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Did Dean Koontz warn us of the Coronavirus in The Eyes of Darkness?

By Susan Leighton

ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 30: Writer Dean Koontz participates at WonderCon Anaheim 2013 - Day 2 at Anaheim Convention Center on March 30, 2013 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 30: Writer Dean Koontz participates at WonderCon Anaheim 2013 - Day 2 at Anaheim Convention Center on March 30, 2013 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images) /
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Dean Koontz, the popular horror novelist, may have warned us of the Coronavirus in The Eyes of Darkness in 1981. Was it a prediction or just a coincidence?

Dean Koontz was one of my favorite horror novelists when I was growing up. What I liked the best about his stories was the way he interjected shadowy government organizations into his narratives. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the writer has become a topic of discussion on social media because of the plot of his 1981 effort, The Eyes of Darkness.

Why would a 39-year-old book suddenly be in the public eye again? Well, apparently some fans think that Koontz may have predicted the onset of the virulent virus strain. When you think about it, it doesn’t seem farfetched but it may just be a coincidence.

The Eyes of Darkness is about Tina Evans, a grieving mother who cannot get over the death of her son, Danny. A year after his untimely demise, she starts dreaming of him. One day, she goes into his room to find a message written for her on his chalkboard, NOT DEAD. She goes on a quest to find out if her son has truly passed away.

This novel was originally printed in 1981 under Dean Koontz’s nom de plume, Leigh Nichols. It was reprinted in 1989 under his given name. Why do I mention this fact? Because it is important to note for the Coronavirus prediction theory.

The Facts:

  • In the 1989 version of The Eyes of Darkness, Wuhan-400 originated in Wuhan, China just like the Coronavirus. However, it is a biological weapon and was created by a scientist named Li Chen. The Leigh Nichols 1981 novel has the biological weapon virus being manufactured in Russia and it was named Gorki-400.
  • Snopes, the well-known debunking site also calls out the mortality rate of Wuhan-400. For dramatic purposes, Koontz’s virulent strain has a 100% mortality rate. According to World Meters, the Coronavirus is a tentative 2% rate and is subject to change as more information is gathered on the virus.
  • Another point of contention that would render Koontz’s prediction more along the lines of coincidental would be in reference to the incubation period for Wuhan-400. His timeframe is four hours where World Meters states 2-14 days. However, there have been two reported cases of the Coronavirus where the incubation time was 24 days and 27 days. Apparently, depending on the patient, that statistic can vary.

In the end, it would seem that Dean Koontz isn’t a modern-day Nostradamus.

Next. 25 best Stephen King movies of all time. dark

Do you read Dean Koontz? Are you familiar with The Eyes of Darkness? Do you agree with Snopes? Let us know in the comments.

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