Product Description

Performance by Anne Twomey
13 Cassettes, approx. 22 hrs.

ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN introduces a young woman, Micky Bellsong, searching for meaning in her troubled life. When she meets the radiant Leilani Klonk, a child whose physical disabilities cannot quench her spirit, Micky unexpectedly finds the purpose she so desperately needs. Leilani's stepfather, Preston Maddoc, is a fanatical UFO believer who claims that aliens will heal the girl by her approaching tenth birthday or take her away with them. Micky's foreboding escalates with her discovery that Leilani had an older brother, also disabled who is now "gone to the stars" after Maddoc took him in search of the aliens to "heal" him. When the family vanishes, Micky sets off on a daunting quest to find them, joined by a detective drawn by her passion and courage. Pitted against an adversary as fearsome as he is cunning, they will journey together through terrible darkness to unexpected light.

Suspense and humor, tragedy and joy, terror, wonder, and hope combine to make ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN a new triumph of storytelling from Dean Koontz.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2386729 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04
• Format: Large Print
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 816 pages

Amazon.com Review
Dean Koontz virtually invented the cross-genre novel, and in One Door Away from Heaven he mixes an action thriller with post-X-Files alien paranoia to remarkable effect. Micky Bellsong is a young woman at a crisis point in her life, using a stay at her Aunt Geneva's to sort things out. Then the precocious and deformed Leilani Klonk walks into her life, telling stories of her stepfather and drugged-up mother, who believe aliens will beam the girl into their mothership and heal her deformities before her 10th birthday. But tales of the stepfather's vicious past, including his hand in several murders, leave Micky believing that a far more terrible fate awaits her friend. So when the parents take off with Leilani, Micky pursues.

As is typical with a Koontz novel, nothing turns out to be what it seems, and the meticulously crafted plot tightens like a noose with every turn of the page. His characters are exceptionally drawn, driving the novel forward with realism and warmth. Micky is one of his more attractive young heroines, but the real star is Leilani, a mature young girl whose plucky nature and sparkling dialogue instantly make her Koontz's most memorable creation. She embodies his belief that despite violence, pain, and suffering, there is always goodness to be found in every person and situation. Koontz has once again proven why he is one of the premier novelists of his generation. --Jonathan Weir, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
Koontz's latest is powered by an impassioned stand against utilitarian bioethics, and it's chock-a-block with trademark characters vulnerable kids, nurturing parental substitutes, a dog of above-average intelligence and a villain of insuperable nastiness sure to provoke a pleasurable conditioned response from his readers. The discursive story coalesces from two converging subplots steeped in the weirdness of fringe ufology: in one, loser Michelina Bellsong struggles to save crippled nine-year-old Leilani Klonk from an evil stepdad planning to pass off her imminent disposal as a benevolent alien abduction; in the other, a strange boy who goes by the alias Curtis Hammond is the quarry of two cross-country manhunts, one led by the FBI and the other by mass murderers who, like the messianic Curtis, may not be what they seem. En route to a pyrotechnic finale in rural Idaho, Koontz shoots bull's-eyes at target issues that shape his theme, including assisted suicide, substance abuse, the irresponsibility of the counterculture and the goofiness of true-believer ET enthusiasts. Koontz's once form-fitting style has gotten baggy of late, however, and readers may find themselves wishing he had better filtered the flights of fancy his characters sometimes indulge at chapter length. For all that, the novel is surprisingly focused on its inspirational message "we are the instruments of one another's salvation and only by the hope that we give to others do we lift ourselves out of the darkness into light" and conveys it with such conviction that only the most critical will demur. (Dec. 26)Forecast: A terrific cover, depicting two female figures on a country path beneath a star-filled night sky, will alert browsers to the awe and mystery within the novel; Koontz's name and Bantam's promo machine will do the rest. Koontz could hit #1 with this one.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Koontz's latest is a tale of redemption from fallen lives and of faith in the universe--nothing we haven't seen before. Not to say it isn't entertaining. It will enthrall readers. But nothing extraordinary awaits them at the end. The writing is baroque, and there seems to be no reason for much of Koontz's elaborateness. Micky, just emerging from a nasty period in her life, is living with her kooky Aunt Geneva when she meets bright, witty Leilani--Lani for short--who despises the pity people feel for her when they see her mutant hand and braced leg. She would rather they remembered her wit. Micky finds meaning in her own life when she discovers the horrible truth of Lani's, and, finally given something other than anger to focus on, rides to the rescue. Interwoven with this story is that of a boy fleeing the FBI and creatures far, far worse, who killed his mother and will stop at nothing to kill him. The book's revelations, while not exactly predictable, are not earth shattering. Suffice it to say that the tale is told well enough to satisfy, besides Koontz's faithful fandom, the less jaded and more hopeful among us. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Moving and Memorable...
I must admit that I am not usually a fan of Mr. Koontz and his published works. Not that he isn't talented, far from it, it is just that sometimes it takes effort to read his books and follow his line of oft-twisted logic. This book, however, pulled me in from the first page and managed to keep me hooked until the very end. I found myself laughing out loud at times as well. Dean Koontz has crafted a marvelous piece of fiction, and for that he has my praises.
The characters that populate this book are the most memorable that I have come across in any genre. Leilani is hilarious and tragic in her own right- as are Curtis, Old Yeller and Michelina. These people (and animal) seem to jump off the page and become solid representations of the fictional world. I suppose that is what makes this book so great...the characters are beleivable and real.
At its heart, I believe that this novel is a philisophical one, a journey that Koontz wants to take us on so that he can show us some of the truly frightening things that are out there in our world today. While he is not dealing with the fear of fangs and fur, talons and teeth, Dean is showing us that the truth is stranger that fiction.
Koonts takes us on a journey that causes us to question right and wrong and seriously evaluate our morals and beliefs. This is a good thing. Through the eyes of his characters, we gain insight into the lifes of those that are disable, addicted, lost, forgotten and worn out. We also see plenty of compassion, heart and sincerity. This book will make you think. It will make you want to read it over and over again, making sure that you did not miss anything important. I highly suggest this book to readers of any genre, it is one that bridges all gaps.
Told with uncanny wit and humor, it will have you hooked from the first page. I wont reveal any plot details, you can get those from the editorial review put up by AMAZON.COM, but I will say this: If this is the new direction that Dean Koontz will be taking- sign me up on the waiting list for his future novels, perhaps he will become a major mainstay on my bookshelf from now on. Read this book. Think about it, read it again. It is THAT good.

One Star Away From Mediocrity
Disclaimer: I am a long-standing fan of Koontz's work. Ever since "Strangers" debuted back in 1986, I've been enthralled with the author's unique skill at juggling suspense, technology, and horror atop his overarching theme of individual redemption. In fact, I still have my signed letter from Dean, which he sent to me after I wrote him following "Strangers" (I've never written another author). Right up through "Intensity," Koontz stitched up his plots tighter than any in modern fiction, doling out dread and hope in equally mesmerizing doses. But then the stitching began to unravel.

Following "Intensity," Koontz has slowly degraded into what I can only refer to as "Evangelical Canine Suspense Comedy." Yes, it's certainly a new genre, and as yet untapped, but then "Santanic Feline Sci-fi Parody" would also be a new genre--just not one of interest to me.

Whether you like Koontz's latest, "One Door Away From Heaven," will largely depend on whether you've liked the Christopher Snow novels and his last novel, "From the Corner of His Eye." The same will likely go for whether you will buy the revelation that comes at the end of "One Door," Koontz's idea of the "gift" that will literally save the world. I laughed, and I don't think that was the intended response. No offense to anyone (Dean included) but dogs and feel-good spirituality rarely make for great suspense fiction, and that proves to be the case here.

However, even if you're fond of suspense novels filled with dogs and supreme beings, there is still a major problem with Koontz's writing of late: it's simply too long. Koontz used to rip through his tales, in classics like "Watchers" or "The Bad Place," in under four hundred pages. Of late, he has problems bringing anything in under six hundred pages, and these latter stories are actually leaner than those of old. Even his best novel of the past five years, "False Memory," should have been half its delivered length.

The plot of "One Door" is so bloated and rambling that at times I found myself skipping ahead in frustration. A good editor would have ripped away entire chapters of meandering description. Not only that, but the skeletal plot beneath the fat has huge flaws: one heroine doesn't really live up to the moniker; one major character does essentially nothing related to the main story until the end, and then it's too late; a major death is presented almost as an aside, tossed off with little to no drama.

Yes, the suspense and mood are often intriguing and pull you forward, wondering what is really happening, and the characterizations are often deft. Central to the tale is Leilani Klonk, a nine-year-old born with physical birth defects balanced by a superior mind and great wit. Leilani steals the show, with her dialogue being some of Koontz's best. A pleasure, as well, is Aunt Geneva, an elderly woman who, shot in the head long ago, now confuses her life with that of movies she's seen. Both are nice creations, but neither is substantive enough to boost Dean's latest into the realm of his greatest.

By the end, "One Door" buckles under its own heft and loses severity from its silly, almost child-like philosophy.

What a Great Surprise!
For some reason, even though I like Peter Straub and Stepehn King, I have never been able to get into Dean Koontz. Well, this book is so sharp, original, and compelling that I have not been able to put it down! I am happily surprised to find myself becoming a Dean Koontz fan!

The characters of the book aren't your usual dime-novel fare; they are very unusual, funny, and intelligent. Yet they are also believable. The plot has many elements of bizzareness and realism mixed together to create a sharp-edged collage. From the first chapter, where we meet two characters that you can't help but care about right away, to the actual unfolding of the plot, there isn't a dull moment.

I'm reminded somewhat of "The Talisman" by some parts of this novel, and that's a good thing.

Read it -- you'll like it!!!