For years now, I’ve heard it said that Stephen King is the prime author when it comes to thrills and chills and top-notch suspense. As much as that might be true, I have to say that Koontz beats out Stephen King all the way when it comes to writing. I’ve heard many debates back and forth on who is the better author, but as I’ve gone through some King novels and some Koontz ones, I’ve found myself far more enraptured by Koontz’s characters and plots than I have by King’s. Koontz knows how to write. King simply knows how to shock.
With a King novel, I’m usually groping around in the dark, trying to figure out where the heck the story is going and what it even means. With a Koontz novel, I don’t even worry about all that because I know the story is going to take me places and all will come together in a satisfying crescendo at the end. With a King novel, I’m constantly exasperated by the word choices and sentence structure. The style of writing he uses infuriates me. With a Koontz novel, I’m in love with the writing and can’t get enough of the beauty of it. He’s a true artist of words.That being said, they are both brilliant minds with great talent.
I think I’m just so awed by Koontz after finishing a brilliant book of his called From the Corner of His Eye. It’s one of those stories with many different characters whose lives cross in very unexpected ways.
The story follows Agnes Lampion as she gives birth to a very special little boy named Bartholomew on a very tragic day. A thousand miles away in another state, there’s Junior Cain (one of the most interesting, vile and all around worst villains) who finds himself obsessed with someone named Bartholomew- someone he’s never even met but who incessantly haunts his mind. Then there’s Angel White who is the result of a horrible rape enacted against her mother. And last but not least, there’s a tough detective named Thomas Vanadium who has one mission in life- bring Junior Cain down for all his vicious crimes.
I don’t want to say much more or I’ll destroy the mystery and depth of the story, but just know you won’t be able to put this book down. It held me tightly in its grip and wouldn’t let go for the longest time. I laughed, cried and wanted to strangle the villain of the story who, in my humble opinion, is one of the most disgusting fictional villains. Junior Cain will enrage you! He is wicked to the core; and yet, somehow, he manages to believe he is the one the world has wronged. He’s also extremely arrogant and egotistical. You’ll probably be wanting to strangle him A LOT throughout the book.
The story is wrapped around a very large and beautiful message- we have purpose in this life. Everyone’s destiny is important. We must always remember how our decisions can effect future lives. As big as the world is, our lives connect in more ways than we realize.
Applause for yet another Dean Koontz novel. This is definitely the beginning of my Koontz obsession. I can tell I’m going to be reading a lot of him in the coming months.
Cozy Corner 