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Life Expectancy [Paperback]

Dean Koontz (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 560 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; Special Overseas Edition 2005 edition (1 Aug 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007196954
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007196951
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 169,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Dean Koontz
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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Life Expectancy confirms that one of the pleasures of reading Dean Koontz is that he is never especially likely to do the same thing twice in a row. Here he gives us a suspense novel with a supernatural element--Jimmy's dying grandfather prophesies at his birth that he will have five really bad days in his twenties and we watch these with real concern that he may not survive them. Even on the day of Jimmy's birth things go badly--a mad clown loses his wife in childbirth and massacres hospital staff; a bizarre feud between clowns and aerialists is a significant part of what follows. One of the strengths of Koontz's writing is that he works out in finely-blocked detail precisely how his average characters get themselves out of desperate situations by ingenuity and pluck, and without suddenly becoming super-powerful; even at his most wildly inventive, he remembers to be plausible. And this is one of his best books for a while simply because he has fewer axes to grind--this is pure story-telling of the smoothest kind. --Roz Kaveney. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Dean Koontz:

‘Dean Koontz straddles the genres, and pretty successfully, too … this is a read-at-a-sitting novel – with a terrific final twist’ The Observer on Odd Thomas

'Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler' The Times

‘Psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying’ The New York Times

'A modern Swift … a master satirist.' Entertainment Weekly

'If Stephen King is the Rolling Stones of novels, Koontz is the Beatles.' Playboy

'Dean Koontz writes page-turners, middle-of-the-night sneak-up-behind-you suspense thrillers. He touches our hearts and tingles our spines.' Washington Post Book World

'Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. Serious writers might do well to study his technique.' New York Times Book Review

'Fast-paced and dark … Koontz knows we live in a world where evil delights in justifying itself … Classic literature that deserves a place on the bookshelf beside Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.' California Literary Review

'Koontz is writing right where popular culture swells into something larger, just as it did for Homer, Shakespeare, and Dickens. He's got the gift.' Australian

'Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.' USA Today

'Inspires both chills and serious thought … has the power to scare the daylights out of us.' People

'The poet laureate of paranoid pop fiction.' Denver Post

'Koontz achieves a literary miracle … stunning physical description, unique turns of phrase.' Boston Globe

'Near Dickensian powers of description.' Los Angeles Times

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well this is my second outing with the novels of Mr. Koontz. To be precise, my second and a half if you count The Face, which I failed to finish (hence the half),then Odd Thomas (brilliant read though unfortunately I failed to write a review tho I'd have given that 5 stars for sure), and now Life Expectancy.

I was unsure at first how to categorise this story, certainly not a chiller, not a horror possibly dark humour? My library has the book shelved as an 'adventure' and I'd guess they're not far out there really as the characters in this book certainly have some amazing adventures.

As you'll know by now the story is based upon Jimmy Tock, a Baker and five key dates throughout his life. These all involve elements of horror and violence (surprise surprise!) as prophesised by his dying grandfather only moments before Jimmy is born and his granfather dies...almost simultaneously in the same hospital .The adventure and horror starts in those first few minutes of this tale.

All of the five dates are very cleverly interlinked from the first and as the book progresses there are a good few twists and turns that will take you by surprise.

As I have already mentioned, the book is filled with good humour. One thing that really kept me smiling was the constant reference throughout to sumptous cakes and pastries and savouries. I can honestly picture Mr.Koontz penning this novel over a series of Saturday afternoons whilst cooking in the kitchen with his good Lady Wife!

As for rating, I've given it a full five. When I first started out I'd expected to go about 3 to 4. I normally reserve 5 stars to absolute page turners. As the book progressed the pages were turning quicker and quicker therefore I believe it is well deserving.

If you want to have a nice easy going happy read togther with some scarey then this should be right up your street!

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I never know what I'm going to get when I buy a Koontz book since he writes in so many diverse ways. This one is written in the first person with the character having a light-hearted, self-deprecating sense of humour which won me over immediately. The plot has some good twists and turns (can't say too much without spoiling the plot) and I ended up reading this book in one long sitting! I look for enjoyment and entertainment in a work of fiction and this one delivers 10 out of 10. Highly recommended and most enjoyable :)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Koontz at his best! 29 Mar 2005
Format:Hardcover
If you are a huge Koontz fan, just like me, then you'll agree that this book is probably his best yet. For me, he just seems to get better! I didn't think Koontz could surpass Odd Thomas, but as hard as it is for me to say, Life Expectancy certainly did, as well as achieving so much more. Overall - a fantastic read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointing
This book sounded good, had great reviews and I had read a couple of other Dean Koontz books which I really enjoyed, so I had high hopes for this one. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Ducky
Rating says it all
Well the book was 'OK' just like the rating. Isn't his best piece of work but still a good read but not a page turner like some of his others.
Published 9 months ago by Lawsy
WOW!
From the very first page I was thrown from one side of the room to the other....

I am a very slow reader, but this book was impossible to put down and I had finished it... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mark Guest Spurs
New style of writing?
I haven't read a Dean Koontz novel for a while. Usually I expect someone to die on the first few pages, then everything is explained in the next few pages and the rest of the book... Read more
Published 18 months ago by M. Becker
Sublime to the ridiculous, a shame
I canned this book within 100 pages, and even for 50 of those pages at least I was giving it a chance to get better! Read more
Published 21 months ago by DTH
Absurd
Big fan of Koontz, but this was just absurd. I couldn't get beyond the intrinisc unlikeliness of what was happening. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Swains
Laugh? I thought I'd never start...
I miss the Dean Koontz of old. Early in his career he was writing interesting horror/thriller with compelling characters. Read more
Published on 18 April 2010 by S. Slinn
Twist after twist
I just loved this book. It takes a little while to understand the humour, but once you've got the concept it it a blast. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2009 by J. Gillespie
No coincidence in this being a good read
Life Expectancy is a thoroughly entertaining read, as you would expect from Dean Koontz. Based on the precise coincidence of the birth of Jimmy Tock with the death of his... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by JFD
Genius!
Reading some of these reviews, I don't know what some people expect of Mr. Koontz, but if you're looking for what he does best (suspense, eeriness, impossible escapes and plausible... Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2009 by GARY A. APPLETON
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