The House of Thunder (Group Read - August 2013)

[Becky]

I've just read this one, and I thought that it was pretty good, but not great.

Anyone else read it? Care to discuss?

[Jaice]

I'll be getting to this one in the next couple months probably. I know Mac really enjoyed it, so I refer you to his review and hope he will post something here.

[Becky]

I know... I've already read his review. I posted in the hopes that we could get some discussion going.

I liked the story quite a bit, but it did seem rather dated, and I couldn't really get my head around the romance aspect, but other than that, it was pretty good. :)

[Becky]

Here's my review:

It's been quite a while since I've read anything by Dean Koontz, and I figured that it was about time to give him another go. This is one of his older books. That makes me feel old, actually, to say that, as it was published the same year I was born, but, it's true.

One of my favorite things about Dean Koontz is that he's able to keep me on my toes. He doesn't write the best dialogue, or write the best characters, but his stories are always twisty, and never end up where I think they're going.

House of Thunder was no different. I had many theories, several of them quite good (and maybe even better than what actually happened, if I do say so myself), but they were all wrong. The ending was actually pretty good, if a little dated, and it certainly felt plausible. But, I wish that there was just a little more background information given. There were so many strings out there, and so many loose ends that were all wrapped up in just a few pages, that I wish that there was just a little more information given to back up the abrupt resolution. Even with that missing, it was good, but it could have been great.

One thing that really did strike me as odd though, was the romance aspect of the story. Susan, the main character, awakes from a coma, and within a few days is 'in love' with her doctor, Dr. McGee. And then when things start getting crazy, and she begins to suspect that things are not what they seem, she is massively hurt that he could have betrayed her. In just a few days. I just couldn't really get my head around that one. Susan is described as being very much in control of herself and her life and as much of her environment as possible, so I really couldn't see how she could fall for someone so quickly and then be so hurt by her fears in such a short amount of time. It just didn't jive with me, and seemed like it was more of an addition to explain later events than any real attraction...

All in all, this was a pretty good story. I was never really sure what was going on, and it was very nightmarish and surreal, which is a plus. A quick read if you're looking for something to occupy a little bit of time. :)

[Maciek]

Koontz's characters are usually cardboards with "GOOD" and "BAD" signs over their heads. His dialogue is very often rather bad, sometimes ridiculously bad, and his romance is always forced and cheesy, like it was taken straight from a Harelequin novel. He's also forcing his worldview, especially about Hollywood and guns on the reader so much it's silly. There are, of course, exceptions from this - books such as The Voice of The Night, but most of the times when you open a Dean Koontz book you know you're going to read about a person who faces an "unimaginable evil", there propably will be a dog or a disabled person or a child prodigy, there will be a chase, the protagonist will meet the female lead with whom he will fall in love, the unimaginable evill will be defeated and our heroes will both ride off into the sun and live happily ever after.

However, two things rescue these books from total mediocrity.
First - The plot. The man has a wild brain and is (or was) able to think up an exciting plot - which is his greatest strenght as a writer - and simply make the reader turn the page to see what happens next, and even make him igonore his inability to create realistic and compelling character who talk like real people.
The story in The House of Thunder is a prime example - a woman wakes up in a hospital after an accident, and while she tries to regain her memory and health she discovers that the orderlies look just like her former tormentors, who should long be dead...It sounds exciting, is exciting, and the reader just has to know how she will end up and how the mystery will be explained.

The second thing for which I admire Dean is (or was) his talent for descriptions - his use of visual imagery is stunning. People often complained about the lenght of his descriptions and the amount of attention to detail - but I always liked him exactly for that. He has the skill to masterfully describe the scene, both the nature and the supernatural events in a way that creates a vivid picture in the reader's mind that stays there.

The things I remember most from Koontz's books are particular scenes that were memorable because of this; Lightning, the birth of Laura Shane and the snowstorm; Intensity - a man standing in knee high grass, looking at a victorian house,the sun becoming a big red ball and casting a fiery light on the field that made it look ablaze (one of my favorite scenes by any author;) a lonely highway with Chyna Shephard standing and looking at a police car whose beacon cast red and blue light on the surrounding tall, fir trees; The Hobo in Dragon Tears dissolving into rats and garbage; throbbing phone cord in The Face; Frank Pollard sprawled facedown in an alley in The Bad Place; the eerily downpour and the creeepiness in the beginning of The Taking (which I consider one the best things he ever committed to paper - It was so masterfully paced and described that I got scared (yes yes) and had to stop reading, and couldn't stop thinking about the rain, it's implied meaning and consequence, and what if IT WOULD REALLY HAPPEN. Still have shivers when I think about it).

The House of Thunder was originally published in 1982 under the pen name Leigh Nichols. Purely because of this many consider THOT to be one of his lesser efforts, but I was immediately attracted by the premise and had to know how he will turn out. Koontz didn't disappoint - I think he delivered perfectly well, and it could be sold under his own name even in 1982.
I liked the presentation of Susan's trauma, and the constant doubt she shed on herself and the hospital staff. I liked Koontz's descriptions of her nightmares - the dreams in which she runs among the vast fields of black flowers...as I said this particulars scene has remained in my head, as well Susan's terror when she dreamed about the woman who slept in a bed next to her, who couldn't be seen because of a screen that covered the entire bed, who in her dream wasn't a woman at all...

The romance is of course purely Koonzian, which is a geek's impression of how real people interact and date. His heroes always fall in love and the descriptions of the love itself is sometimes most nerdish (Watchers), however, as I stated, the story is strong and stands of its own. It may be a bit dates, and you won't give Susan or whatshisname a second thought after putting down the book, but you simply have to know what is going on - and that is enough. Plus, it's a book written before he subscribed to Metaphor Monthly and started injecting pseudo-profundity, the revealed truths about life and wordy musings of his characters into his novels.

Sadly, DK seems to want to cut himself off from chillers he used to write and concentrate on writing completely average and forgettable suspense thrillers which contain little of the two things that I admire in his writings. Therefeore I don't care much for his recent efforts, and apparently he still writes and sells like crazy so I don't think he'll be sad if I jump off from his bandwagon.

[Becky]

Maciek, that was VERY well said! :D

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "...His heroes always fall in love and the descriptions of the love itself is sometimes most nerdish..."

Hey, what's wrong with being nerdish?! X-( ;-)

[Maciek]

Nothing. However, anyone who has ever known a real woman cannot possible those romances seriously, since they are boring and slowing down the whole plot. However some people like them just for what they are - an idealized and extremely simplified version of life, where a handsome, muscular and intelligent man meets a beautiful and always willing woman who practically jumps at him.
I don't recall ever reading a Koontz book with a male lead who would be over fifty, obese, without gun skills, and would just completely average and by no means special.
His struggle against evil, without the fit, the wit and the hit would be much more interesting than reading about an ex-commando who rescues a beatiful, reclusive damsels from the paws of the dangerous, genetically enginered insane and magnificent baboon.

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "Nothing. However, anyone who has ever known a real woman cannot possible those romances seriously, since they are boring and slowing down the whole plot...."

I was speaking in general, not about romance specifically...not to mention joking. :-P

[Maciek]

I know, but I just couldn't resist a chance to bash some more - you know me.

[Becky]

Hehe... Rebel.

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "I know, but I just couldn't resist a chance to bash some more - you know me."

Yes, I figured that, you misanthrope. ;-)

[Jaice]

I read this one a couple weeks ago and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I had predicted the surprise early on as one of several possibilities, but did not know it for certain until shortly before the reveal. It seemed to be the basis for some of the major components of False Memory and Strangers. ***Spoilers*** This is due to the brainwashing component of the three novels. One thing I found very unrealistic is that the Soviets would leave the 2 impostors alone on the boat with the captives. They had to have know that, given McGee's training, there was a chance he would escape and disable the impostors. If the impostors were so important to the success of their plans, then the Soviets would have left nothing to chance. It also seems unlikely that the Soviets could alter 4 men enough to make their physical appearance, mannerisms, and vocals indistinguishable from those of the original 4 villains.

[Maciek]

I found it to be exceptionally suspenseful. I agree with your arguments though; but it's a Koontz book, and they're all unrealistic to some degree or another. You should try Icebound - that's another book of his that doesn't receive half the recognition it deserves.

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "I found it to be exceptionally suspenseful. I agree with your arguments though; but it's a Koontz book, and they're all unrealistic to some degree or another. You should try Icebound - that's anoth..."

Hmm, I have only ever heard negative things about Icebound, even from Koontz himself, if I'm not mistaken. But I will get to it eventually, of course. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Maciek]

I found Icebound to be an exceptionally well written thriller in the vein of Maclean. He managed to capture the arctic atmosphere and the deadly race with time extremely well IMHO. Can you provide some source on Koontz's negative comments about this book ? I know I'm in the minority in this one, but I didn't think that the man himself might dislike it; after all, it is an extensive rewrite of "Prison of Ice" from 1976 - I don't think he would do all this hard work for a book he considered bad in any way. After all, he has a number of books which he deliberately left out of print.

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "I found Icebound to be an exceptionally well written thriller in the vein of Maclean. He managed to capture the arctic atmosphere and the deadly race with time extremely well IMHO. Can you provide ..."

I don't recall where I heard that and I might even be mistaken about having heard it at all. It would seem odd that he would put so much effort into something he considered to be terrible.

[Maciek]

You mght want to try it then - you can check out Amazon and read the sample pages. I always do that if I'm not sure about reading a book. :)

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "You mght want to try it then - you can check out Amazon and read the sample pages. I always do that if I'm not sure about reading a book. :)"

Oh, I will definitely try it eventually. I don't think it is in audio format yet, so it will have to wait until I've exhausted the Koontz books that are or until it come out on audio.

[Maciek]

It is on audio. In fact, there are two versions - one abridged by Koontz himself (approx. 6 hours) and the unabridged one. Both have different narrators. The unabridged is availible in propably every audiobook store - the abridged was released in the 90's on casette so it might be hard to get, but I'm sure you'll prefer the full version.

[Jaice]

Maciek wrote: "It is on audio. In fact, there are two versions - one abridged by Koontz himself (approx. 6 hours) and the unabridged one. Both have different narrators. The unabridged is availible in propably eve..."

I never do abridged versions of anything and consider it a sin to do so. It turns out that the audiobook is already in my Audible wish list, so I will probably get to it some time this summer. :-)

[Monnie]

This one is an enjoyable read but of course not very realistic. I thought the scenes in the hospital were pretty chilling though. This book is one of my under dog favorites by Koontz.

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

I haven't read this one yet, but hope to soon. Maybe it'll be a chosen as a group read in the future. Thanks to Becky for starting this thread & giving another Dean Koontz book a try. :-) I had to take a break from Koontz after Your Heart Belongs to Me and I can only read a couple of Koontz books back to back before I have to mix it up with another author, so I understand. This thread was started in April. I don't know why I didn't notice it before now - guess I haven't been checking the group home page very often - just following existing discussions. whoops.


The House of Thunder by Dean Koontz

[Jaice]

Dustin Crazy wrote: "...This thread was started in April. I don't know why I didn't notice it before now - guess I haven't been checking the group home page very often - just following existing discussions. whoops...."

Yes, in April of...2010.

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

Oh. I thought it was 2011 - Okay, so I must've saw this one last year but had nothing to comment at the time :-) Monnie's recent comment made it a current topic. How funny. I am so crazy!

[Maciek]

Dustin yo crazy! This Secret book you're holding made you stop noticing threads.

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

Maciek wrote: "Dustin yo crazy! This Secret book you're holding made you stop noticing threads."

I'm reading The Power now :-) I think I will watch the Secret DVD again today too.

btw. I've decided to give up my third job that The Secret brought to me last month I wouldn't mind having three jobs but this shoe store job isn't as fun as I thought it would be. I'm sticking with my full-time grocery store job and my part-time job at the movie theater. I've decided two jobs is enough. I decided this while watching The Tree of Life movie because that movie gives you lots of time to think with it covering a time frame spanning from the creation of Earth (including dinosaurs)up to Sean Penn's current life in the city with very little dialogue. The Tree of Life was a beautiful film and thought provoking and I kept thinking why the Hell am I working at that shoe store? My last day there will be July 9th. They need lots of time to find a replacement able to perform the job which includes taking boxes of shoes out of a bigger box and putting the shoes on a shelf. Employees must also keep store tidy and talk to customers. Unfortunately, all applicants thus far have been unable to perform the necessary tasks. Maybe I will get another tattoo today before going to work at the shoe store. If I don't get another tattoo today I think I'll surely get one tomorrow after I work at the grocery store and then go to the dentist - I rather enjoy pain so I think a tattoo would be the perfect ending to a perfect day. If I don't get a tattoo today than at least I will go watch Mr. Popper's Penguins for free. I am currently listening to my new Owl City CD. I love anything to do with owls. If you search goodreads for "Owls" or "Owl" there some great titles :-) btw, I am CraZy!

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

For your enjoyment here is a youtube video of one of Owl City's new songs w/lyrics:
http://youtu.be/dzUegEe1Ej8

http://youtu.be/2tY5RErnakc

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

I discovered Owl City when I watched Legend of the Guardians last fall:
http://youtu.be/ukgvTE3A0Ic

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

Maciek wrote: "Can you provide some source on Koontz's negative comments about this book ? I know I'm in the minority in this one, but I didn't think that the man himself might dislike it; after all, it is an extensive rewrite of "Prison of Ice" from 1976 - I don't think he would do all this hard work for a book he considered bad in any way. After all, he has a number of books which he deliberately left out of print. "

I couldn't get into Icebound. I have tried twice. Someday I may try thrice. Read A NOTE TO THE READER found in the back of ICEBOUND. Dean talks about re-issuing previously out of print works, about updating Prisoner of Ice and how he wrote ICEBOUND as a "homage to Alistair MacLean". Dean then writes:
"I hope you liked Icebound, though I sort of hope you like the new books more. After all, this is the only book of its type I've written, and if readers wanted another, I'd have nothing to offer....."

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

After a bad trip with Icebound, I am now reading & enjoying THE HOUSE OF THUNDER!!!! This is fun :-)



"Like a fly in amber, the room was suspended in silence."

"Without realizing that she was approaching sleep, she stepped over the rim of it and was gone."

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

Wow! No comments in nearly two years! The House of Thunder has been selected as our August 2013 Group Read :-)

[Jen]

I still need to read July's group read, but I'm in for August's! :-)

[Danny]

I know I'm a few days early but I've just started reading The House of Thunder. I'm a few chapters in and I'm already gripped!

[Karen B.]

I haven't had a chance to start re-reading it yet. Have to get myself in gear here and finish what I have started. I still haven't picked up Shattered

[Jen]

I'm waiting for my library to find me a copy of it. Their one copy is missing. :( I put in a purchase/interlibrary-loan request for it, though, so I'm hopeful that I'll get it in August. :)

[Danny]

Alex (Al) wrote: "YES! It's August! I finally have a good excuse to reread this book! Everyone liking it so far?"

I like it so far, I'm pretty far through and still baffled as to what is actually going on :D which is a good thing!

[Jim]

Alex (Al) wrote: "YES! It's August! I finally have a good excuse to reread this book! Everyone liking it so far?"

Finished it over the weekend, some things were just a little campy, not a bad thing, really didn't see the ending coming, at least the way it was written, parts I had a clue about, but it was still a good and fun read.

[Danny]

I just finished it last night. I thought it was great! Didn't expect the ending to be what it was at all. I know why so many people have said that they enjoyed it now :)

[Jen]

I started this yesterday, I think. I'm about halfway through it and enjoying it so far. It's a bit creepy, though. :)

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

Karen B wrote: "I haven't had a chance to start re-reading it yet. Have to get myself in gear here and finish what I have started. I still haven't picked up Shattered"

Yeah I didn't get to Shattered or The House of Thunder. We'll see how I do in September. I really like The House of Thunder though, I can say that from the first and only time I read it.

[Jen]

I totally forgot to come back and update you all on my progress/opinions. Sorry! I've been having health-related problems impacting my ability to keep on top of discussions and other group-related things lately. :(

Anyway, I ended up really liking The House of Thunder. The ending really took me by surprise, and in a good way, even if Susan's behavior at the end was surprising in a not-very-enjoyable and questionable way.

For more details on my thoughts, feel free to check out my review. :)

[Jen]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Yeah I didn't get to Shattered or The House of Thunder. We'll see how I do in September. I really like The House of Thunder though, I can say that from the first and only time I read it. "

I didn't get to Shattered, either, or Your Heart Belongs to Me. I have both of the September books out from the library, just as I had both Shattered and Your Heart, but I'm hoping that having enjoyed August's, I'll actually follow through and read September's. :)