ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN

The Koontz of the darkly concentrated 1996 suspense masterpiece Intensity has clearly walked over a bed of glowing coals, emerged spiritually recharged by the Presence, and now disgorges sweetness and light along with suspense, even more so than in his most recent page-turner, From the Corner of His Eye (2000). Here, Koontz enters the field of bioethics, with medical utilitarianism facing moral values. Of course, with his fearless imagination at work, this is not your typical tract novel. Bilious Micky Bellsong’s fractured spirit needs splints until she meets crippled young Leilani Klonk, who lives in the trailer next to Micky’s and calls herself a mutant, not a cripple. Leilani’s family believes in spiritual DNA infusions from aliens—in fact, they know her brother was abducted by aliens. Koontz tilts against a heartless idealism that sees humanity as just meat and allows euthanasia of infants with health problems, suffering old people, and those much better off with a little help getting dead and leaving life to the bioethicists. Do ETs actually show up? And if so, how truly alien is an alien? We’re not telling.

Certain to ring the topmost bell on all bestseller lists as Koontz lights up a dark galaxy.