Product Description

Bartholomew Lampion is born in Bright Beach, California, on a day of tragedy and terror, when the lives of everyone in his family are changed forever. Remarkable events accompany his birth, and everyone agrees that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen.

On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He doesn't know who Bartholomew is, but he embarks on a search that will become the purpose of his life. If ever he finds the right Bartholomew, he will deal mercilessly with him.

And in San Francisco a girl is born, the result of a violent rape. Her survival is miraculous, and her destiny is mysteriously linked to the fates of Barty and the man who stalks him.

At the age ot three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons reluctantly remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As the growing boy copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother, an exceptional woman, counsels him that all things happen for a reason, that there is meaning even in his suffering, and that he will affect the lives of people yet unknown to him in ways startling and profound.

At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure. His mother once told him that every person's life has an effect on every other's, in often unknowable ways, and Barty's eventful life indeed entwines with others in ways that will astonish and move everyone who reads his story.

People magazine has said that Dean Koontz has the "power to scare the daylights out of us." In this, perhaps the most thrilling, suspenseful, and emotionally powerful work of his critically acclaimed career, Koontz does that and far more. He has created a compulsive page-turner that will have you at the edge of your seat, a narrative tour-de-force that will change the way you yourself look at the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2780048 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: School & Library Binding

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

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.

From Library Journal
Koontz's (Seize the Night) latest spellbinder chronicles the lives of three unique individuals. Bartholomew Lampion, born under miraculous yet tragic circumstances, has the most unusual and mesmerizing eyes ever seen. As he grows, he begins to exhibit abilities that defy physics. Angel, born in another city at the same time as Bartholomew, is also a miracle child; as she grows, she demonstrates the ability to see the world as it really exists. At the time of their births, ruthless and cunning Junior dreams that someone named Bartholomew will lead to his downfall. While attempting to find the nemesis he knows only by name, Junior is relentlessly pursued by a police detective. The three lives intertwine as this saga barrels along toward their inevitable confrontation. Though over 600 pages, the book never seems long. The characters are vivid and emotionally exciting, creating a fast and compelling read. Highly recommended for all public libraries.
-DJeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A surprise
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.

He's Back, He's Koontz and He's Wonderful!
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.

A future classic
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.