Amazon.com: DOOR NUMBER THREE.: Patrick. O'Leary: Books

More About the Author

PATRICK O'LEARY was born in Saginaw, Michigan. His poetry has appeared in Literary Magazines across North America. His first novel DOOR NUMBER THREE (TOR) was chosen by Publisher's Weekly as one of the best novels of the year. His second novel THE GIFT (TOR) was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and The Mythopoeic Award. His first collection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry was OTHER VOICES, OTHER DOORS (Fairwood Press). His third novel THE IMPOSSIBLE BIRD (TOR) made the preliminary shortlist for the Nebula Award. His latest collection of stories is THE BLACK HEART (PS Publishing). His short stories have appeared in MARS PROBES and INFINITY PLUS One, SCIFICTION.COM, TALEBONES and THE INFINITE MATRIX. His poetry was chosen for the 17th Annual THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR. His novels have been translated into German, Russian, Japanese, Polish, French and Braille. Until recently he was a Creative Director at an advertising agency. His work has won numerous industry awards. He has traveled extensively, but he makes his home near Detroit, Mich with his wife, artist, Sandra Rice. His homepage: http://web.mac.com/paddybon/ His Blog: http://patrickoleary.wordpress.com/

Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original, Suspenseful, AND Humorous, January 31, 2001

By

Paul "review king" (I travel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Door Number Three (Paperback)

A neurotic psychotherapist and his patient who claims she was abducted by aliens, a time machine, a Mad-Hatter-like inventor who hides out in a Catholic church rectory, a homicidal police detective who gets religion, deadly femme fatales addicted to sugar, an endearing pet bird with genetically engineered super-intelligence. These are some fo the elements of this stunning novel, which is as imaginative as Neil Gaiman's "Nevermore." By turns hilarious and suspenseful, with a surreal sense of humor reminiscent of Douglas Adams ("The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), this book is a wild coaster ride, full of surprises and revelations. But it is not purely plot driven. The characters are engaging, original, and come to life. If you're tired of the same old, same old, try this book!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, January 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Door Number Three (Paperback)

Being a science-fiction buff, I expected to enjoy this book no matter what. But I was really blown away by the richness of the language and the complexity of the plot. It is reminiscent of Slaughterhouse-5, yet very unique in its approach. This book is very wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone who is even slightly interested in science fiction.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very good, November 7, 2005

By

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Door Number Three (Paperback)

The highest praise in science fiction, it seems to me, is to compare it to the work of Philip K. Dick. This book definitely reminds me of some of Dick's work. The protagonist is a psychotherapist with serious mom/dad-brother issues that he is busy trying to work through in his life. Meanwhile, a patient appears who claims to have been raised by aliens and has one year on earth to convince someone. Suddenly the protagonist finds himself pursued by seriously drug addicted alien women (the drug is sugar; it overwelms them -- they keep purses full of it). He hooks up with some very good people living in a catholic rectory. Turns out that somehow prayer is effective against the aliens (even saying grace stops them at one point!). Also in the rectory is an utterly charming little bird. I don't want to give too much away, but the book is full of time travel, love, hate, and a world where people live in lime jello. What more can a reader want?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Strong beginning, weak ending
Patrick O'Leary had me for about the first two-thirds of this novel. The writing is elegant, the plot strong and mysterious. Read more

Published 17 months ago by TChris

4.0 out of 5 stars Sci-fi Soup for the Soul
This is a great book. I didn't give it five stars because I don't think it's an undisputable work of art for everyone, but I did mark it with four stars and as a favorite... Read more

Published on August 17, 2009 by William J. Thompson

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleep, perchance ...
This is a twisted take on the time travel theme we've grown up with. We do have a group of aliens (one of them sexy, the others ugly); secret government agents; and a strange... Read more

Published on February 14, 2009 by Dick Johnson

1.0 out of 5 stars Why I stopped reading Sci Fi
I purchased this book after hearing O'Leary's poem on the car commercial. While the poem was mediocre, it did provide a certain haunting quality I thought I'd find in the author's... Read more

Published on March 22, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind Door #3: the next Phil Dick?
There seems to be a resurgence in time-travel novels, although they seem to be taking unusual shapes and forms. Read more

Published on February 18, 2003 by Glen Engel Cox

5.0 out of 5 stars Sci-fi that delves into personal relationships
O'Leary uses this story, involving aliens, Feds, and time-travel as a framework to explore interpersonal relationships and how we are strangely tied to our particular perception... Read more

Published on February 4, 2002 by Robert Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story! Entertaining, thought-provoking!
Loved this book! I stayed up 'til 2:00am just to finish reading it, and I didn't want it to be over. Read more

Published on October 21, 2000 by Auliya

3.0 out of 5 stars less than I expected
The writing is excellent, the content is good, this is a very readable book. What keeps me from giving it the fourth star is: so what? Read more

Published on June 15, 2000 by Larry A. Hollar

3.0 out of 5 stars Written for Hollywood?
This book belongs to a type I've seen more and more recently--a book influenced by film and/or written with an eye to film adaptation. Read more

Published on June 4, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent humor
O'Leary is one of the best prose artists in the genre. His dry wit, insight, and lush use of words makes for more than just an escapist read.

Published on January 10, 2000

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
When we were still on speaking terms, my mother once asked me, "How on earth will you ever know if you've cured anyone?" Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Memory Films, Saul Lowe, Door Number Three, Great Mother, Dream Room, World War, Pointe Peele, Detective Kiefer, John Donelly, Time Travelers, Adrian Jones, Boogie Man, Detroit River

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