Lightning

by Dean R. Koontz, Unknown Author

Unknown Binding

About the author

Librarian's Note: This author writes under the name Dean R. Koontz and Dean Koontz. As both names appear on his works, both should be kept.

Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.

Known Pseudonyms:
Leigh Nichols,
Brian Coffey,
David Axton,
Owen West,
Deanna Dwyer
Aaron Wolfe.
K.R. Dwyer
John Hill
Richard Paige
Anthony North

Reviews

[Betty]

“Some books find you at the exact right moment, and their sense of place in our memory is almost more important than their contents.”

I find this quote describes how i feel about rereading Lightening as a middle aged person versus the very young adult I was when I first read it.

This one is from my bookshelf AND for book club, and I was so excited to read it again. When I first read this book in the late ‘80’s, I really loved it. The Terminator movie was released in 1984, and it really made an impact on me. The visuals, the tone, the relentless and inhuman monster that cant be reasoned with, feels nothing, and wont stop. And my favorite part: the love story. I absolutely loved Sarah and Reese. (It helped a whole lot that Michael Biehn was gorgeous in the early ‘80’s.)
So finding a story that rather closely mirrored the movie was amazing. I thought Stefan was just like Reese traveling through time to save the woman he loves; Laura was another Sarah Connor learning to defend herself against seemingly insurmountable odds, and the precocious Chris was an easy fit as John Connor. It worked for me, and I have recommended this book for decades as a great story.
Imagine my surprise to read it again and find that it was just okay.
The story is interesting and well written. It’s a time travel plot, so there are lots of places where the protagonist is time jumping to alter a future event, and I got a little lost in the weeds. Even one of the characters admitted she couldn’t keep it straight.
But in general the plot really moves, and Koontz can definitely execute this type of story. He knows exactly when to interrupt the action and jump to another character’s POV without destroying the flow or pacing of the story.
It’s good. Really. It’s just not as good as I remember.
The love that Stefan feels for Laura is extraordinary but happens too fast. He sees her once, reads her book, and wham! Instant, world altering love. For that matter Danny’s instant—almost creepy— love was the same. His character (which I had completely forgotten about) came out of nowhere; head over heels in love with Laura. His love springs forth , fully formed even before Laura or the reader has a chance to know him. He becomes a loving husband to her, but, boy did he get off to a shaky start.
I get that Laura is beautiful beyond the norm, and she is beautiful on the inside, and extremely talented, and can gift the world with the beauty of her prose..she’s amazing. But it’s a stretch that every man that sees this woman wants her. Either because he falls instantly and irrevocably in love or because he wants to violently possess her. It’s too much.

Whether because I’m old now, and I prefer love to be based on friendship, long acquaintance, and mutual growth, or because I have a lower tolerance for characters that are unrealistic, I find that I don’t have the same high regard for this book as I used to.
It’s still a good story, but not what I remember.

I guess some books hold a certain place in our memories that have more to do with how we were when we read them than the book itself.
3 stars

Edited to add- this review seems overly harsh. I read this book in one day, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if it was not enjoyable. It’s a good read. I just didn’t like it as much as I was expecting to.

[Martin Egholm]

This is my first Koontz book in decades. It's well written and has some interesting twists here and there - but too late and too little.
I would rather recommend reading Stephen King's 22.11.63. It's a very similar concept, but a much better story. Try both and see for yourself...

[Lori]

I read A LOT of books. This is a favorite. I rarely read books more than once, but I re-read this book often. HIGHLY recommend.

[Rita Indrebo]

This was a paperback with a different cover.

[David J.]

My first and all-time favorite Koontz book. Can’t wait to read it again.