Lightning by Dean R Koontz (1988)
Emotional excitement
Book cover blurb
A storm strikes on the night Laura Shane is born in 1955, and there is a strangeness about the weather that people will remember for years. As the dazzling blue-white jagged bolts of lightning split the heavens, a stranger materialises out of the raging blizzard to guard Laura from the not so tender mercies of a drunken doctor and ensure her safe passage into the world, before disappearing back into the night. Eight years later, Laura meets her mysterious saviour again, when he saves her from the perverted and deadly intentions of a drug-crazed robber.
Throughout her childhood, ever more terrifying troubles beset the young girl, but with increasing courage, she finds the strength to prevail -even without the intervention of the stranger.
In time she marries and has a son, while also finding success as a novelist. Gradually the memory of her strange guardian and the troubles of her youth dim in the light of her happiness. Until the lightning strikes once more and shatters her world.
This time the stranger has become the angel of death. As Laura flees with her young son, Chris, she knows she must prepare for the final confrontation that will come with the powerful forces that stalk her. The adventure - and the terror -has only just begun...
My Review
This is my second read of Lightning, and to be honest, before I started the read I could remember next to nothing about it. Probably because my first read was back in the early '90s, and my reading was very poor back then.
As I started this reread I began to recollect, not details or plot elements or anything like that, but the emotion of the read. The feelings I had so many years ago during my first read, this book fills you with emotion, there's a little humour, there's tension and even a tear or two. I can admit it. I just felt comfortable with it all...at home.
This book for me is very much two entities in one, as the main character, quite suddenly, changes how she deals with what life and fate throws at her. The pace of the book also becomes very rapid in the latter half, literally forcing you to read faster. Just like all of Koontz's books, this is a fantastic page-turner.
I did find myself constantly wondering if Koontz had perhaps watched James Cameron's The Terminator before being compelled to write this book. There is so much commonality between the two.
Anyway, If you love Dean Koontz, you'll love this book. If you love time travel, you'll love this book. If you love good books, you'll love this book!
My copy of this novel
BCA hardback edition.
Published in 1994
329 pages
ISBN 0000000084369