Strange Highways

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Jeff Cummings

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Joey Shannon, an alcoholic whose life has been going nowhere for 20 years, returns to his hometown for the funeral of his father. As he leaves town, he gets a mysterious second chance to relive the night in 1975 when his life began its downward spiral: to both literally and figuratively take the road that he didn't originally take. On this road he is supremely tested by conflict with his successful and charismatic older brother P.J., by conflict between his cynicism and his lost faith, and by conflict between the ultimate good and evil.

©1995 Dean Koontz (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

great book for a fast listen

its not a very long book. the guy is fine, I just wasn't crazy about the other Male voices just being a nasally based voice. but that's nothing to hinder the performance nor the story

koontz has done better

Would you try another book from Dean Koontz and/or Jeff Cummings?

sure. koontz is my favorite author. i think his best work is ' lighting ' . this book followers a to well worn road that has been traveled down before. this does not mean that it is not any good
just, well been there and done that.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

second chances. i have just one regret in my life. but it is a dusy. a game changing regret !
however my life, so far has not had a second chance. mythical or otherwise. i figure all i need to do now is to live long enough for things to turn around . will i have a happy ending ?
the least interesting. only in fiction - does magic happen. however i HAVE had magic happen in my life. it was the first time. the time before the possible - second chance. get it.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Cummings’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

not before. but i like him very much. and will look for him in future reads.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

since i closely identify with the plot of the story. of cause.

Any additional comments?

nope.

Too short and not enough substance.

The characters were under developed. The story was not engaging enough. I usually love Koontz. Not this one.

So Where Are the Rest of the Stories?

What happened to the rest of the book? There's only one story here. Disappointed.

Maybe I would have liked it better...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

If all of the stories were included. The reader is okay but the voices he applies to the characters were a little silly. The story itself (the title story and the only one included) was a little silly. I've been reading Koontz for 20 years and this just didn't seem much like him.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dean Koontz again?

Of course.

Do you think Strange Highways needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I think the rest of the book would be nice!

Strange indeed

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend the book because it was interesting, held my attention. I love Dean Koontz, but was annoyed when i realized he had an agenda in the book that you have to 'believe'. I may have been annoyed if i were a Christian and he went the other way with it though... who knows.
Other than that it was up to par with his other stories.

Listened on Road Trip

It kept me interested and made the time go by quickly. It's a supernatural story and a little dark. I thought it was good.

the ultimate highway to hell

I am not a huge fan of horror novels, but Mr. koontz hAs woven a
Frightfully great story with Pennsylvania geological history, supernatural happenings, and religion. Great mix of mystery and horror conveyed by narrator who pulled the entire narration fabulously. Did not want the book to end but did on the other hand wanted the conclusion revealed.

Not My Favorite

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No because even as a fantasy it was too far fetched and unbelievable.

If you’ve listened to books by Dean Koontz before, how does this one compare?

It was the first time I have been disappointed by a Dean Koontz book. Compared to the others I have read or listened to, this is way at the bottom.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Cummings – was your favorite?

He did a good job with the Joey Shannon character.

Did Strange Highways inspire you to do anything?

It reinforced the notion that if something seems wrong deep in your heart, then it very likely is wrong. Stop and think and try to choose the right path.

Meh... kinda predictable

it's was just ok. got kinda preachy and hard to follow in the middle. mediocre ending.