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Ok, there are two ways to see this book, in my opinion. First, you can label it as one of those ordinary action stories in which all that holds the book is the mere succession of events, with characters only serving the narrative purpose.
On the other hand, if you don't expect the masterpiece of an author's
lifetime, then you'll likely get your share of fun, turning the pages of this pretty short novel at a considerably fast pace. I have to confess that I started this book with not too great expectations, since I had the impression that most other readers didn't think too highly of it. Well, I actually
enjoyed it, and I can say I reached the last page after what seemed like a satisfying trip.
Susan Thorton is a 32-year old woman, but when she awakens in a
bed of the
hospital of Willawauk, Oregon, she doesn't remember a single thing about
herself; nothing about her life, her past, her job, or the reason
why she is there. She's
had a car accident while she was going on holiday, and as the days go by,
she
slowly recovers her health and her memories. Well, part of them, at least,
since
not even the help of fascinating Doctor McGee seems to breach the
veil that
hides the memories of her job. They tell her she's a scientist for an
important
company and she even talks to some of her colleagues, but a
gripping anxiety seizes her each time she just thinks about Milestone
Corporation. That's not her bigger problem, though, as she soon realizes
that what she thought was a nightmare from
her past, has actually materialized in the corridors of her hospital. When
she
was in college, she witnessed the murder of her boyfriend in the dark
confines
of a huge cave in Pennsylvania called "the house of thunder". As crazy as it
looks, the perpetrators are there with her, now, and they're
more wicked than they were years ago, hell-bent on giving her what she
deserves for witnessing
against them. Are these just illusions coming from some serious damage in
her
brain as the doctors keep telling her, or is she really a
prey waiting to be torn to pieces? The astounding truth is
only a few days away, but those will be days of paralyzing terror and heart-shattering madness.
Neat, uh? Don't you want to know more? I think the premises are pretty good,
interesting enough to have you tightly stuck in your armchair with a good lamp on, and ready to roll. The book unfolds as a
three-act piece, which I feel like dubbing a "you wonder - you freak out -
you find out" kind of story. At least, that's what I did in each section.
What makes this book the least of the five Nichols
novels in Koontz's estimation is probably the rather thin consistency of the
characters, acting as "props" for the denouement of the story. As I see it,
Susan's character is not badly portrayed, though she may look just a tad too similar to other Koontzian heroines ---
strong-willed, stubborn, determined, sob-story in her past. On the other hand, all the
other characters are certainly nothing more than figurines.
The plot is THOT's strongest suit. The three-act scheme works fine, even though I would have liked something more consistent for the ending. I'll admit that I hadn't predicted it, but in hindsight, I did not think it was very original. To top it all, I'll tell you I expected something a bit less rushed. It was well prepared, with the right amount of suspense and rhythm, but in the end I had the feeling that Koontz stepped too much on the gas and got carried away. Who knows, if he wrote this book today he would probably add at least another hundred pages before giving the conclusion away.
Broadly speaking, the novel is quite captivating, and it is enlivened by
several "scary parts" that pleasantly sock you in the guts every now and then. All is calm, all is quiet and you're just following the lively chit-chatting, when you turn the page and suddenly go "wow"! Just as sudden and exhilarating as the funny fluttering you get to your stomach when you ride too fast on a bump in the road. It goes away fast and you won't remember it all your life, but it was nice for a while.
I probably wrote this in some other review, but the easy way for me to judge
a book is to get an idea of how many times I "caught myself reading"
throughout the book. I mean, if I can fly through several passages of the story without actually realizing I'm reading, or without counting how many
pages are left to the end of the chapter, then I can safely say the book was
pretty good. Of course there is a whole world of difference between a good book and the book that makes it into your "top-three-ever list", but at least the stuff was entertaining. Maybe there were no memorable characters, or the writing was not so evocative, the prose not so rich, but the story kept going, and I usually give credit for that. Well, on that respect, I'd say that "The House of Thunder" qualified for the "good book" badge, since it was enjoyable, it kept me guessing all the time and I even happened to read twenty pages at a gulp without noticing. Happy reading! 7+/10