know. There is sus...more
Jamie
This novel is a combination of science fiction (time travel) and suspense, and the result is a book I was not be able to put down.

The story focused around Laura Shane. Starting from birth and to adulthood (around 30 I believe). The other main character is Stefan. A unknown “guardian” who keeps appearing throughout her life to save her. Both are well thought-out and well-written characters. Another character I liked in the story was Thelma (Laura’s childhood friend).

Laura goes through early lif...more
Casey
I used to be a die-hard Koontz fan; I think some of his books in the past five years have fallen off a bit, but Lightning remains in my top ten. I still have my tattered copy, and look forward to reading it for the third time in the future. Like some of his other books (particularly Intensity), Koontz has created a strong lead character and a complex but easy to follow plot. There are Nazis. There's time travel. There are big guns. It may sound like a weird mix, but it works beautifully. I'm not...more
Nicole
Feb 01, 2008 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone
I absolutely love this book and remembered how much when I recently read it for the second time. Now, Dean Koontz can write some weird, if not, scary books, but this one was really good. Ultimately, it's a love story that crosses time barriers between the Nazi Germany era and present day. It spans the lifetime of a woman from her birth til she's about in her 30s and makes you see how people's lives can end up completely different just by the actions of one other person. It's a great read and I'd...more
Ciarán West
Why don't you read Dean Koontz? You probably have an answer. Mine was something like 'Jesus Christ this guy writes about forty books a year, and they all seem a bit rubbish.' I, like everyone else, first came across his novels because they were next to the Stephen King books in the library. Clever marketing, even if it is quite accidental. There were books with evil clowns on the front, books with scary kids on the front. It all seemed a bit Fiction-by-numbers to me, so I never picked any of his...more
Michele
I adore this book. It is one of my all time favorites. I can't really explain without giving things away, but this was my first Koontz book and it just grabbed hold of me.

I love most of Koontz' work, despite the fact that he has about 3 or 4 formulas that his work fits into, they still entertain me and they are books I can't put down once I start them.
Jason (FNORDinc)
still sick.. bear with me if my grammar and such sucks today…

on a recent trip to california for a wedding, jenn and i decided to spend the whole trip not talking to each other. no no no, it wasnt because of bad stuff, it was because audiobook goodness was going to make the long car drive easier.

12+ hours of audio, the unabridged audiobook of Dean Koontz “Lightning”.

Lightning is the story of a woman, Shane, who’s destiny is altered repeatedly by a stranger. at key points of her life a pale strang...more
Nathan
Oct 03, 2007 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Disillusioned Stephen King fans.
Shelves: fiction
Dean Koontz's Lightning is one of the first "adult" books I remember reading. It was certainly the first adult novel I read for leisure. This book came to me when I was, as a child, graduating from juvenile fiction on to something more substantial. It is the first such book I remember reading that wasn't assigned for school, and as such, it has a special place in my memory as a book that helped kick off my life-long love affair with reading. The story centers around time travel and one man's des...more
Jess
Apr 08, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2013
I don't typically add re-reads to my Goodreads tallies, but I feel like I have to say something about this one. I'm not particularly proud of this, but if I'm being perfectly honest and not trying to impress anybody with my cultural savvy, "Lightning" is easily one of the most enduring and influential books I've ever read. I was probably 12 or 13 when I first read it, and it's been at least a decade since I last picked it up, but any book, movie, or TV-show reference to time travel always makes...more
Jim Dressner
I can't compare this book to any other Dean Koontz books, but it certainly is an easy read and an exciting page-turner. The main characters are well developed, if somewhat unrealistic, and become people you want to see succeed. The dialogue is pretty good, with a few laugh-out-loud lines and situations.

The SF time-travel aspect has its interesting and surprising quirks that I won't describe here, because much of the fun of the book is trying to figure out how and why things are happening as they...more
Al

Aided through many crises by the near miraculous intervention of a stranger, Laura Shane finally learns the nature of her incredible destiny when, on her thirtieth birthday, the stranger requests her help. Reissue.

From Publishers Weekly

Laura Shane leads a troubled life: she is orphaned, nearly molested twice and loses one of her closest friends in a tragic accident, all before her 13th birthday. Even worse events would have befallen Laura if not for the mysterious guardian angel who periodical

...more
Kim
When I was like 13 or 14, I thought this was the greatest book ever, and I devoured every Dean Koontz book that wasn't stamped with an "A" for Adult at the library. But recently I have read (or started to read) newer Koontz books and have found them incredibly disappointing. So I decided to go back to this one, just to see if Koontz suddenly became a terrible writer or if I just had terrible taste back then. I'm not sure if either of those are completely true, but I guess the second one is a lit...more
Jenny
Jan 07, 2013 Jenny added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kaitlyn Blackburn
Dean Koontz book called "Lightning" was a novel of sadness, triumph and mystery. Laura Shane is a young novelist whose life is littered with visits of a mysterious guardian. Over time she learns of his decent and suddenly finds herself facing a war that history manifests was fought over forty years ago. The strength and faith of she and her loved ones are stretched farther to endure the unimaginable.
Dean Koontz writing is narrative and transparent. The development of the characters is decisive...more
Jean-marcel
I'll be brief, and I'll probably never say anything about this writer on Goodreads again. I read a number of his books over a period of about three years, starting with this one, when I was about eleven. I loved it then, and I suppose if I was forced into a position of recommending Dean Koontz to anyone, I would suggest that they read Lightning. You could almost say, "Time Travelling Nazis!", and leave it at that. The plot basically seems to run itself and everything just sort of flies along bre...more
Amy
How did I miss this one? I thought that I had read everything by Dean Koontz (some more than once) and I stumble upon Lightning, copywrited 1988.

Scientific advances that we have only dreamed of exist within the pages of lightning, as is so true in many of Koontz' books. His characters are ordinary people, put in extraordinary circumstances, and evolve into extraordinary people. His characters are so relatable - they could so easily be one of your friends, or neighbors, or even you. That's the dr...more
Cheryl
I went to the library a couple of days ago in search of something new and came across this. I don't normally read thrillers, but I did read this book 25 years ago and remember that I enjoyed it. I thought that I'd found the best of both worlds... a book I knew I would like, but couldn't remember at all.

I thought the story was not only well written, but exciting. I won't go into the plot because trying to figure out what's happening is part of the fun of reading it. It was a thriller so it had it...more
Frank
This was my first exposure to Dean Koontz and one I still like best of all his writings, as I read it a second time. Maybe it is the idea that someone is watching over us and suddenly shows up to help us in a tough situation that makes it so appealing. It you want to feel a warm fuzzy feeling even if during a suspenseful read, this I think is the one that will give you that (maybe the second read of Lightning is even better than the first). Granted it is not clear if this strange appearance of s...more
James
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Meike
Another heartfelt bleak "meh" for this one.

In light of my new policy (life is too short for reading bad books) I find it important to state that there aren't many books out there anymore where I stop time and again, latest at 90% done (nine-ty!) and ask myself almost constantly "why finish?" - and do finish nevertheless.
Why I did it? Because I appreciate Dean Koontz. I know him to be a very good and entertaining author of dark fiction, and - well, I kept hoping it would get better. And after I w...more
Christopher Jones
Between 2008 and the summer of 2010, I'd spent a great deal of time wondering what was so great about Koontz. He was a bestseller, people raved about him on Amazon. But the first book I'd read from him, The Husband was bad. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Short chapters. Vivid descriptions of natural scenery while violent altercations were solved in less than half a page. Villains were stupid and underdeveloped. Koontz insists Evil exists with a capital E (fair enough) but doesn't say what th...more
Angela S.
This book is an all-nighter, thoroughly engaging, enchanting, riveting, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and heart-racing. This one keeps you guessing throughout with many unexpected surprises and witty humor.

Koontz is dealing with the here and now, on the border between real and science-fiction. Some of his concepts are not easy to grasp but the powerful, enticing and mind-boggling suspense will keep your eyes glued to the pages.

This is a clever story of time travel and romance, of a Germa...more
Johnny
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
BarkLessWagMore
I originally read this way back when it was released and I was still a teen but have held on to it ever since. I'm going to finally set it free but will reread it first to see what I think now that I'm a wee bit older ;)

Comments on the reread:
As is typical of many of Koontz novels, this one starts out with mysterious men conducting experiments of a nefarious nature. A baby named Laura is born, her mother dies in childbirth and she's raised by her loving dad and watched over by a mysterious "guar...more
KristenR
When I think about the books that shaped my reading tastes, I feel like this was the defining book. So I reread it with a little trepidation. I didn't even want to read others' reviews of it for fear that any criticism would spoil the image I have of it in my head.

I was 11 when my cousin gave me this book to read. With the exception of the classics I was reading at the time, it was the first 'adult' book I remember reading and it set me on my path of this genre...I then started blasting through...more
Susan
3 1/2 stars. I read Lightning, one of Mr. Koontz's earlier works, as part of Goodread's Koontzland group, the March 2010 selection. It is hard to say much about the plot without giving away too much. Laura, throughout her life, seems to have a guardian angel, someone who pops up when she is in serious trouble and saves her. But bad things still happen to her – is he just a second-rate angel or what?

My reviews of Koontz's novels are as formulaic as some of his writing, and this one is not going t...more
Clark Hallman
Lightning is the first Dean Koontz book I have read. I had intended to read one of his books for quite some time and just hadn’t gotten around to it. However, on April 10, 2011 I just happened to see a story about Koontz on CBS Sunday Morning. I already knew he was a very successful author, but they reported that he had written more than 100 books, including 13 best sellers. They also advised that he ranks number 6 among the World’s best paid writers. As I watched the story, I realized that I li...more
S.E.
I adore this book. It knocked my socks off and I've read it at least four times. It follows the story of a man from Nazi Germany working on technology called "The Lightning Road." A very well hidden secret, the road is used to travel into the future and discover the outcome of WWII and try to orchestrate circumstances for a Nazi victory.

This man, during one of his journeys, sees a woman at a book signing event and he is overcome by the strength she has shown in the midst of a life of adversity....more
Abdelaziz Maldisa
I love everything about this book, most Koontz's are unfortunately, badly written that after I read them, I just forget about it right away, but this book was absolutely great. I mean, the most beautiful part about it for me were the Ackerson twins and Laura Shane's moments at social care institutions. You'll laugh, you will feel disgusted that some pedos like the Eel exist and continue to abuse innocent children, at some parts, you'll feel bad for Laura because of Nina's sudden heart attack, he...more
Tom Nittoli
If you ask me in years to come which Dean Koontz book featured a half-assed time traveling segment, mixed with a heartfelt appearance from Winston Churchill, several dimensions, and Nazi's.... I'd probably tell you my brain hurts trying to recall. As I continue to plummet into my own demise of reading every D.K. book in chronological order, which manifested upon realization that over the years a younger more ambitious version of myself, took it upon himself to collect ALL the author's books, wit...more
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Why did Stefan have to end up with Laura? 8 33 Mar 24, 2013 04:44pm  
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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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