Liked 'Lightning', was hard to put it down. The first few chapters were nothing like the rest of the book. The book built the reader up slowly for a dramatic adventure that keeps you reading. This is one that you won't be able to figure out, and as a writer myself, I try, in my mind, to write the next page before I read it, and am totally surprised at where Dean Koontz takes your mind.
Betty Rhodes
author of "Keeper of the Celtic Secrets"

I'm a big fan of Dean Koontz, and some people consider LIGHTNING to be one of his best novels. I've seen some people even describe this book as the best Koontz novel ever. I respectfully disagree.

LIGHTNING starts off very well. Laura Shane, the protagonist of the book, is one of Koontz' most likable characters, and her remarkably tough childhood makes her very sympathetic. But she changes pretty dramatically in the second half of the book, and becomes more of an two-dimensional action hero.

The second part of this novel is basically one large chase scene with a lot of shootouts. It's reasonably entertaining, but I didn't feel it measured up to the first half of the book.

I also found much of the dialogue in this book to be remarkably unrealistic, especially from the children. There is an eight-year old child in this novel, for example, who talks like a miniature adult. Koontz injects a lot of humor in the dialogue, but much of it seems forced and unrealistic. I like humor in a novel, but I don't like characters that talk like stand-up comedians.

Again, I love Koontz, and strongly recommend books like WATCHERS, MR. MURDER, INTENSITY, ODD THOMAS, VELOCITY, and THE HUSBAND. This book is reasonably entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend it as your first Koontz novel.

Please keep in mind, though, that some people just adore this novel, so it just shows how tastes can differ. The great thing about Koontz is that not all of his books are the same, so you never know what to expect.