Lightning

An amazing book. Dean Koontz shows off his formidable skills as a story teller.

My Mom let me read this book (after she read it first) when I was twelve years old. This was back in '89. I've been, like a lot of people who've reviewed this book, a loyal Dean Koontz reader ever since. For sentimental reasons, because this was my first book of his, it still ranks as my favorite. This story has everything. Dean Koontz created characters that have endured over all the years. I can still recite the cast and lines from memory after all this time. Mostly because I've re-read it dozens of times, literally. This period of time, for me, represents Dean Koontz best writing. I'm still loyal after all these years and I still read all of his new books as soon as they come out. However, his novels from the 80's and early 90's are the ones I always go back to when I'm looking to pass the time with a good book. They are as comfortable as being around a good friend. Lightning started it all for me. Thank you Dean Koontz.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Fascinating!

This book is an all-nighter, thoroughly engaging, enchanting, riveting, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and heart-racing. This one keeps you guessing throughout with many unexpected surprises and witty humor.

Koontz is dealing with the here and now, on the border between real and science-fiction. Some of his concepts are not easy to grasp but the powerful, enticing and mind-boggling suspense will keep your eyes glued to the pages.

This is a clever story of time travel and romance, of a German scientist in WWII, who has, along with his comrades, perfected time travel in order to see who will win the war. It starts with a flash of lightning, where a doctor, overly indulging his intake of scotch, receives a phone call from the hospital, informing him that a baby is ready to be delivered. The intoxicated doctor is grabbed by a handsome stranger and is tied up to prevent him from arriving at the hospital. Laura is born successfully but loses her mother.
Years later, lightning flashes again where the reader meets a young Laura and her father who run a small convenience store, being held at gunpoint by a robber. Suddenly, the same handsome stranger appears and saves the day. Hmmmmm! Sound interesting?

The evil of Man, and what Man is capable of is frightening. This story is gripping and action-packed; the characters are believable and engaging; there is love, passion and dedication. Thoroughly entertaining!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

My first Dean Koontz novel

This was my first Dean Koontz novel that I ever read. My brother had read it before me and when I read it, I labeled it as my favorite and still do. To anyone who had never read Dean Koontz's novels before, this is the first one I reccommend right away. The feelings it extracts from its readers is phenomenal - my eyes have welled up at parts, a smile presides at others. An anger with the need for the justice for Laura Shane's hard life is forever present as she takes one hit after another. The way Stephan helps her through the course of the book is genuinely heartfelt and you can't help but love the man for it. I've read Lightning many times and I never get tired of it. It's a great place to start and it will hook you in right away.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great book; clever story

I've been a Dean Koontz fan for many years, after an older brother told me that Koontz was his favorite mystery/suspense/sci fi author, and lent me a few of his paperbacks. I now own and have read practically everything Dean Koontz has written, and I can't name a book by him I didn't enjoy. In my opinion, his strength is more in how he begins (rather than ends) a story, capturing the reader quickly & completely with vivid descriptions of people and events that put you in the midst of the action. Koontz does come on strong with "Good vs. Evil" in many endings, but this doesn't alter my ranking of him as #1 in his genre. And of the few dozen Koontz books, "Lightning" may be the best story of all. I'm not the type who rereads books, but with his "Lightning" novel, every few years I feel the urge to read it again....if only I could find it in hardcover.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

My First Koonz Book

The description on the box said science fiction. The first quarter of the book was character development. Every guy was portrayed as a potential sexual predator. I was beginning to think this was a 'chick flick' type of story and I almost gave up on the book. Then the scifi part kicked in and the story got better and really interesting. The hints in the early part of the book were explained in segments. Just when you think things get explained, more information is added that moves the story in unexpected directions. I'll try another Koonz book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome!!!

Lightning is an unbelievably good book! I couldn't believe how fast I read that one. I stayed up well into the morning to keep on reading, and I have to say that Lightning is definitely one of the better Dean Koontz books--even though each and every one of them are out of this world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of his best Yet!

I have been an avid fan of Koontz for the past few months when my mom introduced Lightning. At first, I couldn't wait to toss it by looking at the back, but once I got into the book, it wasn't one I could put down. I took it to school with me as much as I could, and got caught several times reading it. I stayed up late hours with a flashlight reading it, and got in trouble. When I finished it, I couldn't wait to move onto the next Koontz book. I have read his others, and they would also recieve some of the top scores. Keep up the good work Dean Koontz!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

When I was in my mid teen years my grandmother had a book on her coffie table. I picked it up and asked if I could read it cause I was bored being at my grandparents lol. I was never a big fan of reading except for the sweet Valley High series. The book she had was The Mask by Dean R. Koontz. After reading that one which I actually loved (surprise to me) I checked to see if the school library had any Koontz books and that is where I found Lightning. Since then I have read the book many times. One of the few books I can read over and over again, plus I now have read many other of his books but Lightning, Shadowfires and Door to December are my favs. Especially lighning. Best thing is unlike S. King, Koontz tells about the character as the story is progressing. No boring first few chapters when it comes to Koontz. It is a page tuner from chapter one.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

awesome!!!!

Lightening Is a sci-fi thriller that is one for the record books. It is the story of a German scientist in WWII, who has, along with his comrades, perfected time travel. So he and several others make many jaunts into the future, to see who will win the war. Stefan, however, is a traitor. He hates Hitler with a passion. On one of his travels, he sees a crippled author. So he begins to make several jaunts into her past, so that he can save her. Soon, he is discovered. SS man are sent after the girl and Stefan. This is a great book that combines thrills with suspense. The plot is thick, and secritive. By the end of the book, you fell like you personally know the characters. I would recommend this book to all sci-fi and thriller readers. This is one of Koontz's best books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great read

Enjoyed. Very entertaining.

Amber to everyone

Whats going on? I cant post at camp.....can we move camp locations

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I like this book a lot: Lightning, by Dean Koontz. A girl is res

I like this book a lot: Lightning, by Dean Koontz. A girl is rescued by a stranger whenever she is in danger. One day the stranger shows up on her porch unconscious and in desperate need of her help. There's a cool twist about who he is and where he comes from. This is very suspenseful and imaginative, it draws you in right at the start and never lets go. All the characters are written well, from Laura's beloved father, to her husband Danny and son Chris, to best friend Thelma, to the mysterious stranger, that we just end up loving them all. The action is tight and involving, the poignant moments of girlhood and life-long friendship and love are touching and the ending is satisfying. Koontz has not done anything before or since as well as he does this book. A completely entertaining and exciting read, you won't want to put it down until you're done.

Big disappointment

Forced myself to finish thid

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great book

Dean Koontz always delivers a great book and a wonderful read.

Good but not his best.

This book starts off slow and doesn't pick up until about halfway through. It is a good book but definitely not one of my favorites written by Koontz.

Mossfur

Nightkit? Whos that?... thats not me. But halokit is. Im not rp as nightkit. Cause its not me. Sry. -mossfur and halokit

Eh...

I haven't read many Koontz books, but so far from what I've read they've not been as good as I thought they would be. First I read the Taking, which I'll admit was interesting, but seemed to stall half way through. Next I read the Husband, which I liked a lot. I tried to read "In the Light of the Moon" after that, but found that after about 70 pages I was bored out of my mind, and I just couldn't find the spirit to finish it (And usually I don't mind boring reads). So after quitting that book I decided to give one of his older books a try. I heard great praise for this one, people called it his best. So naturally when I saw it for a dollar at a garage sale I picked it up. The first 200 pages were awesome. They told the tragic story of Lauras life, the characters were vivid and believable, and they were mysterious, you wanted to read on, you wanted to find out why the "angel" had picked Laura in the first place (BY THE WAY, SPOILER'S AHEAD!!!!!!!!)When Koontz described Lauras father you knew he was a kind loving man, when he wrote of the orphanage and the eel you were disgusted, you grew attached to the character. The height of the goodness of the book was when Laura married the awkward Danny, you could really sense love there, it was smart and clever. (AGAIN, SPOILERS!!!!) But when Danny died it all went down hill from there. Perhaps by the 250th page the book is nothing but shoot-outs and complicated time travel jargon from there on. As soon as Danny dies, Koontz seems to take the heart and wonder out of the story, turning it into nothing more but a shoot-out piece of fiction. And the secret to Laura and her importance with Stefan? Absolutely nothing, It turns out that Stefan is just a time traveler (from Nazi Germany of all places)who, when jaunted back in time, encountered Laura signing her books in a store, and fell in love. That was probably the biggest upset of the book itself, how Laura had no destiny (Unless you count as helping kill the nazis as destiny, which Stefan did the most of anyways.) In the first could hundred pages you feel like she's mystic, important in the future of the world, but really she wasn't. After the 200 pages it all turns into a big overwinded bore-fest, and I never thought a shoot out could be boring, but Koontz makes it that way. What I've found with the other books by him which I've read (which isn't enough to givve up on him entirely) is that he can very easily get bogged down in the details, instead of keeping it simple, he tells everything, the type of plants at the sight, the temperature, everything (By the end of this book I was so tired of hearing about plants and the desert). Instead of concentrating on the story alone, Koontz seems to try and squeeze every little detail out of everything, in the end the action is very minimal, but is described in way to much detail. The thoughtfullness and care for the characters were totally abandoned after the infamous apex of the book. Characters that I used to like seemed cardboard to me. The whole time travel thing seemed worn out, and the loopwholes in his explanation of it were huge (That of course is common in all time travel literature, but was ridiculous in this particular case). But there were good things about the book, besides the first two hundred pages (after the overblown action sequence occupying most of the middle) the rest of the book wasn't terrible. The last thirty pages are okay, the ending is a happy one.

Irisleaf

* sees Darkness taking the kits and snarls, running faster than a WindClan cat up to Darkness * You put those kits down and leave, or I'll fight you! * flexes claws and muscles, getting ready to attack *

Shimmerpaw

Do you want to join SnowClan?

Its ok

Kintpelt the med cat is there right now