The Eyes of Darkness
Published: 10, May 1981
Author: Dean Koontz (Written as Leigh Nichols)
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Literature, Mystery, Psychological, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review
Dean Koontz's suspense thriller novel The Eyes of Darkness follows a woman on a mission to discover whether her son actually died one year ago, or whether he is still alive. An engaging, exciting, suspenseful tale first published under the alias Leigh Nichols in which 'evil' is vanquished by a mother's love.
I appreciate pure thrillers, suspense, and crime, as well as light read romances, literary classics or otherwise, works that deal with life in general and how people live it, with its challenges, choices, ethical concerns, and so on.
As a result, reading this was ideal for me. It has exactly the right amount of suspense to get my heart racing, but not to the point where my blood pressure rises, which isn't good for anybody. It contains only a smidgeon of romance, and the paranormal element works for me as well.
The story discusses a bioweapon known as Gorki-400 after the Soviet city of Gorki, where it was developed. Because of the Cold War's conclusion, the provenance of the bioweapon was shifted to the Chinese city of Wuhan, and it was dubbed Wuhan-400 for the 1989 edition, forward generating conjecture from some in early 2020 that Koontz had somehow foreseen coronavirus outbreak in 2019 known as COVID-19.
And when I heard about Wuhan and the emergence of a virus called COVID-19, I recalled this book and the virus called Wuhan-400, and then I remembered my own words about some of these great authors, that they must be time travelers or have knowledge of the future.
I kind of read it again because of the allusion to the current pandemic in Wuhan, China, but it isn't quite what social media portrays it to be. I'm happy I read that instead of fretting about Covid-19 since I really loved it.
I identified with the mother's character. The fact that the narrative is about a woman and her child appeals to me. In addition, I like debating conspiracy theories.
As a writer, I aspire to write blockbusters like this one day, if not Little Women or To Kill a Mockingbird.
But, first and foremost, do not expect too much association with the Wuhan Covid virus, or you will be disappointed. Aside from that, the story is jam-packed with tension, a humorous premise, and intriguing paranormal activity.
I liked how the youngster communicated, even though it was a little strange at times. Whereas Tina and Eliott's relationships appeared to be a fad, they hardly had time to be together as a couple since they were partners in the kid's rescue.
The Eyes of Darkness is a reworked version of Koontz's earlier novel. I had never heard of the novel, Leigh Nichols, or Dean Koontz because I was still a child. I came upon Watchers and tried to locate anything else he'd written. Like many others, I became a fan. This is the fifth book he has reprinted under the Nichols name that has been revised and somewhat altered to be more relevant in the twenty-first century, according to him.
It's a real delight. While there were a few stumbling blocks, the plot, heroes, villains, minor characters, locales, and conversation were all engaging without being unduly wordy.
This was the Koontz I knew from the beginning. Not the present fashion of publishing two novels every year. I discovered paragraphs ranging in length from two phrases to a full-page, describing anything from chilly, short winter days to the odors of a small-town restaurant to the evergreens on a snow-capped peak. You feel as though you may have entered the universe that his imagination had constructed for you. You could sense the mother's distress, befuddlement, and eventual rage: she was the Ripley from Aliens before there was an Aliens Ripley.
The Eyes of Darkness is a decent science fiction/thriller novel. It takes place in modern-day Nevada. The language used is contemporary conversational English. It is modest in length.
The second time around, I listened to an audiobook instead of reading the book. I was able to follow much of it; however, I had to re-listen to places when there is a lot of description of the landscape. The narrative is of high quality.
I've read practically all of Dean Koontz's novels, but the most recent ones I've read or listened to are Funhouse, Whispers, The Voice Of The Night, and now The Eyes of Darkness. I liked the first two novels, but they were different in that they contained more brutal crime and abysmal despair. This story is more of a science fiction/thriller novel, and while it is gloomy at points, there are also bright moments and some romance, but they are all fantastic as novels of different genres.
From the first page of The Eyes of Darkness, I was hooked. I was not let down. My only hope is that there was a method to transfer this author's novels from paper to screen while keeping his storylines intact and faithful to his objectives.
According to author Dean Koontz in the afterword of a 2008 paperback edition, television producer Lee Rich bought the rights to the book, as well as The Face of Fear, Darkfall, and a fourth unidentified novel, for a television series based on Koontz's writings.
Ann Powell and Rose Schacht, co-writers of Drug Wars: The Camarena Story, were supposed to write The Eyes of Darkness, but they were never able to provide a satisfactory script. Finally, The Face of Fear is the only one of the four books that has been adapted into a television film.
Final Thoughts
Excellent read - extremely frightening that this was published in 1981 and foreshadowed what is occurring now!
I should clarify that this work was brought to my notice at this time since it mentioned a virus and a specific city, Wuhan, in China. That, I discovered, is only an incremental part of the tale, and while it is a fascinating, and even fantastic, coincidence, it is not really what the story is about. I despise writing anything that may ruin someone else's reading experience. I just mention this in case someone wants to read this article right now for that reason.
This is by far my favorite so far. I can see his growth as an author. Except for the purposes of comparison and contrast, I think the last two books I've read are not on this level even though they are already great masterpieces.
This is a book I strongly recommend. It's a classic Koontz thriller that won't let you down.
Synopsis
“A mother’s greatest wish—or darkest nightmare—comes true in this chilling thriller from the Master of Suspense, Dean Koontz.
“Koontz puts his readers through the emotional wringer.” –The Associated Press
In the year since her son Danny’s tragic death, Tina Evans has suffered incredible heartache. But now, with her Vegas show about to premiere, Tina might be ready to put her grief behind her and start over.
Until a shocking message appears on the chalkboard in Danny's room: NOT DEAD. Those two words send her on a terrifying journey from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the cold shadows of the High Sierras, where she uncovers a terrible secret.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Conspiracy Theories, Good Book, Good Read, Koontz At His Best, Koontz Books, Las Vegas, Leigh Nichols, Odd Thomas, Son Danny, Tina Evans
Rating: 85/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
Free With Free Audible Trial
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Any kind of support, even a simple 'like, thumbs up or a small comment' is enough and helps me grow, create and freely do more stuff and work on projects for the benefit of many.
Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/namsu
Help me grow into a global force: https://www.patreon.com/namsu
Support with crypto coins/tokens: https://cointr.ee/namsu
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
No comments:
Post a Comment