The House of Thunder
Written by Dean Koontz
Narrated by Laural Merlington and Mel Foster
4/5
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About this audiobook
A sanity-twisting Koontz classic about a traumatized woman and the terrifying place she might never escape.
“Koontz is brilliant.” –Chicago Sun-Times
Susan Thornton watched in terror as her lover died a brutal death in a college hazing. And in the four years that followed, the four young men who participated in that grim fraternity ritual also died violently—or so she thought.
Twelve years later, Susan wakes in a hospital bed. Apparently involved in a fatal accident, she can’t remember who she is or why she is there. All she knows is that her life is unfolding into a menacing nightmare—and that the faces that surround her, are those of the four men involved in that murder years ago.
Have the dead come back to life? Or has Susan plunged into the abyss of madness? With the help of her neuro-surgeon, she desperately clings to her sanity while fighting to uncover who—or what—could be coming for her.
Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No. 1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda and their dog Anna in southern California.
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Reviews for The House of Thunder
105 ratings15 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a mixed bag. Some reviewers found it boring and not worth the effort, while others praised the writing and the ending. There were a few negative comments about explicit language and sexual content, which may not be suitable for all readers. Overall, the book received a positive response, with readers appreciating the author's skill and the relatability of the story for TBI survivors.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I made it 1/3 of the way thru this audiobook before I called it quits. It was a struggle to make it that far, I'm not the least bit curious of where the book goes. Don't waste your time.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Interesting story of woman waking from a coma to a horror nightmare, but goes too long with the hospital scene and horrors. Only at the end do we find out what is going on and then the spy intrigue is not well developed. Reading voices were very good.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I couldn't put it down. Koontz tried with a few paragraphs at the end to write a contrived ending but he didn't quite succeed much to my happiness.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A real shocker of a read, especially considering it is one of the authors older, less known novels. It starts off a little slow in the first 50-100 pages or so, and its definitly not the kind of novel with lots of action, at least not until part 3, which leaves you with a little over 100 pages left to read. However the mystery keeps you going until the end, you will NEVER see this ending coming, you will guess and guess and still never even scratch the surface of the plot twist, at least thats how it was for me and i usually predict twists in most of the books i read. Some consider it farfetched, but considering the time period, and things we all wonder about our governments and how little we know of what goes on behind closed doors, i dont think its too far of a stretch. However, the ending will make or break the book for you, i personally loved it, easily the best plot twist/ending in a Koontz novel to date for me, which includes 15 of his novels. Either way, it is a must read for any Koontz fan!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Our heroine's life is affected by the murder of her boyfriend on a hazing night that resuylted in murder some two decades ago. There is a problem with the improbable leap of imagination that dulls the whole story and book.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I really liked the concept for this book, the plot. It was nicely suspenseful and thrilling. I also found the writing particularly vivid, putting me right in the middle of the action.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The House of Thunder is about a woman who awakens from a coma with a case of amnesia. She is haunted by hallucinations of a horrific event which had occured years before. Although the book is a bit dated, it was a quick, easy suspense novel.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is one of those mysteries where you have absolutely no idea what is going on until the very end. Is she imagining things because of her brain injury? Is she really seeing ghosts come back from the dead to take their revenge? Or is it all just an elaborate plot to send her crazy? I really enjoyed most this book and I would have loved to give it a higher mark. Sadly, though, it was let down by the ending, which seemed to be rushed and didn't really fit the rest of the story. It is as if the author ran out of inspiration at a certain point and just tacked on a stock ending. I was left with a feeling of dissapointment and anti-climax when I finished this novel. Such a shame.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fairly good ...some bad language ...rough sex talk...so cant just listen to it while doing chores if kids are home.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WOW. Mr. Koontz writing has always impressed me. Now as a TBI survivor myself, this really holds true to a lot of fears especially. Great job!!!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book with and end plot twist I wasn't expecting at all
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I used to love this book and although it seems a bit dated to me now it is still a great book. Nicely written, well paced and keeps you reading, it's not one to make you think but it's good entertainment. Susan Thorton wakes in a hospital, injured, weak and confused, with no idea what happened or why she is there. She is told by the staff that she has been injured in a road accident while driving through Oregon on holiday and is suffering from amnesia but that they are confident she will make a full recovery. Things seem okay but then Susan sees a face from the past, a man who helped in the murder of her college boyfriend. Convinced it is a mistake she then sees a second man from the murder, then the third and fourth. She becomes afraid that the very hospital that saved her is now threatening her life. But even in her wildest imaginings she has no idea who and what she is up against as she tries to escape the hospital to save her own life.The idea is pretty fantastic in the end but even just the little bit of rereading I did for my review had me hooked. Dean Koontz knows how to tell a story, even one so out-there as this, and he is very fond of his false memory, conspiracy theory, the Russians and the Government are your enemy kind of stories, so if you like that type of thing then you will like this book. If all you are looking for is some slightly silly but still heartbeat quickening entertainment then this is the book for you.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Very boring story, not worth the effort to read it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The book was not one of Dean Koontz’s best works, I was ready to stop listening at the point where she escaped from the hospital. I was ready for the book to end
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The book was a little wordie on occasion but as usual a fantastic ending that I had not figured out.