Koontzland - Dean Koontz discussion

Twilight Eyes has been chosen as our September 2011 Group Read. I haven't read this one yet so I'm curious for the carnival setting.


Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz

OMG, I'm SUPER excited this was chosen! Now I just have to hold myself back until September!

Wasn't this book 1st released with a different title under a psuedo author? (Dean Koontz writting as _______)? Or maybe I'm thinking of a different "carnival"story?

Amy S wrote: "Wasn't this book 1st released with a different title under a psuedo author? (Dean Koontz writting as _______)? Or maybe I'm thinking of a different "carnival"story?"

I don't so with Twilight Eyes. There's nothing on the cover, in the copyright information or afterword that mentions originally using a pen name.

Amy S wrote: "Wasn't this book 1st released with a different title under a psuedo author? (Dean Koontz writting as _______)? Or maybe I'm thinking of a different "carnival"story?"

You may have heard about only Part 1 being released originally; later Koontz continued the story and it was published as one book.

I am so excited that this got picked.

Nora wrote: "I am so excited that this got picked."

Me too :-) I haven't read it. Hope it's a good one :-)

Amy S wrote: "Wasn't this book 1st released with a different title under a psuedo author? (Dean Koontz writting as _______)? Or maybe I'm thinking of a different "carnival"story?"

Maybe you're thinking of The Fun House? Dean Koontz was writing as Owen West.

I had to order this one from the library. Surly they will have it in by September. I haven't read it either so I am excited to get started.

Alex wrote: ":O I can't find this book anywhere! My library doesn't have it or any other library around me. I guess I'm going to have to order it from the bookstore if I want to read it...."

I really hate when that happens!!

On the bright side, this book is totally worth it to own. One of the few I actually re-read.

Thanks for that bit of info Masha, may have to look into that.

If you have a Borders Bookstore closing near you, check there, that's where I found mine :-) I am also getting the audiobook of Twilight Eyes through inter library loan :-)

Welcome Shannon, it's great you are here. Dustin Crazy is really good about keeping the Koontz books coming and the threads here are intriguing and exciting!

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Amy S wrote: "Wasn't this book 1st released with a different title under a psuedo author? (Dean Koontz writting as _______)? Or maybe I'm thinking of a different "carnival"story?"

Maybe you're thi..."

You are so right, it is Funhouse I was thinking of. Thanks for catching that for me.

Shannon wrote: "Hi all- Just joined the group a few minutes ago. Thinking about grabbing this one on my Kindle and participating in the reading. I'm on Part 4 of the Frankenstein series this week and plan to hav..."

You should join us for Life Expectancy too - that's our August Group Read and it has clowns. You could have the clowns and then the carnival with all of us - doesn't that sound like a whole lot of fun?

Shannon wrote: "I checked the page count on Amazon and found an old listing at about 260 pages, but a newer edition was over 400 pages long. "

I just don't think page count is a very reliable source. There are so many different editions and sometimes Amazon/Goodreads page counts don't match with each other, let alone the actual book. New afterwords will add more pages and depending on the type chosen etc, but anyway that's beside the point because I'm certain (although I am indeed sometimes wrong) it was FUNHOUSE that Masha was thinking about.

Oh by the way if you can get your hands on a new edition copy with the Afterword, make sure to do so. It explains why TE was never made into a TV series, and it's hilarious, if slightlty depressing.

Good news, Alex!

I got my copy at Amazon for $2.50 it shipped yesterday! Yay!

Hi everyone, my name is Jen & I am new to the group. I just happened to have just bought Twilight Eyes and haven't started it yet. So, I'm ready to jump in!

Welcome Jen. I wish my copy would just get here already. lol

Twilight Eyes was among my first few Koontz reads and remains one of my favorites. It contains what I think is Koontz's best portrayal of an authentic romantic relationship and I became very attached to the 2 main characters during the story. Not only did I enjoy the characters, plot, and settings, but I also enjoyed the scifi explanation given late in the book for the origin of the goblins and those who can see them. I hope all of you who are new to this book will enjoy it as much as I did.

Nora wrote: "I got my copy at Amazon for $2.50 it shipped yesterday! Yay!"

TE arrived today. Yay. Almost tempted to start it now. :) Total cost with shipping was $4.00

Good job Nora!

Shannon wrote: "Finished my last book a bit early and I didn't want to start something else or wait till Thursday, so I have gone ahead and started! And I've already got lots to discuss with everyone... : )"

You don't have to wait until the first of the month to start reading or discussing a group read--you may start anytime you'd like.

ya but i have a feeling that if I start it now, I'll finish it before sept even gets here. lol. Somehow that seems like cheating. lmao, I'm such a goober sometimes. :)

I like how the book starts right away by placing you in a particular time and you immediately know what the tone will be. Some people might say it makes the story "dated" but to me it makes it more powerful.

Never thought of comparing Slim and Odd. Slim seems so much darker as a character.

I can't wait to get this! I can't blame you guys for starting because if my library had it already I would have started, but then again I always start Koontz early.

I need to go find my copy of Twilight Eyes. Its been awhile since I read it and I have only a vague recollection of what it is about. I'm looking forward to reading it again.

As for October's selection, I think that's the book I just loaned my mom and I know she hasn't even started it yet. I'm not sure how she'll feel when I ask for it back. lol

Ciscokid wrote: "...As for October's selection, I think that's the book I just loaned my mom and I know she hasn't even started it yet. I'm not sure how she'll feel when I ask for it back. lol"

I'm not sure what you mean by this. We won't even begin the nominating process for October's group read until tomorrow and the resulting poll will not end until 9/8 to determine a winner.

I am so excited to reread this. I haven't read it in years, but I think it's one of DK's most underrated books. Everyone talks about Watchers and Lightning (which don't get me wrong, is my favorite) but you never really hear anything about TE. Is it September yet?!?!

Just picked up my copy today and I can't wait to get started! I think the carnival setting should be fun! (carnivals are kinda freaky in my view anyway! Lol)

Shannon wrote: "Good reading to all! Welcome to September!"

Hey Shannon, I noticed you were half way through. What do you think?

Hi, I'm new to this group & this is the first book & said 'yes' to for a monthly read in the Koontzland group. This book was already on my to-read list & I'm about 75% through the book already. How does the discussion work? Do we start discussing when everyone has finished? Or is there a half-way through discussion? Thanks :)

Jen wrote: "...How does the discussion work? Do we start discussing when everyone has finished? Or is there a half-way through discussion? Thanks :)"

You may start discussing it any time, Jen, just be sure to use spoiler alerts where appropriate, so as not to spoil the story for those who aren't as far in it. Thanks for joining in!

Thanks :)

This book is a perfect example of what I like about Koontz as a writer. He can take a premise that has been done before, even many times, and make it incredible. When I first started on Twilight Eyes, I thought, meh, this has been done years ago in They Live (only with glasses instead of special abilities). But as I got to fully know the setup and the characters, I got pulled in and forgot about any possible comparison.

I haven't read this book in YEARS (we're talking along the lines of 10ish, possibly more). I'm only about a 1/3 of the way through, but I definitely want to participate in the conversation. I've got a few off-handed comments so far, and so no one gets mad, lets consider them SPOILERS!!

1. Years ago I read a book (and I swear it was Koontz) where there was a comment about only the sane being able to question their sanity, i.e. only the crazy would so vehemently proclaim their sanity "I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy" and they'd never wonder if they were in fact a few fries short of a happy meal. It's funny that a teenager (I'll get back to this) who sees "goblins" never stops to ponder if in fact what he sees is real.

2. Botulism again! The last group read I participated in was Velocity. Apparently that botulism bacteria is some killer stuff!

3. Carl Slim does not speak as a 17 year old would. Yes, wise beyond his years because he's a killer and all; all alone in the world, but I don't know, there are a few things that come out of this mouth that are too old.

4. 1963 - I've forgotten if this actual plays a role in story line. And it is 1963 right, or is it '64? I only ask because there's mention of Kennedy dying, but I was thinking this was a summer fair, and Kennedy didn't die until November.

5. Enough with Rya's perfect breasts. You can definitely see Koontz's early erotic writings coming out in Rya's overblown descriptions. Though it's funny, like I said I read this years ago, and in my mind Rya had dark hair. Don't know why, but she did.

Okay more to add later. :)

@ Tanya (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):

1. Slim did see the things goblins DO as he had one in his family, that's probably why it was easy for him to accept. Plus you don't really know if back then he had doubts before he got proof.

3. All of Koontz kids are wise beyond their years, and considering Slim's unique position that did not bother me in his case. On the other hand...

5. He IS 17, so can you blame him for obsessing with breasts?

Y'all are bringing up some interesting points - Thanks for getting such a lively discussion going.
I haven't started yet :-) I've been reading The Dead Town but I'll catch up to y'all.

For all of you who have finished Part One, I'm curious what you thought about (view spoiler)[ the scene in the cemetery, where Slim basically stakes his life, and considering his calling, potentially the fate of humanity, on the supposition that Rya will not kill him in cold blood and can be redeemed. On the one hand, it's a show of trust and unconditional love, and probably one of the most powerful scenes I've read. On the other hand, that was such a risk to take on someone who betrayed you (and possibly just killed you). (hide spoiler)]

SPOILERS
Okay so just finished up with Part 1.
A couple thanks to those of you who replied to my earlier ramblings. @Masha, your reply to my point #5 actually made me laugh out loud, so thanks. But your reply to comment 1, begs the question that he never actually "saw" Uncle Denton do anything. He had flashes/a 6th sense as to the bad things that Denton did, but he never actually saw a goblin do anything bad. It still strikes me as a little strange that he doesn't stop to ponder his own sanity.
@Shannon, I think my question about 1963 more had to do with when it actually was. Obviously "Slim" is telling the story from the future *so he survives?! ;) I just couldn't get a grasp on whether Kennedy was dead or not yet, but I get your point on it being important for the innocence of the country and the Freak Show aspect.

Okay, but now on to the rest of Part 1.
1. The goblin under Joel Tuck's chair. I thought Mr. Tuck scouted the surroundings. He didn't think it was weird to bury a goblin under his little part of the carnival?
2. Um how abrupt were the final scenes in Part 1?! Look Kelsko! Stab! Shoot! Run! Chase! Cemetary! Stab! Forgive! Now lets hide in Florida!
3. (actually part 2 I think) Now I know why I remember/imagine Rya having dark hair! :)
4. The love scenes are so TMI. It's out of place to have all the descriptions of fluids. I mean I'm no prude, but come on! Ew!
5. Okay so let's get this straight about the pre-nuclear (yeah I probably spelled that wrong) war society, from a couple thousand years back? Um that is just too weird for me. Space I'd accept, a Hitler experiment, okay, but a super society from the not so distant past that destroyed themselves and disappeared from the earth, not so much.
That's all for now. More to come. :)

Tanya,
the fact that the goblins he saw did not look the same is why Slim decided he wasn't crazy, he figured if he was crazy the goblins would all look identical.
does that help?

Nora wrote: "Tanya,
the fact that the goblins he saw did not look the same is why Slim decided he wasn't crazy, he figured if he was crazy the goblins would all look identical.
does that help?"
Oh I get that he's not crazy. It just struck me as kind of crazy in the beginning that he didn't really express any doubt (or there just wasn't any part of it that I remember) when as a kid he said "whoa, I'm seeing weird things. Glowy eyes and stuff. Am I bonkers?!" It was just fact to him. As I said earlier, I swear I read in a book a long time ago, that only the sane can doubt their sanity. A person who never stops to ponder "am I going crazy?!" is the one who is in fact crazy. I've always liked this theory, it makes a lot of sense to be. Thus that's why I remember thinking that Slim never stopped (at least in the beginning) to wonder about his own mental health. :)

Actually crazy people question their sanity sometimes too.

That's kind of circular reasoning, though. If you see something weird and people start saying "you're crazy" and you say "no I'm not" and people should take that as proof that you ARE crazy? But as a matter of fact we don't know if the first time Slim had his vision he might have thought he was crazy but then had to accept it was reality. It might have been an interesting separate story that goes into details of his childhood and everything that went through his mind, but we didn't get that much detail. Also, didn't his grandma tell him he had special eyes that will see visions (hence the title).

I was simply commenting on your statement. "As I said earlier, I swear I read in a book a long time ago, that only the sane can doubt their sanity."

Anyway, I still think it made sense that after he had already lived with psychic visions that it would not seem strange to also see the goblins. Like his psychic ability had advanced some.

Jen wrote: "Hi, I'm new to this group & this is the first book & said 'yes' to for a monthly read in the Koontzland group. This book was already on my to-read list & I'm about 75% through the book already. H..."

Welcome. Jen!

I'm loving the conversation, and I appreciate everyone's replies to the "crazy" debate. :)
I've gotten a little bit further...
SPOILERS
I'm wondering how far apart Parts 1 and 2 were written..
They kind of read like two different books. It's almost like Koontz forgot that he gave certain characteristics to Rya, and now Slim has them.
Or Slim would have a theory about why a Goblin acted a certain way and Rya would be all surprised about it. It seems to me that Rya should be stating these facts to Slim as she's the one that was teamed up with them and has read their past... I dunno.
I don't recall this part of the book all that much.
In my mind I keep imagining something along the lines of a quarry.

OH and I finally get the definitive reason for the year. The whole Kitty Genovese thing. I just couldn't remember why it was 1964 verses, 1955, or 1971.

And, totally off topic, in fact this may have been discussed elsewhere, but have you noticed that Koontz likes to use certain terms and you almost expect them to pop up someplace in the story?
Best examples: bougainvillea, Sodium vapour lights, macadam. In TE macadam has shown up, as has the sodium vapour lights. I suppose the story will need to get back to Florida before we'll see the bougainvillea though. :)

Though a side note to the above, I get why Koontz says macadam rather than asphalt or the like, it's a regional thing. It's where he's from. I mean even Wikipedia used the sentence "Due to uses of macadam as a road surface in former times, roads in some parts of the United States (as parts of Pennsylvania) are often referred to as macadam, even though they might be made of asphalt or concrete."
I guess it's kind of like the way some people call pop/soda/Coke. But it still strikese me as funny, and it's something I always used to look for in Koontz books. He doesn't do it so much anymore (well except the bougainvillea, as most of his books take place in California, and any discription of a yard contains their bougainvillea tree), but the books from the 80s and 90s you could almost guarantee it! :)