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From the Corner of His Eye
Bartholomew Lampion is born in Bright Beach, California, on a day of tragedy and terror, when the lives of everyone in his family are changed forever. Remarkable events accompany his birth, and everyone agrees that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen.
On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He doesn't know who Bartholomew is, but he embarks on a search that will become the purpose of his life. If ever he finds the right Bartholomew, he will deal mercilessly with him.
And in San Francisco a girl is born, the result of a violent rape. Her survival is miraculous, and her destiny is mysteriously linked to the fates of Barty and the man who stalks him.
At the age ot three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons reluctantly remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As the growing boy copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother, an exceptional woman, counsels him that all things happen for a reason, that there is meaning even in his suffering, and that he will affect the lives of people yet unknown to him in ways startling and profound.
At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure. His mother once told him that every person's life has an effect on every other's, in often unknowable ways, and Barty's eventful life indeed entwines with others in ways that will astonish and move everyone who reads his story.
People magazine has said that Dean Koontz has the "power to scare the daylights out of us." In this, perhaps the most thrilling, suspenseful, and emotionally powerful work of his critically acclaimed career, Koontz does that and far more. He has created a compulsive page-turner that will have you at the edge of your seat, a narrative tour-de-force that will change the way you yourself look at the world.
On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He doesn't know who Bartholomew is, but he embarks on a search that will become the purpose of his life. If ever he finds the right Bartholomew, he will deal mercilessly with him.
And in San Francisco a girl is born, the result of a violent rape. Her survival is miraculous, and her destiny is mysteriously linked to the fates of Barty and the man who stalks him.
At the age ot three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons reluctantly remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As the growing boy copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother, an exceptional woman, counsels him that all things happen for a reason, that there is meaning even in his suffering, and that he will affect the lives of people yet unknown to him in ways startling and profound.
At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure. His mother once told him that every person's life has an effect on every other's, in often unknowable ways, and Barty's eventful life indeed entwines with others in ways that will astonish and move everyone who reads his story.
People magazine has said that Dean Koontz has the "power to scare the daylights out of us." In this, perhaps the most thrilling, suspenseful, and emotionally powerful work of his critically acclaimed career, Koontz does that and far more. He has created a compulsive page-turner that will have you at the edge of your seat, a narrative tour-de-force that will change the way you yourself look at the world.
1040 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
1867 people are currently reading
12008 people want to read
About the author
Dean Koontz
905 books39.6k followersAcknowledged 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, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,664 reviews
April 5, 2010
Massive, massive, MASSIVE disappointment.
Obvious spoilers ahead.
The premise for this book is amazing; a boy named Bartholomew loses his sight at the age of three, when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from fast spreading cancer, and then, though eyeless, regains it at the age of thirteen.
Thinking that it could be a fun, fast paced daredevil-like story, with quantum theory involved, I was setting my hopes high. Boy, was I let down.
When a reader opens the book he reads how Barty loses his sight at the age of three...and then regains it at the age of thirteen. The fact has absolutely nothing to do with the factual story. If you though the novel would revolve around the boy regaining his sight, you're dead wrong.
The book begins with the details of the boy growing up (before he loses his sight). There's an evil killer who murders his own wife and then is stalked in a hospital by a mysterious detective, who is mysterious because he can do coin tricks. The killer learns that he muttered the name "Bartholomew" in his sleep and of course decides that Bartholomew is his worst enemy, and that he must kill him.
He decides to kill the detective (who wouldn't). He assaults him with a candlestick, puts him in a car and then drowns the car in a pond. However, the skull bashed, unconscious detective doesn't care about the killer's plans and just...swims up from the drowning car. Hooray for logic ! Viva la plausibility !
Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, Bartholomew discovers that he has some superpowers dealing with alternate worlds (the quantum theory bit), that he can walk in the rain without getting wet, and loses his sight. And, of course, he's a child prodigy. He calculates the distance and curves in his calculator head, so blindness aint' a problem because he can add 2 + 2 and calculate his way through the world.
The killer learns that a girl he once raped gave birth to a baby, and decides that the baby must be Bartholomew, so he goes on in a search to find the boy and kill him. The child turns out to be a girl, and she and her mother flee the evil killer only to end up being taken care by...AGNES, THE MOM OF BARTHOLOMEW. So when the killer finds them, he finds the girl (who is a brave prodigy too, though she has eyes) and the boy enters the scene.
BIG CLIMAX: The killer is ready to kill the boy, but...the girl pushes him into an alternate reality because, it turns out, she has superpowers too. All in about three sentences. He's gone forever.
BOOL ! THE END.
The remaining twenty or so pages serve to wrap up loose ends, and on the last page the boy regains his sight. Yes, the fact had NOTHING to do with the actual plot.
Koontz's characters have gone from naively charming (in a way) to simply naive. The melodrama is on the TV soap opera level. He spends paragraph after paragraph describing how brave and good Agnes is, how she delivers pies around the town to people who need pies and help. When her boy is born, he doesn't cry, doesn't take a poo, he isn't a kid; he's a robot.
Some might say that Koontz doesn't want to show the reader "unnecessary" information about growing-up of children, but if he constantly abuses the "show, don't tell" writing method and devotes page after page to stuff like this:
"Week by week, the slender sapling of frustration had grown into a tree and then into a forest, until Tom began every morning by looking out through the tightly woven branches of impatience" - what stops him ?
One might guess that he's just lazy and decides to take the easy way out and create perfect, ideal children for one simple reason - they're easier to write, they never cry, never argue, and according to him are the dream of every parent.
WRONG. Who wants to have a damn machine ?
Koontz makes a point by clearly showing which characters are good or bad. Here he gives his heroes the biblical names of the saints (Bartholomew, Grace, Celestina, Seraphim, Thomas and even Paul Damascus, hell, one girl is named...ANGEL). The sole bad guy here is named Enoch Cain. Get it ? Enoch Cain. Talk about metaphors and implied meaning.
The good guys are so saintly that the reader can't connect with them - it's quite hard to connect with a deity that drives around in a van and gives away pies. So the reader ends up rooting for the bad guy - who of course is present as stupid, bad, vile and disgusting person.
All of the characters are of course so well stocked on cash that they don't have anything better to do but just go and have adventures.
Koontz can't write kids; he just can't get them right. He deprived kids from all things that make them kids: emotions. His kids are too perfect, too smart, to ideal. He made both kids in the novel child prodigies, excelling at basically everything and pooping pure gold. Here's an excerpt.
"Each life,” Barty Lampion said, “is like our oak tree in the backyard but lots bigger. One trunk to start with, and then all the branches, millions of branches, and every branch is the same life going in a new direction."
If you can imagine a three year old, who still uses potty, saying this in a pre-pubescent, pre-breaking, lisping chipmunk voice, without sheding tears of laughter I salute you.
It's even funnier when he reagins his sight. The boy realized at the age of three that he can walk in the idea of rain, so he won't get wet. At the age of thirteen, he realized that he can use the idea of sight to see again. He spent TEN LONG YEARS without realizing that simple fact.
Guess the prodigy turned out to be a fool after all.
However, he has to do something to see and that would be to hard for him, right ? So he gets married with the little girl from before, and they have a daughter...who has superpowers too, and gives her dad his sight back, permanently. And to top the cake, they have a...golden retriever. I actually laughed at that, because of the sheer fact that when the book has over 800 pages there just has to be a dog in it, since it's a Koontz book, and boom ! t h e r e i t i s !
I could go on and on but honestly, if a man writes eight hundred pages about a killer hunting down the good guys and then eliminates him in 15 words, he doesn't know how to quit.
I do.
Stay away from this book.
Obvious spoilers ahead.
The premise for this book is amazing; a boy named Bartholomew loses his sight at the age of three, when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from fast spreading cancer, and then, though eyeless, regains it at the age of thirteen.
Thinking that it could be a fun, fast paced daredevil-like story, with quantum theory involved, I was setting my hopes high. Boy, was I let down.
When a reader opens the book he reads how Barty loses his sight at the age of three...and then regains it at the age of thirteen. The fact has absolutely nothing to do with the factual story. If you though the novel would revolve around the boy regaining his sight, you're dead wrong.
The book begins with the details of the boy growing up (before he loses his sight). There's an evil killer who murders his own wife and then is stalked in a hospital by a mysterious detective, who is mysterious because he can do coin tricks. The killer learns that he muttered the name "Bartholomew" in his sleep and of course decides that Bartholomew is his worst enemy, and that he must kill him.
He decides to kill the detective (who wouldn't). He assaults him with a candlestick, puts him in a car and then drowns the car in a pond. However, the skull bashed, unconscious detective doesn't care about the killer's plans and just...swims up from the drowning car. Hooray for logic ! Viva la plausibility !
Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, Bartholomew discovers that he has some superpowers dealing with alternate worlds (the quantum theory bit), that he can walk in the rain without getting wet, and loses his sight. And, of course, he's a child prodigy. He calculates the distance and curves in his calculator head, so blindness aint' a problem because he can add 2 + 2 and calculate his way through the world.
The killer learns that a girl he once raped gave birth to a baby, and decides that the baby must be Bartholomew, so he goes on in a search to find the boy and kill him. The child turns out to be a girl, and she and her mother flee the evil killer only to end up being taken care by...AGNES, THE MOM OF BARTHOLOMEW. So when the killer finds them, he finds the girl (who is a brave prodigy too, though she has eyes) and the boy enters the scene.
BIG CLIMAX: The killer is ready to kill the boy, but...the girl pushes him into an alternate reality because, it turns out, she has superpowers too. All in about three sentences. He's gone forever.
BOOL ! THE END.
The remaining twenty or so pages serve to wrap up loose ends, and on the last page the boy regains his sight. Yes, the fact had NOTHING to do with the actual plot.
Koontz's characters have gone from naively charming (in a way) to simply naive. The melodrama is on the TV soap opera level. He spends paragraph after paragraph describing how brave and good Agnes is, how she delivers pies around the town to people who need pies and help. When her boy is born, he doesn't cry, doesn't take a poo, he isn't a kid; he's a robot.
Some might say that Koontz doesn't want to show the reader "unnecessary" information about growing-up of children, but if he constantly abuses the "show, don't tell" writing method and devotes page after page to stuff like this:
"Week by week, the slender sapling of frustration had grown into a tree and then into a forest, until Tom began every morning by looking out through the tightly woven branches of impatience" - what stops him ?
One might guess that he's just lazy and decides to take the easy way out and create perfect, ideal children for one simple reason - they're easier to write, they never cry, never argue, and according to him are the dream of every parent.
WRONG. Who wants to have a damn machine ?
Koontz makes a point by clearly showing which characters are good or bad. Here he gives his heroes the biblical names of the saints (Bartholomew, Grace, Celestina, Seraphim, Thomas and even Paul Damascus, hell, one girl is named...ANGEL). The sole bad guy here is named Enoch Cain. Get it ? Enoch Cain. Talk about metaphors and implied meaning.
The good guys are so saintly that the reader can't connect with them - it's quite hard to connect with a deity that drives around in a van and gives away pies. So the reader ends up rooting for the bad guy - who of course is present as stupid, bad, vile and disgusting person.
All of the characters are of course so well stocked on cash that they don't have anything better to do but just go and have adventures.
Koontz can't write kids; he just can't get them right. He deprived kids from all things that make them kids: emotions. His kids are too perfect, too smart, to ideal. He made both kids in the novel child prodigies, excelling at basically everything and pooping pure gold. Here's an excerpt.
"Each life,” Barty Lampion said, “is like our oak tree in the backyard but lots bigger. One trunk to start with, and then all the branches, millions of branches, and every branch is the same life going in a new direction."
If you can imagine a three year old, who still uses potty, saying this in a pre-pubescent, pre-breaking, lisping chipmunk voice, without sheding tears of laughter I salute you.
It's even funnier when he reagins his sight. The boy realized at the age of three that he can walk in the idea of rain, so he won't get wet. At the age of thirteen, he realized that he can use the idea of sight to see again. He spent TEN LONG YEARS without realizing that simple fact.
Guess the prodigy turned out to be a fool after all.
However, he has to do something to see and that would be to hard for him, right ? So he gets married with the little girl from before, and they have a daughter...who has superpowers too, and gives her dad his sight back, permanently. And to top the cake, they have a...golden retriever. I actually laughed at that, because of the sheer fact that when the book has over 800 pages there just has to be a dog in it, since it's a Koontz book, and boom ! t h e r e i t i s !
I could go on and on but honestly, if a man writes eight hundred pages about a killer hunting down the good guys and then eliminates him in 15 words, he doesn't know how to quit.
I do.
Stay away from this book.
March 2, 2011
MY VERY FAVORITE KOONTZ WORK OF ALL TIME!!! (I would also like to note that it is his favorite accomplishment as well.) This book was recommended to me when I was 17 by my husband to-be and was the first Dean Koontz book I ever read. It is the PERFECT example of his superiority to other authors of his time and made me an absolute obsessed fan. I then became a collector and this is what started it all. It is a complex tale of vivid characters and includes every emotion you could think of while incorporating many genres of literature. I don't know how a person fits so many dimensions into one book but Dean pulls it off like it's child's play. The writing style is so fluid you almost forget you are reading and the pages turn by themselves. This is my all-time favorite book and a MUST READ!
September 10, 2017
Ok read! intriguing and twisted but a little rushed with the storyline (paperback!)
September 5, 2007
Alright, I went on a "Koontz binge" last spring, and of all the stuff of his that I read, From The Corner Of His Eye has got to be one of the WORST, most godawful pieces of "literature" (using the term loosely) that I've ever read.
I grew quite used to Koontz's style of writing... plastering excessive detail onto every description, taking five pages to detail the wallpaper on a house, etc. So when I read the jacket for FTCOHE and it said the story was about a boy who loses his sight and then regains it, I thought, "okay, so he regains his sight magically, and the book revolves around something to do with this." I then read the first chapter, and the first paragraph said that this boy lost his sight, and then he regained it. I thought "holy crap, this is the briefest I've ever seen Koontz detail anything! yay!" Boy, was I fooled.
The book then went on to detail the boy being born and growing up (all before he loses his sight). It also switches to the story of this psycho who vomits profusely after killing his wife and ends up being hospitalized, where some bizarro detective starts stalking him. We're supposed to think this detective is all badass because he does coin tricks. The psycho learns from the detective that he muttered some name in his sleep, but he has no idea why he did. He decides (being psycho) that he must find the person with this name, and kill them to protect himself. He then proceeds to kill the detective and a nurse, and leave for California.
Meanwhile, this boy reveals that he somehow has some crazy super power dealing with alternate realities, and he can avoid being rained on, etc. He then loses his sight. Yay!
Psycho discovers that a girl he once raped gave birth to a baby, and determines that this baby must be the boy whose name he muttered in his sleep (logical, yes?). He finds out that the girl's sister is raising the child in California, and he starts stalking her. Of course, it turns out that the child is actually a girl, but that doesn't stop psycho from trying to kill her and her mom and her soon to be step-dad. They flee the psycho, only to end up being taken care of by.... the mom of blind boy! So now the boy is linked to the psycho, and just so happens to have the name that psycho is searching for. So, when psycho comes along, looking to once again try to kill the little girl, he stumbles upon her playing with blind boy.
Here comes the big climax, right? Yes! This is it! Oh, except that when psycho comes up to kill blind boy, the little girl (who just so happens to ALSO have super powers-- crazy) shoves him, and he falls through their little hole in reality, and is gone forever. The end.
Yes, seriously, that is the end. Oh, except that YEARS LATER, blind boy gets his sight back. That's right, him regaining his sight had absolutely nothing to do with the events in the book. Yay!
It's the literary equivalent of Dean Koontz coming to your home and kicking you repeatedly in the nuts. Thanks, Koontz.
I grew quite used to Koontz's style of writing... plastering excessive detail onto every description, taking five pages to detail the wallpaper on a house, etc. So when I read the jacket for FTCOHE and it said the story was about a boy who loses his sight and then regains it, I thought, "okay, so he regains his sight magically, and the book revolves around something to do with this." I then read the first chapter, and the first paragraph said that this boy lost his sight, and then he regained it. I thought "holy crap, this is the briefest I've ever seen Koontz detail anything! yay!" Boy, was I fooled.
The book then went on to detail the boy being born and growing up (all before he loses his sight). It also switches to the story of this psycho who vomits profusely after killing his wife and ends up being hospitalized, where some bizarro detective starts stalking him. We're supposed to think this detective is all badass because he does coin tricks. The psycho learns from the detective that he muttered some name in his sleep, but he has no idea why he did. He decides (being psycho) that he must find the person with this name, and kill them to protect himself. He then proceeds to kill the detective and a nurse, and leave for California.
Meanwhile, this boy reveals that he somehow has some crazy super power dealing with alternate realities, and he can avoid being rained on, etc. He then loses his sight. Yay!
Psycho discovers that a girl he once raped gave birth to a baby, and determines that this baby must be the boy whose name he muttered in his sleep (logical, yes?). He finds out that the girl's sister is raising the child in California, and he starts stalking her. Of course, it turns out that the child is actually a girl, but that doesn't stop psycho from trying to kill her and her mom and her soon to be step-dad. They flee the psycho, only to end up being taken care of by.... the mom of blind boy! So now the boy is linked to the psycho, and just so happens to have the name that psycho is searching for. So, when psycho comes along, looking to once again try to kill the little girl, he stumbles upon her playing with blind boy.
Here comes the big climax, right? Yes! This is it! Oh, except that when psycho comes up to kill blind boy, the little girl (who just so happens to ALSO have super powers-- crazy) shoves him, and he falls through their little hole in reality, and is gone forever. The end.
Yes, seriously, that is the end. Oh, except that YEARS LATER, blind boy gets his sight back. That's right, him regaining his sight had absolutely nothing to do with the events in the book. Yay!
It's the literary equivalent of Dean Koontz coming to your home and kicking you repeatedly in the nuts. Thanks, Koontz.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2022
I typically read four books at a time. This is not intended as bragging. Some people read four books a day. For the better part of two weeks this was the only thing I was reading. I have been a Koontz fan since the early 80s and have read almost everything he has written. This is definitely one of his best. Here Koontz takes the idea of the everyday thing and transforms it into a transcendent allegory with overt religious beats. The narrative is lyrical and poetic. These characters are deftly portrayed in such a way as I can say I know them as people. They echo with real, true to life people I have known. I have lived with these people, eaten with these people, mourned with them. They were members of my family, friends, neighbors. There were several places where I wept openly, moved by the human spirit. This was a celebration of life where the blind have better sight than those with fully functioning organs. I loved it.
May 27, 2017
This is the second time I've read this book. The first time being about 15 years ago. I remember it being a good read but it was even better this time. Koontz's writing style, dark humour and excellent descriptive passages are a joy to read. The characters are a varied mix that combine well together.
The story combines two different threads that are interwoven in a way that avoids confusion and makes you wonder how they are connected. The character Enoch (Junior) Cain is one of the best characters ever created. His ways of thinking, how he justifies his actions and how he thinks about himself had me sometimes laughing out loud. He's the antagonist, evil personified, yet thinks he's God's gift.
Covering aspects of religion, faith, love, family and quantum physics, may at first glance, seem a strange mix, but it works really well. The physics side of things is explained well so is easy to understand and see why it was used.
There's a line towards the end of the book that says, "More often than not, God weaves patterns that become perceptible to us only over long periods of time, if at all." Koontz has woven patterns throughout the book, which does take a long period of time to read, but I think everyone should.
The story combines two different threads that are interwoven in a way that avoids confusion and makes you wonder how they are connected. The character Enoch (Junior) Cain is one of the best characters ever created. His ways of thinking, how he justifies his actions and how he thinks about himself had me sometimes laughing out loud. He's the antagonist, evil personified, yet thinks he's God's gift.
Covering aspects of religion, faith, love, family and quantum physics, may at first glance, seem a strange mix, but it works really well. The physics side of things is explained well so is easy to understand and see why it was used.
There's a line towards the end of the book that says, "More often than not, God weaves patterns that become perceptible to us only over long periods of time, if at all." Koontz has woven patterns throughout the book, which does take a long period of time to read, but I think everyone should.
November 28, 2008
I guess I would give this a 1.5 if I could. It's readable but you kind of regret spending the time on this. Maybe if it was half the size it wouldn't have pissed me off - but 768 pages? And I felt like it was doing some preachy religious allegory crap at me. What the hell is your point with this book Dean Koontz?
I feel like there were huge holes in the plot on this one and it was just the weakest thing I had read by him. There really wasn't the pay off you want when you get to the end either. Argh. WTF DEAN KOONTZ?
I feel like there were huge holes in the plot on this one and it was just the weakest thing I had read by him. There really wasn't the pay off you want when you get to the end either. Argh. WTF DEAN KOONTZ?
October 5, 2019
Each smallest act of kindness reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it's passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away. Likewise, each small meanness, each expression of hatred, each act of evil.
-THIS MOMENTOUS DAY, H.R. White (As created & mentioned by Dean Koontz in From the Corner of His Eye)
One of Dean Koontz's most epic novels! This great saga reaffirms my belief in alternate realities and parallel universes. I have the phrase "This Momentous Day" tattooed on my leg, because of the impact this book has had on my life. I have read From the Corner of His Eye four times.
-THIS MOMENTOUS DAY, H.R. White (As created & mentioned by Dean Koontz in From the Corner of His Eye)
One of Dean Koontz's most epic novels! This great saga reaffirms my belief in alternate realities and parallel universes. I have the phrase "This Momentous Day" tattooed on my leg, because of the impact this book has had on my life. I have read From the Corner of His Eye four times.
December 12, 2021
I've been glancing through some of the postings here about From the Corner of His Eye and I'm intrigued that the majority seem to rank it as really excellent and among Koontz's best or as quite poor and near the bottom of his output. I'm going against the grain a bit and offering the opinion that it's quite firmly in the middle, with some worthwhile bits but not among his major works. I think he indulged himself a bit with symbolism and imagery defining the nature of good and evil and darkness and light, sometimes getting quite too obscure and flowery in his depictions. There are some discussions of alternate realities and quantum mumbo-jumbo that doesn't come together, but some very well drawn characterizations to offset them. The story itself never quite pays-off, but the discussions are interesting. It's not a good title for a first Koontz outing, but well worthwhile for his fans.
October 9, 2024
So much to unpack in this book, the plot is difficult for me to summarize let’s just say this is a classic fight between good and evil. Wonderful characters that are introduced by chapters which slowly tie together as the story unfolds. This story has a villain named Enoch Cain(sounds Biblical to me)with alot of moral, spiritual undertones with some sci fi thrown in, I cannot peg Dean Koontz in a specific genre. Slowly paced suspenseful climax with a very thoughtful and thorough ending.
Reading this book was like stepping back in time and saying Hi to my much younger self who use to devour these books in her youth.
Does nostalgia for my youth affect my review yes!
Reading this book was like stepping back in time and saying Hi to my much younger self who use to devour these books in her youth.
Does nostalgia for my youth affect my review yes!
August 14, 2012
NOTE: I am a HUGE Dean Koontz fan, but I'm also objective. Within the horror/suspense genre, Koontz generally writes two types of novels: 'government conspiracies', or 'madman chasing an innocent man/child/woman/dog/couple/ all of the above.' The gov't ones are fine, as a matter of fact, it was "Strangers" that got me hooked on DK. But there's only so much you can do with 'black ops' and 'the government within the government.'
While "From the Corner of His Eye" DOES have a madman chasing innocent people (WHAT? no dog?), it's a very different type of Koontz novel. If you read the cover notes, you pretty much have most of the 'life and death suspense' figured out. You've been told, within the first couple of chapters,almost everything (but not quite) about who's going to die and who will live on.
But for ME, that was okay, because in THIS novel, the story of the characters--each beautifully written and fleshed out--IS the journey. "From the Corner of His Eye" is far more than suspense (and there IS still plenty of it)...it is a deep, powerful SPIRITUAL book.
The characters are some of Koontz's best. The villain is deliciously loathsome, yet such a sociopath that you almost feel...not SORRY for him, but just find yourself saying "what a pathetically deluded creep!"
While "From the Corner of His Eye" DOES have a madman chasing innocent people (WHAT? no dog?), it's a very different type of Koontz novel. If you read the cover notes, you pretty much have most of the 'life and death suspense' figured out. You've been told, within the first couple of chapters,almost everything (but not quite) about who's going to die and who will live on.
But for ME, that was okay, because in THIS novel, the story of the characters--each beautifully written and fleshed out--IS the journey. "From the Corner of His Eye" is far more than suspense (and there IS still plenty of it)...it is a deep, powerful SPIRITUAL book.
The characters are some of Koontz's best. The villain is deliciously loathsome, yet such a sociopath that you almost feel...not SORRY for him, but just find yourself saying "what a pathetically deluded creep!"
March 28, 2007
Favorite Quotes
She lived for others, her heart tuned to their anguish and their needs.
His blue eyes were seas where sorrow sailed.
Not one day in anyone’s life is an uneventful day, no day without profound meaning, no matter how dull and boring it might seem, no matter whether you are a seamstress or a queen, a shoeshine boy, or a movie star, a renowned philosopher or a Down’s-syndrome child. Because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses for others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example. Each smallest act of kindness—even just words of hope when they are needed, the remembrance of a birthday, a compliment that engenders a smile—reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away. Likewise, each small meanness, each thoughtless expression of hatred, each envious and bitter act, regardless of how petty, can inspire others, and is therefore the seed that ultimately produces evil fruit, poisoning people whom you have never met and never will. All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined—those dead, those living, those generations yet to come—that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands. Therefore, after every failure, we are obliged to strive again for success, and when faced with the end of one thing, we must build something new and better in the ashes, just as from pain and grief, we must weave hope, for each of us is a thread critical to the strength—to the very survival of the human tapestry. Every hour in every life contains such often-unrecognized potential to affect the world that the great days and thrilling possibilities are combined always in this momentous day.
In the healing ways of women that remained mysterious to [him] even as he watched them do their work, tears were followed by reminiscences that brought a smile and soothed, and hope was always found to be the flower that bloomed from every seed of hopelessness.
She lived for others, her heart tuned to their anguish and their needs.
His blue eyes were seas where sorrow sailed.
Not one day in anyone’s life is an uneventful day, no day without profound meaning, no matter how dull and boring it might seem, no matter whether you are a seamstress or a queen, a shoeshine boy, or a movie star, a renowned philosopher or a Down’s-syndrome child. Because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses for others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example. Each smallest act of kindness—even just words of hope when they are needed, the remembrance of a birthday, a compliment that engenders a smile—reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away. Likewise, each small meanness, each thoughtless expression of hatred, each envious and bitter act, regardless of how petty, can inspire others, and is therefore the seed that ultimately produces evil fruit, poisoning people whom you have never met and never will. All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined—those dead, those living, those generations yet to come—that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands. Therefore, after every failure, we are obliged to strive again for success, and when faced with the end of one thing, we must build something new and better in the ashes, just as from pain and grief, we must weave hope, for each of us is a thread critical to the strength—to the very survival of the human tapestry. Every hour in every life contains such often-unrecognized potential to affect the world that the great days and thrilling possibilities are combined always in this momentous day.
In the healing ways of women that remained mysterious to [him] even as he watched them do their work, tears were followed by reminiscences that brought a smile and soothed, and hope was always found to be the flower that bloomed from every seed of hopelessness.
July 12, 2008
In a Dean Koontz book, if there's someone he describes as particularly good, gracious, or appealing; you can be sure that something very bad is about to happen to them.
There's plenty of that in this book, which tells a number of stories, all tied together by the actions of the villain. There are good number of biblical references, with most characters having a biblical corollary; especially Bartholomew, one of the heroes of the story, who has as his namesake one of the lesser known Apostles.
In the end, it's clear that Koontz is mixing a good stalker-murder-thriller with an interesting theory about religion and quantum physics... namely, that religion and quantum physics can not only coexist but actually support each other.
If none of that makes sense, you probably just need to read the book.
There's plenty of that in this book, which tells a number of stories, all tied together by the actions of the villain. There are good number of biblical references, with most characters having a biblical corollary; especially Bartholomew, one of the heroes of the story, who has as his namesake one of the lesser known Apostles.
In the end, it's clear that Koontz is mixing a good stalker-murder-thriller with an interesting theory about religion and quantum physics... namely, that religion and quantum physics can not only coexist but actually support each other.
If none of that makes sense, you probably just need to read the book.
June 4, 2019
I've been lied to a lot..
Every once in a while, Koontz comes to me while I'm sleeping and whispers into my ear: "Hey baby" and I respond "No, not again. Not tonight, I have a headache." He starts the sweet talk: "But baby, do you remember Twilight Eyes and Voice of the Night?" and I go "Yeah, those were great, I love those but you've hurt me too many times." Koontz then, while brushing the hair from his eyes, says: "Not this time.." "Really?" I say hopefully "This one is good?" And he seductively titters and responds "Would I lie to you?"
So, here I fucking am. 'From the Corner of his Eye' is a lie. The back description doesn't match the content inside. Bartholomew loses his eyes at age three, nearly 400 pages into this work, Barty is still one years old. Lie. The boy's sight plays no prominent factor in the story at all. Lie. Let's go down the Koontz checklist.. child prodigy? Check. Dog? Check. Hemorrhages during birth? Check. Blonde woman? Check. Ruthless killer? Check. Catholicism? Check. Ridiculous character names? Check. Twins? Check. Desserts? Check. Storms during childbirth? Check. Okay, is this the Worst of Koontz? Absolutely not. In fact, a great deal of it is well-written. But that almost makes it more offensive than an utter garbage novel because of how much of it feels wasted. Koontz simply overwrote here, in my opinion, something I don't usually criticize him for. Unnatural in every sense, 'From the Corner of His Eye' starts like a hot meal and ends with you doubled over the bowl not knowing if your mouth or asshole will begin to spew. So, another betrayal from what used to be my best friend.. 2.7/5
Every once in a while, Koontz comes to me while I'm sleeping and whispers into my ear: "Hey baby" and I respond "No, not again. Not tonight, I have a headache." He starts the sweet talk: "But baby, do you remember Twilight Eyes and Voice of the Night?" and I go "Yeah, those were great, I love those but you've hurt me too many times." Koontz then, while brushing the hair from his eyes, says: "Not this time.." "Really?" I say hopefully "This one is good?" And he seductively titters and responds "Would I lie to you?"
So, here I fucking am. 'From the Corner of his Eye' is a lie. The back description doesn't match the content inside. Bartholomew loses his eyes at age three, nearly 400 pages into this work, Barty is still one years old. Lie. The boy's sight plays no prominent factor in the story at all. Lie. Let's go down the Koontz checklist.. child prodigy? Check. Dog? Check. Hemorrhages during birth? Check. Blonde woman? Check. Ruthless killer? Check. Catholicism? Check. Ridiculous character names? Check. Twins? Check. Desserts? Check. Storms during childbirth? Check. Okay, is this the Worst of Koontz? Absolutely not. In fact, a great deal of it is well-written. But that almost makes it more offensive than an utter garbage novel because of how much of it feels wasted. Koontz simply overwrote here, in my opinion, something I don't usually criticize him for. Unnatural in every sense, 'From the Corner of His Eye' starts like a hot meal and ends with you doubled over the bowl not knowing if your mouth or asshole will begin to spew. So, another betrayal from what used to be my best friend.. 2.7/5
September 2, 2019
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
In this novel, we have three different stories that will eventually come together. The first one is about Agnes and her husband. They are expecting their first child when tragedy hits this couple. The second story is about Junior who is out with his wife and is content with his life. The third is about a teenager who was raped and never told anyone about this crime. She is pregnant from this incident.
This was a difficult novel to rate. I loved the characters and I definitely had an emotional connection with the characters. In fact, out of all the books I have read this book is in my top five for emotional impact. I felt like I was with them when they suffered from tragedy. One of the messages of this novel is that life has its ups and downs but the ball still continues to roll. You have to bear on. This message is so true and I can relate to it. With the previous sentiments about this book why not a five star rating? I don't think this is the author's tightest book. There was incidents to characters that did not add anything to them. I believe this book could have been trimmed down. My biggest gripe was the climax. We had all this build up and the climax just happened. The author could have written some more pages about the climax (ironic since I just said this book needed to be trimmed) and my fulfillment would have been satisfied.
Emotionally, I adore this book. This is my second time reading and it still affected me. Story wise, it did have its weak points. That being said, I still enjoyed it and it is worth a read.
In this novel, we have three different stories that will eventually come together. The first one is about Agnes and her husband. They are expecting their first child when tragedy hits this couple. The second story is about Junior who is out with his wife and is content with his life. The third is about a teenager who was raped and never told anyone about this crime. She is pregnant from this incident.
This was a difficult novel to rate. I loved the characters and I definitely had an emotional connection with the characters. In fact, out of all the books I have read this book is in my top five for emotional impact. I felt like I was with them when they suffered from tragedy. One of the messages of this novel is that life has its ups and downs but the ball still continues to roll. You have to bear on. This message is so true and I can relate to it. With the previous sentiments about this book why not a five star rating? I don't think this is the author's tightest book. There was incidents to characters that did not add anything to them. I believe this book could have been trimmed down. My biggest gripe was the climax. We had all this build up and the climax just happened. The author could have written some more pages about the climax (ironic since I just said this book needed to be trimmed) and my fulfillment would have been satisfied.
Emotionally, I adore this book. This is my second time reading and it still affected me. Story wise, it did have its weak points. That being said, I still enjoyed it and it is worth a read.
September 23, 2014
A good example of what some are calling the "new Koontz". Maybe, I know I like this book. There are several of his more recent offerings that I have really enjoyed and this is one.
Also he has one of his more "interesting" villains here. I can't say anymore without giving a spoiler, but this is one of those horrible yet laughable evil killers. You can't laugh at the evil bloody acts, but the interesting "mental gymnastics" of this guy are well done.
Koontz moves into the realm of science fiction/science fantasy here and it's an interesting "take". The female protagonist/ mother in the story is a nice woman...even a good woman yet at times she drives me crazy...up the wall so to speak. Each character is pretty fully formed and the story's "hook" is handled well.
As mentioned the story very much circles around the many (somewhat esoteric) characters. But by far our Villain (Enoch Cain Jr) is one of Koontz'z more weird and fairly original creations. To call him a psychopath is to just scratch the surface of his personality.
The villain's evil, the kids are cute. The story has redemption, pathos, and quite a few twists and turns.
Enjoy.
Also he has one of his more "interesting" villains here. I can't say anymore without giving a spoiler, but this is one of those horrible yet laughable evil killers. You can't laugh at the evil bloody acts, but the interesting "mental gymnastics" of this guy are well done.
Koontz moves into the realm of science fiction/science fantasy here and it's an interesting "take". The female protagonist/ mother in the story is a nice woman...even a good woman yet at times she drives me crazy...up the wall so to speak. Each character is pretty fully formed and the story's "hook" is handled well.
As mentioned the story very much circles around the many (somewhat esoteric) characters. But by far our Villain (Enoch Cain Jr) is one of Koontz'z more weird and fairly original creations. To call him a psychopath is to just scratch the surface of his personality.
The villain's evil, the kids are cute. The story has redemption, pathos, and quite a few twists and turns.
Enjoy.
May 30, 2016
I really enjoyed this Koontz book. Yes, it got a bit overly sentimental at times, but on the whole I preferred it to some of the other Koontz books I've read lately, which have been hugely formulaic and so very predictable! I enjoyed the multiple universe aspects (not sure how a few of the explanations would go with real scientists, but I'm not one of them, so no problem there) and the twists and turns. I thought Enoch Cain one of his more interesting villains. Of course, if you don't enjoy drama, detail, deep character development, a bit of a spiritual journey, and, of course, a dog - isn't there always a dog somewhere in a Koontz novel?? - thrown in with everything else that goes with this genre, then you're probably better off looking else where.
May 20, 2009
You ever wonder where Koontz comes up with these stories? Most of them are brilliant, engaging plots with lots of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of them are plain strange and make you wonder what he was smoking when he sat down that day...and why he wasn't sharing.
This book had the benefit of being both brilliant in many ways, and of being one of the stories that makes you scratch your head and wonder.
I loved the separate yet slowly intertwining stories of all the characters. The abilities of Barty and Angel were interesting enough to keep me engaged, yet strange enough to not make me go, "Ooo! I want to do that, too!"
Some of the delusional characters that Koontz writes up, man...like Junior, in this one...wow. It makes me wonder if there are people that f'd up out there. And then it makes me realize I don't really want to know. Koontz is able to capture the "crazy", though, and writes it out so that the reader is at once entrapped and horrified by the descriptions of their delusions.
One last note - I loved the introduction of Dr. Jonas Salk in this book. I love that he was written into the story and given such a pivotal, though small, part. He was an amazing man who was written as the hero he was in a book that you'd never expect to see him in.
This book had the benefit of being both brilliant in many ways, and of being one of the stories that makes you scratch your head and wonder.
I loved the separate yet slowly intertwining stories of all the characters. The abilities of Barty and Angel were interesting enough to keep me engaged, yet strange enough to not make me go, "Ooo! I want to do that, too!"
Some of the delusional characters that Koontz writes up, man...like Junior, in this one...wow. It makes me wonder if there are people that f'd up out there. And then it makes me realize I don't really want to know. Koontz is able to capture the "crazy", though, and writes it out so that the reader is at once entrapped and horrified by the descriptions of their delusions.
One last note - I loved the introduction of Dr. Jonas Salk in this book. I love that he was written into the story and given such a pivotal, though small, part. He was an amazing man who was written as the hero he was in a book that you'd never expect to see him in.
March 11, 2014
The beginning was shocking and twisted.... which I loved. But then the story got bloated and complicated and at the end died a quick death (fortunately). Why did the author spend all that time (and pages) developing the evil Enoch Cain only to have him evaporate in one sentence!? And in the beginning the reader was subjected to painfully articulate hour by hour, day by day accounts of 3 story lines. Then at the end it was rushed to decades by decades. This was truly a story I couldn't wait to finish, but only because I had to justify all the time I spent turning pages! I am a deep lover of science fiction anything, but this book was, to say the least, disappointing!
August 23, 2021
I've read some Dean Koontz books that really standed up as great reads. What I usually love about Koontz books is the attachment I get with some characters of his novels and there is so many twist and turns making the book even more exciting. However this one didn't deliver that to me and maybe I had to big of expectations on it. It wasn't terrible but sisnt work with me. So 2.5 stars from me
March 12, 2008
From The Corner Of His Eye Bantam Books, 2000, 729pp., $7.99
Dean Koontz ISBN 0553582747
Imagine being in labor, with your husband lying dead beside you. “Urgency gripped the paramedics. The rescuers’ equipment and the pieces of car door were dragged out of the way to make a path for a gurney, its wheels clattering across pavement littered with debris.” You don’t know if your kid has survived the accident or if he will be as normal as all the others. As you look out from the back of the ambulance you see your husband, not alive, but not dead- slightly transparent with a very worried face. You expect to see an infant standing next to him, but you don’t. Worse then you worst nightmares, you are left paralyzed as jolts of pain surge through your swollen, bruised body. Dean Koontz thought up this terrible scene- among others- in one of his great page-turners, From the Corner of His Eye.
At first this story seems bland and confusing because of its two seemingly separated plots. In under a page the beauty that was the first few chapters becomes the hell that is the rest of the book. Two lovers on a hike ends with the wife dead, murdered by her husband who is in the hospital after puking violently after the incident. Millions of thoughts flood his head, whether he was poisoned by his wife, how he will get away with this crime, but most of all- that he is free to date who he wishes.
I couldn’t help but like this book. It flowed extremely well, and the pages just flew by. It still seems like a long read though, it being 700+ pages. The pages are small though, and it’s a great accomplishment once you finish it. Unlike other books of this length, Dean Koontz doesn’t go on and on about one thing. His descriptions are detailed, but do not drag on for paragraphs. Simply put, Dean Koontz has the ability to sense where detail is necessary, and where it is not.
While reading this book, you will have your heart torn from you multiple times, and your sense of emotional pain will be dulled. You may find that your friends are surprised at your plain, dull reactions to some very horrid things, and you can do nothing but blame it on Dean Koontz. Reading terrible stories is for some, but not for others. If your unsure if you like them, then read this book, and you wont be able to live without them.
- David Xerri
Dean Koontz ISBN 0553582747
Imagine being in labor, with your husband lying dead beside you. “Urgency gripped the paramedics. The rescuers’ equipment and the pieces of car door were dragged out of the way to make a path for a gurney, its wheels clattering across pavement littered with debris.” You don’t know if your kid has survived the accident or if he will be as normal as all the others. As you look out from the back of the ambulance you see your husband, not alive, but not dead- slightly transparent with a very worried face. You expect to see an infant standing next to him, but you don’t. Worse then you worst nightmares, you are left paralyzed as jolts of pain surge through your swollen, bruised body. Dean Koontz thought up this terrible scene- among others- in one of his great page-turners, From the Corner of His Eye.
At first this story seems bland and confusing because of its two seemingly separated plots. In under a page the beauty that was the first few chapters becomes the hell that is the rest of the book. Two lovers on a hike ends with the wife dead, murdered by her husband who is in the hospital after puking violently after the incident. Millions of thoughts flood his head, whether he was poisoned by his wife, how he will get away with this crime, but most of all- that he is free to date who he wishes.
I couldn’t help but like this book. It flowed extremely well, and the pages just flew by. It still seems like a long read though, it being 700+ pages. The pages are small though, and it’s a great accomplishment once you finish it. Unlike other books of this length, Dean Koontz doesn’t go on and on about one thing. His descriptions are detailed, but do not drag on for paragraphs. Simply put, Dean Koontz has the ability to sense where detail is necessary, and where it is not.
While reading this book, you will have your heart torn from you multiple times, and your sense of emotional pain will be dulled. You may find that your friends are surprised at your plain, dull reactions to some very horrid things, and you can do nothing but blame it on Dean Koontz. Reading terrible stories is for some, but not for others. If your unsure if you like them, then read this book, and you wont be able to live without them.
- David Xerri
September 5, 2021
Torrenziale, fluviale, oceanico. Anche questo libro di 800 pagine conferma la regola. Koontz difficilmente sbaglia totalmente un libro, ma a volte sforna dei testi che lasciano il sapore stucchevole del non riuscito. Questo e' uno di quei casi. Lacunoso, diseguale, prolisso, a volte persino imbarazzante; solo la consueta tecnica del portare avanti parallelamente diverse situazioni narrative salva dal torpore definitivo. Un solo dato positivo emerge dal racconto. Il fattore che rende, sempre e comunque, Koontz un grande. "Il cattivo", il suo contorto pensiero, le aberrazioni di una mente oscura, sono scritti veramente bene, come solo Koontz sa fare (e King con lui).
September 7, 2022
NYT Best Seller #1 - 01/14/2001 (Hawes.com)
March 2019 Group Read
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March 2019 Group Read
Barty (Bartholomew) - eyes removed at 3 for cancer, yet able to see at 13.Oct 2015 Review
Enoch Cain Jr. - in comma after his wife’s fall, Jr. saying “Bartholomew” a name he does not know.
Detective Vanadium, by his side always looking for clues as him being the murderer, finds with his dead wife’s diary, reading to wake him/to break him.
The major themes are chases versus emotions. Junior Cain (Enoch) has pushed and killed his wife, Namoi, from a tower on fire. Junior recovers in a hospital bed with a hounding detective Tom Vandadium always at his beside waiting for a confession. But why does Junior say "Bartholomew" from his bed when in a comma? Tom's car is forced into water but reappears 8 months later.
The major chases are Junior for Barty (Bartholomew) & Detective Tom for Junior. The emotions are with Barty's supernatural talents & blindness at age 3 with Agnes (mom) plus Angel (Phimie’s daughter) & her aunt Celestina (adopted for her murdered sister, Seraphime “Phimie” White).
Phimie was attacked & killed.
When Barty is blind, in chapter(s) he is told God is always looking "from the corner of his eye“.
I am reading this with KoontzLand members for October 2015. It did take me longer to finish than others.
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April 7, 2013
I was disappointed by this one. Koontz's initial idea was brilliant, and I love the quality of his prose. I enjoy the way he writes because it's so vivid and detailed; at his best moments he paints with words. However, at his worse moments he comes up with great ideas but does nothing with them. Ultimately, he does not achieve an interesting narrative with this book. I liked the characters for the most part but the story was just kind of lame to me. I found the villain disgusting but not necessarily intimidating, and I agree with other reviewers that it was hard to sympathize with the hero. The action was both slow and silly, and the villain dispatched too easily after a great build up. The connection between God and quantam physics was introduced but not fleshed out very well. I don't know if he wanted us to feel stupid by not explaining why he introduced these concepts, or awed by the child prodigy hero. I disliked writers who introduce ideas then don't flesh them out. In the Corner of his Eye was an interesting but disappointing read.
May 29, 2017
I am a huge Koontz fan but this just did not do it for me.
March 21, 2019
This was my second time reading this novel, the first upon its release in the year 2000.
This book further deepened my love of Dean Koontz novels. His writing style blossomed and weaved through the lives of several characters all affected by "This Momentous Day."
The one thing I prefer about this period of writing over current releases, is the time he spent on each character. Chapters were long enough to connect with the characters, build tension and then switch to the next character(s). I feel that at times his Jane Hawk series jumps chapters so quickly I disconnect from the character(s).
This book is pure, wonderful, inexplicable Koontz and remains one of my favorite novels.
When reading the reviews of others (I like to read the negative reviews without commenting), I find so much negativity regarding his use of dogs in his novels; especially golden retrievers. Let me just say that Koontz is not the only one to write with a dog as a character in his book. Julianne MacLean's "A Curve in the Road" has a beautiful main canine character, Robyn Carr, Stephen King, and many others. Goodreads even has a list of books with canine main characters https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/.... As a person who has live 52 of my 54 years with a canine companion, I appreciate authors who love dogs as much as I do.
This book further deepened my love of Dean Koontz novels. His writing style blossomed and weaved through the lives of several characters all affected by "This Momentous Day."
The one thing I prefer about this period of writing over current releases, is the time he spent on each character. Chapters were long enough to connect with the characters, build tension and then switch to the next character(s). I feel that at times his Jane Hawk series jumps chapters so quickly I disconnect from the character(s).
This book is pure, wonderful, inexplicable Koontz and remains one of my favorite novels.
When reading the reviews of others (I like to read the negative reviews without commenting), I find so much negativity regarding his use of dogs in his novels; especially golden retrievers. Let me just say that Koontz is not the only one to write with a dog as a character in his book. Julianne MacLean's "A Curve in the Road" has a beautiful main canine character, Robyn Carr, Stephen King, and many others. Goodreads even has a list of books with canine main characters https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/.... As a person who has live 52 of my 54 years with a canine companion, I appreciate authors who love dogs as much as I do.
July 25, 2011
That Dean Koontz is an amazing writer of supernatural stories is a known fact. What makes this book special is the mix of several themes that work in superb harmony - a psychotic killer, quantum physics and faith. I've always wondered about parallel universes and in this book, the author has tried to put a structure to it through the theories of Thomas Vanadium and the abilities of Bartholomew, Angel and Mary.
Koontz uses Enoch Cain's obsessed journey to find Bartholomew as a background to highlight the connection between human beings' lives, a sort of 'Butterfly effect' among people's destinies. Each character is built perfectly with specific roles to play in this journey, and they all fall into place magnificently, like a jigsaw puzzle.
There is an underlying theme of hope that runs through this book, and Koontz does a great job of balancing it with the pure evil that is Enoch Cain.
The pace never slacks, and while I like all the author's works (that I have read so far), this one just went beyond the regular gripping thriller category.
Koontz uses Enoch Cain's obsessed journey to find Bartholomew as a background to highlight the connection between human beings' lives, a sort of 'Butterfly effect' among people's destinies. Each character is built perfectly with specific roles to play in this journey, and they all fall into place magnificently, like a jigsaw puzzle.
There is an underlying theme of hope that runs through this book, and Koontz does a great job of balancing it with the pure evil that is Enoch Cain.
The pace never slacks, and while I like all the author's works (that I have read so far), this one just went beyond the regular gripping thriller category.
October 12, 2018
I thought that this was one of the most unusual books that Dean Koontz has ever written and those who read and follow his works can attest that he has written some very unusual ones in the past. It's filled with evil, love, mysticism, and above all...hope. There are lots and lots of characters and it spans at least three generations. The two characters that really carry the story are Bartholomew and Angel...who were born on the same day...born surrounded by death...and an entire continent apart... but joined in a like mission. The character of Enoch is a man that carries something that demands a sacrifice occasionally causing the reader to be undecided if you should like him...feel pity for him...or just outright hate him. What you will know is that you can never, ever trust him. It's a long, long book but a story that you just have to see to the last page.
January 23, 2012
I stuck with this book for 250 pages before I gave up. The writing was beautiful at times, but the characterization absolutely drove me crazy. The sheer goodness of the good guys is nauseating, and Koontz slathers them with such sticky sweetness that I actually ended up hating the characters. The bad guy is the only character I enjoyed reading about, and he's overblown to the point of caricature.
Koontz has a couple of nice passages, but there's no way I'm going to make it through this book without carving my eyes out with a grapefruit spoon, and I can't do the alternate universe quantum physics thing and magic my eyes back, so I'm calling it quits.
Goodbye Barty, I barely knew ye.
Koontz has a couple of nice passages, but there's no way I'm going to make it through this book without carving my eyes out with a grapefruit spoon, and I can't do the alternate universe quantum physics thing and magic my eyes back, so I'm calling it quits.
Goodbye Barty, I barely knew ye.
October 27, 2018
Mixed thoughts... review later.
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