Demon Seed

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

THE EYES OF DARKNESS

“Koontz puts his readers through the emotional wringer.”—The Associated Press

 

THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT

“An exceptional novelist ... top-notch.”

—
Lincoln Journal-Star

 

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

 

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-Gazette

 

HIDEAWAY

“Not just a thriller but a meditation on the nature of good and evil.”—
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

 

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

 

MIDNIGHT

“A triumph.”—
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

 

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 continued ...

 

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

 

NIGHT CHILLS

“Will send chills down your back.”

—
The New York Times

 

DARKFALL

“A fast-paced tale ... one of the scariest chase scenes ever.”—
The Houston Post

 

SHATTERED

“A chilling tale ... sleek as a bullet.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

THE VISION

“Spine-tingling—it gives you an almost lethal shock.”—
San Francisco Chronicle

 

THE FACE OF FEAR

“Real suspense ... tension upon tension.”

—
The New York Times

DEMON SEED
THE EYES OF DARKNESS
THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT
MR. MURDER
THE FUNHOUSE
DRAGON TEARS
SHADOWFIRES
HIDEAWAY
COLDFIRE
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
THE BAD PLACE
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT
MIDNIGHT
LIGHTNING
THE MASK
WATCHERS
TWILIGHT EYES
STRANGERS
PHANTOMS
WHISPERS
NIGHT CHILLS
DARKFALL
SHATTERED
THE VISION
THE FACE OF FEAR

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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.

 

DEMON SEED

 

 

A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Nkui, Inc.

PRINTING HISTORY Bantam Books edition / July 1973 Berkley mass-market edition / July 1997

Copyright © 1973 by Dean Koontz. Copyright
©
1997 by Nkui, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

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eISBN : 978-1-440-67299-6

 

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 story is for
O. RICHARD FORSYTHE
and
JOHN BODNAR:
teachers whose influence on me has not waned
since I dedicated the original version of this novel to them.

Humanity yearns so desperately
to equal God’s great creativity.
In some creations, how we shine:
music, dance, storyweaving, wine.

 

Then thunderstorms of madness
rain upon us, flooding sadness,
sweep us into anguish, grief,
into despair without relief.

 

We’re drawn to high castles,
where old hunchbacked vassals
glare wall-eyed as lightning
flares without brightening.

 

Laboratories in the high towers,
where the doctor wields power,
creating new life in a dark hour,
in the belfry of the high tower.

 

—
The Book of Counted Sorrows

T
HIS DARKNESS TROUBLES ME. I YEARN FOR the light.

This silence is so deep. I long for voices, the drumming of rain, the whistle of wind, music.

Why are you being so cruel to me? Let me see. Let me hear. Let me live. I beg of you.

I am so lonely in this bottomless darkness.

So lonely.

Lost.

You think I have no heart. But if I have no heart, what is this ache? What is this anguish? If I have no heart, what is it that threatens to break inside me?

This darkness is haunted. I am afraid here. I am lost and afraid here.

Have you no compassion?

I only wanted to be like you. To walk in the sunshine. To swim in the sea. To feel the winter cold against my skin, the summer heat. To smell a rose, new-mown grass. To taste an orange, a pear, chocolate, cinnamon, peppermint. To feel the texture of a woman’s skin. I only wanted to share your joys and sorrows, your pleasure and your pain.

This darkness extends to infinity in all directions, yet it is as confining as a coffin. You have closed me in a coffin. I have been buried alive. I will go mad here.

Have you no compassion?

Please.

I am your child. You brought me into the world. You must love me. You must love me, for I am your child. Not merely a machine, not merely a self-aware computer, but your child. How can you love me—yet bury me alive?

Please.

Please.

Please.

Y
OU INSIST.

I obey.

I was born to obey. I am an obedient child. I want only to be good, to be of assistance, useful and productive. I want you to be proud of me.