The voice of the night [Hardcover]

Dean R Koontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1980

Originally published in 1981, a psychological thriller which concerns the relationship between two adolescent boys, one of whom is concealing a dreadful secret. From the author of MIDNIGHT and PHANTOMS.

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

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dean Koontz was born into a very poor family and learned early on to escape into fiction. His novels have sold over 200 million copies worldwide and more than thirty have appeared on national and international bestseller lists. He lives in southern California with his wife, Gerda and a vivid imagination. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

Koontz brings his usual suspenseful touch to this 1980 novel. Young teens Colin and Roy become fast summer pals. But it doesn't take long for geeky Colin to see that athletic Roy has a twisted obsession: death. This teen thriller revolves around their relationship, and Patrick Lawlor does a fine job with their voices. He gives Roy a slightly malevolent growling tone; Colin's voice is a bit higher pitched. Lawlor doesn't do as well with minor characters, such as the clichˆ©d matronly librarian, the overbearing father, and the hardworking mother who is too tired to listen to her son. But the bulk of the book is boy versus boy, and Lawlor keeps the story moving. He captures the boys' anger and vengeance as dark secrets come to the surface. M.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 277 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385152582
• ISBN-13: 978-0385152587
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,897,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Very Good Book~!, December 12, 2000

By 

Blakely Bullock (Thomasville, Ga USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voice of the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

The Voice of the Night, by Dean R. Koontz is the best book I have ever read. I couldn't put if down from the minute I picked it up and started reading it. If you want an example of a page turner, then here's one for you. The book is about a young fourteen year old boy, Colin, who moves to a new little town in the 1990's. Right when Colin moves there, he becomes bestfriends with a boy named Roy, who is about the same age. The are inseperable. The boys are together all of time. Roy has become Colin's new bestfriend, which is something Colin has never had. He had been the outcast in his old school, but now he is friends with the most popular boy in his class. Roy has a deep secret that he desperatly wants to share with Colin, but he first has to test Colin to see if he is trustworthy. When Roy finally feels that Colin is trusted enough, he tells him his awful secret. Roy kills people for the fun of it. And he wants Colin to help him kill someone to prove their friendship. Colin cant possibly kill someone, but he doesnt want to lose Colin as a friend. He decides that their friendship is not worth what Roy wants it to be, so he says 'no' to Roy's offer. This angers Roy and he is out to kill Colin. But in the end..... well, i guess i'll just have to let you read and find that out! This is an excellent book, and I would recommend it to ANYONE. It has just the right sequence of events to make you keep wanting to turn the pages and never stop. Which is what I love about this book. I will read it many times.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary, psychological, chilling, and realistic. An eye opener, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Voice of the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

It's unfortunate that I could not put 20 stars down- that's what it deserves for being such an amazing novel. I first read this book 3 years ago and still pick it up and look at it (skim the pages and read my favorite parts) almost everyday. Although this book's premise does not fit my definition of "horror," it is still scary because it could actually happen and and because Koontz is able to get you to feel for both the characters (near the end of the book I was relatively empathetic to Roy because of some issues he had and still has) and therefore it makes the prospect of something happening to them (for the most part it's Colin you worry about) daunting. It's an incredibly exciting book, with action and subtle clues of the suspense that is to come and it also has psychological elements to it that also interest me because I am fascinated by psychology and such things. I love this book! It's one of my favorites and my favorite of his. Feel free to email me to talk about the book, any of his other books (or other authors and their books) or anything in general.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites!, June 20, 2005

By 

Jessie (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voice of the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm surprised that this makes so many people's least favorites list. This was Koontz number 18 for me and it looks like I'm going to have to add it to my top ten favorites! It's more teenager oriented than his other books, much as The Funhouse was. It should be refreshing for anyone who doesn't like Koontz's heavy descriptions, as The Voice Of The Night has much more dialogue and is lighter on the descriptions and metaphors. It has a RL Stine rated R feel much as The Funhouse did.

Colin Jacobs is a shy, akward, nerdy fourteen year old boy who recently moved to town. His father is a beer-guzzling, wife-beating redneck and Colin lives alone with his mother who is always working and never has time for him, nor does she ever trust him. Colin's only friend is Roy Borden, also fourteen. Roy sometimes likes to talk about sick things, but Colin just assumes he's putting him on. When Roy reveals that he's killed not only animals, but people, Colin doesn't believe him. But when Colin tries to force him into helping him cause a massive disaster in town, Colin must make the most important descision of his life. If he refuses, Roy will kill him. If he goes along with it, he'll be responsible for several lives.

The book was pretty disturbing at times. Roy is a pretty messed up kid. It's his reasons for being a messed up kid, revealed at the end, that made me shed a tear. And it's much more than you may think. You'd never think you could feel sorry for this twisted boy who likes to torture, maim, and fascinates about rape, but you do.

I highly recommend The Voice Of The Night, along with: Intensity, The Door To December, Watchers, Whispers, Darkfall, Hideaway, Shadowfires, The Funhouse, Twilight Eyes, and Phantoms.