The Eyes of Darkness

Last updated

The Eyes of Darkness
The Eyes of Darkness.jpg
First edition
Author Dean Koontz (as Leigh Nichols)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Suspense
Publisher Pocket Books
Publication date
May 10, 1981
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages369
ISBN 0-671-82784-7
OCLC 34817463

The Eyes of Darkness is a thriller novel by American writer Dean Koontz, released in 1981. [1] The book focuses on a mother who sets out on a quest to find out if her son indeed died one year ago, or if he's still alive.

Contents

Plot

A year after her son Danny dies in an alleged accident on a camping trip, stage producer Tina Evans starts receiving paranormal signals insinuating that the boy is still alive. Having never seen Danny's deceased body, she plans to exhume his corpse to put her mind to rest. Assisting Tina is a newly acquainted lawyer Elliot Stryker, formerly working for Army Intelligence, with whom she is having an affair. They are soon targeted by assassins hired by Project Pandora and barely escape alive. Tina, strongly convinced that Danny is still alive, sets out to discover what really happened to her son and rescue him. Elliot accompanies her and the pair are chased by other agents instructed to kill them. Tina is telepathically guided by Danny to an underground lab in Sierra Nevada where her son has been subjected to horrific experiments by a top secret governmental organisation.

Characters

Planned television adaptation

According to author Dean Koontz in the afterword of a 2008 paperback reissue, television producer Lee Rich purchased the rights for the book along with The Face of Fear , Darkfall , and a fourth unnamed novel for a television series based on Koontz's work. [2] The Eyes of Darkness was assigned to Ann Powell and Rose Schacht, [3] co-writers of Drug Wars: The Camarena Story , but they could never deliver an acceptable script. Ultimately, The Face of Fear is the only book of the four made into a television movie.

COVID-19 speculation

The novel mentions a bioweapon that in earlier editions is named Gorki-400 after the Soviet city of Gorki in which it was created. Due to the end of the Cold War, the origin of the bioweapon was changed to the Chinese city of Wuhan and it was renamed Wuhan-400 for the 1989 edition onward, prompting speculation from some in early 2020 that Koontz had somehow predicted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). [4] [5] [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

Dean Ray Koontz is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reaching the number-one position. Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer", "K.R. Dwyer", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels and a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

<i>X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills</i> 1982 graphic novel

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills is an original graphic novel published in 1982 by Marvel Comics, starring their popular superhero team the X-Men. It was written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Brent Anderson. The book served as a primary inspiration for the 20th Century Fox film X2, which saw Claremont return to write the novelization.

<i>Odd Thomas</i> (novel) 2003 novel by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas is a thriller novel by American writer Dean Koontz, published in 2003. The novel derives its title from the protagonist, a twenty-year-old short-order cook named Odd Thomas. The book, which was well received and lauded by critics, went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. Following the success of the novel, six sequels, Forever Odd (2005), Brother Odd (2006), Odd Hours (2008), Odd Apocalypse (2012), and Deeply Odd (2013), were also written by Koontz. The final novel in the series Saint Odd (2015) was released on Jan 13, 2015. Three graphic-novel prequels, In Odd We Trust, Odd Is On Our Side and House of Odd have also been released. In the postscript to the graphic novel, Koontz states that "God willing, there will be six Odd Thomas novels." A Special Odd Thomas Adventure, Odd Interlude, was released on December 26, 2012, and another Odd Thomas: You Are Destined to Be Together Forever on December 9, 2014.

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein is the collective title of five novels co-written by Dean Koontz. Though technically of the mystery or thriller genres, the novels also feature the trappings of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.

<i>Life Expectancy</i> (novel) 2004 novel by Dean R. Koontz

Life Expectancy is a novel by suspense/horror writer Dean R. Koontz. The plot centers on five pivotal moments in the life of a self-proclaimed "lummox" named James "Jimmy" Tock.

<i>Hideaway</i> (novel) 1992 novel by Dean Koontz

Hideaway is a novel by American horror writer Dean Koontz, published by Putnam in 1992.

<i>Darkfall</i> (Koontz novel)

Darkfall is a novel by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 1984. The novel is also known as Darkness Comes.

<i>Watchers</i> (novel) 1987 novel by Dean Koontz

Watchers is a 1987 suspense novel by American author Dean Koontz. Along with Strangers, Lightning, and Midnight, Watchers is credited with establishing Koontz's status as a best-selling author.

<i>The Bad Place</i> 1990 novel by Dean Koontz

The Bad Place is a horror novel by American writer Dean Koontz, released in 1990. It includes elements of horror, suspense, and mystery, and is presented partially as a twist on the private eye drama.

<i>Cold Fire</i> (Koontz novel)

Cold Fire is a 1991 novel written by the best-selling author Dean Koontz.

<i>Dragon Tears</i>

Dragon Tears is a 1993 paranormal/horror novel by the best selling author Dean Koontz.

<i>Prodigal Son</i> (novel) 2005 novel by Dean Koontz

Prodigal Son is a novel by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 2005. The book is the first book released by Koontz in a series of five, entitled Dean Koontz's Frankenstein. The book was co-authored by Kevin J. Anderson.

The Mask may refer to:

<i>Strange Highways</i> (short story collection) Book by Dean Koontz

Strange Highways is a collection of 12 short stories and two novels by American author Dean Koontz, released in May 1995. Four of the stories are revised from their originals. A British edition of the book was previously issued by Headline in April 1995.

<i>Frankenstein</i> (2004 film) 2004 American TV series or program

Frankenstein is a 2004 American science fiction horror television film produced and directed by Marcus Nispel and written by John Shiban. It is a loose adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and stars Parker Posey as a police detective on the trail of a serial killer, played by Thomas Kretschmann, in present-day New Orleans. The detective is aided in her search by one of the killer's creations, played by Vincent Perez. Adam Goldberg, Ivana Miličević and Michael Madsen co-star. It was produced by Lions Gate Films, and aired on the USA Network on October 10, 2004.

<i>What the Night Knows</i>

What the Night Knows is a 2010 novel by bestselling author Dean Koontz. It reached No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Following the events of the novella "Darkness Under the Sun," it follows the life of John Calvino, a survivor of a violent attack on his family and current police officer. In the aftermath of Billy Lucas's brutal slaying of his own family, Calvino notices many similarities between Billy Lucas's family and his own, and Lucas knows more about Calvino than he possibly can. Spooked, remembering the attack of that left his family dead so many years ago at the hands of the late Alton Turner Blackwood, Calvino starts worrying that Blackwood, or his memory, might be back, and the family Calvino created may be in danger.

<i>Mr. Murder</i> (miniseries) American TV series or program

Mr. Murder is a 1998 American science fiction-crime thriller television miniseries starring Stephen Baldwin based on the 1993 book of the same name by Dean Koontz. It was first broadcast in New Zealand on September 21, 1998. The first part then aired on ABC in the United States on Monday, April 26, 1999, at 9:00 p.m. and the finale aired on Thursday, April 29, at 9:00 p.m.

Gangs of London is a British television series created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery. Based on the 2006 video game of the same name, serving as the fourth installment in The Getaway franchise created by Brendan McNamara and Katie Ellwood, Gangs of London follows the struggles between rival gangs and other criminal organisations in present-day London. The first series premiered on 23 April 2020 on Sky Atlantic. In June 2020, a second series was announced, with AMC to take over US broadcast rights and co-produce, and Corin Hardy to take over as showrunner. The second series premiered on 20 October 2022 in the UK and Germany and premiered on 17 November 2022 in the US. In November 2022, a third series was announced, while in December 2022, a graphic novel bridging the first and second series was released.

<i>Whispers</i> (1990 film) 1990 Canadian film

Whispers is a 1990 Canadian horror film directed by Douglas Jackson and starring Victoria Tennant, Jean LeClerc, Chris Sarandon, Peter MacNeill, and Linda Sorenson. It follows a writer who, after killing her stalker, finds that he seems to have returned from beyond the grave. It is based on the 1980 novel by American suspense author Dean Koontz.

References

  1. Koontz, Dean (May 10, 1981). The Eyes of Darkness (1st ed.). Pocket Books. ISBN   0-671-82784-7. OCLC   34817463.
  2. Koontz, Dean (December 2, 2008). "Afterword" . The Eyes of Darkness (Reissue ed.). Berkley Books. pp. 369–374. ISBN   978-0-425-22486-1.
  3. "Lee Rich Propping Four TV Features". Variety . November 16, 1989.
  4. "Partly false claim: a 1981 book predicted the coronavirus 2019 outbreak". Reuters . February 28, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  5. Evon, Dan (February 18, 2020). "Was Coronavirus Predicted in a 1981 Dean Koontz Novel?". Snopes . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  6. Chung, Frank (February 27, 2020). "1981 book's eerie coronavirus prediction". The Daily Examiner . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  7. Kaur, Harmeet (March 13, 2020). "No, Dean Koontz did not predict the coronavirus in a 1981 novel". CNN . Retrieved April 28, 2021.