Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Koo
Genres
Collection
Publication
Bantam (2001)
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Bartholomew Lampion is born in Bright Beach, California, on a day of tragedy and terror, when the lives of everyone in his family are changed forever. Remarkable events accompany his birth, and everyone agrees that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He doesn't know who Bartholomew is, but he embarks on a search that will become the purpose of his life. If ever he finds the right Bartholomew, he will deal mercilessly with him. And in San Francisco a girl is born, the result of a violent rape. Her survival is miraculous, and her destiny is mysteriously linked to the fates of Barty and the man who stalks him. At the age ot three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons reluctantly remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As the growing boy copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother, an exceptional woman, counsels him that all things happen for a reason, that there is meaning even in his suffering, and that he will affect the lives of people yet unknown to him in ways startling and profound. At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure. His mother once told him that every person's life has an effect on every other's, in often unknowable ways, and Barty's eventful life indeed entwines with others in ways that will astonish and move everyone who reads his story. People magazine has said that Dean Koontz has the "power to scare the daylights out of us." In this, perhaps the most thrilling, suspenseful, and emotionally powerful work of his critically acclaimed career, Koontz does that and far more. He has created a compulsive page-turner that will have you at the edge of your seat, a narrative tour-de-force that will change the way you yourself look at the world.… (more)
Original publication date
2000
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member JHemlock
My favorite Koontz book. He was really on to something when he wrote this. The characters are so real you can touch them. Good, Evil and everything in between. Fantastic story.
LibraryThing member melydia
First and foremost, this was a refreshing change from your Standard Koontz Novel (that is, one long chase scene as the main character desperately tries to figure out what's going on). The story revolves around three groups of people: Agnes, her amazing son Barty, and her two eccentric brothers;
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Celestina and the charming child Angel; and the psychotic Junior and his pursuer, Detective Vinadium. The connection between all the characters is not clear at first, but everything does get tied up in the end. Some of the pseudoscience was a touch painful, and the last couple chapters felt really rushed and more than a little bit contrived, but all in all I liked it. The characters were delightful. It's these sorts of books that keep me coming back to Koontz time after time. I just wish he was a bit more consistent in quality. Show Less
LibraryThing member madamejeanie
Koontz is
a master storyteller, able to weave such an intricate story from so many
varied threads, all coming together with the deliberate and stunning
intent of two freight trains moving ever closer to a head on collision
that is going to change everything. With every turn of phrase, every
small
seems as inevitable and as awe inspiring as the explosion of fireworks
that fill the sky seconds after you hear it shot upwards. The story
and characters in this book will stay with me for a very long time. It
was wonderful. It gets a very strong 5.
a master storyteller, able to weave such an intricate story from so many
varied threads, all coming together with the deliberate and stunning
intent of two freight trains moving ever closer to a head on collision
that is going to change everything. With every turn of phrase, every
small
Show More
act of kindness or malevolence, the culmination of this story seems as inevitable and as awe inspiring as the explosion of fireworks
that fill the sky seconds after you hear it shot upwards. The story
and characters in this book will stay with me for a very long time. It
was wonderful. It gets a very strong 5.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tinafrankrone
An excellent book that takes you to the depths of enlightenment. A wonderful/magical book that will catch your attention long after reading.
LibraryThing member John_Warner
This novel describes a "perfect storm" in which three forces of good and evil begin separately, the story develops and the forces converge for a final battle. One force involves Enoch Cain, a narcissist who in the spur of the moment pushes his loving wife off a fire tower. Another force involves a
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rape and impregnated young woman who gives birth to a daughter who she names Angel, later dies and the child is raised by the mother's sister. The final force involves a woman known as the Pie Lady, who while in route to the hospital driven by her husband, is hit by another car which kills the husband but the mother survives to deliver a young boy with a special gift. Dean Koontz's novels, at their core, is the triumph of good and noble over evil forces. This novel's other themes include an coming-of-age tale emphasizing the conquering of life's obstacles. The novel had me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, until I reached a satisfying end. Show Less
LibraryThing member pumpernickleme
Captivating. I typically don't like sci-fi/fantasy so the end was a bit of a disappointment for me, but I loved this book. I read it 5 years ago and still think of it often. First Koontz book. I'm axious to find more like it.
LibraryThing member Oogod
Koontz was one of my founding authors when I started reading on a daily basis as a teenager. It has been years since I have read one of his books because I got burnt out on them…every story was starting to feel the same. Reading this book reminded me how great of a writer he his and makes me want
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to go back and read some of my favorites from him. Show Less
LibraryThing member CynDaVaz
Wow - this was one of those Koontz books that had a ton of depth to it. The cast of characters were so realistic and compelling that the long, drawn-out final chapters/ending can be forgiven.
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
Once in a while Dean Koontz comes up with an absolute stonker, one that doesn't sem like he knocked it up in a couple of days. This is such a book. Starting off with a fascinating conundrum, and a tragic accident, it goes on to introduce a host of intriguing characters, whose motivations and
Just a small criticism - I skipped most of the sections where Edom spouted facts, I'm not sure what they added to the story, except to demostrate that Koontz knows a lot of stuff, possibly.
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interconnections are tantalisingly ambiguous. The book is at once moving (Bart losing his sight had me blubbing) and humorous (the vomitus/ejecta exchange). There's a little thread of magic running the whole way through it, and it ties itself off nicely at the end.Just a small criticism - I skipped most of the sections where Edom spouted facts, I'm not sure what they added to the story, except to demostrate that Koontz knows a lot of stuff, possibly.
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LibraryThing member MargotMissedTheSun
This is the only book I have read three times. When I bought my hardcover version, I donated my paperback to my high school library for everyone else to enjoy.
LibraryThing member redrhondahonda
This is my favorite Dean Koontz book of all time!
LibraryThing member mom24dogs
Horrormeister Koontz looks heavenward for inspiration in his newest suspense thriller, which is chock-full of signs, portents, angels, and one somewhat second-rate devil, a murky and undercharacterized guy named Junior Cain who throws his beloved wife off a fire tower on an Oregon mountain and
Bartholomew's own troubles begin with his birth, which transpires moments after his father is killed in a traffic accident as he is taking his wife to the hospital, and continue with the loss of his eyes at the tender age of 3. Young Bartholomew has visionary gifts, though to his mother, a nice lady who's renowned for her pie-making abilities as well as her sweetly innocent nature, he's just a particularly smart kid who can read and write before his second birthday. Eventually, Bartholomew regains his sight, Junior Cain gets his comeuppance, and fate conspires to bring love into the Pie Lady's life, reward the faithful, and put a happy ending on this genre-bending tale. Koontz will no doubt rocket right to the top of the bestseller list with this inventive, if somewhat slower-paced, read.
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spends the rest of the novel waiting for the retribution that will surely come. But not before a series of tragedies ensues that convince Junior that someone or something named Bartholomew is out to exact vengeance for that crime and the series of other murders that follow.Bartholomew's own troubles begin with his birth, which transpires moments after his father is killed in a traffic accident as he is taking his wife to the hospital, and continue with the loss of his eyes at the tender age of 3. Young Bartholomew has visionary gifts, though to his mother, a nice lady who's renowned for her pie-making abilities as well as her sweetly innocent nature, he's just a particularly smart kid who can read and write before his second birthday. Eventually, Bartholomew regains his sight, Junior Cain gets his comeuppance, and fate conspires to bring love into the Pie Lady's life, reward the faithful, and put a happy ending on this genre-bending tale. Koontz will no doubt rocket right to the top of the bestseller list with this inventive, if somewhat slower-paced, read.
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LibraryThing member RebeccaAnn
Though normally I'm a big fan of Dean Konntz, this book just didn't sit well with me. For starters, the description of this book seems a bit misleading. I went into it thinking this was mostly going to be about the character Bartholomew, yet most of the book occurs while Barty is somewhere between
Besides the misleading description of the book, there's also the lack of character depth. There was really no gray area in the story. People were either amazing good, almost angelic, or they were Junior Cain, the only bad guy in the entire book. Not only was he bad, but we was a psychotic-insane-sociopath-delusional type of bad. There was no area in between and therefore, no one really felt real.
Apart from bad character development, there was way too much theology for me. I have no problem with religion, but neither do I really have any interest in it. Therefore, I tend to dislike literature that focuses heavily on religion, and From the Corner of His Eye was immersed in it. Most of Koontz's books tend to have some element of religion in them, but I've yet to see one so completely imbued in theology and for me, it was a turn off.
If you're already a serious fan of Dean Koontz, then I might recommend this book. The story as a whole is decent. It's also an interesting look at the theory of quantum physics. I will admit, though, that had I had another audiobook available at the time I was listening to this, I doubt I would have finished From the Corner of His Eye.
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not even born and three years old. Instead, the book seems to focus on many different people. There's Agnes Lampian, Barty's mother and Celestina White, the older sister of Serafina, Angel's mother. Tom Vanadium is the aged detective investigating the death of Naomi, Enoch Cain's late wife. And then of course, there's Enoch Cain himself (Junior, as he prefers to be called), the clear and unrivaled antagonist of the book. There's also Jacob and Edom, Agnes's brothers, as well as a few others that I can't remember the names of at the time. As I listened to this book rather than read it, you can see how I found the man different characters a bit confusing to keep up with at times.Besides the misleading description of the book, there's also the lack of character depth. There was really no gray area in the story. People were either amazing good, almost angelic, or they were Junior Cain, the only bad guy in the entire book. Not only was he bad, but we was a psychotic-insane-sociopath-delusional type of bad. There was no area in between and therefore, no one really felt real.
Apart from bad character development, there was way too much theology for me. I have no problem with religion, but neither do I really have any interest in it. Therefore, I tend to dislike literature that focuses heavily on religion, and From the Corner of His Eye was immersed in it. Most of Koontz's books tend to have some element of religion in them, but I've yet to see one so completely imbued in theology and for me, it was a turn off.
If you're already a serious fan of Dean Koontz, then I might recommend this book. The story as a whole is decent. It's also an interesting look at the theory of quantum physics. I will admit, though, that had I had another audiobook available at the time I was listening to this, I doubt I would have finished From the Corner of His Eye.
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LibraryThing member weebaby
This is an example of when an author gets to write whatever he wants to write because he's guaranteed a spot on the bestseller list.
Not that I'm complaining.
Koontz waxes philosophically much the same way that I do, so I appreciate what he's writing about in this book. I have to admit that I am a
Not that I'm complaining.
Koontz waxes philosophically much the same way that I do, so I appreciate what he's writing about in this book. I have to admit that I am a
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little disappointed that he is re-using the same quarter-vanishing plot device he used in the Frankenstein series. Show Less
LibraryThing member stephiesmith
I only discovered Dean Koontz in 2009 and I've been busily reading him ever since. I don't like every single one of his books (they are always superbly written, but sometimes I don't care for the setting or a main character or something else), but this book was an absolute delight to read and I did
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not want it to end. I checked it out from the library and now will buy it so I can read it again. What did I love about it? (1) It draws you in from the first paragraph. (2) The main characters are endearing; you'll cheer for them from the moments they arrive. (3) There is a profound spiritual slant to it that really makes you think about life as you think you know it. (4) The plot is complicated (but not confusing) with many strings that all come together at the end. However, the main reason I love this book is because I laughed all the way through it. Koontz seemed to have great fun with the characterization of the serial killer, a narcissistic megalomaniac who suffered physically every time he killed someone (but at the same time was pleased to know that he was such a sensitive guy that his killings would affect him so), was filled with self pity to the point of crying, when, for example, he killed someone he had cared for and would now have to live without, and who congratulated himself on his logical analyses and deductions, which were, in fact, quite deluded. Not often do I read a book where a character is as entertaining to read as this one was. It drew me to the treadmill and kept me on it for an hour every day--no small feat! Show Less
LibraryThing member sarahfig
It was a great story that had a sci-fi feel to it. Good anticipation, and ending.
LibraryThing member ripleyy
I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in an ending as I was with this one. The story was ok but then he completely lost me. Like another reviewer here, I wanted to throw the book across the room.
LibraryThing member localpeanut
Many of the reviews have said that Bartholomew is the Hero of this piece. But he doesn't talk until Page 327 out of a 729 page book. And he's 3 months old.
Rather, we are treated to the misadventures of a villain of astounding nastiness. Junior Cain who has shoved his wife off a fire tower by Page
It starts when he pukes his guts out after murdering his wife. He goes to the hospital and has nightmares about someone called Bartholomew. That's it. All he has . . . is a name and it changes his life forever. He becomes totally convinced that Bartholomew is going to come after him so he goes on a manhunt using a lot of phonebooks. Meanwhile, Tom Vanadium, a strange cop and coin magician suspects that Junior is not the retching innocent he says he is.
What follows is a thrilling (and supernatural) cat and mouse game between Junior and Tom.
In between hives and diarrhea (Junior suffers after each murder he commits so you can imagine what he looks like by the end of the book), getting agonizing muscle cramps from a 2-day meditative trance, humiliation by transvestites and bra-less animal lovers, needlework, corpses who inconvenience him in most creative ways . . . in between all this & more, Bartholomew grows up slowly . . .
For most of the book he is a 3-year old prodigy who despite his blindness has some interesting talents. He shares these talents with 2 other characters but it is he who most clearly explains to me, the existence of parallel worlds. (Although Tom Vanadium's spiritual spin on it, was strangely uplifting. I'm a bit of a tough nut to crack . . . being a lapsed Catholic and all.) I think the title: FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE refers to this. THink about it? Don't you ever catch a quick movement or color on the periphery of your vision? Many prople believe they're ghosts. But maybe ghosts aren't really souls of dead people. Maybe they're things that . . . for a second or 2, peek through a tiny rift or gap in this "quantum" curtain that hangs between universes. Maybe we're ghosts to them. Theories aside . . .
There is also a 3rd-story line. That of Angel, the same age as Barholomew who indeed has a relationship with Junior Cain. Not as interesting as Bartholomew (as an individual), I thought.
The chase, the personal stories of Bartholomew and Angel all coalesce neatly and I think I'll end this review. Any more and I'll give away the rest of the story. This book is up there with ODD THOMAS. Its hilarious, shocking, heart-breaking, exciting, scary. After you read this, you might think twice about the consequences of the smallest things you do. One amazing book!
Rather, we are treated to the misadventures of a villain of astounding nastiness. Junior Cain who has shoved his wife off a fire tower by Page
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10, is the "steak and potatoes" of this story. It starts when he pukes his guts out after murdering his wife. He goes to the hospital and has nightmares about someone called Bartholomew. That's it. All he has . . . is a name and it changes his life forever. He becomes totally convinced that Bartholomew is going to come after him so he goes on a manhunt using a lot of phonebooks. Meanwhile, Tom Vanadium, a strange cop and coin magician suspects that Junior is not the retching innocent he says he is.
What follows is a thrilling (and supernatural) cat and mouse game between Junior and Tom.
In between hives and diarrhea (Junior suffers after each murder he commits so you can imagine what he looks like by the end of the book), getting agonizing muscle cramps from a 2-day meditative trance, humiliation by transvestites and bra-less animal lovers, needlework, corpses who inconvenience him in most creative ways . . . in between all this & more, Bartholomew grows up slowly . . .
For most of the book he is a 3-year old prodigy who despite his blindness has some interesting talents. He shares these talents with 2 other characters but it is he who most clearly explains to me, the existence of parallel worlds. (Although Tom Vanadium's spiritual spin on it, was strangely uplifting. I'm a bit of a tough nut to crack . . . being a lapsed Catholic and all.) I think the title: FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE refers to this. THink about it? Don't you ever catch a quick movement or color on the periphery of your vision? Many prople believe they're ghosts. But maybe ghosts aren't really souls of dead people. Maybe they're things that . . . for a second or 2, peek through a tiny rift or gap in this "quantum" curtain that hangs between universes. Maybe we're ghosts to them. Theories aside . . .
There is also a 3rd-story line. That of Angel, the same age as Barholomew who indeed has a relationship with Junior Cain. Not as interesting as Bartholomew (as an individual), I thought.
The chase, the personal stories of Bartholomew and Angel all coalesce neatly and I think I'll end this review. Any more and I'll give away the rest of the story. This book is up there with ODD THOMAS. Its hilarious, shocking, heart-breaking, exciting, scary. After you read this, you might think twice about the consequences of the smallest things you do. One amazing book!
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LibraryThing member conradrader
An odd story given that he tried to personify the uncertainty of the quantum state. The first scene of an totally unprovoked killing was certainly a slap in the reader's face.
LibraryThing member cequillo
Koontz has written a few good novels over the past five years, despite a period where his books seemed, to me, to get very tired. This was probably one of the better ones to come out recently. A story with a character you love to hate, and whose own hatred connects all the other characters in
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malignant ways. Two children, one born of love, one born of rape, who share a destiny, and a future which has its own share of unpleasantness. No bio-engineered dogs in this one, but Koontz does play with the idea of quantum physics and quantum mechanics in interesting and contemplative ways. I think the story suffers a little for length and could have been told in less pages without anything lost. Show Less
LibraryThing member jbemrose
I never read any of Dean Koontz books before. When I started the book I could not put it down. I was hooked. I couldn't wait to read what nexts. Enoch ( Junior) Cain was a very evil man. I will read more of his books.
LibraryThing member Scoshie
Again Koontz can write a story that enthralls and baffels. It is amazing how he can make the unbelievable sound reasonable. Another good story for an already great author. Nice way to spend a day in the sunshine
LibraryThing member ursula
The book went along pretty well (although formulaically) until the end, at which point it completely fell apart. I actually wanted to throw the book.
LibraryThing member erleen
Title:From the Corner of his Eye
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre/s: Suspense Thriller, Mystery
Synopsis:
Bartholomew Lampion is born on a day of tragedy and terror that will mark his family forever. All agree that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand
At the age of three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As he copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother counsels him that all things happen for a reason and that every person’s life has an effect on every other person’s, in often unknowable ways.
At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds and entwines with others results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure.
My Thoughts:
Ever since high school, I’ve had heard Dean Koontz’ name was one of the most amazing writer in the world but I’ve never read any of his books until last year. I was skimming title after titles of novels in a local bookstore when I stumbled upon this novel called “From the corner of his eye.” My first impression was it doesn’t look very interesting for two main reason: 1.) it has almost 800 pages and; 2.) it’s font size is 10px. But because I’m curious to know how well Dean Koontz is, I bought the book. And here’s my reaction after I read it.
My jaw dropped, my mouth drooled, and I was so blown away I cried. I don’t even know what to say or how to react on what I just read. I’ve never read anything as profound and brilliant as this. EVER!
The characters are very well written, the plot is so complex and everything is flawless. Barty Lampion is so adorable and admirable on how he perceived everything around him. His optimism is so contagious it oozes out in the pages of the book.
I would totally recommend this to everyone. This is a must-read.
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre/s: Suspense Thriller, Mystery
Synopsis:
Bartholomew Lampion is born on a day of tragedy and terror that will mark his family forever. All agree that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand
Show More
miles away, a ruthless man learns that he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He embarks on a relentless search to find this enemy, a search that will consume his life. And a girl is born from a brutal rape, her destiny mysteriously linked to Barty and the man who stalks him. At the age of three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As he copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother counsels him that all things happen for a reason and that every person’s life has an effect on every other person’s, in often unknowable ways.
At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds and entwines with others results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure.
My Thoughts:
Ever since high school, I’ve had heard Dean Koontz’ name was one of the most amazing writer in the world but I’ve never read any of his books until last year. I was skimming title after titles of novels in a local bookstore when I stumbled upon this novel called “From the corner of his eye.” My first impression was it doesn’t look very interesting for two main reason: 1.) it has almost 800 pages and; 2.) it’s font size is 10px. But because I’m curious to know how well Dean Koontz is, I bought the book. And here’s my reaction after I read it.
My jaw dropped, my mouth drooled, and I was so blown away I cried. I don’t even know what to say or how to react on what I just read. I’ve never read anything as profound and brilliant as this. EVER!
The characters are very well written, the plot is so complex and everything is flawless. Barty Lampion is so adorable and admirable on how he perceived everything around him. His optimism is so contagious it oozes out in the pages of the book.
I would totally recommend this to everyone. This is a must-read.
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LibraryThing member MSFJones
Although I enjoyed this book, for the most part, it's got major flaws.
If you're familiar with Dean Koontz, you know that sometimes (well, most of the time), he overdoes it. Describes things in entirely too much detail, takes 5 pages to explain something that could be told in 3 paragraphs, etc. He
The story centers around 2 characters, mainly: a boy named Bartholomew, who is born under extreme circumstances and loses his sight at the age of 3, and a man named Junior, who is a nutcase of the first order, basically. Essentially, the book is about how their lives intertwine, in a strange/mystical way, and...that's really about all I can tell you, without spoiling the story at all.
There are other characters you'll meet along the way who also have large parts in the story: mainly, a detective named Tom Vanadium; a young woman named Celestina White and her family; Barty's mother, Agnes, and her brothers Jacob and Edom (who, frankly, were my favorite characters in the book).
The story is great, for the most part, and again, I really enjoyed it. However, the thing was too long, went on far too much, and the ending was wrapped up so neatly that it was rather frustrating. Having said that, however - if you're a Koontz fan, I recommend it.
If you're familiar with Dean Koontz, you know that sometimes (well, most of the time), he overdoes it. Describes things in entirely too much detail, takes 5 pages to explain something that could be told in 3 paragraphs, etc. He
Show More
does not sway from that in this book. In my opinion, it could have been cut by about 200 pages and still told the story just fine.The story centers around 2 characters, mainly: a boy named Bartholomew, who is born under extreme circumstances and loses his sight at the age of 3, and a man named Junior, who is a nutcase of the first order, basically. Essentially, the book is about how their lives intertwine, in a strange/mystical way, and...that's really about all I can tell you, without spoiling the story at all.
There are other characters you'll meet along the way who also have large parts in the story: mainly, a detective named Tom Vanadium; a young woman named Celestina White and her family; Barty's mother, Agnes, and her brothers Jacob and Edom (who, frankly, were my favorite characters in the book).
The story is great, for the most part, and again, I really enjoyed it. However, the thing was too long, went on far too much, and the ending was wrapped up so neatly that it was rather frustrating. Having said that, however - if you're a Koontz fan, I recommend it.
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Pages
622