LIGHTNING (Group Read - December 2018)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Lightning was first published in 1988, one year after Watchers (1987). Watchers is the only Dean Koontz book of the 1980's which gets more love than Lightning from devoted fans.

Please consider reading or re-reading Lightning this December. Blizzards Guardian Angels, tragedy and comedy will be found down the Lightning Road.

[Cathy]

Lightning was one of my favorite D Ks!

[Barbara]

Lightening is one of my favorites too!

[Mark]

And mine. I will try to join you for it.

[Charissa]

Never liked this one. Too far out of my tastes.

[Cathy]

This was the first Koontz I read and I enjoyed it so much that it brought me into Koontzland!

[Matthew]

This one falls under the "like" not "love" category for me. I thought all the children, including Laura, were far too sophisticated for their age(s). I believe I was a teen when I first read this so perhaps my perception would be different now. *shrugs*

[Fred]

my first read 12/6/2013, thanks

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Happy December! Looking forward to re-reading this epic novel :-)

[Kat, lover of bears...]

This was the first book I ever read of Dean Koontz and I was hooked ever since

[Fred]

This is good in the book - people don’t “envy you for just being a happy man. They envy you for not envying them”.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Fred wrote: "This is good in the book - people don’t “envy you for just being a happy man. They envy you for not envying them”."

Thanks Fred :-) I will start re-reading Lightning this week.

[K.L.]

Getting a late start, will be starting this weekend.

[Susan]

Finished the book. Was reading it at the same time I was reading Ashley Bell, so I sometimes got the books twisted during the childhood parts. Interesting take on time travel. I like that the technology didn't allow creating paradoxes, which tends to mess up the time travel books I have read.

[K.L.]

Susan wrote: "Finished the book. Was reading it at the same time I was reading Ashley Bell, so I sometimes got the books twisted during the childhood parts. Interesting take on time travel. I like that the techn..."

definitely a unique take, remember being blown away the first time I read it

[Fred]

Foster parents are interesting, She antagonizes the fist parents to get back into the orphanage. Happy with the second parents but one parent dies & she must go back.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I'm just at the part where she stayed with the first foster parents and has returned to the orphanage :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

For anyone who has recently finished Lightning, try this quiz that I created back in 2010:
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/res...

[Susan]

I took that quiz and got 8 out of 10. Interesting quiz.

[Kat, lover of bears...]

I too got 8 out of 10

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Kat wrote: "I too got 8 out of 10"

Susan wrote: "I took that quiz and got 8 out of 10. Interesting quiz."

Thanks for playing :-)

[Linda R,]

I started the first chapter tonight/early morning. Beautiful language and so like and unlike Terminator. This is going to be a good read. But then Koontz always is.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Linda R, wrote: "I started the first chapter tonight/early morning. Beautiful language and so like and unlike Terminator. This is going to be a good read. But then Koontz always is."

Thanks Linda :-) I always enjoy reading Lightning.
Is this the first time you've read this novel?

[Linda R,]

yes it is and the subject matter bothers me. I would not normally complete this (i'm 20 percent in), but I want to take your quiz. ;)

[Kat, lover of bears...]

It was 30 years ago that I first read this book. It seems that before reading it again, I remembered very little of the actual story, but I can see how the story itself has been with me for all these years. I too share of love of words as Christopher does and immediately identified with him when I was in my 20's. Koontz writes about fierce maternal love that is evident in this book as well as his current Jane Hawk series. It's pretty cool reading this from a mother's/grandmother's point of view now.

Destiny righting itself, possibilities beyond our understanding, who we were, who we could be; all things that I remember discovering when this book was first released and rediscovering all over again.

It is interesting to compare Koontz of 1988 to Koontz of 2018. His writing has evolved into a noticeable trademark that most authors dream of. It was nice to revisit his earlier writing style, simpler but no less engaging.

[K.L.]

It is interesting to compare Koontz of 1988 to Koontz of 2018. His writing has evolved into a noticeable trademark that most authors dream of. It was nice to revisit his earlier writing style, simpler but no less engaging.

agreed. And I would say the same for several other writers who've had long careers. It's amazing to see how they've grown and yet still see the magic in their early works.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I will be reading Lightning into January since I'm not close to finishing yet.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Linda R, wrote: "yes it is and the subject matter bothers me. I would not normally complete this (i'm 20 percent in), but I want to take your quiz. ;)"

Thanks Linda :-) I'm curious - which subject in particular is bothering you?

[Linda R,]

children in jeapardy . but I got past that section and i'm into 30 percent now. it's still scarey but its so good at the same time.

[K.L.]

Linda R, wrote: "children in jeapardy . but I got past that section and i'm into 30 percent now. it's still scarey but its so good at the same time."

children in danger is always a great way to up the stacks and tension of a story

[Linda R,]

I don"t like to torture myself. If something is a terrible experience I don't put myself through it. Reading is a recreational activity. But althought Koontz unnerves me in the end he is optomistic and I enjoy his ride. I trust him, where I might say Stephen King, I don"t. I'm still reading Lightning at 46 percent.

[Linda R,]

Happy New Year.

[Linda R,]

I like Koontz criticism of pacifism. Laura tells Chris " never start violence but you defend your friends and family. He has a good middle ground.

[K.L.]

Linda R, wrote: "I don"t like to torture myself. If something is a terrible experience I don't put myself through it. Reading is a recreational activity. But althought Koontz unnerves me in the end he is optomistic..."

well you are definitely right in that King doesn't shy away disturbing endings. Pet Sematary jumps instantly to mind. And indeed I understand what you mean about reading strictly for pleasure. The wonderful thing is that there are so many books out there if one isn't clicking with you or is making you uncomfortable there are always plenty of other options.

[Linda R,]

exactly

[Linda R,]

On the quiz, I got the first question wrong. Boo. Fun quiz though. This was a great book. My copy had an afterword by Koontz in which he lists his 5 most popular books: Watchers, Fear Nothing and Seize the Night, From the Corner of His Eye, and Lightening. We should pick one of those 4 to be a monthly reread. Maybe.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Linda R, wrote: "My copy had an afterword by Koontz in which he lists his 5 most popular books: Watchers, Fear Nothing and Seize the Night, From the Corner of His Eye, and Lightening. We should pick one of those 4 to be a monthly reread. Maybe. "

Thanks for the suggestion Linda :-) I will look into adding some of them to the monthly group read poll if they haven't been featured in a while.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

K.L. wrote: "well you are definitely right in that King doesn't shy away disturbing endings. Pet Sematary jumps instantly to mind."

I'm thinking of re-reading Pet Sematary in preparation for the upcoming film.

[K.L.]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "K.L. wrote: "well you are definitely right in that King doesn't shy away disturbing endings. Pet Sematary jumps instantly to mind."

I'm thinking of re-reading Pet Sematary in prepa..."


I re-read it over the summer. I have to say the trailer for the movie left me rather indifferent. I'm sure I'll end up seeing it, but that trailer didn't get me all that excited.