Twilight Eyes: A Thriller

What an insult to the reader this entire book is. The author starts with what could have been an entertaining idea and then smothers it with poorly written characters and the most unrealistic dialogue possible. The main character's love interest is physically perfect. The carnies are morally perfect and much wiser than "normal" people. The main character's family, when he still lived with them, were perfect and all the children had special talents because they were all very special and unique snowflakes. Of course the main character's love interest has an over-the-top back story filled with every hardship imaginable, which is meant to be an excuse for her repeated unforgivable acts of betrayal and casual disregard for the safety of others. "Ooo, look at me tempt fate by putting my life and yours in danger for no reason! Don't blame me, I can't help it because I'm a sad, sad panda!" Note to the author: that's not edgy, it just makes me want to strangle the character. Don't get me started on the nauseating dialogue. Not to mention the overly plentiful and ridiculous sex scenes. Soft-core porn anyone? There is so much filler in this book it is unbelievable. If the author had jammed this story into 150 pages he might have had something worth reading. As it is the author should be ashamed of himself for publishing this piece of crap.

Basically, there was only one major thing I didn't like about Twilight Eyes, but quite a few things I did enjoy. My real rating would be 3 1/2 rather than four, because three is a bit too weak but four seems a bit too strong.

The main thing I didn't like was how overwritten this book is. It's extremely detailed and is very slow-moving at times. Being a fan of guys like King and Straub, I'm no stranger to overwriting but there were pages full of extra descriptions. The way I feel about it is this: if 10 or 15% of the book drags, is the other 85 or 90% good enough to make it worth it? For Twilight Eyes, the answer is yes.

Another reason I went with four stars is because this book is not formulaic Koontz. The more recent ones I've read from him lately (One Door Away From Heaven and From the Corner of His Eye) fell a little short, and really had me craving some of his earlier work when he really wrote his butt off. It's evident he put 110% into this story, as he really went the extra mile in developing his main characters and making his plot fresh and unpredicatble.
A few other reason I liked this book:
-it was largely set in Pennsylvania, rather than California like soooo many of his books
-it was written in the 1st person, a good change of pace
-his characters, for two reasons: First because a cop was NOT the hero. Second, because his characters being carnies and all, were not perfect. I needed a change from the physical specimen and impossibly beautiful characters.
-also, this book was blatanly supernatural and more horror than you sometimes find with him

Overall, Twilight Eyes isn't among the best Koontz I've read, and it could have been heavily edited, but it's still a pretty good book nonetheless.

Carl Stanfeuss, the narrator and hero of "Twilight Eyes" was born with eyes a very strange shade of blue, almost violet( unusual for a man), which his grandmother said was a sign of psychic powers. As Stanfeuss enters puberty he begins to sense that some people are not what they appear to be- in fact are goblins in disguise, a hidden race devoted to preying on humanity- such as when he discovers that his Uncle Denton,a goblin, secretly murdered his father, and ulitmately kills Denton in self defence.
Changing his name to Slim McKenzie and joining a carnival, he finds (unexpected) allies in his war against the goblins in the shape of "freak" Joel Tuck and concessionaire Rya Raines, esp when the "carnie" ventures into goblin stronghold Yontsdown in rural Pennsylvania.
Set against the backdrop of not just the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Kennedy assassination a year or so later, this book is a white knuckle story of a secret war against a race determinted not just to clandestinely subjugate humankind but ultimately seeks to destroy it!

After having read Koontz's entire Frankenstein series last month, this is probably not my first choice for the next book of his I would have read. I read it though because an online Koontz reading group chose it for its read in September. Twilight Eyes is the story of Slim Mackenzie - a 17 year old on the run for killing his uncle - who has "twilight eyes" which give him psychic capabilities, mainly the ability to see evil in other people, beings Slim refers to as Goblins. His uncle was a goblin, but since others can't see them, Slim's unique power can cause problems.

Slim joins the Sombra Carnival one night after killing a goblin that was tampering with an attraction, and he's convinced other goblins are preparing a horrible accident involving the Ferris wheel. A carnival during the 60s gives the first half of the book a wonderful and rich setting, complete with freaks and the regular use of carny terms and descriptions of their unique lifestyle. Slim befriends the owner of the freak show, Joel Tuck, a bit of a goblin looking thing himself, who helps Slim secure work as an employee to Rya Raines who owns several attractions.

The novel moves along as the carnival plans to move on to the next town, which is a community crawling with goblins that has given the carnies quite a bit of trouble in the past. Slim goes ahead of the carnival with the owner to visit town officials and smooth things over with free tickets and cash. Meanwhile, Slim's visions of doom and blood grow stronger and he's convinced the town officials are behind it.

This started as a nice slow read for me. I became really invested in Slim and the other few characters, including Slim's intense love interest with Rya. Each of them have unique and disturbing pasts which really brings you in close to them. Koontz writes some beautiful passages about relationships and the odd balance between good and evil, with God standing by and watching. The attack of Goblins is bone chilling. The descriptions of the carnival and freaks is both odd and unique.

The book is divided into two distinct parts since Koontz originally released the first half in the 80s and then came back and wrote the second half later. And besides the obvious division, it's very easy to tell the differences in the two parts. In the second half, gone is the carnival setting with its plot being wrapped up quite quickly just as things were taking a turn and growing intense. The second half of the book crawls at a snail's pace as Rya and Slim intend to investigate a hive of goblins and go to war. The last fifty pages droned on and on to a bland ending that really disappointed me.

Since this is one of Koontz's earlier works, it was fun to see how it might have inspired some of his later stuff. Slim and his unique capability is a lot like Odd Thomas. The goblins and their purpose for being are a lot like Victor's new race in Frankenstein. There's even a reference to Frankenstein in here. Then there are the key phrases and words that Koontz loves to use like "reconnoiter" and "from the corning of his eye."

Like I said, the beginning and up through the first half had me hooked. It was a nice slow read for me but I was really into it and completely invested in the characters and storylines. The second half really let me down, and the ending was even worse which is the reason I'd give this one a low recommendation. I had been telling friends about this one while reading it, but after finishing it, I probably wouldn't suggest it to anyone else.

I was completely captivated by this amazingly bizarre tale! The main character has a psychic gift that allows him to see what most people don't...he calls them Goblins. These wicked Goblins are like reptilian-pig-dog type creatures that morph into a human form, live among us, and thrive on our pain, anguish, and terror...there are *SO* many insane circumstances that progressively become more shocking and I could hardly put it down! I was sad for a while towards the end, but it turns out better than I imagined! My plans to get online during the middle of my work shift quickly got swept away as I raced towards the conclusion of this spellbinding masterpiece!

I've heard great things about Koontz's work. And I'll try another of his books, because maybe this one was just the wrong one to pick. But despite the catchy plot (I liked the idea of a horror/thriller novel set at a carnival), I was highly disappointed.

I liked the beginning of the novel. I was pulled in by the description of the goblin and the fight scene--good way to pull the reader in. But slowly, Slim's "special power" began to annoy me, as Koontz over and over again began to describe how he can "read" people's emotions/personalities, etc...how many ways can you describe his psychic abilities? I would skim through half the paragraphs because they were the SAME descriptions I'd read before on each page.

The same as a lot of people, I also found the sex scenes unneeded and the dialogue ridiculous. I was legitimately laughing at the things Rya and Slim would say to each other. And I HATE when characters fall in "love" within knowing each other two days--Slim knew nothing about Rya except she was drop-dead gorgeous (again--how many descriptions do we need?? We get it. She's perfect.), and she's obsessed with wanting to die. For being a hard-ass, she sure opened up to Slim quickly...

Koontz's voice also showed up WAY too much in his writing. It was painfully obvious that he was pushing his ideas and opinions through Slim to the reader. They didn't sound like SLIM'S ideas, they sounded like Koontz's. I have no problem with writers using their opinions to shape their writing, but it shouldn't be shoved down the reader's throat. It shouldn't detract from the story or take up half of it. And he also made the mistake of creating symbols and then explaining them to the reader, which insults their intelligence. I knew it was a symbol. Thanks.

I could go on, but I won't. I'll end with this...when you end up laughing and shaking your head at a horror/thriller novel rather than actually getting chills, you know it's a fail.

The second half of this book is utter crap. Fortunately, the first half stands very well on its own and wraps up with a satisfying conclusion. That first half is, overall, decent.

The first half boasts some very memorable scenes and contains some thought provoking content. It is entertaining and original (given that I have not read much in genre, others may or may not find it more cliched than I did). The carnival setting is interesting. However, the book is also rife with flaws. The author is prone to info-dumps and explaining the obvious with words that clutter his writing, and he uses hoards of unnecessary adjectives, and in his attempts to horrify the reader he becomes very repetitive. I grew bored of his descriptions of horrible atrocities because they were all described in the same formulaic way. The main character is apparently capable of the most minute observations even while ostensibly terrified, as fight scenes are punctuated with long and inexplicably detailed descriptions. For example, near the beginning of the book, he notes that the monster he is fighting has one more joint in its fingers than a human does. Given the situation, even if he were not as scared as one might expect I should think he would be far too busy paying attention to the monster's movements to notice an extra and irrelevant joint in the monster's fingers. The author also plays with his wording a little bit, stringing words together with hyphens instead of simply picking one to describe an action. The main character scrambles-ducks-dives (cannot recall exact quote, but it was something like that) into a hiding place rather than doing only one of those actions. This usage of hyphens does not bother me, and I actually find it quite effective at times, but I mention it since others may be more picky.

The 'science' in this book is nothing short of atrocious. To some extent, this is to be expected. One can hardly expect rigorous science from a book about a psychic. But even for a book of this type, the science is atrocious. Significant and non-fatal mutations happen frequently and for no reason, and evolution apparently happens randomly and has nothing to do with natural selection. If you have a decent understanding of biology, stay away from this book unless you are a champion at the suspension of disbelief and can ignore such things. Fortunately, most of the more obviously shoddy science appears in the second, already atrocious half of the book and is more ignorable in the first half.

The book seems to imply a hostility towards liberal philosophies (which are apparently in fashion and which will lead to the self-destruction-via-chaos of the human race) and especially towards genetic engineering. This might render the book less readable to liberals and those of a scientific bent, but the book somewhat makes up for it by simultaneously implying an approval or at least acceptance of atheism and the virtue of forgiveness. The author seems to possess a mix of liberal and conservative beliefs, and I can't help but think that he might be an interesting person to know.

Throughout the first half of the book, the main character's love interest is an interesting character. But in the second part of the book, she completely-and I mean completely-loses her personality. She becomes a completely different person, flat, boring, a mere cardboard cutout for the main character to be in love with and be asked questions by. The main character makes all of the decisions and does all of the important things, and she's just sort of there. The plot also takes a nosedive, and the ending is weak, even for someone such as myself who in general has no problem with books ending with unresolved conflicts.

In sum, the first half of the book is entertaining and slightly thought provoking, and if the author had brushed up on his writing skills, characterization, and science, it could have been an incredible book. As it is, the poor writing brings it down to something like a three and a half star book. The second half is readable, but only two stars at the most.

I really admire how this story starts out much differently than how it ultimately ends (”Out of the Dark” by David Weber is my favorite example of this). It was unexpected, and I appreciate that.

This is the second story I’ve read by Koontz, the first being “What the night knows” which I very much loved. This one didn’t hit me as hard, although it’s clear that Koontz is a very capable writer I just wasn’t as invested in this one. And while it’s a journey worth taking, I don’t think I will revisit it.

Slim Mackenzie was born with what his grandma refered to as " Twilight Eyes". He has the ability to see what he refers to as Goblins. Goblins are demons that are disguised as humans. As a young boy he had to kill his uncle because he was one. Since no one else can see the Goblins for what they truly are, Slim has been on the run from the law ever since. Over the years his quest to destroy as many Goblins as possible has become an obsession. It is that obsession that eventually leads him into one particular carnival. There he meets the disfigured strong man Joel Truck who can also see the Goblins, and the beautiful Rya who becomes the love of Slim's life. Now together the three must fight to stop the Goblins before it is too late!
Dean Koontz's " Twilight Eyes " is a literary masterpiece that any fan of fiction should read. There are two things about the novel that really set it apart from the rest. The first being the carnival atmosphere and " carnies". The carnies are almost like a seperate society that lives as one big family. Koontz makes you feel like you are a part of it with his beautiful description of the lifestyle. It is also entertaining the way that Koontz describes how the games are run and how they are always looking for easy "marks". This is the second carnival tale that Koontz has written, with "The Funhouse" being the first. "Twilight Eyes" manages to be even better than its predecessor. The novel also provides for some twists and turns that will definately shock you, and the ending is very satisfying unlike the ending in "The Funhouse".
The second thing that I love about this book is the characters themselves. The three main characters are Slim Mackenzie, Joel Truck, and a woman named Rya. Slim Mackenzie is one of the best hero characters I have ever seen. His leadership and overall determination is amazing. Joel Truck is another example of Koontz's masterful character development skills. He is a giant of man that possesses superhuman strength and the ability to see the Goblins. He is however disfigured which is why he seeks refuge in the carnival. Joel and Slim make a great team. Then there is Rya. Koontz's writing is so descriptive, you can almost see how beautiful she is. But Rya also has inner demons that has caused her to spend the majority of her life in the carnival. Koontz paints a beautiful romantic picture between Slim and Rya. You can tell they are meant to be together, but there is many obstacles and nothing is cut and dry.
Dean Koontz is one of the best authors around right now. Twilight Eyes showcases his ability to create realistic and emotional dialogue, an original and entertaining story, and wonderful characters. If you are a fan of Koontz, I highly recommend this book. I also recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the film "Frailty". Twilight Eyes features a similar theme.

I finally finished it! I hate to say "finally", but it's true. Twilight Eyes wasn't a horrible novel. I liked the premise: dark creatures disguised as humans and young man who has the ability to see their true identities. The book was broken into two parts. I almost felt as if I was reading the book Twilight Eyes, and then it's sequel. I've read close to 20 Dean Koontz novels. This is the first one that I can recall to where he used way too many words to describe the story. Dean probably could have cut 100 pages if not a little more from the story. The first part could have been much shorter. The second half was the redeeming quality I felt, even though it too was wordy. I was able to finish it, which means that the story is tolerable. I give it 3 stars. By the store standards, 3 stars is OK. I usually give Dean Koontz 5.

In "Twilight Eyes", Koontz reveals the insulated world of the "carnies", who work carnivals at state fairs and other venues. Into the Sombra Bros. carnival comes 'Slim', who used to be Carl Stanfuess, a 17-year-old from Oregon who's on the run for murdering his Uncle Denton. As the story opens, Slim arrives after the carnival has ended its nightly revels, and sees what he calls a 'goblin' about to sabotage the bumper cars. Slim sees these goblins quite often, since his 'twilight eyes' of purple indicate a psychic ability to see through the goblins' human disguises; in fact, it's revealed that the murdered Uncle Denton was a goblin. Slim kills the saboteur, and what follows is a sometimes gripping, sometimes ludicrous adventure that pits Slim, his new love Rya, and several "carnies" with various degrees of psychic ability against a veritable goblin army bent on destroying mankind. The book is broken into two parts; in my opinion, the first part is superior. The second part has its moments, but in my opinion goes over the top and manipulates the reader needlessly with the idea that someone's gonna die. When I discovered what the goblins really were, I wasn't impressed; I was humorously impressed that a 17-year-old and a young woman with no mention of education could discuss the scientific orgins of the goblins and philosophy as if they were university professors.

This is one of Koontz's best books. Although not my all time favourite of his work, this is a masterpiece and Koontz at his most brilliant. Other five star quality brilliant Koontz novels which you definitely have to buy as well are Watchers, Intensity, Night Chills and Mr Murder.
In Twilight Eyes the setting takes place in the era of JFK's death and the prelude of the Vietnam war where a young man under the alias of Slim Mackenzie is fleeing authorities who want him for the murder of his uncle. Only Slim killed him for a reason, as Slim has the gift of Twilight Eyes that give him visions of the future and past as well as allow him to see the through the human disguises that the evil goblins are using to reap terror, murder and mayhem against the human race. His uncle was one of those goblins. Becoming a carnie and joining the nomadic Sombra Brothers Carnival is the only place he can safely hide.
His boss the beautiful Rya is impressed with the way he gets every cent out of the marks, Jelly the manager of the carnival knows his faith in hiring him will pay off and the side show freaks and other carnies know he is a great worker and trustworthy guy. He only knows he has seen visions with Rya and Jelly both covered in blood and that the goblins have a major attack planned for the ferris wheel which he must stop. The war against the goblins will rage on unless he can work out how to stop them all. Sensational novel!

Slim McKenzie was tormented with twilight eyes. At least that is what his grandmother had said as he grew up. And, as he grew, he began to find out what this gift/affliction meant. For Slim could see "goblins". What would appear as normal human beings to everyone else, Slim could see the inner and evil goblin beings. Beings that existed for no other reason that to torment and torture humanity.

Thus began Slim's quest to rid humanity of as many of the "goblins" as he could. And, eventually, he meets a few others with his gift/affliction who join forces with him.

Koontz originally wrote this novel in 1987. It was a time that Koontz wrote extraordinary books. A time before he became obsessed with timelines and money.

If you have not already read "Twighlight Eyes" in its former iteration, it is well worth your time. And you will see where the original idea for
"Odd Thomas" sprang from.

Most of us can still do without your "afterwords" Dean. But, at least this time, you weren't cry-babying about something involving movie rights or publisher problems.

It isn't his best work, but it is pretty darn good.

I like Koontz' more recent novels better. They are perfect, almost all of them. Of his older novels, this is certainly one of the best books he wrote then. It has some minor flaws, though. In the descriptive passages the author tends to be a bit too talkative and in love with his own imagination and images. Even descriptions of places and items of minor or no importance become too long and are counterproductive to the suspense that should be predominant in a novel like this. Not that I speak against a moment of relaxation in the middle of thrilling action, but here, I find, the author exaggerated a bit. In addition, some of the characters' actions are not really motivated. Rya's reaction on the killing of Kelso is not based on the context of her character as described so far, and it does not have any impact on her future actions and the plot, either. But this is a great novel, a page turner that you cannot lay down. The story is very unusual, but this makes it all the better. And the carnival setting is one of the author's best ideas. You can see the later Koontz emerge in this novel. A very good book!

TWILIGHT EYES is considered by many people to be one of Dean Koontz' best books. I'm a big Koontz fan, and found this novel very well crafted, but I don't consider it a masterpiece like WATCHERS or ODD THOMAS.

The hero of TWILIGHT EYES is Slim MacKenzie, who believes he has the ability to see goblins where most other people will only see normal looking people. Slim eventually gets a job at a carnival, and the first half of this book is devoted to the carnival life. I thought this first half was really superb. Koontz does a great job of painting the atmosphere of carnival life in the mid-1960s. Apparently, a lot of this is based on Koontz' own real life experience with carnivals as a kid, so you get a very authentic picture of what carnivals were like back then.

Unfortunately, the second half of this novel takes place outside the carnival and merely consists of a series of drawn out action sequences. These scenes are well done, but Koontz has a tendency to write too much detail and exposition into some of his books, and in TWILIGHT EYES he takes a long time to get the action moving. He could have easily made this novel 30,000 words shorter without damaging the storyline. Also, the ending of this book is somewhat open ended, which may disappoint readers who want more closure.

I also found Slim MacKenzie character to be somewhat unrealistic. He is a 17-year old kid, but talks and thinks like a 40-year old adult (which was how old Koontz was when he wrote this book). It's not a fatal problem, but MacKenzie seems to be smarter and more thoughtful than most middle-aged people I know. In the end, I found him a little too good to be true.

Overall, TWILIGHT EYES is an enjoyable read, and is definitely one of Koontz' better novels. My advice, thought, is to start with WATCHERS or ODD THOMAS if you've never read Koontz before.

Twilight Eyes, by Dean Koontz

Horror authors are not always stuck in one genre and at times can actually pull of a spectacular feat by outdoing science fiction professionals at their own game. Dean Koontz succeeds at this without a doubt and mixes in his trade mark horror in this spell binding book Twilight Eyes. This is a tale of a teenage boy drifting through the mid 1960's American mid west searching for a place in life. The simplest of things; work, food, shelter, and a safe place away from the wicked...

He is running from an unusual enemy that very few can see. It is his twilight eyes illuminating a demon like adversary in the dense darkness that envelopes all others that are clueless to the deadly hordes around them. He refers to them as goblins. These hideous creatures roam America feeding off the misery of others. Their fiendishly fowl hatred of humans urging them to torture and murder often and undetected. If that is not enough to peak some interest, this young man winds up traveling with an eerily uncanny carnival and falling in love along the way.

This story may seem familiar because it has been done in film before. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Puppet Masters, etc. In John Carpenter's movie, They Live again it was aliens instead of goblins, but the same concept is there. Great movie for those into over the top 80's science fiction. It stars WWF wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper and the great character actor Keith David.

Getting back to the book...

Dean Koontz really grabs the attention of the reader on this one whether reading it for the first time or the second time... this also includes a third time years later listening to the audio book. For years I have recommended this book to others wanting to read something different. If you have never read Dean Koontz before then start with this one and you will not regret it.

From the start, Koontz grabs the reader with intense action and an uncertain anti-hero - is he a psychotic killer, or are his terrifying visions not hallucinations? He sometimes sees people that aren't...people. They're some kind of "goblins" - inhuman creatures, masquerading as men. And when he sees them, he doesn't take them down for the count. He takes them out. This potentially alarming young man ends up hiding-out at a carnival, where he discovers he isn't the only one who sees such things. He and his new carnie friends embark on a search to find out just what the goblins really are - and engage in a private little war with them.
This book is more interesting in its moral ambivalence than most of Koontz's work. His human protagonists and antagonists are slipperier, grayer around the edges, uniting against a greater outside threat - and sometimes not. There's a great deal of intrigue, and no one is quite what they seem.
The book has one flaw, which is that the entire second half goes on too long, and is essentially a sequel to the first half rather than a continuation. However, one can look at that as getting two Koontz books, for the price of one!

Twilight Eyes was my 16th Dean Koontz book. It was definetely one of his best. The story centers around a 17-year-old guy with the bizarre name of Slim Mackenzie who has a psychic ability called "Twilight Eyes". He can see the goblins, evil, monstrous beings disguised as ordinary, everyday human beings. After murdering his goblin uncle who was terrorizing his family unsuspected, Slim runs away to the Sombra Brothers carnival to work as a carnie. There, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful older girl named Rya Raines. Slim is determined to continue his secret war with the goblins, but is he insane, or do such things really exist? Where did the goblins come from? What are they trying to achieve and why?

If your a Koontz fan this is a must, and if you've never read Kootz before, this is a great place to start. Other favorites of mine include Intensity, Watchers, Whispers, The Door To December, The Funhouse, Phantoms, and Hideaway.

I really love Dean Koontz books. His prose is riveting, and at times, lyrical. He takes the supernatural genre, which oftentimes isn't known for great writing, and elevates it. His storytelling is fresh and fantastic. Twilight Eyes was interesting because it was written in two parts. I thought it was ending, and then there was a whole new continuation of the story. All in all, a highly engaging read.

Funny, I borrowed this book from my sister and read it cover to cover in about 5 days....I read it while working at an atmosphere sorta like the carnival in the book, so it made my day at work more interesting (working at a fair, watching lots and lots of people walk by daily) The action is great and I like the sex scenes too....I really like the idea of deamons in mens clothing and skin......I think I may have met a few of mr koontzes goblins when at around the time I read the book I had a little stint at jury duty.....lets just say the judge and a few of the lawyers were giving me the chills after reading this book....room full of "goblins" hehe....
I STRONGLY suggest that Mr Koontz make this book into a movie....or TV series....If you are reading this Mr Koontz please make a movie on this book, it would rule!
well thats all, Im not intensly critical because Im easy to please.....and I have an open mind :)

When I was reading this book, I had contradicting thoughts about it. Sometimes I was extremely impressed, sometimes deeply disappointed. To get the worst out of the way, let me state the disappointing factors first: Dean Koontz needs to read 'The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes' and take a good look at the chapter labeled 'Don't Lecture Your Reader'! I cannot totally attack Koontz though, because sometimes the information he lingers on is important for the story, but for God's sake be brief because it disrupts the flow of events!
Now this book is about a gifted young man who can see the evil presence lurking beneath a human disguise. This evil is a physical being - not something of spiritual nature - 'goblins' as he calls them. He stalks them, kills them, and he can also see the misery that they had brought over the earth. Like in all of Dean's books, the story is enhanced by several very real, very compelling characters. And as usual, you'll love and admire the characters. You'll be surprised too, because things will be turned upside down quite a few times, which is what makes this book exciting.
I wouldn't say that it is particularly very scary. It is gripping, yes. Thrilling, yes. Even bizzarre. But not enough to classify it as horror. It can be slow at times, which is why it occured to me to give it 4 stars instead of 5, but the way it ended made it worthy of more than 5 stars. It takes a very emotional turn and suddenly you may find yourself so tuned in that time and place seize to exist. I was touched so deeply by this story, deeper than many of the other books I have read for him.
Dean is also a great thinker. In a way, he carries a message in this book that is close to saying that he wished he could blame all the misery in the world on the 'goblins'. That we, humans, cannot be entirely blamed on the destruction of our world... wishful thinking of course, but an idea on which he built this book.

I would agree with the harsh critic. Very cool idea, but not so very good delivery. The idea of demons hiding amoungst humans causing "accidents" and out and out murder was very cool. Mr. Koontz then kind of spoiled it by giving it a lame explanation. Mr. Koontz has a tendancy to avoid true horror in his books to avoid being pidgeonholed as a horror writer. Sadly, the best Koontz books are his horror novels. Darkfall, The Frankenstein series and Phantoms are some of his best work. Mr. Koontz should have stayed the course with the horror in this book instead of changing to suspense half-way through. That is why I give it 3 instead of 5 stars. Twilight Eyes is good, but not great.

Amazingly, I started this dook in October and just finished it in July - why did I not finish it earlier or just abandon the book? It was just good enough to keep going, but not good enough to keep me reading or reading other books while trying to continue. I always have a dilemma with Koontz. Some of his books are excellent, some are absolutely awful - Twilight Eyes falls in the middle. The premise is good, yet not executed as well as it could have been. Koontz is talented, yet this book illustrates Koontz's tendency toward what others have called diarrhea of the mouth - where he just rambles on and on about things that really don't help the plot. Though this is not some of his better work - I will continue to read his books.

This book differs from other Koontz novels I have read in that it is written entirely in first person. It was jarring to me at first but if you stick with it the story is rewarding, and every bit as entertaining as it is strange. Basically, the book is about carnies and sideshow freaks vs. some weird goblin creatures set in 1963-1964. The book has plenty of suspense, horror, stabbings in the throat, undead creatures rising from the grave, psychics, and human vs. creature fist fighting around a huge ferris wheel and a bumper car track that ends with even more neck and head stabbing. Weird, but really enjoyable.

Is Slim MacKenzie nuts or are there monsters living among us...real, shape-shifting monsters? The short answer is no, he's not nuts. Hiding with a traveling carnival, Slim finds himself confronting a huge disaster-in-the-making, while trying to stay alive. Koontz' more recent Odd Thomas series echoes this early novel somewhat, but the plotlines are quite different, so it becomes no more than an echo. A great page-turner for monster story fans.

I picked this up from my grandfather's collection 10+ years ago. I didn't and don't usually like mystery/suspense/detective books, but the cover enticed me (not the one pictured here). It was more like a fantasy novel than I expected, yet set in modern times. Surprising, sexy, and a definite page turner. I read more of Koontz's work afterward but nothing has compared to Twilight Eyes. If you don't like detective novels, and enjoy a bit of the sci-fi/fantasy mixed into your books to keep you on the edge, then grab this one. I keep going back to it!

The main character, Slim Mackenzie, lives in a carnival and has the ability to see the true nature of people. He sees goblins posing as humans with the intentions of wiping out the human race. I loved the fact that Dean Koontz went into such detail when describing the characters. You really feel as if you can see them standing in front of you. Slim was an exciting and alive character; also Rya and Joel Tuck were great characters. This was a well-written and fast-paced book, but I found it very hard to buy into. When the true nature of the book was brought out, I thought to myself is that all they really are?
I was disappointed with the ending.

A fun and entertaining read by DK!!
Koontz' first "carnie" book, Funhouse, was very good. This is a very different novel, but just as good. Slim kills his uncle and joins the carnival, falls in love, etc. It is an interesting premise and it moves along very smoothly.
Characters are well developed and trademark witty repartee follows. It is a good first introduction novel to DK; not too deep as recent stuff.
Having said that, Koontz knows how to write and not get too wordy (although lately he has gotten King-syndrome to just ramble on and on).
Not very-thought provoking, but great reading.

Dean Koontz is known for his gruesome and surprising horror novels. his writings can be compared to the likes of Steven King."Twilight eyes", is no different than this style of writing. It also includes surprising twists, different characters, and revoltingly frightening images.
"Twilight eyes", is about a drifter who is wanted by the police for murder. Even though he did commit murder the police don't know the whole situation. Slim (the main character), has the ability to see demonic goblins disguised as humans. And is forced to fight the goblins to save main kind.
You feel for the main characters in this book. They are the outcasts of their world. Their actions at times cause people to think there insane, but they are really trying to save lives! On the outside these characters may seem malicious but in fact they are very noble and brave.
The fighting in this novel is very vicious. Unlike the common fight of punching and kicking, Koontz describes biting, ripping and burning of flesh. This at times can make you cringe at the thought of these actions. I suggest if your squeamish not to read this book.
Even though Koontz uses very gruesome and sometimes disturbing images, he displays his imagery with such detail at times you feel your there. This can get a reader more involved in a plot of a story. And this is especially useful to scare a reader in a horror novel.
Overall I would recommend this book to just about anyone who believes in standing up for what they believe in. This is a very important lesson "twilight eyes", portrays. Everyone could learn from it even a horror fan.

The heroin, Slim Mackenzie, has Twilight Eyes. He can see things in people - at least everyone thinks they're people - that terrify him. After killing his Uncle, who was one of - them - he runs from the law and joins the Sombra Brothers Carnival. As he gains the carnies trust, they reveal that he is not imagining what he sees, and joins them in a war against the Goblins. These creatures, creations of an extinct civilization of man, plan to exterminate the human element of the earth and take it for themselves. Even his girlfriend Rya is working with them. Slim's plan is to infiltrate their operations bunker before they have a chance to start a nuclear war.

Although not his finest work, if you are a Koontz fan, it is a must read. The only weakness of this book is the overzealous wordiness in some of the scenes.

J. P. Landry, author of Hazard 666

I thought Twilight Eyes was one of the best books I have bought and read. I think that Dean Koontz should be recognized more than he does. I like Stephen King, but I LOVE Dean Koontz. Other favorites of mine are The Bad Place, Strange Highways, Sole Survivor, Phantoms, Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, and many others. But Twilight Eyes is my personal favorite. Slim Mackenzie was a exciting, alive, charecter and Rya and Joel Tuck were great, too.

Twilight Eyes was absolutely phenomenal. This was the 5th Dean Koontz book I have read and it is the best so far. I loved the way that Dean went in such detail when describing the characters. You really feel like you are looking right at them. This is filled with action and romance that will keep you flipping pages (literally) to the very end. I strongly suggest you pick up Twilight Eyes now. I also reccomend "The House of Thunder" and "Darkfall".

One of the greatest horror books ever written! I've read over 30 novels of Koontz and find this book to still stick with me. I've read the book 5 years ago and I still remember the character names. Great character development!! The adventures of Slim MCkenzie and Joel Tuck (three eyed mutant), hunting goblins that are posing as humans as they travel with their fellow carnies is the basic plot. The development of the relationships of each of the characters (koontz's writing strength) are convincing and the story is great!! BY far my favorite Koontz!

This book started out with an interesting idea: disgusting demons disguised in human form walking amongst us. Unfortunately it got much worse from there.
The goblins started out as pretty original monster, but as I read the book, the more I learned about them, the lamer they seemed. Their motives for wanting to kill people seemed especially stupid. Killing just because they like human suffering? Come on! Koontz couldn't do better than that??
There is also WAY too much filler in this book. I could almost see Koontz checking off the page numbers. I agree that the sex is too much. In this book, it isn't enough to say "they made love." No, Koontz goes into the intricate details in order to fill up the pages. I found myself skimming most of the time. It was all I could do to finish the book.
In fact the only thing that kept me reading at the halfway point was my curiosity of how the main characters were going to resolve this huge problem that they faced. Unfortunately this book didn't even deliver in that respect. Sure the characters go on some big adventure, but in the end, nothing was resolved. You are left hanging big time!
A big let down.

Just fantastic, read it! Set in the sixties, ah the memories! (Though I was born in 77) But whatever, if this is what are parents lived through then I'm glad I missed out! Slim McKenzie - what a guy, still probably saving the world as we speak. Just take a chance! Though I'm not sure why anyone would ponder the potential of a $6 book. One of Koontz's best though. Trust me.

This was the first Dean Koontz book I ever picked up, and it's still my favorite. It sparked off a love of Koontz that will probably last till I die. He quickly became my favorite author. Much like King, with a homier, friendlier feel, and not so much weirdness, Koontz cooks up interesting, intelligent and thought provoking stories. And this one especially is rich in characters and plot. The story he wove was so rich that I actually felt like I was there. And the love story was especially nice. Definitely a must read!

The main character lives in a carnival and he has the ability to "see" the true nature of people. He sees that some of the population are really not human at all but some sort of an alien porcine like race that are secretly conspiring to hurt mankind. The plot is Twilight Zone esque and that is what made it appealing to me.

I read this book years ago, and couldn't remember the title, but the story still sticks with me. This was my favorite Dean Koontz book, would put in my top 10 fiction favorites. I loved the way it unfolds, with the main character hanging with the carnies, finding the goblins, and where it leads. Don't want to give it away.

I read the book originally in 1994. The book kept me enthralled the whole time. Mr. Koontz described his characters in such a way that you could imagine exactly what they looked like. I even liked the way he described how the carnies lived and how at first they were hesitant about Slim, but finally excepted him into their family. Koontz throws so many twists and turns into this book,that there was no way for you to know what was going to happen next. This book definitely screams for a sequel. I'm only 17 and I have enjoyed every book of his that I have read since I was 14. Out of the 30 or so books I've read by Koontz, Twilight Eyes is in the top five of my personal favorites. Thumbs up Koontz!!!!!