The House of Thunder
Table of Contents
The acclaimed bestsellers by
Dean Koontz
THE EYES OF DARKNESS
“Koontz puts his readers through the emotional wringer!” -The Associated Press
THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT
“A master storyteller... always riveting.”
—The San Diego Union-Tribune
MR. MURDER
“A truly harrowing tale... superb work by a master at the top of his form.”
-The Washington Post Book World
THE FUNHOUSE
“Koontz is a terrific what-if storyteller.”
-People
-People
DRAGON TEARS
“A razor-sharp, nonstop, suspenseful story... a first-rate literary experience.”
-The San Diego Union-Tribune
SHADOWFIRES
“His prose mesmerizes... Koontz consistently hits the bull’s-eye.”
-Arkansas
Democrat
-Arkansas
Democrat
HIDEAWAY
“Not just a thriller but a meditation on the nature of good and evil.”
-Lexington Herald-Leader
-Lexington Herald-Leader
COLD FIRE
“An extraordinary piece of fiction... It will be a classic.” -UPI
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
“Koontz is brilliant.”
-Chicago
Sun-Times
-Chicago
Sun-Times
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
“A fearsome tour of an adolescent’s psyche. Terrifying, knee-knocking suspense.”
-Chicago Sun-Times
THE BAD PLACE
“A new experience in breathless terror.”—UPI
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT
“A great storyteller.”
—New York Daily News
—New York Daily News
MIDNIGHT
“A triumph.”
-The New York Times
-The New York Times
LIGHTNING
“Brilliant... a spine-tingling tale... both challenging and entertaining.” -The Associated Press
THE MASK
“Koontz hones his fearful yarns to a gleaming edge.”
-People
-People
WATCHERS
“A breakthrough for Koontz... his best ever.”
-Kirkus Reviews
TWILIGHT EYES
“A spine-chilling adventure... will keep you turning pages to the very end.”
—Rave Reviews
—Rave Reviews
STRANGERS
“A unique spellbinder that captures the reader on the first page. Exciting, enjoyable, and an intensely satisfying read.” -Mary Higgins Clark
PHANTOMS
“First-rate suspense, scary and stylish.”
-Los Angeles Times
WHISPERS
“Pulls out all the stops... an incredible, terrifying tale.”
—Publishers Weekly
—Publishers Weekly
NIGHT CHILLS
“Will send chills down your back.”
-The New York Times
DARKFALL
“A fast-paced tale... one of the scariest chase scenes ever.”
-Houston Post
-Houston Post
SHATTERED
“A chilling tale... sleek as a bullet.”
—Publishers Weekly
THE VISION
“Spine-tingling—it gives you an almost lethal shock.”
-San Franciso Chronicle
-San Franciso Chronicle
THE FACE OF FEAR
“Real suspense... tension upon tension.”
-The New York Times
Berkley titles by Dean Koontz
THE EYES OF DARKNESS
THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT
MR. MURDER
THE FUNHOUSE
DRAGON TEARS
SHADOWFIRES
HIDEAWAY
COLD FIRE
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
THE BAD PLACE
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT
MIDNIGHT
LIGHTNING
THE MASK
WATCHERS
TWILIGHT EYES
STRANGERS
DEMON SEED
PHANTOMS
WHISPERS
NIGHT CHILLS
DARKFALL
SHATTERED
THE VISION
THE FACE OF FEAR
THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT
MR. MURDER
THE FUNHOUSE
DRAGON TEARS
SHADOWFIRES
HIDEAWAY
COLD FIRE
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
THE BAD PLACE
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT
MIDNIGHT
LIGHTNING
THE MASK
WATCHERS
TWILIGHT EYES
STRANGERS
DEMON SEED
PHANTOMS
WHISPERS
NIGHT CHILLS
DARKFALL
SHATTERED
THE VISION
THE FACE OF FEAR
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B2, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr. Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Nkui, Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Pocket Books edition published 1982
Dark Harvest edition published 1988
Berkley edition / June 1992
Copyright © 1982 by Nkui, Inc.
Visit our website at
www.penguin.com
eISBN : 978-0-425-13295-1
BERKLEY®
Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
This book is for Gerda,
as it surely should have been
from the start.
as it surely should have been
from the start.
PART ONE
Fear Comes Quietly...
The year was 1980-an ancient time,
so long ago and far away....
so long ago and far away....
1
When she woke, she thought she was blind. She opened her eyes and could see only purple darkness, ominous and shapeless shadows stirring within other shadows. Before she could panic, that gloom gave way to a pale haze, and the haze resolved into a white, acoustic-tile ceiling.
She smelled fresh bed linens. Antiseptics. Disinfectants. Rubbing alcohol.
She turned her head, and pain flashed the length of her forehead, as if an electric shock had snapped through her skull from temple to temple. Her eyes immediately swam out of focus. When her vision cleared again, she saw that she was in a hospital room.
She could not remember being admitted to a hospital. She didn’t even know the name of it or in what city it was located.
What’s wrong with me?
She raised one dismayingly weak arm, put a hand to her brow, and discovered a bandage over half of her forehead. Her hair was quite short, too. Hadn’t she worn it long and full?
She had insufficient strength to keep her arm raised; she let it drop back to the mattress.
She couldn’t raise her left arm at all, for it was taped to a heavy board and pierced by a needle. She was being fed intravenously: the chrome IV rack, with its dangling bottle of glucose, stood beside the bed.
For a moment she closed her eyes, certain that she was only dreaming. When she looked again, however, the room was still there, unchanged: white ceiling, white walls, a green tile floor, pale yellow drapes drawn back at the sides of the large window. Beyond the glass, there were tall evergreens of some kind and a cloudy sky with only a few small patches of blue. There was another bed, but it was empty; she had no roommate.
The side rails on her own bed were raised to prevent her from falling to the floor. She felt as helpless as a baby in a crib.
She realized she didn’t know her name. Or her age. Or anything else about herself.
She strained against the blank wall in her mind, attempting to topple it and release the memories imprisoned on the other side, but she had no success; the wall stood, inviolate. Like a blossom of frost, fear opened icy petals in the pit of her stomach. She tried harder to remember, but she had no success.
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