The House of Thunder

This book to me is a classic. Koontz brilliantly constructs this plot and makes it a joy to see unfold. I read this book a few years back and I still remember the pleasure I got from it. A couple months ago I gave this book to my girlfriend to read I got her hooked on Koontz now I am like her Koontz supplier hehehe. Anyways I dared her to figure out the plot before books end and to tell me. She had quite the imagination but could never come up with the plot. After she finsihed she was astounded by the sheer brilliance of this book. So why did I give this book 5 stars quite simply because it was a hard book to put down. I seen from other reviews some were disappointed with the ending but I bet for that moment of time when they were reading it all were captivated just as I was!!!

This is absolutely one of his best books. The title is fitting too- House of Thunder.
The house in this book is not one I've forgotten- even though I read this book years ago. And the characters, the ones that aren't on the good side, have left lasting impressions. I know I'll read the book again, I'm betting it will freak me out as much as the first time around.
The best part of this book was the ending- it gave me a bit of a surprise.

This book was first released in the early 80s under one of Koontz' pseudonyms. Susan wakes up in the hospital after a car accident. At first she can't remember anything about herself but her memory gradually returns. In the hospital, she starts to see what appears to be the ghosts of four fraternity boys who killed her boyfriend thirteen years ago. Are they really ghosts, or is she losing her sanity?

The premise is a good one and it keeps you interested. But the buildup is a bit too long compared to the ending. She encounters her tormentors several times, but it never feels like there's any imminent threat to her until the last half of the book. About 100 pages before the ending, the story really takes off and it's a great read until the somewhat too abrupt ending.

Not one of Koontz' best, but still definately an entertaining read. A weak 4 stars.

This is a very interesting book to say the least. It's one that you never truly know whats going on. You may think you do but you really don't. At one point I thought I knew and I was close or partially right. Then when it was done I realized that is was so much larger than I had thought. If you like books that throws you curves all the time; ones that you never really on what's going on; ones that at the ending you have to laugh and go wow, I didn't quite see that comming than go get this book and enjoy.

Koontz is a master of the psychological thriller. The House of Thunder twists and turns with alarming ease, leading the reader down a darkened funhouse maze, never letting on where he is going with the story.
I could not put this book down once I began reading it, finally finishing it at 3am, after starting around midnight. I was captivated by the storyline, and had no clue that all the things that were happening were part of a big sham. However, I thoroughly enjoyed being fooled by Koontz, as this made the entire book so engaging and entertaining. I just couldn't put the book down 'til I knew what the outcome was!
Good story! Would like to see this one made into a movie!
Peace Out.

Koontz is among my favorite authors, but I must admit, I found this to be one of his weaker books. It starts out great, full of mystery, but it drags on a bit and I was disappointed with the ending. It was a decent read, but if you're new to Koontz, I'd recommend "The Face," "Odd Thomas" or "Intensity" for a great story.

For those who are Koontz fans and even those who have never heard of him ( is that's even possible although he's been sucking the last few years a bit) this can be a real treat. This is one of his older novels which I prefer, his good olden days were something to relish in story land. I love how The House of Thunder really messes with the reader's mind when things start to unfold. It gets nice and creepy and brings in the thrills, I read this story years ago back in 2003 and I wanted to add a review to Goodreads so I looked up the old review and implemented some into this intro. I still think fondly of this story ten years later, time for a re-read it seems.

When Susan wakes up in an unfamiliar hospital she knows there was some kind of an accident but she cannot recall what is going on and why is she there. Her freedom seems suppressed by mysterious hospital members and nurses, she starts suspecting something strange is going on around her and she's somehow aware of it without others noticing it, yet...Reading this as a surprise without reading about it was the best so I don't want to spoil but let me just say that it's seat gripping and fun, a type of book that will make one hold their breath, well at least I did, that one scene in the hospital.. yikes. She feels that her life is in danger even while everything seems pretty normal, she must do her best to remain inconspicuous but get to the bottom of things and still get out in one piece. Susan Thornton is one character that I grew to like, and I didn't want anything to happen to her. Unfortunately for me and for Susan, there are a few nice scary chapters with her in them, it was an intense read! Just when you think she's safe, she ends up in a much worse situation.

This is a seep clogger, something that I read through the night and went on with the next day in a zombie haze because I was so tired but happy and rethinking the story in my head. So if you want to stay up till 3am go for it.

- Kasia S.

I have read about 25 of Dean Koontz' books in the past few years and "The House of Thunder" is deffinatly one of my favourites so far. Extremely gripping and difficult to put down. Also, I have never read a book so filled with mysetery and suspence, I couldn't wait to find out what was happening to Susan - was it minor brain damaged caused by her accident? Or are these four dead men really extracting revenge from beyond the grave? Is she suffering from paranoid delusions? Part of some elaborate consipracy? These are questions you will be asking yourself throughout the book.

These mysteries, and the suspence and terror built up in Susan's hallucinations (or are they?), are alone enough to make a five-star, fast-paced read but from around page 300 (the book has 438 pages) Koontz creates several ingenious plot twist and mysteries, some of which had me gasping out loud, they were so fantastic.

This book has my highest recomendations to anybody looking for a good horror/mystery/thriller novels or fans of Dean Koontz - and if you have never read one of his books before, give this one a read and see for yourself the extent of his talent as a writer.

Okay so my title has nothing to do with the book per se. What it has to do with is this. Koontz is like any other author. He reaches a period when his books are somewhat hit and miss. He's turning out so many stories that some of them are good, some...ehhh.... not so good. This one is not a hit in my opinion. There's just too much going on and I felt like it never truly got tied together in a believable knot.
A car wreck, fear at her company's name, a dead former boyfriend and a Soviet conspiracy.... How one train of thought leads to the other is anyone's guess but honestly I felt like this book was just a bit over the top. Typical to Koontz, he writes characters you love, hate, or love to hate or hate to love...but you feel SOMETHING for them. They leap of the page into the realm of believability. That is the reason for my 3 star review. The plot itself suffers from an OVERactive imagination, I'm afraid. Many of Koontz's works are worth reading. If I were going to choose one to skip, this one would be at the top of my skip list.

This is one of the scariest novels he has written!! I loved this book it gets you all comfortable and then Bang!! your scared and you are wondering if there is an answer to this !! It is so be prepared because you will not put it down until you find out!!