Helpful Score: 11
By far, Koontz's best work. This is one of the few books I've read in the realm of science fiction that effectively, and more importantly - correctly, deals with time travel and paradox. Koontz doesn't make mistakes with this one and ties up his loose ends, creating a pleasing and satisfying action story, time travel story, alternate history story, and love story. You get more than you bargain for if you pick up this little gem.
Helpful Score: 5
Laura Shane has been a haunted woman all her life. From a violent delivery in a stunning thunderstorm, to her mortifying days in the orphanage. Someone has been looking out for her, keeping her safe and out of danger, from the womb...but what are these stranger's intentions? Does he really mean her well? Just where does he come from, and why doesn't he seem to age?
Now, Laura is a happily married woman with a somewhat happy life. But that's all about to change, because now someone has come to kill her...and the stranger, her guardian angel, will expose himself for who he really is. Will Laura believe him? Can she trust him? Will he actually keep her safe this time?
Dean Koontz scores yet again. "Lightning" is a science fiction/suspense/romance thriller to top all others. No one writes like Koontz, no one can hope to write like Koontz, and "Lightning" is a perfect example of his craftsmanship. A rivetting novel that'll leave you glued to the pages and wanting more.
Now, Laura is a happily married woman with a somewhat happy life. But that's all about to change, because now someone has come to kill her...and the stranger, her guardian angel, will expose himself for who he really is. Will Laura believe him? Can she trust him? Will he actually keep her safe this time?
Dean Koontz scores yet again. "Lightning" is a science fiction/suspense/romance thriller to top all others. No one writes like Koontz, no one can hope to write like Koontz, and "Lightning" is a perfect example of his craftsmanship. A rivetting novel that'll leave you glued to the pages and wanting more.
Helpful Score: 4
This is another one of my favorite Koontz books - in my top 10 overall! It's about time travel, although that's kind of a spoiler - you don't really get to the time traveling until about halfway through the book. Then it picks up the sci-fi edge very quickly and, as one reviewer already mentioned, is as tightly logical as the idea of time travel can be. Excellent read - couldn't put it down!
Helpful Score: 3
Dean Koontz is not my favorite author, but this book does have it's good points. Quite interesting and different.
Helpful Score: 1
As is typical of many of Koontz novels, this one starts out with mysterious men conducting experiments of a nefarious nature. A baby named Laura is born, her mother dies in childbirth and she's raised by her loving dad and watched over by a mysterious "guardian angel", a big blond man who saves her life on more than one occasion. Also, making an appearance is a man who wants both the guardian angel and Laura dead.
The first part of the book is spent getting to know Laura and grieving with her when her world falls apart. The thing that struck me most about this book was the length of time Koontz was allowed to develop his main characters. This is something I find incredibly lacking with many of the horror novels by newer authors I've attempted to read lately (Bryan Smith comes to mind). Koontz completely immerses you in Laura's world and allows you to care deeply for her and to care about the people she loves. As much as character study as it is a fast paced time-travel, suspense filled read, Lightning managed to capture my attention throughout most of it (and it was long!). My attention only began to wane near the end of the book when the adventure bit and war talk took center stage.
The first part of the book is spent getting to know Laura and grieving with her when her world falls apart. The thing that struck me most about this book was the length of time Koontz was allowed to develop his main characters. This is something I find incredibly lacking with many of the horror novels by newer authors I've attempted to read lately (Bryan Smith comes to mind). Koontz completely immerses you in Laura's world and allows you to care deeply for her and to care about the people she loves. As much as character study as it is a fast paced time-travel, suspense filled read, Lightning managed to capture my attention throughout most of it (and it was long!). My attention only began to wane near the end of the book when the adventure bit and war talk took center stage.
Helpful Score: 1
Had a little trouble getting 'into' the book at the beginning. But after awhile it picked up. Good book.
Helpful Score: 1
Laura Shane leads a troubled life: she is orphaned, nearly molested twice and loses one of her closest friends in a tragic accident, all before her 13th birthday. Even worse events would have befallen Laura if not for the mysterious guardian angel who periodically appears with a bolt of lightning to miraculously rescue her.
Helpful Score: 1
Lightning Strikes the Target Dead Center. Through the years I've read quite a lot of Dean Koontz. Some I've truly enjoyed and some has been fairly humdrum. This book, however, I read when it originally came out so it's been twenty years or so and it still sticks in my mind as my favorite Koontz of all time next to Watchers. Excellent story about time travel with fantastic story line, great plotting, and characters you'll care for. If you're new to Koontz, great place to start. If you just missed this one you're in for a treat. Much better than his recent stuff where too many child prodigy's have unexplained powers and the adults are ridiculously naive.
Helpful Score: 1
Typical Koontz - time travel, suspense and a great read.
This is one of the stranger Dean Koontz books I have read. It has received wide acclaim and a lot of people think it is one of his best, though I'm not among them, I have to admit that it held my interest and kept me turning pages. The story is very interesting and unique, its unlike any horror book I have read before. The plot concerns a woman who struggles through life, orphaned at a young aged and menaced by pedophiles in the orphanage where she lives. Somehow, a mysterious stranger always shows up to rescue her when things get ugly. Who is this stranger, and why does he never seem to age? The answer is a mystery that will surprise you.
brilliantly thrilling novel of suspense...a thundering masterpiece of the imagination..weather related reading!
When Dean Koontz first come on the scene, I read everything he put out, one right after the other. Subsequently, I got sick of his books pretty quickly. This is one of his best. I've read it several times and never get sick of it. You will love this book!
A storm struck on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere, the man who saved Laura from a fatal delivery.
This was another great book by Dean Koontz.
I love the idea of one man being so in love with a woman he has never met that he was willing to jump through time and space to be with her in specific times of her life. And Laura was one of the strongest heroines Dean Koontz has created. Romance and action in one exciting package. Definitely my favorite among his books.
This was the first Dean Koontz book I had ever read and I loved it so much I subsequently became an avid Koontz fan having now read every one of the many he has written.
This is a very good read.
I read this book several years ago and loved it. I wanted to read it again.
I do not enjoy stories where the writer tries too hard to make the main characters likeable and end up making them seem holier than thou. It was slow also, and the premise ridiculous.
Wow. This book held me until the very end. Real people in amazing situations. Fast moving, well written.
One of his best! This book was awesome!
Vintage Koontz
I love, love, love this book! Love it!! I read it in middle school, high school, and college... and now that I've thought about it.. I want to read it again!
This is a goodie.....spooky and fun
One of my favorite books of all time by one of my favorite authors. So excellently written that I was able to identify closely with the main character and cried at the end -- because the book was over!
This was a wild ride of a book. I loved it.
Good Story, nice twist on time travel. An oldy but still a good one.
A thrilling what if...
Awsome book. I fell in love with Stefan Krieg :)
There was a storm the night Laura was born. A man appeared and helped deliver the baby. IT woild of been a fatal birth.
Later in her life, the man appeared again in a storm to save Laura from tradgedy. Who is he?
Later in her life, the man appeared again in a storm to save Laura from tradgedy. Who is he?
One of koontz best!
interesting twist--time travel. exciting page turner. great for plane of beach
Good reading as of most of Dean koontz.
romance,action and suspense
On the night Laura Shane was born a storm struck. A blond haired stranger appearing out of nowhere saved Laura from a fatal delivery.
After another bolt of lightning years later, the stranger returned saving Laura from tragedy once again. Was the stranger a guardian angel or a devil in disguise?
After another bolt of lightning years later, the stranger returned saving Laura from tragedy once again. Was the stranger a guardian angel or a devil in disguise?
From Library Journal:
On the night of Laura Shane's birth, a stranger appears from the lightning to prevent her delivery's being botched by an alcoholic physician. Throughout Laura's childhood the stranger reappears at times of danger. He protects rather than threatens, yet menace seems to follow him. Thirty years later another storm flashes and the stranger collapses, shot, at Laura's door. Now Laura protects her erstwhile guardian from mysterious hunters. He reveals that he and the hunters are time travelers. Laura, quick-witted and brave, leads the way to a bloody showdown. The paradox in time travel's tampering with history provides an interesting twist in this gripping thriller by a popular writer.
This is one of my favorite Koontz books, though that's not saying much. I get tired of his Man-Woman-Boy-Dog characters (there's no dog in this one, just Man-Woman-Boy) that make me feel like I'm reading the same book over and over. Anyhow, if you're a Koontz fan and haven't read it, you're sure to like this one.
On the night of Laura Shane's birth, a stranger appears from the lightning to prevent her delivery's being botched by an alcoholic physician. Throughout Laura's childhood the stranger reappears at times of danger. He protects rather than threatens, yet menace seems to follow him. Thirty years later another storm flashes and the stranger collapses, shot, at Laura's door. Now Laura protects her erstwhile guardian from mysterious hunters. He reveals that he and the hunters are time travelers. Laura, quick-witted and brave, leads the way to a bloody showdown. The paradox in time travel's tampering with history provides an interesting twist in this gripping thriller by a popular writer.
This is one of my favorite Koontz books, though that's not saying much. I get tired of his Man-Woman-Boy-Dog characters (there's no dog in this one, just Man-Woman-Boy) that make me feel like I'm reading the same book over and over. Anyhow, if you're a Koontz fan and haven't read it, you're sure to like this one.
Sure to tingle anyone's fancy.
Book cover---"A storm struck the night Laura Shane was born and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere-the man who saved Laura from a fatal delivery. Years later-another bolt of lightning and the stranger returned, again to save Laura from tragedy. Was he the guardian angel he seemed? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space?"
A storm struck on the night Laura was born and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years.
A storm struck on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. Even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere again and again to save Laura from tragedy. But was he the guardian angel he seemed?
A storm on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere-the man who saved Laura from a fatal delivery. Years later-another bolt of lightning-and the stranger returned, again to save Laura from tragedy. Was he the guardian angel he seemed? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space? Bestselling author Dean R. Koontz presents his most brilliantly thrilling novel of suspense. A thundering masterpiece of the imagination...LIGHTNING
Another stellar read from Koontz
is so cool sometimes when i was reading it i hope to be alittle scarey but it was just cool i wish you would make a part 2 of this book so i can read more of it.
A storm struck the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. Even more mysterious was the stranger who saved her from a fatal delivery. Years later, another bolt of lightning, and the stranger returned. He again saves Laura from tragedy. Is he her guardian angel, or the devil in disguise?
One of Koontz's best
This was the book that started it all. Read it as a teenager...and have been a fan for close to 20 years now.
An edge of the seat thriller!
A storm struck on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere--the man who saved Laura from a fatal delivery. Years later, another bolt of lightning--and the stranger returned, again to save Laura from tragedy. Was he the guardian angel he seemed? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space?
-from back cover
-from back cover
A storm struck the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere---the man who save Laura from a fatal delivery. Years later---another bolt of lightning---and the stranger returned, again to save Laura from tragedy. Was he the guardian angel he seemed? The devil in diguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space?
