The House of Thunder Review

The House of Thunder

Published: 1982

Author: Dean Koontz (Written as Leigh Nichols)

Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Literary, Literature, Psychological, Suspense, Thriller

Check the summary of this book here:

The House of Thunder Summary

The Review

The House of Thunder is a novel written by best-selling novelist Dean Koontz that was first published under the pen name Leigh Nichols. Few authors write as well as Dean Koontz and Stephen King about unexplained supernatural phenomena. These novels are so well-written and convincing that you almost believe there must be some element of reality in what the author wrote, and you wonder whether he has ever encountered similar occurrences in his personal life or the lives of individuals he knows.

I just forgot about it the first time I purchased it, and I've had this book on my shelf for years and hadn't gotten around to reading it until I realized I hadn't. Yes, it may happen to many avid readers who buy books in bulk, and sometimes a book by a renowned author is pushed to the back or overlooked, as happened with this book. But, at the very least, I was gripped from the start and thoroughly loved every minute of this psychological thriller.

There are some passages of this book that will make your mouth dry and your spine coil with anxiety, and these parts are enough to earn this book excellent marks and recommendations. 

A well-executed film can get a large number of admirers, but I found no film adaptation of this book, or I missed it, and I would be grateful if anybody knows and tells me anything about this issue, since there is no film adaptation of this book to my knowledge.

A gripping story with several twists and turns. When the final storyline is revealed, it is far from what was anticipated. To avoid giving away the ending, suffice it to say it is rather shocking. Dean Koontz is at his best, and the reason he is regarded as a great storyteller.

This novel has some surprising twists and turns. I mean, seriously messed up!! You'll notice things that aren't quite right as you read, but you'll never guess who the evil person is.

If you're seeking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and won't let you put it down. That's what it is!

From start to finish, this is a non-stop thriller. Dean Koontz has created another masterpiece.

Even having a juvenile style, the author's work is effective. A fantastic story! Koontz at his very best! The plot flows well and quickly, keeping you flipping pages late into the night! Author's previous tale-telling is exemplified here.

This may be a tremendous delight for Koontz fans and even people who have never heard of him if that's even conceivable. This is one of his older works, which I like; his glory days in tale world were something to savor. 

When things start to emerge in The House of Thunder, I adore how it truly screws with the reader's psyche. I read this story many years ago and it becomes great and spooky and brings in the thrills. I still remember this story warmly, even after so many years, and I just listened to the audio version; perhaps I'll read it again sometime, but not soon.

I've always enjoyed Dean Koontz's books, and it's possible that I've grown accustomed to his wonderful descriptive writing style and riveting "impossible to put down" tension. 

However, I was underwhelmed with The House Of Thunder until I realized that Koontz had initially released it in 1982 under the pen name Leigh Nichols. So, while it is still a decent read for one of his earlier works, I would want to see him rewrite it with his more mature writing style all these years later.

This is a scary narrative, a proper thriller that builds gradually to create suspense and impact. I appreciated how nothing was obvious, even to me as an avid reader; the author kept me wondering until the very end.

Now, I wasn't a big lover of the conclusion, but that's just my opinion and has nothing to do with how the narrative was written or anything. I planned the tale to continue on the same path, but it altered, which some may like and some will dislike. I didn't care for it, but I can understand why others might.

I've always enjoyed stories that are completed with a big 'twist.' This one just blew my mind. I really recommend that everyone read this one.

Final Thoughts

I can't believe I overlooked this earlier Dean Koontz novel! However, it still reads quite nicely. I've revisited a number of his other novels from the 1980s, and they're much more antiquated now that he gets so technical in his writing. This one, on the other hand, had me wondering till the very end! Excellent.

It took a moment to get into the book, and it appears like Koontz had a page restriction or something on this one since he completed it so quickly, despite the fact that it is not a small book, and I remembered The Mask because this book gave me the same feeling when I finished reading it. 

In a nutshell, I thought it was too short. I won't give anything away, but if you've read Koontz's Key to Midnight, you'll notice numerous parallels to this work.

I loved it and would suggest it to lovers of Dean Koontz. This one appealed to me since it is a true story.

This is a sleep dunker, something I read all night and continued reading the next day in a foggy vision because I was exhausted but happy and reworking the tale in my brain. So, if you want to remain up till 3 a.m., go ahead.

You're continuously trying to figure out what's going on and, if she isn't insane, who is behind it. Of course, I'm not going to ruin the surprise by revealing anything. 

That being said, I can honestly say that I did not anticipate the perpetrator to be who he was. I was hesitant at first because the first paragraph directly beneath "Chapter 1" was "The year was 1980 - an ancient period, so long ago and far away...", but I can honestly say that I liked the book and hope that anybody who enjoys thrillers and mysteries does as well!

Would I suggest The House Of Thunder? Yes, but not to introduce you to Koontz. It's an excellent novel with some great scary moments. 

I suggest it to long-time Koontz fans. It was nice to have only one character's point of view and a less detailed description, like in The Voice Of The Night.

Synopsis

“In a cavern called The House of Thunder, Susan Thornton watched in terror as her lover died a brutal death in a college hazing. And in the following four years, the four young men who participated in that grim fraternity rite likewise died violently. Or did they?

Twelve years later, Susan wakes in a hospital bed. Apparently involved in a fatal accident, she is suffering from amnesia. She does't remember who she is or why she is there. All she knows is that her convalescence is unfolding into a fearful nightmare - and that the faces that surround her, pretending loving care, are those of the four men involved in that murder years ago.

Have the dead come back to life? Or has Susan plunged into the abyss of madness? With the help of her neuro-surgeon, Susan desperately clings to her sanity while fighting to uncover who or what could be stalking her.”

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Car Accident, Cold War, Ever Read, Leigh Nichols, Susan Thornton, Susan Thorton, Twists And Turns, Wakes Up In A Hospital, Years Ago

Rating: 85/100

Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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The Mask Review

The Mask

Published: 1981

Author: Dean Koontz (Written as Owen West)

Genre: American, Family Life, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Literature, Romance, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Check the summary of this book here:

The Mask Summary

The Review

Dean Koontz's suspense masterpiece The Mask was first published in 1981 under the pen name Owen West. Later, Koontz re-released the work under his own name. It's a fantastic book, a very fascinating Koontz story. My only criticism is the sudden finish. I wish there was a bit more resolution to the plot, but I enjoyed it! As much as I appreciated this narrative, it left me wanting more. It's the third novel I've read by Koontz that has left me wanting more. I believe this is due to the fact that it is one of his earliest works; I know his subsequent books had much better endings. So Koontz, like a fine wine, improves with age! 

I'm a great Dean Koontz fan, and this was yet another one of my faves. It was fantastic, but as I mentioned before, it feels too short, even if it isn't.

The main reason many of my reader friends didn't enjoy this book was the sudden ending and the way it felt a little short even though it wasn't, so it lost a few points. I was left hanging at the conclusion. The ending of this novel both shocked and saddened me. This question keeps circling in my mind. The query is. What transpired? I require a satisfactory response.

The book, on the other hand, was well-written and engaging. I'd even say the book is a page-turner. Perhaps I overlooked an essential topic in the book? But I'm not sure I did. It does not imply that the book or plot is poor; it is simply these sensations that occur when a book is wonderful and you do not want it to end. 

I definitely recommend that you read the work. Perhaps you will have a greater comprehension of the book's finish than I did, and it reminded me of Stephen King since he is another author who creates endings that leave readers wondering what is going on but are nonetheless fantastic in any case.

It was exhilarating. You had no idea what would happen next. It was a story that unfolded throughout the entire story. You were kept on your toes. Koontz pulls you from the first few pages and takes you through every twist and turn!

I don't think I've ever been let down by one of his books, and this one kept me on the tip of my seat. I didn't want it to end!!! 

The plot twists may be seen by experienced and ardent readers from a distance, and you can detect a young writer authoring this book yet a decent narrative than today's page upon page fillers that signify basically nothing and the plot and storylines are just about a page long in reality.

When I first read it when I was very young, I thought it was the best book ever. As an adult, I found it less spectacular, but still pleasant. This is something I've seen in a lot of novels, and it's because maturity alters our way of thinking and how we view or perceive things.

I read this in its first printing, as published under the pen name Owen West; I'm re-reading or listening to the audio of all of Koontz's works as I add them to my electronic collection, and I'm seeing a few differences, but not by much.

Spellbinding and enticing. Character growth is excellent. Some fans may believe it was not written by Dean Koontz, but it was. The only reason it appears different is that it is an early work by him, and you may see the author in it if you read more of his early works. 

The tense sections of the book were very enjoyable to me. Both the pursuit and the hunting scenes were wonderfully done. I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what happened to the characters. I also liked much of the dialogue, but parts of it felt phony. However, given that the novel was published in 1981, this is reasonable.

I won't go into too much information about the plot because it's a well-written mystery thriller. You should be able to piece together the final conclusion using the clues they offer approximately halfway through. Which you'll probably appreciate if you like supernatural aspects. 

To say the finale is short, fast, and, to be honest, a little weak for some readers. It takes some time to fit the parts together... at least it did for me, which made it even better!

I've read practically all of Dean Koontz's works, and he never runs out of compelling plot lines that are easy to follow. His characters are usually engaging and well-developed to the point that you nearly feel like you know them. 

Many of his remarks are witty social or political observations. The most difficult aspect of this book was putting it down. Thank you again, Mr. Koontz, for making my life a bit brighter.

Final Thoughts

Do not read this one if this is your first time reading Koontz!! You could wind up terminating one of the best writers around! The majority of his novels are amazing! But not this one!!!! But only if it is your first novel by him, so start with another novel or a series that I can recommend to you is the Odd Thomas series, but I am sure it will spoil you and make you want to read every book by him.

Before this, I was already a great admirer of Koontz, and after reading The Mask, I was hooked by his stories and have read practically all of his books, which my friends and I shared. 

I adore the sense of being unable to put the book down, of wanting to know what happens next, and then, at the conclusion, of being disappointed that the book is finished because it was so excellent. That's how I've felt about all of Dean Koontz's works, with the Odd Thomas series being my favorite. He is a fantastic storyteller, and I had a great time re-reading one of the first books of his that I had read years ago. I can't wait to read more!

It maintains your interest and keeps you guessing. The idea had a lot of potentials, and I believe the author was planning a sequel but later decided against it, but that is just my opinion, and I truly wish he had written another one relating to this narrative.

In a nutshell, it was the usual fascinating Dean Koontz novel; full of thrills and twists around every corner, with a surprising ending that may enrage readers or even transform them into professors if they give it more consideration than I did, but I am still not finished with my final decision on this topic.

Simply recommended but not if you are a first time reader of Dean Koontz.

Synopsis

“Jane is a very good girl. But #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz shows that appearances can be deceiving—in a deadly way...

She appears out of nowhere, a beautiful teenage girl in the middle of traffic on a busy day. Paul and Carol Tracy are drawn to her—she's the child they never thought they could have. But then Carol's nightmares begin—the ghastly sounds in the night...the bloody face in the mirror...the razor-sharp ax.

Jane can't remember her past. And as Carol attempts to help her uncover who she was, she has no idea of the horrors that await...”

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Best Work, Character Development, Ever Read, Favorite Authors, Feel Like, Good Book, Great Read, Koontz Books, Loose Ends, Love Dean, Supernatural Elements

Rating: 85/100

Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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The Eyes of Darkness Review

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 Eyes of Darkness Summary

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.

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