Life Expectancy

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

With his bestselling blend of nail-biting intensity, daring artistry, and storytelling magic, Dean Koontz returns with an emotional roller coaster of a tale filled with enough twists, turns, shocks, and surprises for ten ordinary novels. Here is the story of five days in the life of an ordinary man born to an extraordinary legacy—a story that will challenge the way you look at good and evil, life and death, and everything in between.

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the frist and last time since his stroke.

What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson—five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his twentieth year; the second in his twent-third year; the third in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; the fifth in his thirtieth.

Rudy is all too ready to discount his father's last words as a dying man's delusional rambling. But then he discovers that Josef also predicted the time of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact height and weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly—the unexplained anomal of fused digits—on his left foot. Suddenly the old man's predictions take on a chilling significance.

What terrifying events await Jimmy on these five dark days? What nightmares will he face? What challenges must he survive? As the novel unfolds, picking up Jimmy's story at each of these crisis points, the path he must follow will defy every expectation. And with each crisis he faces, he will move closer to a fate he could never have imagined. For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days when his world turns is a mystery as dangerous as it is wondrous—a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive, only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through.

©2004 Dean Koontz (P)2004 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Emotionally powerful and thought-provoking."—Booklist

"A master storyteller and a daring writer... he gives readers bright hope in a dark world.... Life Expectancy pits good versus evil and carries a persuasive message, about the power of love and family and the miracle of existence... Koontz is a true original and this novel, one of his most unusual yet, will leave readers aglow."—Publishers Weekly, starred review.

"Mr. Koontz is a skillful storyteller....His new Life Expectancy offers a clear illustration of what he does right."—The New York Times

Loved it! Loved all the twists

I loved it. I really like Dean Koontz. There were awesome twists & a lot of laughs too & even a few tears! great story. well written & well read!

wishing for more

kinda wish there were 5 more terrible days to look forward to. really enjoyed the narrator.

This a wonderful book .

zo love Koontz "s writing. This is a fun book . Of course, it has a lot of excitement. This book has a lot of humor. This may my favorite Koontz book.

wonderful book....

this book surprised me at every turn....I laughed and cried and that is the hallmark of a good book and a great performance

Enchanting

Wonderful story and performance. This is a classic and one of Koontz’s best. You come to care about the characters— which is high praise for the author

I love Dean Koontz

This is Mr Koontz doing that supernatural feel-good thing that he does. Reader was excellent too

Adults: Prepare to be entertained!

First I cannot begin to describe my enjoyment of the humor & excitement all in 1 story. eloquently written & a beautiful love story. Not just love of a couple, but love of family & traditions.as is so often with Dean Koontz books, you are spiritually uplifted as well. I feel better after reading it. thank you fr a great story.

Koontz is Brilliant!

I love his writing style! He can make me laugh in the midst of fear! This story is one of my all time favorites!

One of Koontz's BEST!

This book exceeded my expectations. Excellent story and narrator. Kept my attention to the very end. Don't miss a word!

he pulls you in and makes you laugh and cry :-)

love every moment :-) it was bizarre and heart warming all wrapped up into one book