The Eyes of Darkness

The Eyes of Darkness

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63  ·  rating details  ·  6,333 ratings  ·  175 reviews
A year after little Danny's death, his mother swore she saw him in a stranger's car...It was a mystery she could not escape. An obsession that would lead her from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the cold shadows of the High Sierras. A terrible secret seen only by...The Eyes Of Darkness.
Paperback, 384 pages
Published July 1st 1996 by Berkley (first published 1981)
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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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Samantha
Tina's son Daniel died at the age of 12 in a scouting accident. He and his whole troop, on a snow-filled wilderness adventure, were in a terrible bus accident with no survivors. Daniel's body was so badly mangled, so she was told, that it was ill advised to view his body. She and her ex-husband took that advice. Now, a year later, Tina is either losing her mind or something more sinister is happening. Strange things keep happening to her and all seem to indicate that either someone is trying to...more
Kyra Dune
Christina Evans is a former chorus girl running her first major production for a Las Vegas casino. This is how she meets Elliot Stryker, a former member of army intelligence turned lawyer. Their instantaneous and powerful attraction and connection is typical of the kind of romantic situations that you would usually find in a Kootz book. When Christina decides to exhume the body of her twelve year old son Danny, who was killed in a bus accident along with a number of other boys, she asks Elliot t...more
Jane Stewart
Weak 3 stars. Good action and suspense. Bad dialogue. Weak narrator.

STORY BRIEF:
Tina’s son Danny was on a field trip. The bus was in an accident and he died. The cops recommended she not view the body because it was mangled. She complied. The story begins a year later. A ghost or something paranormal is sending messages to Tina. The messages say “not dead.” She is also having dreams saying her son is not dead. She believes someone is playing pranks.

Tina meets Elliot an attorney. They are attract...more
Jeremy Bates
Dean Koontz is one of the world’s best paid author’s (bringing in more than twenty five million annually!), which means everybody who’s interested in books has probably read him–which is why I didn’t choose to review one of his more popular works like Watchers.

Eyes of Darkness isn’t my favorite Dean Koontz book, but it was one of his early ones, which I think is a good place to start with Koontz. If you don’t know, DK fist began writing sci-fi, and was sometimes publishing up to eight books a ye...more
Jo Bennie
Tina Evans is an ex Vegas showgirl opening her first major show on the Strip and slowly coming to terms with the death a year earlier of her 12 year old son in a terrible crash with his scout troop in the high Sierra mountains, a crash that left his body so mangled she and her husband were advised to have a closed coffin ceremony. Tina is now living alone, Danny's room remains unchanged and one night she hears a heavy thump from his room. She finds Danny's blackboard overturned, on it are writte...more
Kim
This book has gotten many negative reviews - so I guess I'm easily entertained because I loved it! I'm a mom so maybe the whole 'grieving mother goes to any extreme to save her kid' thing really appealed to me? Of course, there was the excitement of the chase - typical of so many Dean Koontz novels. There was also the 'weird and unbelievable' aspects to it, but that is why I love to read Dean Koontz! It's amazing to me how he can weave a tale so crazy that when I try to explain what I'm reading...more
Johnny
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Ivo
Pa ceļam uz darbu noklausījos šo patīkamo tumsas veldzi gaišajos pavasara rītos uz velo, sabiedriskajā vai ejot kājām. Jāpiezīmē, ka man riktīgi patīk Kūnca stils; darbos pamatā valda šāds mehānisms:
1) Viss sākas ar diezgan strauju ielēkšanu kādā ainā, kurā, parasti, protagonists ir vājš un atrod sevi pēc kādas nelaimes, katastrofas vai vienkārša W T F, kas izjauc viņa ierasto dzīves ritējumu, apgriežot ordināro pasauli mazliet kājām gaisā;
2) piedzīvotais WTF tiek pētīts ordināras izpratnes par...more
Sandi
I picked up The Eyes of Darkness audio book for $4.95 on Audible and that was about what it was worth. Shortly after I started listening, I had to take a look and see when it was published. What really started me wondering was when Koontz describes the dead boy's room with its model airplane collection. I don't know any boys in this day and age who build model airplanes. Heck, I don't think they can even buy model glue or enamels anymore. Other missing things that would have made things easier f...more
Mayberryaftermidnight
Another mass market paperback picked up for half price at the Strand. My first Dean Koontz book (and the paperback version I read was an updated and revised one, having originally been published under the pseudonym, Leigh Nichols). I was charmed by the author's Afterword, discussing his updates and the republication under his real name. It was also interesting to read that he intentionally resisted revising the book to something he would write now. I am inclined to keep this in mind when reviewi...more
Hannah
Nov 21, 2010 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes psychological thrillers
This is my first book by Dean Koontz and I will most definitely be reading more by him. As explained in his new afterword, this book is quite different from his other books, which only intrigues me to try another one!

This book follows Christina Evans, mother to Danny. Danny died one year ago in a tragic camping accident when his entire boy scout troop and all of the chaperones were killed. However, now Tina's nightmare is only just beginning. She is having treacherous dreams at night, strange ha...more
Tim
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
J
'Beneath his cordial, witty, slightly cool exterior, his secret response was that of a healthy male animal and her awareness of it was more instinctual than intellectual, like a mare's response to the stallion's first faint stirrings of desire'

'The dress rehearsal ran without a problem. With seven massive production numbers, five major variety acts, forty-two girl dancers, forty-two boy dancers, fifteen showgirls, two boy singers, two girl singers........'

Sorry, but, no. 4 chapters was enough. I...more
Marvin
The Eyes of Darkness is the very first book I’ve read by Dean Koontz. Considering how ubiquitous his novels are, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that it may not have been the best choice for my initiation into the prose of Koontz. The writing and plot are amateurish, and the first 230 pages or so of the book was unbearable. You could practically hear amateur Koontz laboring over every line: the unimaginative and jarring segue from romance novel to mystery novel to horror n...more
Natalie
"The Eyes of Darkness" is a thriller/action book with a bit of romance thrown in. The main character, Tina Evens, starts to get strange dreams a year after her son has died. The dreams and strange happenings intensify, and the adventure begins. This is not one of the better Koontz books I've read (and it's not one of the worst either. The action and thrills are sort of fun, and the romance is ok. I'm a little frustrated at how it ended (not enough closure in my opinion). In all it is a nice book...more
Bob
Jul 10, 2011 Bob rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2011
I enjoyed it until about two-thirds of the way through when the action took over the human detail. This sort of race to finish writing the book makes it seem like the author has lost interest and just wants to get it over with, get it to his publisher and start the next book.

I realize this is one of Koontz's earlier books and was even first published under a pen name. I think he was maybe a little bit embarrassed or unsure of his talents as a writer. I'm glad he stuck with it and look forward to...more
Julie Suzanne
When I was in 10th grade, I started to devour my step-dad's collection of John Saul and Dean Koontz books. They were like candy and great for traveling. I remember reading this one in a hotel in Vegas on a family trip. After a while, all of the Koontz books were all the same. The plot always follows the same pattern and the romantic scenes were even predictable and narrated with the same words! So, I recommend this if you haven't already tired of Koontz. I remember it being an exciting plot that...more
Tracey
Dean Koontz is one of my favourite contemporary authors, so it was a major let down for me to discover that The Eyes of Darkness was a disappointing read.

The story begins with the death of young Danny Evans in an accident that also took the lives of many other school aged boys while on an excursion in the mountains. A year later, his Mum Tina begins to receive messages that say 'not dead'. Meanwhile, Tina meets a new love interest Elliot and together they try and untangle the mystery to get to t...more
Jessica
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Angela
Jul 19, 2007 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: suspense fans
As a Stephen King fan, I sometimes feel guilty for dipping into Koontz. It's like Apple vs. PCin my brain, although that's totally ridiculous considering the guys are probably friendly with one another in real life.

Koontz very rarely pulls the gore card like King does (and King is the master of gore, anyway), but he does do suspense pretty well. This is an early Koontz book (previously published under a pseudonym) and he says in his Afterword that it isn't one of his best. The characters remain...more
Corey Tardif
This book was okay, not one of my favorites though, I just felt like at the end they wrapped up everything to quickly, but that's just my opinion. The book follows Christine Evans, a single mother and divorced, a year ago she lost her only child Danny in a tragic accident. But a year later she gets a message on her computer that says Not Dead, and she starts having nightmares about Danny. With the help of an attorney, Elliot Stryker, Christine sets out to discover the truth about Danny.
Don Sparrow
Having been disappointed by D K's latest offerings I decided to go back 30 years and read this novel first published by him in 1981 under a pseudonym (Leigh Nichols). Although not a great read his combination of the supernatural, biological warfare, a ruthless secret government police, suspense and a mystery that made me want to read to the end as quickly as possible; served to show readers of 30 years ago some of the promise that lay ahead from D.K. I was certainly entertained and I will get hi...more
Kathy Campshure
Solid, well-written story. Koontz uses the same theme more than once in different books. This was one of his earlier books published under a pen name. Of particular interest (in the audio version that I listened to) was a lengthy comment from the author on his experience trying to work with a television studio to produce a string of made-for-TV movies based on his writing. It was obviously a frustrating experience for Koontz, and it made me smile to hear that ignorance abounds across job titles...more
Rhonda Hankins
i used to work with a group of dean koontz fans. they pounced on his new books whenever they arrived in the library. they read them overnight. they foamed at the mouth when talking about koontz books.

alas, i read a couple of them and the talking dogs and the mysterious unexplained whatevers left me feeling betrayed.

i think dean koontz fans are having a really really good time with his books, but i am not a member of that club so cannot recommend.
Phil
Not so good for me. During about the first half, I kept thinking I should ditch the book. The second half did improve, but really, in retrospect it wasn't worth the time.

In a nut shell, "supernatural' things keep happening making a mom think her son is still alive. They go on and on... finally, at great peril, she tracks down the origins of those things.

But there are so many other books out there, I can't recommend this one.
Suby
First I thought this will develop as a story of mistaken identity. Then I thought it was a ghost story. I then thought it would develop as a poltergeist story. I kept finding my assumption going wrong with every turn the story took.
Dean Koontz is simply brilliant with this adventure story with a little paranormal thrown in and it is the mother's love for his 12 year old son that triumphs making up for the basic plot of the story.
Tina
This was a very quick but good read. Koontz originally wrote this under a pen name many years ago but then revised it for re-relase. It had a nice level of suspense. Some of the situations were fairly cliche, but overall it kept me reading and interested and had a very interesting premise. Even he said that this early work didn't develop characters and plot as much as his later novels.
Dee Toomey
I enjoyed this book as entertaining. This story was originally written under a psydonymn, and he has reworked it and released it now under Koontz. There is some adult content that usually one wouldn't see in a Koontz book. This is a story of intrique and national secracy...and not as much paranormal stuff like you would usually read in a Koontz book. I enjoyed it.
April
Not as, leave the lights on scary, as some of his more recent novels but very good. Tina is just starting to get over the death of her young son, Danny, when she starts to have nightmares and sees things that cause her to question his death.
Fast paced, with Tina and Eliot trying to out smart a covert, secret government agency, to find her son.
Koontz does not disappoint.
Abdelaziz Maldisa
Pros:
Fluid prose
Good writing
Allusions (Vegas, Reno, Sierras)
Cons:
COMPRESSED ENDING!!
IMPLAUSIBLE PLOT!
hate DANNY'S guiding them in every step to the facility
no SUSPENSE in the ending which is Koontz's trademark
Overall, just like other Koontz books (shadowfires, house of thunder, demon seed) good writing but BAD ENDINGS!
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Huntsville-Madiso...: Staff Pick -- The Eyes of Darkness 1 1 Dec 19, 2012 06:49pm  
Koontzland - Dean...: The Eyes of Darkness 57 46 Feb 08, 2012 09:32pm  
The Eyes of Darkness (Paperback)
The Eyes of Darkness (Paperback)
The Eyes of Darkness (Paperback)
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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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