Twilight Eyes is a better than average Dean Koontz novel, but still not a very good book. I was sort intrigued at the outset--the writing is a little more solid than most Koontz books and initially he did a fair job of allowing us to see of the interior doubts of the main character. At first the narrator, referred to as Slim, does not seem reliable, which is very unusual for Koontz, as he usually deals only in characters that are purely good or purely evil (one of the reasons why his books are often so boring). Slim believes he can see "goblins" which take the form of people and walk among us. He has killed several people he believes are goblins, including braining his uncle with an ax. Of course, the reader is left with some doubt about Slim's ability to actually see goblins, as opposed to simply being crazy.
Well, Koontz doesn't let that go on for long. He establishes that goblins are real and Slim can see them, taking away the dramatic tension he started to build. The first half of the novel takes place mostly against the backdrop of a travelling carnival (the second carnival book I've read this year, after Water for Elephants). The first section is the strongest section; part two is slightly longer than part one, but feels like it was tacked on as an afterthought. Here we find out the stupid and uninteresting backstory of how the goblins came into being and we follow Slim and his girlfriend in their war against the goblins. Both Slim and his girlfriend have some kind psychic abilities, another crutch Koontz regularly uses to help his characters solve problems when he writes himself into a corner.
After early high hopes, this book is another disappointment from Koontz. Plagued by bad characterization, worse dialogue, and flaky plot. Not recommended for anyone.
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