I have become very disenchanted with Dean Koontz over the last few years; his recent work, in my opinion, leaves a great deal to be desired, and is overly preachy to boot. I look back on his earlier work with rather more affection, especially Twilight Eyes. This is one of those rare books I can go back and reread every few years, and still enjoy it nearly as much as I did the first time I read it. It stands out from most of Koontz' work, mainly because here he eschews most of the trademarks he brings to almost everything he writes. Most of Koontz' books A) are set in California, B) have protagonists in their thirties, C) have a dog (especially a Golden Retriever, which Koontz seems to think is the noblest being in the animal kingdom), D) have a psychopathic human villain whose point of view is elaborately depicted, with extensive justification for his atrocious acts. Here the hero and heroine are just a couple of years either side of twenty, rather than Koontz' usual thirtysomethings, and the story takes place on the east coast (mostly Pennsylvania coal mining country). In fact, not only does the action take place elsewhere than Koontz' preferred southern California setting, he even set it in the past: the early sixties -- probably owing to the impossibility of having a freak show in this carnival if it had been set in the eighties when the book was written, and such attractions were no longer considered socially acceptable. A couple of his trademarks that he does bring in here are the "heroine with the traumatic childhood," and "patient and understanding hero who helps the heroine overcome her traumatic childhood." Still, these trademarks are a bit less heavy handed than in some of his other books, and he's not remotely as preachy here as he got to be later in his career.
The story itself is an interesting one, where the teenaged hero can sense the presence of beings he calls "goblins" who can perfectly masquerade as ordinary human beings, but who are filled with hatred and loathing of humankind, and derive their sole pleasure from the anguish and suffering they inflict on the ordinary humans around them. The main character runs away to join a traveling carnival after he kills one of them in his home town, forever cutting himself off from "straight" society, and forcing him to make a life for himself among the carnies. This ultimately proves of great use to him in his crusade against the goblin-kind. The carnival setting also does much to set this book apart from Koontz' more usual fare, and makes it interesting in its own right as well. The explanation for the existence of the goblins turns out to be scientific rather than supernatural, and even though it is very farfetched, one can still suspend disbelief easily and enjoy the story. All in all, it's one of Koontz' more unusual and entertaining stories, and I recommend it.
Twilight Eyes: A Thriller
4.5 | 2,120 ratings
Price: 1.99
Last update: 08-22-2024
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Top reviews from the United States
Darren O'Connor
One of my favorite Koontz novels
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2012
Okie
Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
Susan
Loved it
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2021
Schtinky
A new species just under the skin of everyday people
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2006Steve S
One of his best
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024Grandma Jo Seamons
Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2024sandy
Typical Koontz
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
Diana Anderson
Demon goblins
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021