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Summary: The Guardian
Review: This is a book with memorable characters and a neat story line.
What would you think if you found out you had a "Guardian Angel"?
What would you do if you found out that this "Angel" is just a man,
though no ordinary man? "Lighting" is a neat story that will keep you guessing, laughing and listening. I found the end too predictable but it doesn't hurt
the story iteself in the least. A departure from typical Koontz but definitly worth the money.
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Summary: Koontz' best book. Intriguing and brilliantly written.
Review: Koontz' concept of time travel focusing in on one person was brilliant. The book was written in such a way that it kept the reader guessing as to what the real plot was about. It was this fact that made the book intriguing, entertaining and challanging for the reader. Koontz pulled out all the stops for this spine tingling story
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Summary: Imaginative
Review: I couldn't put it down, the plot just kept getting better and better. Very dimensional and rounded characters
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Summary: My other favorite Dean Koontz book
Review: Back in high school and early college, I was a ravenous Dean Koontz fan. Two of my all time favorite Koontz books were (and still are) "Night Chills" and "Lightning". I have to say "Lightning" has a slight edge over "Night Chills" but not by much. I first read the book when I checked out from the library and eventually bought my own copy from a used book store. That is how much I loved the book. I'm not particularly a big fan of books that talks about time travel but I thought Dean Koontz made the subject very fascinating in the novel. The story of Laura Shane and her 'guardian' made for compelling reading. The only flaw of the book is that towards halfway through the book it started becoming a cheesy soap opera but I can overlook that. One of my favorite moments in the book was Laura's interaction with the Ackerson twins. I couldn't help but get choked up when death befell Laura unexpectedly. I felt like I was part of Laura's life as she grew up through out the book. I know it sounds corny but it is true. I couldn't stop reading this book when I first read it and I still can't to this very day when I want to take a trip down memory lane.
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Summary: Fantastic
Review: This is the first Koontz novel I have read, and I must say that I am positively impressed. Before I was finished reading "Lightning" I was browsing through a bargain book store and came across a hardcover of "Intensity" for only $8. Now that I'm finished with the book I'm still happy about my purchase and looking forward to starting it.I didn't really know this book was going to be sci-fi. The only part I knew was about a girl who has a guardian angel that appears from time to time to save her life. The time travel aspect was neat, and I'm glad Koontz didn't give it anymore sci-fi than that, else the book may have been overloaded. This book has a nice balance to it, it's never hard to follow and never boring. Some of the time travel explanations are a bit tricky, but the mind-boggling is what's part of the fun. What I didn't like about the book was the dialogue. It wasn't bad, but unrealistic. There are characters we see develop from childhood to near middle-age. And if you randomly sample their words you'd have no idea whether they were preteens or in their thirties - it all sounds the same. And that goes for Chris too, have you ever heard an 8 year old talk like that? I can swallow brilliant boys and girls or even a child prodigy, but these kids have wisdom too. Although a minor technicality, there is a problem with these "jaunts" that the time travellers go on. The book explains how in the present day of the travellers that there are no computers that can pinpoint the exact time and location when jaunted into the future, which is fine, but the book provides us with the convenient setting of the mountains of southern California, so that if you're a few hundred yards away from your destination you're still in somewhat of a rural area. What if you were being jaunted near the city and you ended up on a busy street, materializing in front of a Mack truck just seconds before it plows into you? Surely all of their jaunts didn't have woods nearby to plot and plan before you jumped in to the real action. But I fear I am being too critical now. This book is very satisfying, it makes us care about the main characters and want destruction for the bad guys. The ending does fall into an action cliche, but I have to believe that the events portrayed in the book could reasonably lead to this type of split-second showdown, so I deemed it excusable. Dean Koontz has basically hooked me into reading more and more of what he has to offer. And seeing that he is the author of dozens of books, it looks like I have quite a bit of catching up to do.
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Summary: Amazing time travel story!!!
Review: "Lightning" focuses on a woman named Laura Shane. The story begins with the night that she is born. Lightning strikes and a stranger appears out of nowhere to save Laura from a fatal delivery. As time passes in Laura's life, the same stranger would always appear following a bolt of lightning to save her from tragedy. Laura would always ask herself why the man never seemed to age, where he came from, and what his motivations were for constantly saving her. She even comes to think of him as her guardian angel. But Laura would learn the true nature of her destiny, when the stranger appears on her 30th birthday, and asks for her help. This book really impressed me. You are literally hooked from the first page, because the first thing Koontz does is make you ask the question of why the stranger wants Laura alive. The story unfolds extremely well, because you slowly learn the answer to that question over the course of the story. Not only was I constantly trying to guess the stranger's intentions, but I also found myself on the edge of my seat with the endless amount of suspense that the story brings. This is due mainly to Koontz's take on time travel. The stranger is forced to repeatedly travel through time to save Laura. However, anytime that you change a person's destiny through time travel, it can seriously affect their future. The reason that Laura's life continues to become tougher and tougher is because of the stranger's involvement in her life. It creates what is known as a paradox. No matter how honorable his intentions may be, they cause something far worse to happen. The suspense and non-stop action that follows is incredible. Koontz's overall take on time travel - how it is achieved, where it originated from, and what its ultimate purpose is, is all very interesting and it actually makes sense. "Lightning" is a combination of a great time travel story, and an action packed chase novel. The characters are well developed, there are tons of twists and turns, and the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is definately one of Koontz's best books.
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Summary: Excellent!
Review: I am an avid Dean Koontz reader and this is one of my top 5 all-time favorites. If you buy this book and find yourself saying "What the heck?" in the beginning..... keep reading! Once Koontz reveals how all the pieces fit together, it's just fascinating.
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Summary: How did I miss this one?
Review: I found this book by reading some reviews on line. I loved the book and could not believe that I had not read it. This was a great time travel book,full of adventure, romance and excitement. The only disappointing fact is that I read this already.
Rating:
Summary: Very close to home!
Review: I am an avid fan of Dean Koontz. Lightning was not the first of his books which I read, but it was one of the best. What I particularly enjoyed about the story, was that part of the action takes place in my home town of San Bernardino, California. The narrative made me feel as if I were right there in the middle of the story, as two of the main characters made their way along a specific city street to track down the residence of a physician. Truly intriguing and suspenseful!
Rating:
Summary: Quite good fantasy story with fantastic characters
Review: This is a great story filled with great characters. The main characters are all extremely memorable and likeable, and Dean Koontz does a marvelous job of weaving together the different timelines in a way that is quite engaging. The story is told linearally, despite hopping a bit across the timeline, but it's very smooth and not at all choppy.
The science fiction twist of the time travel used in this story is quite surprising, and the first time I read this, I had not even begun to remotely anticipate the origin of the time travelers. There is also some made-up "facts" about time travel that are also fun. Pure fantasy, like the fact that, no matter how long someone is gone in another timeline, whether it is one second or a decade, they are gone in the present always for X number of minutes. (I think it was eleven, but I may not be remembering correctly.) Anyhow, just little things like that add to the texture of this novel.
The ending did feel a bit rushed in places. Some stuff was almost thrown in there like an afterthought. That's the only reason I give this a four instead of a five. I recommend reading "Lightning" for its characters alone. Laura is a phenomenal heroine, and her life would make fascinating reading, even without the supernatural/science fiction elements of this novel mixed in.
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