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Eden's Eyes
PRAY YOU NEVER SEE THE WORLD THROUGH EDEN’S EYES
On a cool spring night in a quiet northern community, a life of violence comes to a violent end. In a drunken brawl, petty criminal Eden Crowell is beaten to the brink of death. Following a futile attempt to save his life, doctors approach his father with an appeal for the man’s organs. In defiance of his wife’s wishes, Bert Crowell agrees, and his son’s organs are harvested.
Writer Karen Lockhart becomes one of three grateful recipients, gaining sight after a lifetime of blindness. But with sight comes a new breed of darkness. In a series of increasingly more vivid dreams, Karen witnesses horrors that threaten to shatter her sanity.
But soon, Karen comes to realize that what she’s experiencing are much more than mere nightmares. One by one the organ recipients die horrible, mutilating deaths…and Karen witnesses it all with her new eyes.
And now, she’s next.
PRAISE FOR EDEN’S EYES
“The best horror novel I’ve read since Stephen King’s own Pet Sematary. Costello knows how to tantalize his readers, priming them for the horrors to come…”
—Rave Reviews
“Spine chilling…impeccable research and pacing…a riveting psychological thriller.”
—Charles de Lint, author of Dreams Underfoot
On a cool spring night in a quiet northern community, a life of violence comes to a violent end. In a drunken brawl, petty criminal Eden Crowell is beaten to the brink of death. Following a futile attempt to save his life, doctors approach his father with an appeal for the man’s organs. In defiance of his wife’s wishes, Bert Crowell agrees, and his son’s organs are harvested.
Writer Karen Lockhart becomes one of three grateful recipients, gaining sight after a lifetime of blindness. But with sight comes a new breed of darkness. In a series of increasingly more vivid dreams, Karen witnesses horrors that threaten to shatter her sanity.
But soon, Karen comes to realize that what she’s experiencing are much more than mere nightmares. One by one the organ recipients die horrible, mutilating deaths…and Karen witnesses it all with her new eyes.
And now, she’s next.
PRAISE FOR EDEN’S EYES
“The best horror novel I’ve read since Stephen King’s own Pet Sematary. Costello knows how to tantalize his readers, priming them for the horrors to come…”
—Rave Reviews
“Spine chilling…impeccable research and pacing…a riveting psychological thriller.”
—Charles de Lint, author of Dreams Underfoot
278 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
48 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Sean Costello
18 books295 followersSean Costello is the author of nine novels and numerous screenplays. His novel Here After has been optioned to film by David Hackl, director of Saw V. Depending on the whims of his muse, Costello's novels alternate between two distinct genres: Horror and Thriller. His horror novels have drawn comparisons to the works of Stephen King, and his thrillers to those of Elmore Leonard. In the real world he's an anesthesiologist, but, if asked, he'd tell you he'd much rather be writing.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 29 reviews
April 14, 2020
Eden's Eyes
By Sean Costello.
Pocket Books.
1989.
🎃🎃🎃🎃.
Sean Costello is an author who garnered some heavy praise from some fellow horror readers whom I honor the opinion of, and as such, a few of his books have been sitting in my TBR pile for quite some time.
As always, I like to start with a writer's debut first, and if it's any good, I continue.
Proud to report that Eden's Eyes, is quite good. It's well written, perfectly paced and for a medically-based horror novel from 1989, isn't as nearly as "pulled out from some pseudo-scientists ass" as most of them seem to be. Unconfirmed word on the street, is that Costello was a practicing physician at the time of this books release. I'd believe that if Costello himself swung by to verify. Otherwise, I'll chalk that up to the marketing team over at Pocket Books.
Speaking of Pocket Books! The biggest gripe I have with this book is Pocket Books formatting. Their books always look great, and I'm willing to bet they had a bit more cash flow to be mindful of this than some of their horror-publishing peers. But the font is so tiny, it's virtually unreadable. This lends itself to making a relatively engaging story into a daunting, never-ending feat at times. There is just something about this single-space, 6 point, Times New Roman lettering that makes it much, much harder for me to slog through a book.
Much less a book about a blind woman being chased and haunted by her deceased eye donor.
But anyway. You can do much, much worse than Eden's Eyes and I give it a solid recommendation. Great finale on this one!
Eden's Eyes
By Sean Costello.
Pocket Books.
1989.
🎃🎃🎃🎃.
Sean Costello is an author who garnered some heavy praise from some fellow horror readers whom I honor the opinion of, and as such, a few of his books have been sitting in my TBR pile for quite some time.
As always, I like to start with a writer's debut first, and if it's any good, I continue.
Proud to report that Eden's Eyes, is quite good. It's well written, perfectly paced and for a medically-based horror novel from 1989, isn't as nearly as "pulled out from some pseudo-scientists ass" as most of them seem to be. Unconfirmed word on the street, is that Costello was a practicing physician at the time of this books release. I'd believe that if Costello himself swung by to verify. Otherwise, I'll chalk that up to the marketing team over at Pocket Books.
Speaking of Pocket Books! The biggest gripe I have with this book is Pocket Books formatting. Their books always look great, and I'm willing to bet they had a bit more cash flow to be mindful of this than some of their horror-publishing peers. But the font is so tiny, it's virtually unreadable. This lends itself to making a relatively engaging story into a daunting, never-ending feat at times. There is just something about this single-space, 6 point, Times New Roman lettering that makes it much, much harder for me to slog through a book.
Much less a book about a blind woman being chased and haunted by her deceased eye donor.
But anyway. You can do much, much worse than Eden's Eyes and I give it a solid recommendation. Great finale on this one!
September 1, 2019
Well there you go. I didn't expect horror from Sean Costello but it was a pretty good story. Read the blurb. I will just say that the idea of seeing stuff through a killer's eyes - yikes. It was kind of creepy at times.
December 12, 2022
I have read and enjoyed most of Sean Costello’s novels. In addition to writing thrillers, he is by education and training an anesthesiologist. His impressive vocabulary, clever metaphors and medical background are on full display here. Indeed, Eden’s Eyes displays some dazzling writing before eventually sinking into supernatural nonsense.
Karen had been blind her entire life, until at age 28 she was given the gift of sight courtesy of two brilliantly blue eyes donated by the father of an unpleasant young man named Eden, age 27, who lay brain dead following a bar fight. The book is at its best as the author describes what it’s like for Karen after the transplant to see light, objects and colors having only known darkness.
Unfortunately Eden’s father made the donation without consulting his wife, Eden’s mother, a fanatical Christian who considered organ donations a sin. That Eden’s heart and kidney were also harvested for transplants with his father’s consent made matters even worse in her eyes, which by the way, were also bright blue like Eden’s.
Eden’s mother, coincidentally named Eve, distorted biblical verses to suit and justify her needs and deeds, as she aimed and swore to avenge her son against everyone who had a hand in harvesting his organs, starting with her husband, the doctors and the recipients, including Karen. She wanted them to pay with their lives. She felt her son had paid with his life.
It was downright spooky in Chapter 13 when Eve was happy to hear that Eden’s body had been stolen from his grave. I suppose that in her warped mind it meant he had been resurrected — and still lived. In another creepy scene in Chapter 11, after reciting incantations at Eden’s grave in the middle of the night, Eve with her ear to the ground was convinced she heard the sound of nails scratching against wood.
Adding to the story’s tension is Karen’s neighbor, Danny, age 29. Karen and Danny grew up together in rural Canada, and for decades he was her constant companion and helper who had fallen in love with her. Until her transplant, Karen had no way of knowing Danny was ugly, and he bitterly resented her gift of sight which gave her that knowledge — although the author fails to explain why Karen would consider Danny ugly since she had no experience knowing what ugly looked like. In any event, in Danny’s anguish he wanted Karen blind again. It was because of her sight that she found him repulsive.
The book goes awry when Karen becomes haunted by horrible visions of an eyeless and naked Eden — a man she had never met — in addition to her dreams and premonitions of murder and mutilation that she is horrified to learn are actually happening … to the two other recipients of Eden’s harvested organs given to an old man and a young girl. His heart and his kidney were literally ripped from their bodies.
The author never explains how Karen is able to “see” these grotesque murders in such graphic detail, asleep in her bed forty miles away from the crime scenes. But he leads us to believe that a resurrected Eden is mutilating those who now have his organs and is coming next for Karen to reclaim his eyes.
And what about Danny? He wants to take her eyes too.
So the book has two climaxes. The first conventionally deals with Danny. The second deals with Eden in a final chapter unworthy of a writer with Sean Costello’s intelligence. It’s roughly like Hitchcock’s “Psycho” in reverse, where this time the mother becomes the son.
Karen had been blind her entire life, until at age 28 she was given the gift of sight courtesy of two brilliantly blue eyes donated by the father of an unpleasant young man named Eden, age 27, who lay brain dead following a bar fight. The book is at its best as the author describes what it’s like for Karen after the transplant to see light, objects and colors having only known darkness.
Unfortunately Eden’s father made the donation without consulting his wife, Eden’s mother, a fanatical Christian who considered organ donations a sin. That Eden’s heart and kidney were also harvested for transplants with his father’s consent made matters even worse in her eyes, which by the way, were also bright blue like Eden’s.
Eden’s mother, coincidentally named Eve, distorted biblical verses to suit and justify her needs and deeds, as she aimed and swore to avenge her son against everyone who had a hand in harvesting his organs, starting with her husband, the doctors and the recipients, including Karen. She wanted them to pay with their lives. She felt her son had paid with his life.
It was downright spooky in Chapter 13 when Eve was happy to hear that Eden’s body had been stolen from his grave. I suppose that in her warped mind it meant he had been resurrected — and still lived. In another creepy scene in Chapter 11, after reciting incantations at Eden’s grave in the middle of the night, Eve with her ear to the ground was convinced she heard the sound of nails scratching against wood.
Adding to the story’s tension is Karen’s neighbor, Danny, age 29. Karen and Danny grew up together in rural Canada, and for decades he was her constant companion and helper who had fallen in love with her. Until her transplant, Karen had no way of knowing Danny was ugly, and he bitterly resented her gift of sight which gave her that knowledge — although the author fails to explain why Karen would consider Danny ugly since she had no experience knowing what ugly looked like. In any event, in Danny’s anguish he wanted Karen blind again. It was because of her sight that she found him repulsive.
The book goes awry when Karen becomes haunted by horrible visions of an eyeless and naked Eden — a man she had never met — in addition to her dreams and premonitions of murder and mutilation that she is horrified to learn are actually happening … to the two other recipients of Eden’s harvested organs given to an old man and a young girl. His heart and his kidney were literally ripped from their bodies.
The author never explains how Karen is able to “see” these grotesque murders in such graphic detail, asleep in her bed forty miles away from the crime scenes. But he leads us to believe that a resurrected Eden is mutilating those who now have his organs and is coming next for Karen to reclaim his eyes.
And what about Danny? He wants to take her eyes too.
So the book has two climaxes. The first conventionally deals with Danny. The second deals with Eden in a final chapter unworthy of a writer with Sean Costello’s intelligence. It’s roughly like Hitchcock’s “Psycho” in reverse, where this time the mother becomes the son.
February 10, 2015
Don’t read any of Sean Costello’s books if you’re looking for one of those novels that sends the egghead crowd Ooo-ing and Aahh-ing. You know the type of book I’m talking about, the ones reviewers refer to as ‘multi-layered’ and ‘luminous’ or then tell you to ‘linger and savour’ the ‘quiet passages’. Damn, if it’s lingering and savouring you’re after then grab a slice of cheesecake and a nice cup of tea … but forget about Costello's novels because each one begins by laying down a long strip of rubber and then screams toward the far horizon. When you’re strapped into the passenger seat of one of these babies, you better hang on to the By-the-Jesus handle because you’re in for the ride of your life. And while the vector may seem like 180, you'll find the plot takes a sharp 90 before you can say boo.
If you’re looking for an old-school good read, turn to Costello. Like Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, Georges Simenon or John D. MacDonald, his prose is tough, his dialogue is tight and his action is swift. But hold on, just because I’m saying you can easily read his work doesn’t mean you can turn off the old brain box. I’m not accusing Costello of creating a cowboy world of white hats and black hats. Just like Stephen King, Costello creates believable protagonists with some likeable traits … and some very dark stuff happening inside their heads (dare I say, ‘souls’). Take Peter Gardner (Captain Quad), the high school wunderkind who after being paralysed descends into a hellish world of rage and blood-soaked revenge. Or how about Scott Bowman (The Cartoonist), the psychiatrist who kills a child and then falls victim to the worm of guilt that chews through his sanity? Or Peter Croft (Here After), whose obsession with finding his child’s kidnapper leads him into an alternate reality? All these guys (and they are all guys) started out ordinary but then something happened to them. But what? That’s the silent question Costello poses, just as he asks if you can draw the line between normalcy and insanity, between the brightly-lit everyday world and the nightmare. How much does it take to push us across that line? I don’t know, do you? Costello suggests all it takes is a porcupine crossing the road (Captain Quad), a sudden winter storm (Squall), a moment of inattention (The Cartoonist), or a call in the night (Eden’s Eyes). Like the anaesthetist in Eden’s Eyes, will you find yourself looking down at an inert body you’re keeping alive only long enough for the scavengers to swoop in and take the eyes, the kidneys, the….? As with Edward Albee, Costello asks if we live our lives in a delicate balance and, if so, how little might it take to tip us to the dark side?
If you’re looking for an old-school good read, turn to Costello. Like Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, Georges Simenon or John D. MacDonald, his prose is tough, his dialogue is tight and his action is swift. But hold on, just because I’m saying you can easily read his work doesn’t mean you can turn off the old brain box. I’m not accusing Costello of creating a cowboy world of white hats and black hats. Just like Stephen King, Costello creates believable protagonists with some likeable traits … and some very dark stuff happening inside their heads (dare I say, ‘souls’). Take Peter Gardner (Captain Quad), the high school wunderkind who after being paralysed descends into a hellish world of rage and blood-soaked revenge. Or how about Scott Bowman (The Cartoonist), the psychiatrist who kills a child and then falls victim to the worm of guilt that chews through his sanity? Or Peter Croft (Here After), whose obsession with finding his child’s kidnapper leads him into an alternate reality? All these guys (and they are all guys) started out ordinary but then something happened to them. But what? That’s the silent question Costello poses, just as he asks if you can draw the line between normalcy and insanity, between the brightly-lit everyday world and the nightmare. How much does it take to push us across that line? I don’t know, do you? Costello suggests all it takes is a porcupine crossing the road (Captain Quad), a sudden winter storm (Squall), a moment of inattention (The Cartoonist), or a call in the night (Eden’s Eyes). Like the anaesthetist in Eden’s Eyes, will you find yourself looking down at an inert body you’re keeping alive only long enough for the scavengers to swoop in and take the eyes, the kidneys, the….? As with Edward Albee, Costello asks if we live our lives in a delicate balance and, if so, how little might it take to tip us to the dark side?
May 23, 2011
Eden’s Eyes was my first Costello read and it impressed me just as much as something written by a famous author such as King or Koontz. This novel was one of the few I read when really getting into the horror genre and it showed me that being famous doesn’t always mean that it is good, just as not being famous does not guarantee that it is bad. This book is a great addition to the horror field and has one of the most brutal endings I have ever read. It also contains a character who is blind and then gets an eye-transplant which is successful. This is a topic that intrigued me greatly, since I am blind myself. Costello captured being blind perfectly. He didn’t glorify it. He didn’t make the blind girl able to here mouse farts ten miles away. He made her a blind girl and for that I wish I could mett him. It disgusts me when authors make blind people out to have near super-hero abilities. They don’t. They simply use some senses more than others and sharpen them like a knife. They can not do things like Daredevil no matter how much you might wish that they can. Hell, I wish that I could, but it is unrealistic and rather annoying when I come across it again and again by authors who have no clue of what they are talking about.
All right, rant over. This is an excellent novel and I wish more people would read it and Costello’s other books as well.
All right, rant over. This is an excellent novel and I wish more people would read it and Costello’s other books as well.
May 31, 2015
Sean Costello will take the reader to the brink of insanity and back again. This book is a mind fuck of the highest order. Prepare for sleepless nights to follow. Amazing :)
December 6, 2018
Wow
This was surely a thriller and how the story was described was great, even the gory parts. Thanks for another great read!
This was surely a thriller and how the story was described was great, even the gory parts. Thanks for another great read!
July 31, 2022
It was good from time to time
October 16, 2015
This is the second book I have read by Sean Costello & I will definitely be reading more of his work.
There was not a boring part of this story, it grabbed me from the first page & it sure went in a different direction then I thought.
There was not a boring part of this story, it grabbed me from the first page & it sure went in a different direction then I thought.
February 15, 2023
This book came out in 1989, so it is a wee bit dated in some small parts, but otherwise still completely holds up today. Eden's Eyes is full of Stephen King's influence but the story is told with Sean's unique voice. The terror pulled me in but the suspense kept me reading. An underrated writer who deserves more people reading his work!
January 19, 2020
This story was creepy and disturbing. There were some really grotesque parts in the story too. Exactly what I look for in a great horror/thriller!! I loved it! if these are things you look for in a story too then I highly recommend it!
December 30, 2022
I gave up after reading the first 30% of the book which was nothing but but a religious rant about not donating organs. I know that there was much more that happens as I normally love Costello's writing. This was just too slow to get going.
May 23, 2025
One of the best horror novels I've read in ages. Interesting (and often grotesque) characters, genuine suspense and some particularly nasty scenes. Falls short of 5 stars just because I wasn't massively keen on the ending (maybe I was just expecting something else), but highly recommended for any lover of horror!
May 23, 2017
This was pretty good.. Different from what I usually read... I did enjoy the mystery of it..
July 31, 2018
A really good read
Definitely recommend! I've read a few of Sean Costello books now and haven't been disappointed yet. Looking forward to the next one on my list.
Definitely recommend! I've read a few of Sean Costello books now and haven't been disappointed yet. Looking forward to the next one on my list.
February 3, 2023
I enjoyed the Hell out of this book. Satisying as a cup of tea and a kitkat. Loved it.
October 22, 2023
Det helt rigtige niveau af pulpet 80'er paperback-horror fra en støvet hylde i et antikvariat!
Stor litterær kunst? Absolut ikke! Ikke i nærheden! Fab lorte-litteratur? Oh yes!
Stor litterær kunst? Absolut ikke! Ikke i nærheden! Fab lorte-litteratur? Oh yes!
January 27, 2024
A great horror novel to read!
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September 29, 2016Really great book loved the twists. I knew what was going on and I loved that fact. I was so into this book could not put it down. Loving this author
August 5, 2016
I've read every one of Sean Costello's books and each one is just amazing! He grabs your attention from the first page and it's almost impossible to put the book down. He is my all time favorite author by far. Surpasses Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, etc. in every way.
This book has everything, tension, anticipation, intrigue, I could go on with the synonyms but you get my point. I couldn't wait to finish but at the same time, I didn't want the story to end.
This book has everything, tension, anticipation, intrigue, I could go on with the synonyms but you get my point. I couldn't wait to finish but at the same time, I didn't want the story to end.
March 10, 2016
Fantastic!
Great characters. This story equals anything written by Steven King! Had my heart racing for hours and couldn't read at night. Too scary to read in the dark. Loved this book.
Great characters. This story equals anything written by Steven King! Had my heart racing for hours and couldn't read at night. Too scary to read in the dark. Loved this book.
April 19, 2016
Another solid book by Mr. Costello. Again, a blend of horror, and psychological terror, Eden's Eyes delivers thrills, at a decent pace. The characters have time to breathe, and develop. There is a good amount of violence and gore.
March 24, 2012
I read this book a long time ago & i loved it so much that i am reading it again
June 28, 2015
If you are a fan of horror this is a great story.
October 8, 2015
Eerily captivating and grips you until the last page
April 28, 2016
Good psychological thriller
Good action throughout this book. I recommend it if you like psychological thrillers. I will read more books by Sean Costello.
Good action throughout this book. I recommend it if you like psychological thrillers. I will read more books by Sean Costello.
July 13, 2023
As usual, an excellent t read from Sean. Love his storytelling and the stories he has to tell
Displaying 1 - 28 of 29 reviews