From the Corner of His Eye [Mass Market Paperback]

Dean Koontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2001

His birth was marked by wonder and tragedy.

He sees beauty and terror beyond our deepest dreams.

His story will change the way you see the world.

On the heels of his #1 bestseller False Memory, Dean Koontz brings together his most compelling themes and an unforgettable cast of characters to create what is perhaps the most thrilling and emotionally powerful work of his critically acclaimed career.

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 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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 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. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The premise behind Koontz's new novel is the same that buoyed Michael Crichton's TimelineDthat there exist multitudes of alternate universes, each varying only slightly from the next. Whereas Crichton used the idea to generate high adventure, however, Koontz employs it to create powerful emotion tinged with spiritual wonder. That emotion, which rocks characters and will shake readers, marks this as one of Koontz's most affecting novelsDand he's written a lot of them. But there's else in this fitfully suspenseful, sprawling story of good vs. evil that will leave readers wishing Koontz would make better friends with his delete key. Above all, there's the villain, Junior Cain, whose opening homicidal act will shock readers like ice water on the spine. Koontz enlivens dashing Junior with lots of neat touchesDe.g., he develops psychosomatic afflictions (vomiting, boils) after each killDbut Junior seems built from the outside in, more a pile of tics than a full-fledged human. On the side of good, the characters are more engaging, especially two psychospiritually gifted children and Thomas Vanadium, the magic-working priest-turned-cop who gets on Junior's case like a pit bull. Vanadium's lust for justice will galvanize readers, as will the trials and triumphs of the children, particularly the boy, Bartholomew, who Junior seesDin one working out of Koontz's theme of the interconnectedness of all lifeDas his mortal enemy and seeks to destroy. The potency of that theme and Bartholomew's wisdom in the face of personal tragedy provide the novel with great uplift, in spite of its wildly convoluted story line and excessive verbiage. (Dec. 26) Forecast: Note the pub date: Koontz has the week after Christmas all to himself. Plans include major ad/promo, 12-copy displays, simultaneous BDD Audio and Random large-print edition and, most importantly, a preview excerpt in each copy of the mass market of False Memory, on sale one month before. Like Koontz's other novels, this will be a serious bestsellerDperhaps even a #1.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (November 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553582747
• ISBN-13: 978-0553582741
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (428 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Psychological & Suspense

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania where I graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University). When I was a senior in college, I won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and have been writing ever since. My first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where I was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. During my first day on the job, I discovered that the previous occupier of my position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and I was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. I wrote nights and weekends, which I continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, my wife, Gerda, made me an offer I couldn't refuse: "I'll support you for five years," she said, "and if you can't make it as a writer in that time, you'll never make it." By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of my writing career. Gerda and I, along with our dog, Trixie, live in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprise, December 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: From the Corner of His Eye (Hardcover)

I avoided Dean for a few years - couldn't get into the sun-sensitive guy. But "From the Corner of His Eye" is horrific and spiritual all at once. You will not believe how the evil guy is finally vanquished. And yet, after reading the whole book, you might.

"From the corner of his eye" refers to God's attention on us all. The book deals with alternate realities and how we just might be able to redeem ourselves in other, very closely aligned worlds, if not in this one.

And in Dean's vision, some are able to cross over - very briefly, very slightly - until the end, when a full-fledged visit is finally possible.

This book's a lot of fun, full of the very sympathetic and lovable characters for which he's known. He's trying to share something special with us here. I'm, for one, open to it.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's Back, He's Koontz and He's Wonderful!, January 2, 2001

By 

Maureen F. Thomas "Software Teacher" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Corner of His Eye (Hardcover)

With much misgiving I approached this new Koontz, since the last few were disappointing. Well, this one more than makes up for the gap. In this book Koontz uses his skill with characterization and gives us a jumble of characters, all realistically drawn, yet just a touch of fantastical, even magical realism to some of them.

It's a genuine book, not an "bad Army" or "bad government" book, and is quite definitely a 625 page page-turner. When the book ended I wanted more.

The only negative for this book is his scrunched ending chapters. We have come to care for these people, and he jumps ten years in about 15 pages. Even though most of the ending is pre-ordained, it would have been nice to see the characters grow.

Warning -- do NOT read the blurb on the book jacket, or it spoils a pivotal surprise. It's still exciting when it happens, but it would hae been nice to have the surprise tickle my soul.

BUY THIS BOOK! It is as wonderful as Strangers and Lightning, in a totally different sort of way, but reminiscent as strangers come together and build their community, the Koontz way.

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A future classic, January 1, 2001

By 

Preston A. Hawkins - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Corner of His Eye (Hardcover)

Dean Koontz's "From the Corner of His Eye" is probably the best book ever written by a man who has had more than his share of great reads. Rare is the storyteller who excels not only at spooking us, but also at making us realize how beautiful the world and its inhabitants can be. I recommend this book whole-heartedly. Much like his other steller works, such as "Intensity" and "Lightning," Koontz takes us into the mind of an absolutely diabolical madman. However, at the other end, there are characters whose goodness makes them impossible not cheer for and care about. This novel ultimately deals with good versus evil, but other themes are present as well: dealing with loss and rediscovering faith just to name two. This may seem like too much for one novel, but Koontz weaves the story in a way that ties all ends together in a unique and interesting way. There is also a neat bit of science fiction in the novel dealing with quantum machanics. This should come as no surprise to longtime Koontz fans, as his novels have dealt with time travel in the past. ("Seize the Night" for example). However, here there are no headaches from trying to understand any theory. Koontz explans the theory in a simple and easily understandable way, as much of the explaning comes from the precocious three year olds in the novel. Again, it seems like alot, but Koontz's touch is brilliant. As I finished the book, I thought about how amazing it was that someone could think of, much less write, such a complicated story and make it smooth and endearing. Koontz quite simply has a beautiful mind. Many critics call Koontz "a poor man's King," referring to Stephen King. It should be noted that King reads and adores Koontz's work. This book shows why.