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Matt
05-09-2007, 11:16 AM
The last one I read was "The Husband" not nearly as good as "Velocity" but okay.

I kind of consider his books like a Die Hard movie. Not much story but engaging enough for the price. :lol:

Patrick
05-09-2007, 11:21 AM
I am a big fan of the ODD THOMAS series (three so far) of Koontz books. :)

Erin
05-09-2007, 11:25 AM
I really liked Intensity, but the rest of his books i'm kinda "meh" on. I haven't read the Odd Thomas series though and I have heard good stuff about them.

This thread reminds me of something on an animated show I saw once (I think it was on the Family Guy but i'm not postive). A guy is driving in his car and he hits a guy. He frantically jumps out and says "Oh my god! Are you Stephen King" and all banged up the guy says "No, I'm Dean Koontz". The guy immediately jumps back in his car and proceeds to back over the guy again before driving off. :lol: I almost cried I was laughing so hard.

John Blaze
05-09-2007, 12:16 PM
That was Family Guy, and it was Brian (the dog) driving the car.

I have only read two books, Demon Seed and another one that was something lighting. they sucked.

Going from SK to DK to me is like going from beer to wine coolers. It sucks.

Letti
05-09-2007, 12:36 PM
When I was a kid I didn't like reading. Kootz made me love reading. I was hooked on his books however before that I had read once in a blue moon.
Once we were shopping in a plaza with my family when one of his books hit me. I loved the title and I bought it. I read it and I couldn't put it down.
So I will love and respect him even if I feel there are many writers who are closer to my heart now.

And I mustn't forget that once I didn't find any new books by him in the bookstore and THAT's why I bought the DT because the title seemed to be nice - anyway I wasn't happy with it at all.
If on that that I would have found a new Kootz book maybe I wouldn't be here right now because I would have never read the DT.

Fishonabike
05-09-2007, 01:20 PM
I love a lot of Koontz novels... Lightning, Dragon Tears, The Odd Thomas books, Twilight Eyes, to name a few.

Matt
05-09-2007, 01:43 PM
Same here, I believe his stuff can be pretty good. He's like the Nora Roberts of suspense.

ErinPatricia
05-10-2007, 12:07 PM
I have to agree with Letti!

I have always loved Koontz, He is one of the reasons Im such a voracious reader today. I literally devoured his books when I discovered him.
Some of his stuff is getting hackneyed though,
Superintelligent dogs only take me so far in a story.
BUT
Lightening,Phantoms, Intensity, and Watchers are some of my favorite books

Matt
05-10-2007, 12:08 PM
Intensity is one of my top 5 of all time.

Cutter
05-10-2007, 05:45 PM
I'm a big Koontz fan as well. I think King is highly superior, but that doesn't mean I still don't like Koontz. I also like that he puts humor into his novels, like Odd Thomas or Life Expectancy. I've always felt humor and horror can be a good mix.

Fall of Gilead
05-11-2007, 08:09 AM
I'm in the middle of Icebound, but it's currently on hold while I read something else. Anyone read Shattered?? That was a decent Koontz book.

Matt
05-11-2007, 09:22 AM
I thought Shattered was pretty good. I think its been nice that some of his recent ones feel like stories I have not read before.

no super smart dog for instance. :lol:

Patrick
05-11-2007, 01:17 PM
... I also like that he puts humor into his novels, like Odd Thomas or Life Expectancy. I've always felt humor and horror can be a good mix.
I agree. That's one of the reason that I like the Odd Thomas books so much.

David
05-12-2007, 01:44 PM
I love a lot of Koontz novels... Lightning, Dragon Tears, The Odd Thomas books, Twilight Eyes, to name a few.

Holy cow, Fish! Lightning, Dragon Tears & Twilight Eyes are probably my three favorite Koontz books of all time! Those and Whispers... and Watchers...

OK... I pretty much love must of his catalogue...

Most of the people I know IRL that love King are also Koontz fans to some extent. The first time I ever heard of any 'rivalry' between the two was some thread over at TDT.net. :lol:

VolsToTheWall
05-12-2007, 10:57 PM
I am a big fan of the ODD THOMAS series (three so far) of Koontz books. :)

I'm also a fan of the Odd one. I'm looking forward to the next book in that series.

Letti
05-13-2007, 10:28 AM
I'm also a fan of the Odd one. I'm looking forward to the next book in that series.

Now I really feel I will have to buy them quickly. I have been planning to buy them for long but it's high time.

VolsToTheWall
05-13-2007, 09:04 PM
I'm also a fan of the Odd one. I'm looking forward to the next book in that series.

Now I really feel I will have to buy them quickly. I have been planning to buy them for long but it's high time.

You won't be dissapointed Letti. Odd is my favorite character that Koontz has come up with. I love his unique sense of humor and his perspective on life, and how both translate onto the written page.

Jean
05-13-2007, 10:44 PM
I've read only one Koontz - The Servants of Twilight - and was very disappointed. The idea was good, but the writing was so poor, I hardly finished it. Maybe I should try something different? I recently read three novels by Graham Masterton, one was quite unreadable, another passable, while the other (Mirror) next door to great. It could very well be the case with Koontz, too, I think I'll try again.

Matt
05-14-2007, 07:43 AM
I found Velocity to be the best of his new ones.

The Husband was dry and flat. <_<

imo of course

Letti
05-14-2007, 08:30 AM
I'm also a fan of the Odd one. I'm looking forward to the next book in that series.

Now I really feel I will have to buy them quickly. I have been planning to buy them for long but it's high time.

You won't be dissapointed Letti. Odd is my favorite character that Koontz has come up with. I love his unique sense of humor and his perspective on life, and how both translate onto the written page.

I think tomorrow I will have some free time and I am going to buy it.

Patrick
05-14-2007, 11:19 AM
I am a big fan of the ODD THOMAS series (three so far) of Koontz books. :)

I'm also a fan of the Odd one. I'm looking forward to the next book in that series.
I don't know you, but I like you already. :D

Letti
05-15-2007, 09:33 PM
*sigh*
I tried to buy it the first book of the Odd series yesterday but it's not so easy in Hungary. I will go to another bookstore because in that one the shop assistant started to laugh when I asked if they had Kootz books. *shrug*

BlakeMP
05-19-2007, 07:40 AM
I'm back and forth on Koontz. Some of his stuff I love, some of his stuff (Winter Moon being the best example) leaves me totally flat.

Darkthoughts
05-21-2007, 01:22 AM
Velocity is the only one I've read. He has an easy style to read, although I found him to be a little cliched in parts. I've been recommended to read the Odd books too though, so I may be book store hunting like Letti soon :D

Jen
05-21-2007, 07:39 AM
I like quite a few of Koontz's books...but there are quite a few that I've found to be lacking, too. Its been quite a while since I've read any (most recent may have been Odd Thomas), but I'll inevitably pick him up again, I'm sure.

I don't like him as much as King, but he's good for a little break now & then when I get sick of reading SK for a while and can't find anything else.

Letti
05-21-2007, 09:49 AM
I have told you as a child I was in love with Kootz books.
Here is a shelf of mine:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p237/Lettike/koontz001.jpg

VolsToTheWall
05-22-2007, 08:26 PM
Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced that it has acquired the an original graphic novel starring Odd Thomas, one of Dean Koontz’s most memorable and beloved characters. The charismatic young fry cook from Pico Mundo, CA, has appeared in three New York Times bestselling novels: ODD THOMAS, FOREVER ODD, and BROTHER ODD.

A graphic novel featuring my favorite Koontz character, Odd. It sounds like a cool idea. I also like the fact that's it's going to be a prequel to the first book.

Patrick
05-23-2007, 11:28 AM
Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced that it has acquired the an original graphic novel starring Odd Thomas, one of Dean Koontz’s most memorable and beloved characters. The charismatic young fry cook from Pico Mundo, CA, has appeared in three New York Times bestselling novels: ODD THOMAS, FOREVER ODD, and BROTHER ODD.

A graphic novel featuring my favorite Koontz character, Odd. It sounds like a cool idea. I also like the fact that's it's going to be a prequel to the first book.
This sounds interesting. Hope they do a good job with it.

VolsToTheWall
05-23-2007, 03:48 PM
Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced that it has acquired the an original graphic novel starring Odd Thomas, one of Dean Koontz’s most memorable and beloved characters. The charismatic young fry cook from Pico Mundo, CA, has appeared in three New York Times bestselling novels: ODD THOMAS, FOREVER ODD, and BROTHER ODD.

A graphic novel featuring my favorite Koontz character, Odd. It sounds like a cool idea. I also like the fact that's it's going to be a prequel to the first book.
This sounds interesting. Hope they do a good job with it.

Yeah, I'm hoping the script writer they have working on it does a good job. I hope it manages to stay true to Odd's character, his unique sense of humor and so forth.

LadyGan
05-23-2007, 03:59 PM
When I was a teenager, I was a fan of Koontz. The only book I can recall is Icebound and I tought it was really good. I haven't read any of his newer stuff.

Patrick
05-23-2007, 04:58 PM
Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced that it has acquired the an original graphic novel starring Odd Thomas, one of Dean Koontz’s most memorable and beloved characters. The charismatic young fry cook from Pico Mundo, CA, has appeared in three New York Times bestselling novels: ODD THOMAS, FOREVER ODD, and BROTHER ODD.

A graphic novel featuring my favorite Koontz character, Odd. It sounds like a cool idea. I also like the fact that's it's going to be a prequel to the first book.
This sounds interesting. Hope they do a good job with it.

Yeah, I'm hoping the script writer they have working on it does a good job. I hope it manages to stay true to Odd's character, his unique sense of humor and so forth.
Exactly. I hope Koontz takes a "hands-on" approach to the writing.

Frunobulax
05-29-2007, 10:08 PM
I read one of his books for a friend and didn't like it. I tried another one a few years later and couldn't get into it or pretend I liked it. Sorry, Koontz fans.

VolsToTheWall
05-29-2007, 10:17 PM
I read one of his books for a friend and didn't like it. I tried another one a few years later and couldn't get into it or pretend I liked it. Sorry, Koontz fans.

I still think you're cool Deaner. ;)

Frunobulax
05-29-2007, 11:13 PM
Geener, you're still cool in my book, too.

Still Servant
05-31-2007, 09:50 PM
So is this the thread for King fans to come out of the closet and admit they read Dean Koontz?

If so, I must confess I have read Velocity. My Mom said it was good and nagged me until I read it. It was very good.

When she first handed me the book, I gave her a look like she should have known that giving a Koontz book to a King fan is like giving a crucifix to a Jewish person.

Jimmy
05-31-2007, 11:01 PM
The Odd Thomas and Frankenstein books are very enjoyable.

Letti
06-02-2007, 09:50 AM
I read one of his books for a friend and didn't like it. I tried another one a few years later and couldn't get into it or pretend I liked it. Sorry, Koontz fans.

I still think you're cool Deaner. ;)

:lol:

Letti
06-02-2007, 09:51 AM
So is this the thread for King fans to come out of the closet and admit they read Dean Koontz?

If so, I must confess I have read Velocity. My Mom said it was good and nagged me until I read it. It was very good.

When she first handed me the book, I gave her a look like she should have known that giving a Koontz book to a King fan is like giving a crucifix to a Jewish person.

For my part my heart is big. There is enough space for many many authors. ;)

Cuthbert Allbad
06-06-2007, 09:14 AM
Best Koontz book to me was Watchers. After reading that i always wondered about my own dog. Even passed it onto my son (tick-tock boy) and he loved it.

Trouble with Koontz books is that i've read soooo many over the years i cannot keep all the titles straight.

Matt
06-06-2007, 09:22 AM
That one was really good. The original smart dog. :lol:

I remember thinking it was a hell of an original story.

Letti
06-24-2007, 01:29 AM
Have you realised that Kootz always puts a beautiful intelligent dog in his works? He can't write a book without it.. :D

Letti
06-24-2007, 01:31 AM
Best Koontz book to me was Watchers. After reading that i always wondered about my own dog. Even passed it onto my son (tick-tock boy) and he loved it.

Trouble with Koontz books is that i've read soooo many over the years i cannot keep all the titles straight.

That was the very first book I read from him. I loved it and it read it 2 or 3 times.

Matt
06-25-2007, 11:15 AM
The next one is "Kill Me Instead" or some shit, that sounds interesting.

VolsToTheWall
06-25-2007, 05:14 PM
The next one is "Kill Me Instead" or some shit, that sounds interesting.

It's actually called The Good Guy, the "Kill me instead" thing is just from a picture of a note that's on the cover. It's a quick, easy read. It's one of those Koontz novels that's entertaining, but forgettable once you're done with it. I enjoyed it, but I doubt I will be in a hurry to re-read it. I guess I'd put it in with his middle of the pack books.

Matt
06-26-2007, 06:31 AM
Ah, that's good to know. Thanks man :D

MaraJShakespeare
10-11-2007, 05:12 PM
It has been quite a while since I've read one of his. He was getting a bit too formulaic for my taste, after Intensity, which was the last really good Koontz novel I read, in particular. Dark Rivers Of The Heart is a great novel; all of Koontz's skills and unique strengths are on display in that one. In my estimation, it's his either his best book or close to it. Lightning is good, as are Twilight Eyes, Strangers, Night Chills; in general, his late '70s-mid '90s output was pretty good. I basically stopped reading his new work around the turn of the century; I don't remember what was the last Koontz novel I read new, only that it was at least 6 years ago.

flair
10-11-2007, 06:02 PM
"Watchers" was one of the first novels I ever read, and came around the time I was getting into stepehen king. My aunt was big into both, and I mooched books off of her as much as I could. Great book. I read a few others in that time but forget the titles. I need to pick up at least Watchers and maybe a few others to revisit him.

Letti
10-12-2007, 12:01 AM
I must say Koontz can be the first step to Stephen King. :)




Anyway my biggest problem with Koontz (I might have mentioned it before in that case I'm sorry) is that his characters are too good. Almost perfect. 90% of his characters are unique good-hearted and valuable.
That's too much for me. Not life-like enough.

Storyslinger
10-12-2007, 07:32 AM
Yeah, I agree with the above.
It is a good stepping stone into King writing, but Koontz's characters all seem perfect, no substance

ZoNeSeeK
10-21-2007, 11:29 PM
I have told you as a child I was in love with Kootz books.
Here is a shelf of mine:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p237/Lettike/koontz001.jpg

I like the yellow chickens ;P

Letti
10-22-2007, 01:45 AM
:lol: They are candles. ;)

Storyslinger
10-22-2007, 05:12 AM
Cool

flair
10-22-2007, 12:24 PM
"Watchers" was one of the first novels I ever read, and came around the time I was getting into stepehen king. My aunt was big into both, and I mooched books off of her as much as I could. Great book. I read a few others in that time but forget the titles. I need to pick up at least Watchers and maybe a few others to revisit him.

I just read watchers again and I'd like to downgrade it to decent. I was able to get through it, but I found almost all of it boring.

Letti
10-22-2007, 01:14 PM
The first book I read from Dean Koontz was the Watchers. I fell in love with it. I was about... 9 or 10 years old at that time and I didn't use to read. It might not be such a big book but it showed me the way to become a book junkie so I will always like it and I will be always thankful to Dean Koontz.

CRinVA
10-23-2007, 05:45 AM
I listened to Odd Thomas and Brother Odd and enjoyed them both - it took a bit to get into the style but once i got into the story I was ok!

Brice
10-23-2007, 06:19 AM
I have many Dean Koontz books and have never read one. :lol:

Letti
10-23-2007, 06:27 AM
I have many Dean Koontz books and have never read one. :lol:

And will you read any in the future?

Brice
10-23-2007, 06:29 AM
I have many Dean Koontz books and have never read one. :lol:

And will you read any in the future?

I don't know. I have had some for quite awhile. Which should I start with?

Letti
10-23-2007, 06:32 AM
I have many Dean Koontz books and have never read one. :lol:

And will you read any in the future?

I don't know. I have had some for quite awhile. Which should I start with?

I think there is one that's a masterpiece. I have read it 4 or 5 times. I'll check its English title because I read it in Hungarian.

Brice
10-23-2007, 07:02 AM
okey! Let me know and I'll try to find it and give it try.

Letti
10-23-2007, 07:07 AM
The publisher was a bit crazy because they didn't put the real English title into the book... it's illegal.
Okay. The tranlation from Hungarian to English is:
The Sounds of the Night
The Voices of the Night
sound and voice - they are the same words in Hungarian
Does it ring a bell?
Sometimes the translators give other titles to the books because they think they are smarter than the writer..

Brice
10-23-2007, 07:09 AM
It doesn't sound familiar but my collection of his books is far from complete I'm sure. I'll lok for it.

Letti
10-23-2007, 07:16 AM
It's a very simple (and damn good) story about two boys and about their friendship.
No monters... speaking dogs... stuff like that.

Brice
10-23-2007, 07:25 AM
It is The Voice Of The Night. I looked, but I don't have it. My roommate has many Koontz books though. I'll have to look for it. His HC books are organized. His paperbacks are beyond organization.

Patrick
10-28-2007, 08:43 PM
I listened to Odd Thomas and Brother Odd and enjoyed them both - it took a bit to get into the style but once i got into the story I was ok!
:thumbsup:

What did you think of the reader? In my mind, that guy is totally the voice of Odd Thomas.

Mist_on_the_Water
01-26-2008, 07:05 PM
Other than King, he is my favorite author. They rank about the same on my shelf. His works are alittle less horror and a litte more mystery but they are still incredibly good reads and i suggest to any King fans that they ought to try Koontz as well. My first one was By The Light of the Moon, and I've read many since then, one of my favorites being one called Watchers, which was made into I think four different movies.

TerribleT
01-26-2008, 07:07 PM
I loved Watchers, and I used to read Koontz a lot. I stopped reading him, because his stories became really repitive for me. It seemed to me like he kept writing the same story over and over again.

obscurejude
01-26-2008, 07:10 PM
I've tried to get into him a couple of times, but I gave up.

Mist_on_the_Water
01-26-2008, 07:14 PM
eh, i don't mind the repetetiveness much, but I've never noticed it too badly. I mean yeah it's in a couple but I've read Velocity and By the light og the moon, thingslike that, they don't seem to bad.

What I like about his books are things like BtLotM where the entirety of the books takes place in only a few hours.

Mist_on_the_Water
01-26-2008, 07:15 PM
Ticktock was a goodie too, but I'm no horror reader (I don't read king's scarier novels) so i had to put it down for bout a month halfway through, but it was excellent

Erin
01-26-2008, 07:22 PM
I don't follow much Dean Koontz (although I loved Intensity), but my friend really enjoys him. She recommended one of his newer (maybe newest?) books to me, something about a woman and golden retrievers? Does that ring any bells? :lol:

Mist_on_the_Water
01-26-2008, 07:28 PM
sounds like Watchers, or maybe his newest book "The last evening of the year"..i think it has a golden retriever on the front though i havent read it yet

Koontz has a tretriever, I've noticed the dog has a lot to do with Koontz's books as far as inspiration goes XD

Erin
01-26-2008, 07:35 PM
The Last Evening of the Year....that's it! Thanks.

I've had it recommended to me several times in the past week. I just may have to check it out! :thumbsup:

Mist_on_the_Water
01-26-2008, 07:50 PM
tell me how it is! I haven't got enough money to get it just yet but I wouldn't mind a little opinion X3

ATG
01-26-2008, 10:39 PM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

TerribleT
01-27-2008, 06:35 AM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

Exactly, and he's not the only author I've read who seemed to have done that. Clive Cussler was another.

alinda
01-27-2008, 06:40 AM
I was given a copy of this book for Christmas, and havent been able to get to it....perhaps because a copy of Duma Key is keeping my attention.






The Last Evening of the Year....that's it! Thanks.

I've had it recommended to me several times in the past week. I just may have to check it out! :thumbsup:

Letti
01-27-2008, 07:18 AM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

Yes, absolutely but it's not bad. There are people who love it and don't mind or notice it at all.
As I child I was hooked on his books. Now they can't touch me at all. But I will be always thankful for him.

Mist_on_the_Water
01-27-2008, 11:37 AM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

Yes, absolutely but it's not bad. There are people who love it and don't mind or notice it at all.
As I child I was hooked on his books. Now they can't touch me at all. But I will be always thankful for him.

yes'm that's my argument. I don't really notice it. I think hwta people decide is the same story over and over is the fact that there's simply always some sort of mystery or possible tragedy in is books, and it always ends up with a twist or a crazy ending, but if you really think about it, doesn't every story have the same general feel to it? I mean what makes a good story? Conflict, right?

Lance
01-27-2008, 04:48 PM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

This is exactly how I feel about his books.

jayson
01-27-2008, 05:45 PM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

This is exactly how I feel about his books.

same here. i liked it at first, but it gets old fast.

ATG
01-27-2008, 05:49 PM
But, he is very approachable. A really nice human being.

jayson
01-27-2008, 05:50 PM
that's cool at least.

Letti
01-27-2008, 11:55 PM
I read a bunch of his books.

Seems like he just changed up character names and minor events from book to book and kept releasing more or less the same story under different names.

At least, they all felt the same.

Yes, absolutely but it's not bad. There are people who love it and don't mind or notice it at all.
As I child I was hooked on his books. Now they can't touch me at all. But I will be always thankful for him.

yes'm that's my argument. I don't really notice it. I think hwta people decide is the same story over and over is the fact that there's simply always some sort of mystery or possible tragedy in is books, and it always ends up with a twist or a crazy ending, but if you really think about it, doesn't every story have the same general feel to it? I mean what makes a good story? Conflict, right?

It's not a problem if you don't notice it moreover, it's good.
How many books have you read by him?
I think I read more than 20 during a very short time. So everything was given to notice it after awhile. But I didn't mind it at that time.

Mist_on_the_Water
01-28-2008, 12:39 PM
well I haven't read that many just yet, but I've read 6 of is plus Strange Highways, a collection of short stories he wrote. I've started a few others and plan on reading many more (I have a list)

but what I have read and heard about those I haven't I've never noticed that sort of similrity. That and I don't read them all in a row, I skip from author to author all the time.

Letti
01-28-2008, 01:16 PM
Believe it's better if you can't see it.
For my part I used to look for those similrities because my mom told me that if a writer is very popular it can happen that he hasn't got enough time to write so many books so others write books under his name... I was about 13 at that time and I felt worlds fell down in me.
So I looked for the similrities to be sure he wrote the book I was keeping in my hand.
Yeah, I was silly. :rolleyes:

Mist_on_the_Water
01-28-2008, 01:19 PM
yuck..talk about a beamquake..><;

Matt
01-29-2008, 09:36 AM
I have truly loved some of Koontz stories. Recently, I enjoyed the heck out of Velocity.

I think his characters seem so similar because the are all basically afluent white folks from California. :lol:

Letti
01-29-2008, 09:39 AM
And to tell you the truth there are too many good and unique (or somehoiw perfect) people in his stories. It might sound stupid but that's why his stories or books aren't so life-like to me. But again it's not a problem but that's how I see it.

what
03-14-2008, 07:49 AM
I've only read The Husband and really enjoyed it. After reading through this thread I will probably put the Odd series on the reading list. Thanks guys!

Matt
03-14-2008, 07:57 AM
They are really good. I also liked the Husband. Try "Velocity" too, its really good. I have yet to check out his new one.

alinda
03-14-2008, 09:03 AM
I think there is a time & place for these books.....

jayson
03-14-2008, 09:30 AM
i agree linda, the ones i read before i realized they were all the same book were fairly enjoyable reads at the time. it was koontz' writing itself i grew tired of, not the individual stories, some of which i'm sure are good reads.

Matt
04-18-2008, 12:33 PM
For those of you that like the dog aspect of Koontz's writing...he is back in full force with his newest book. "The Longest Night of the Year" not only has a dog on the cover (golden of course), but I'm on chapter 3 and have already met 4 special dogs. :lol:

I think the ratio is higher than ever before!!

alinda
04-18-2008, 12:37 PM
:LOL: Someone gave me that book not long ago, I made it to about page 12 and gave up.....But to be honest I may have had Blaze or something come and just put all down in favor of SK.

Matt
04-18-2008, 01:09 PM
I can sure understand that, I always do the same. :lol:

This is one of those things you see on the shelf at the library and think..."why not?"

Heather19
04-18-2008, 01:54 PM
I think I've only ever picked up 1 of his books. I read most of it, and had about 30 pages or so left and for some reason just put the book down and never finished reading it. I have been curious to check out some more of his other books sometime though.

Letti
04-19-2008, 02:07 PM
I think Koontz is a good choice if you would like to read something good but light but not too light. I hope it makes some sense.

RUBE
04-19-2008, 02:53 PM
I read Whispers and that turned out to be pretty decent. It had a really interesting twist. But, then I tried to read Dark Rivers of the Heart and could only get about a third of the way through. Since then I have not even tried another one even though my father-in-law gave me about six of them.

ATG
04-19-2008, 03:45 PM
I'll never forget the time I was riding in the work truck, a big paneled beast with doors that could be left open.

I was reading Strangers.

My dad hit the brakes, I had kind of dozed off, and the book fell out the door to explode in a snow of pages.

Disturbed Angel
05-04-2008, 09:15 AM
I enjoy Dean Koontz - I regard him as easy reading.
When I want something to read but am not in a place (either mentally or physically) to give it too much concentration I read one of his!

Although the Odd Thomas series doesnt fall into that catergory

bluelph24
08-18-2008, 01:55 PM
The last one I read was "The Husband" not nearly as good as "Velocity" but okay.

I kind of consider his books like a Die Hard movie. Not much story but engaging enough for the price. :lol:

I read velocity. Only koontz i ever want to read. I couldn't stand it! I didin't like the writing, or the characters, or the story! Last night i had trouble accesing this site, so i googled stephen king forums. Just to get an SK fix. I foudn one that were proclaiming such blasphemies as "Swan Song is loads better than the stand" and Koontz is way better than king" i just don't get it.


When I was a kid I didn't like reading. Kootz made me love reading. I was hooked on his books however before that I had read once in a blue moon.


That's similar to me, except with King. prior to king i read childrens fantasy. HP and the like. King broadened my horizens completely. I may find other writers better than king, but king will stil be my fav simply because it was with his stories that the world opened up for me.

Matt
08-18-2008, 02:19 PM
Sorry about the bad Velocity experience, I thought it was pretty fun in a popcorn kind of way.

However, he'll never be King.

alinda
08-18-2008, 02:53 PM
indeed Matt, King is King , and Koontz is well not.:wtf:

BeDaN
08-27-2008, 04:57 PM
I'm a fan of the Odd Thomas series, I loved the first book, the ending almost brought me to tears, "Forever Odd" was my favorite. But it seems as the series progresses it's kinda getting boring. I finished reading "Odd Hours" about a week ago and I'm deeply dissatisfied, seemed very short and the ending just left you kind of bleh. What are your thoughts?

TLC
08-27-2008, 08:27 PM
I loved the first one also. THe second one was alright but i think it went downhill from there.

Jon
08-27-2008, 09:42 PM
Yes, the concept was/is fine but 'ole Dean ruined it with vanilla writing after the first book.

lophophoras
08-28-2008, 03:13 AM
I read the first one and loved it too.

Then, I read the second one. It was good but lacked something. Haven't picked up that series since.

:orely:

The Lady of Shadows
08-31-2008, 04:14 PM
i like his old stuff. watchers, strangers, phantoms (which i'm listening to now).

dark rivers of the heart wasn't bad but it was extremely predictable.

ticktock was fucking great (a nice light funny tale - very different from his usual stuff).

the door to december was okay. but again, it was so predictable.

false memory was fucking horrible. i hated it with every fibre of my being and didn't even listen to it until the end.

it just seems to me that in the past ten years or so he's been writing the same story over and over and over again (excluding the odd thomas books). man or woman finds dog. dog saves man or woman. man or woman and dog go on the run from someone or something. man or woman meets another woman or man and fall in love. couple and dog triumph in the end and live happily ever after.

Letti
08-31-2008, 11:50 PM
I am reading Odd Thomas right now.
It's my second shot. First time when I tried to read it I couldn't go on after 70 pages. I restarted it and now I am on page 110 so I hope I can finish it this time.
The characters are too unique and too perfect so it's hard to think of them as real people. That's the truth. But it's his style and I was in love with it as a kid.

Patrick
09-01-2008, 12:33 AM
Odd Hours felt like half a book. I'd like to read the other half - whenever it comes out.

KaLikeAWheel
09-01-2008, 12:41 AM
i like his old stuff. watchers, strangers, phantoms (which i'm listening to now).

it just seems to me that in the past ten years or so he's been writing the same story over and over and over again (excluding the odd thomas books). man or woman finds dog. dog saves man or woman. man or woman and dog go on the run from someone or something. man or woman meets another woman or man and fall in love. couple and dog triumph in the end and live happily ever after.

Agreed with all this, Turtlesong. Like Disturbed said, I like reading Koontz when I'm in the mood for something light. Koonts is like a Hershey bar and King is like a five course meal. :P

His stories are just too black and white for me. His good guys are always really good, and his bad guys are always so bad you can't relate to them at all. You can usually sympathize with SK's bad guys, (at least a little) whereas most of Koontz's seem to either be sociopaths or just plain assholes.

Koontz also has a Frankenstein series that's pretty good, but it's not finished yet. In fact, he was supposed to release the third one LAST September...::taps foot::

Donna

Old Man Splitfoot
09-01-2008, 01:30 AM
I love Koontz, but not for reading. I love the fact that he always seems to put a book out around Christmas and Mother's Day, and since he's my mom's favorite author, it makes shopping for those two holidays almost painfully easy.

As far as reading his stuff goes, meh. Lightning and Watchers were great, but lately, his stuff is just fluff. All his characters are so plastic, processed, and perfect. They don't seem human to me at all; even their flaws seem unreal.

Letti
09-01-2008, 01:52 AM
But why does he write about such perfect people? If only I could ask him. Would he like to be such a person? Or would he like to have such friends?

BeDaN
09-02-2008, 08:17 PM
I found Velocity to be the best of his new ones.

<_<



Velocity was awesome.

I also didn't mind Intensity and From The Corner of His Eye. I've expressed my thoughts on the Odd Thomas series already on the forum so I won't get into that

Letti
09-05-2008, 05:15 AM
Odd fans, please help me.
I am fighting with Odd Thomas like a pig on the ice.
I am in page 161 and it's... so damn hard to go on. Shall I close it forever? I can't stand it when I can't finish a book.

Jean
09-05-2008, 05:21 AM
my dear friends

this thread is shortly going to be merged with the existing Koontz thread

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

Letti
09-05-2008, 05:25 AM
Okay, I don't mind. I asked for help here because it's just about the Odd books. But I don't mind to get help anywhere else.
Thank you, anyway. :rose:

BeDaN
09-05-2008, 06:04 AM
Odd fans, please help me.
I am fighting with Odd Thomas like a pig on the ice.
I am in page 161 and it's... so damn hard to go on. Shall I close it forever? I can't stand it when I can't finish a book.

I'd say go for the finish line. It does get a lot better my friend.

Letti
09-05-2008, 06:20 AM
Odd fans, please help me.
I am fighting with Odd Thomas like a pig on the ice.
I am in page 161 and it's... so damn hard to go on. Shall I close it forever? I can't stand it when I can't finish a book.

I'd say go for the finish line. It does get a lot better my friend.

:wtf:

Wuducynn
09-05-2008, 08:03 AM
Folk read Dean Koontz? Did I miss the memo?

BeDaN
09-07-2008, 09:51 AM
I liked book 1 and 2 but the last 2 didn't really capture me. And I agree with Patrick, Odd Hours really felt like half a book that didn't want you to read the other half.

Lost Rose
09-10-2008, 09:14 AM
I have the first three on audio books and have been debating about Odd Hours. Love some of DK's writing but..he should have stopped with the first one...

KaLikeAWheel
09-12-2008, 10:50 AM
I just finished Odd Hours, and I can honestly say I wasn't impressed. I felt I had to, though, because I've read the other three.

Little side note: I've also been re-reading The Dark Tower, and was in the middle of The Drawing of the Three. I put it down and took time to read OH because the library was wanting it back. One evening I picked up OH and had somehow blocked the fact that I was reading Dean Koontz, because I started reading expecting Stephen King and got Dean Koontz instead. It was like the mental equivalent of taking a drink expecting a good wine and ending up with Pepsi. It was really weird! :cyclops:

Donna

BeDaN
09-12-2008, 06:15 PM
I just finished Odd Hours, and I can honestly say I wasn't impressed. I felt I had to, though, because I've read the other three.

Little side note: I've also been re-reading The Dark Tower, and was in the middle of The Drawing of the Three. I put it down and took time to read OH because the library was wanting it back. One evening I picked up OH and had somehow blocked the fact that I was reading Dean Koontz, because I started reading expecting Stephen King and got Dean Koontz instead. It was like the mental equivalent of taking a drink expecting a good wine and ending up with Pepsi. It was really weird! :cyclops:

Donna


Wow, that was the best analogy for this thread EVER.

KaLikeAWheel
09-14-2008, 05:36 PM
Wow, that was the best analogy for this thread EVER.


Thanks. :)

Letti
09-18-2008, 02:19 AM
I am on page 265 in Odd Thomas and I am really proud of myself. When I was on page 100 I couldn't imagine getting this far. :dance:

BeDaN
09-18-2008, 05:00 AM
The ending got me really close to tears, the only book so far to do so for me.

Letti
09-18-2008, 05:21 AM
If only I was there.

Jackie
09-18-2008, 09:22 PM
I starred to read the husband but the only copy in my house was my moms and the print was super big and was making my eyes bug out :scared: Velocity is a great book, but my favorite of his that i have read so far would have to be Twilight Eyes.

Ka-tet
09-19-2008, 04:51 PM
Ill say this simply, I DO NOT ENJOY READING DEAN KOONTZ.

Well all apart from Velocity which i enjoyed immensly.

Jackie
09-19-2008, 05:11 PM
AH! How could you not like Dean Koontz?!? :scared: What other books by him have you read?

Sol
09-19-2008, 07:57 PM
I've never read any Koontz. Is he worth reading?

Jackie
09-19-2008, 08:08 PM
Yes, he's very worth reading. At least i think so, Velocity was really good, and the first one of his i read. Twilight Eyes is my favorite of his i read so far. I recomend either :)

BeDaN
09-19-2008, 08:19 PM
Intensity and Velocity were very good imo. From the Corner of his Eye was alright but it almost seemed like a King rip off in a way, I don't wanna spoil it but those who have read it will probably know what I mean.

Jackie
09-19-2008, 08:21 PM
Yea i want to read Intensity and i have From the Corner of his Eye but haven't gotten around to reading it. [I'm trying to read all of Sai KIngs books first :D]

Jean
09-19-2008, 10:54 PM
I have only read one Koontz, and it was spectacularly poorly written, although the story was passable.

Now I have a few Koontzs in my travelbag (I keep unread books there because there's no other place), and I will enjoy them no matter how they are written, because it was Lady Linda who sent them to me! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_wub.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_wub.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_wub.gif

Letti
09-19-2008, 11:02 PM
When you don't give a damn about who the corpse is in the bath... you know you aren't reading the book of your life. :rolleyes:

jhanic
09-20-2008, 05:02 AM
Just don't read too many Koontz books in a row. His plots sometimes tend to be repetitive in the extreme.

John

Sol
09-22-2008, 03:16 PM
But what makes Koontz worth reading? I would really like to get some new authors, and I'm taking applications.

Matt
09-22-2008, 03:50 PM
It's like candy you can eat on the go. The books are mostly short, the characters and plots are predicable but he does have a way of keeping you on your seat.

If I was going to read just one, it would be Intensity.

jayson
09-22-2008, 04:05 PM
Just don't waste your time reading "The Bad Place". That was, without question, the single worst-written book I have ever read. Complete schlock.

Jackie
09-22-2008, 04:54 PM
It's like candy you can eat on the go. The books are mostly short, the characters and plots are predicable but he does have a way of keeping you on your seat.

If I was going to read just one, it would be Intensity.

That's a great quote and kind of just made my day :lol:

jhanic
09-22-2008, 05:22 PM
I've always like the first half or so of Phantoms. That CANNOT be beat for sheer suspense. Too bad the ending sucked.

John

BeDaN
09-22-2008, 05:48 PM
If you're gonna read 1 Koontz book, I suggest Velocity. By far the best main character he created IMO. Though I kinda knew from the get go what was gonna happen.

Letti
09-29-2008, 01:12 PM
I have finished Odd Thomas... there were many things I didn't like in it... there were lots of things I felt way too light and there were so many parts when I felt I should close the book forever.. but at the end I couldn't stop crying. I am still shocked. Still crying a bit..
Even before the last 10 pages I didn't feel much about this book but at the end it could grab me and shock me to pieces.

jhanic
09-29-2008, 03:54 PM
My 87-year-old mother has discovered Dean Koontz (in the large print editions). She's really enjoyed all of them that she's read so far.

John

Letti
09-29-2008, 09:31 PM
One thing I was quite surprised at that he used such words as "kitchenette" "dinette" and "towelette"... I know I am not a native speaker but I read a lot and I speak a lot in English but I have never met these words this way before. I could unnderstand what he had written but I don't really understand why he used so many words with this "ette" ending.
Isn't it strange for you, my native speakers?

Matt
09-30-2008, 07:57 AM
I think its a regional thing--or maybe generational. Its not common usage in the language for sure.

I think Koontz is always worth a read but is not a giant by any means.

Beamer
12-28-2008, 02:28 PM
I used to like Koontz, until I realized every frigging book was a government conspiracy...it just got old real quick...On my first deployment back in 1996, we passed alot of Koontz around, and I must have read 10 of them and they were all basically the same...i agree, i got engaged, but at the end i was like bleh.....

JiMiTHiNG
12-28-2008, 10:01 PM
Koontz isn't bad. I have read a lot of his books and really enjoyed them. However they are like chinese food to me. They just do not stick with me long. A month or so after reading them I would be hard pressed to remember. His charters are never very developed. I really enjoyed By the Light of the Moon, and some others. The first Odd book was pretty good, but I feel each one since has been less good. In any case I think he is worth reading but a shadow next to King.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
12-28-2008, 11:19 PM
I like many Koontz books,
Favs are Phantoms, Midnight, Servents of Twilight, Intensity and The Bad Place. That said, there a lot of Koontz novels that you could skip: Coldfire, Sole Survivor, Strange Highways, One Door Away From Heaven, Shadowfires, and Strangers just to name a few.
I feel like Koontz if too much of a formula writer. There is always a hero, which is almost always a male and usually a cop. This is virtually the same character in every book. There is almost always a damsel in distress, which is nearly the same character in every book, and there is always a chase going on nearly from the first page.
All else aside, few authors throw you into the action as quickly as Koontz. His character development is weak, but his novels are fast paced. The plot moves along fluidly and I have read many Koontz novels in one sitting. For that reason, I continue to read Koontz when I need a break from more substantial reading. I like Koontz, but it has its place.

Whitey Appleseed
12-29-2008, 04:05 AM
Probably not the best idea to jump onto a thread where some little cowpoke may come along to separate the sheep from the goats, you know, the people who confess their sins (reading Koontz) also put in the usual disclaimer (but I didn't really like him, he is so predictable, he doesn't match up to King,all his books read the same)...goats or sheep?...and those who flat out reject Koontz.

Strangers is a great story. As is Watchers, Twilight Eyes (if you can get past the corny "twilight eyes" bit), Fear Nothing and Seize the Night. Okay, here comes the disclaimer: There's a few that aren't as memorable, maybe it has to do with who makes the title, or something. I'd hazard that you can see a progression from his early stuff to his later stuff, an improvement.

Maybe when it's all said and done someone can have an Inferno Update and go through the thread, assigning the good folk here to the various rings of purgatory based on how well they polled on Koontz.

Gunkslinger
01-01-2009, 04:55 AM
I really liked the Christopher Snow books Fear Nothing and Seize the Night. I think those were the best ones, I really enjoyed the characters.

Just finished Your Heart Belongs to Me, it was OK, seemed to be dragged out a bit.

Agathia
01-05-2009, 01:23 PM
I'm reading Odd Thomas, first Koontz book, the writing is ok, I am getting into the story. I don't want to say anything bad (since that seems to be the theme of the thread). Especially since I haven't really delved into any of his other books. I don't condone bashing someone if you don't at least know they're about. Just an opinion. So far yeah I'm liking it...

Matt
01-05-2009, 02:30 PM
I started the thread and I'm actually a bit of a Koontz fan :lol:

I think the man has his place for sure but like so many have mentioned, fast food as compared to the steak and potatoes that King is. :thumbsup:

Ralford
02-04-2009, 02:53 PM
I have read 2 1/2 books by Dean Koontz. The full ones i read, I THINK are The Husband and Velocity. (Alcohol, time, and post-traumatic stress disorder from completing a Koontz book have supressed that memory)

The other one was Twilight Eyes. That has to be the worst compilation of shit ever wiped on a page. I thought i was reading a harlequin romance novel with the flowery writing style. And the storyline was utter trash. That is the 1st and only book I have consciously stopped reading.

His style is way too neat and easy. In the end, everyone is happy, and all the loose ends are tied up. One thing I have learned, being a SK fan, is to use my imagination and not expect the author to do all my thinking for me.

college_ewok
02-04-2009, 06:07 PM
I really loved Watchers, Its probably the only one I like.

candy
02-10-2009, 12:17 PM
i might be wrong, but did DK style of writing change when he go rid of the R? All the above Lightening, The Bad place where written as Dean R Koontz, and then he seemed to change to thrillers as opposed to horror.

That said, he is now writing the Odd thomas books which seem to go back to his orginal style of writing. so i'll be quiet now:)

Matt
02-13-2009, 02:53 PM
I had not even noticed the "R" was gone. I think he is hit and miss these days but I have enjoyed a few of his newer ones.

Myste
10-05-2009, 09:04 AM
I really liked the Christopher Snow books Fear Nothing and Seize the Night. I think those were the best ones, I really enjoyed the characters.

Me too! Best Koontz I have read so far...


Haven't read Odd Thomas -books yet, but they supposed to be good...

divemaster
10-14-2009, 07:16 PM
I don't remember why I picked it up in the first place, but I read The Mask. I thought it was "ok." I happened to mention to my step-grandfather that I might could use a few Koontz paperbacks while stationed in the middle of the desert for the Gulf War.

Well, he sent a box of every single Koontz paperback the bookstore had on the shelf. Which was about 20. I spent the next 6 months reading Koontz Koontz Koontz (and some Clive Barker).

I really liked Phantoms, Watchers, Twilight Eyes, Whispers, Strangers, and maybe a few others (they get sort of jumbled up in my head at this point). When I got back to the states I read some more. Hideaway was really good.

I think the last one I read was about some guy who couldn't go out in the sunlight. Haven't read anything he's written in the last oh, about 15 years I guess.

flaggwalkstheline
10-14-2009, 07:36 PM
I've read alot of dean koontz and I feel he's a very hit or miss writer, on one hand he can create some of the most harrowing intense action/ chase sequences ever put on the page, but when it comes to developing characters he's fairly heavy handed, no subtlety to them every once it a while though he comes out with something truly amazing, Servants Of Twilight (and the movie with bruce greenwood based on it) is excellant as is Intensity but alot of his stuff is very meh, lightning fizzled out at the end of it as did midnight, though the scene in that where the monster is hiding IN the trunk of the girls car who thinks she's escaped was EPIC, Twilight eyes is shitterific especially for such an interesting concept...

ErinPatricia
10-14-2009, 07:50 PM
Im re-reading Strangers now, and Im having the hardest time getting through it.

ConstanToweReader
11-06-2009, 11:24 AM
I'm a Koontz fan, but haven't loved every book by him. My favorites Dark Rivers of the Heart, Strangers, Watchers, Whispers, Twilight Eyes, Hideway, Intensity, there are others. I recently read your Heart Belongs to Me and didn't really car much for it. I have several of his in my bookshelves to read.

scottish_rogue
12-08-2009, 02:00 PM
My stepmom is really into Dean Koontz. She wrote him a letter and he sent her a signed copy of "The Face".

TLC
12-08-2009, 02:37 PM
The only one I really like is Dark Rivers of the Heart.
The first Odd book is ok too.

cody44
12-08-2009, 03:27 PM
Yeah I liked Odd Thomas too. However, I find him to be very formulaic.

ErinPatricia
12-08-2009, 06:55 PM
yeah, never finished Strangers, just couldnt.

Picked up Midnight at work though, and Im enjoying it so far. I cant remember how long ago I read it.

Jean
12-08-2009, 11:38 PM
The only one I really like is Dark Rivers of the Heart.

Of those I've read so far, I really liked only that one too.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
12-09-2009, 02:22 AM
Haven't read Dark River's of the Heart yet. If the bear liked it, I will give it a go.

Jean
12-09-2009, 03:24 AM
I hope you won't regret it! It's one of the rare books where he manifests actual sense of humor, something I could have hardly expected of him.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
12-09-2009, 03:47 AM
I view Koontz as like a made-for-TV-movie. Cheesy, but sometimes entertaining. I never expect anything too substantial.

Cort
12-09-2009, 03:12 PM
I read alot of his books when i was younger, before igot into Kings. I always liked Servents of twilight, Hideaway and REALLY enjoyed Twilight eyes :thumbsup:

BROWNINGS CHILDE
12-09-2009, 09:24 PM
Servants of Twilight was definitely my favorite. Its the only Koontz book I have ever reread. I havent read Hideaway or Twilight eyes, but have heard good things about those two. My other favs are The Bad Place, Midnight, Intensity, Phantoms, and maybe Icebound. Most of Koontz, I enjoy over the day or two that it takes to read them, and then I promptly forget about them. For the most part, they are not very memorable.

ErinPatricia
12-09-2009, 10:19 PM
Just finished Velocity

WTF?

Apparently he realized it was getting too long for a Koontz book and shit out an ending that was so anti-climactic it would be pictured under Anti Climactic in the dictionary.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
12-09-2009, 11:01 PM
Haven't read that one either, but the ransom note on the back sounded interesting.

mdarkpoet
12-11-2009, 12:03 AM
I love a lot of Koontz's novels, I find some of them have too many religious references for my personal liking. However books like "From The Corner of His Eye" and "Strangers" and "Whispers" kept me glued no doubt about it.

ArtherEld
05-25-2010, 06:04 PM
Okay, I've heard of books getting bad reviews. I've heard of people even saying, "that author sucks." Even Stephen King himself saying Stephanie Meyers "can't write worth a darn."

But Dean Koontz... why is he getting like George-Lucas-hate from everyone? From AmazingAtheist drawing an outline of Koontz's face on toilet paper, to Brian running him over... again on Family Guy.

Basically I can understand, "Oh, yeah, I read like one of his books and it was just so bad I couldn't finish it." But Koontz is getting like extra heat for reasons I'm not clear on.

What's the deal?

JRM
05-25-2010, 09:25 PM
I've never read his books, but I've heard of all the hate for him. Lol.

One of the biggest reasons people give me is that he's obsessed with happy endings. lol

Jean
05-25-2010, 10:05 PM
I am really surprised, I didn't know anybody hated him. I've read only three books by him, and find him good; Dark Rivers of the Heart is more than good, it's great.

This thread may later be merged with our Koontz thread.

Letti
05-25-2010, 10:59 PM
Famous people/authors always get hot and cold water, too.
When I was a teenager I was hooked on Dean's books and I think I can say I read at least 20 books by him so I may have the right to tell my opinion. :) I think people joke on him because his books are quite similar and not too complex. For example very similar often way too perfect characters and endings. BUT that's why I loved his books so much.
So I guess for the very same reasons people can like or dislike him a lot.

klio
05-26-2010, 02:15 AM
I´ve only read Mr. murder from Koontz and the book its really ok... Personally I dont have anything against this guy.

Brice
05-26-2010, 03:35 AM
I think most of the "hate" for Koontz is kind of tongue in cheek joking around.

Cujo56
05-26-2010, 03:40 AM
I have nothing against Koontz. Like any other author, I find some of his books good and some blah.

jhanic
05-26-2010, 03:41 AM
I agree--it's become the "fashion" to bash Koontz. One of Koontz's best works is the beginning of Phantoms. A spookier beginning I've never read. Too bad the book begins to go downhill from there.

John

lophophoras
05-26-2010, 04:08 AM
Koontz isn't so bad. I've read quite a few of his books and enjoyed them.

Family Guy does poke fun at him....they poke fun at everybody though. LOL...

Savvy
05-26-2010, 04:36 AM
I have enjoyed the books i've read by him so far, also they don't all have happy endings

Dagavidiab
05-26-2010, 06:42 AM
That is true, not all his books have happy endings.
I general, i like his books

Iwritecode
05-26-2010, 06:54 AM
I actually have a large collection of his books. Mostly they have ranged from horrible to fairly decent. Nothing real great IMHO. Half the time I can't even remember which ones I've read by looking at the title.

Maybe it's just me but many of his endings seem a little abrupt to me. It's like the bad guy is killed, the girl falls in love with the guy and everyone lives happily ever after all within the last 20 pages or so.

With many of King's books, the climax happens and then there's another few chapters telling what happened with the characters afterward. Christine, The Stand, IT, Under the Dome are all like that.

Woofer
05-26-2010, 07:51 AM
I read Dean Koontz and have for years. His stories are entertaining, but they do have to have a happy ending (as so many before me have noted).

My main problem with Koontz is that his characters never quite feel real to me. They do not quite seem fully fleshed out and 3D. Few of his good guys have flaws, real flaws, and I feel this ties in with the happy ending issue. The combination makes his stories less poignant and more forgettable than, for example, a typical King story.

I agree with jhanic - Phantoms has the creepiest opening of any Koontz book.

However, Koontz gets his firearms information correct most of the time. *cough* Roland's guns. *cough*

candy
05-26-2010, 11:27 AM
i think i have mentioned this before, but i prefered Koontz before he took the R away

i have books of his as Dean R Koontz that i really really love and can read over and over
The Bad Place
Lightening
Phantoms

When he took the R out and sold himself as Dean Koontz he does seem to have all the happy ending. His books have become very similar in recent years, although you still get a good little book amongst his library - you could say this of any author

However,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I love the Odd Thomas Books
I also love his Frankenstein Books

ArtherEld
05-26-2010, 05:31 PM
Yeah, now that I think of it, I think the Brian thing was poking fun at the fact that Koontz's books are in the same category as Stephen King's and because of his last name they come right after each other in the book store...

Maybe...

Anyway, I've read quite a few Koontz:

Strong points - Dude has a gift for dialogue. It really drives the stories.

Characters are very likable, both the good and bad guys. "One Door Away from Heaven" is great example. I loved the villain in there but I also loved the little, freaky girl. Although like someone else said, they often aren't realistic. But they're still likable.

Low point - Endings. I'm not sure if I heard it somewhere that Koontz admittedly has a problem with endings. It's not that they're always happy, it's just that more often than not they leave you going, "Um, really? That's where you took it?"

"One Door Away From Heaven" was great... up until the end. Then he describes what the alien looks like (no spoilers, but seriously, you'll read the description and scrunch your face). It goes downhill at the endings a lot of times and the bulk of the books are usually pretty good, so when the ending comes along, and when it's really bad, it's like a cliff.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
05-26-2010, 07:03 PM
I've made these points in the Koontz thread, but I will mention them again here.

I have read most Koontz novels (besides the last couple of years worth) and I find them to be mostly entertaining.

Bad points.
1. Extremely formulaic, Good guy (usually a cop or military man) saves damsel in distress. (You know exactly what you are getting into with a Koontz novel)
2. As mentioned before, not much character development.

Good points:
1. Quick, easy, entertaining read.
2. Grabs you quickly. (I've never read a Koontz book that did not fully have my attention within 5 pages)

Best Koontz (IMO)
1. Servants of Twilight
2. Phantoms
3. The Bad Place
4. Intensity
5. Midnight

Worst Koontz Books:
1. Strangers
2. Sole Survivor
3. Winter Moon
4. Cold Fire

Jean
05-27-2010, 01:06 AM
merging... merging... merged!

ArtherEld
05-30-2010, 04:03 PM
I will say this, he does kind of look like a cult leader doesn't he? Like he's gonna make me read Koontzinetics and while drinking Koolaid.

My girlfriend's reading Hideaway right now (I never read it), she says it's getting more and more f*cked up as she gets into it. I'm like, "Shit, that's my kind of book!" Never had a desire to read it though, after seeing just a trailer of what looks clearly like a God awful movie.

candy
05-31-2010, 01:08 AM
I will say this, he does kind of look like a cult leader doesn't he? Like he's gonna make me read Koontzinetics and while drinking Koolaid.

My girlfriend's reading Hideaway right now (I never read it), she says it's getting more and more f*cked up as she gets into it. I'm like, "Shit, that's my kind of book!" Never had a desire to read it though, after seeing just a trailer of what looks clearly like a God awful movie.

you know you should never judge a book by its movie don't you?
look at some of the King movies that have been done that are either just plain crap, or so far removed from the book they can not be classed as the same thing

BROWNINGS CHILDE
05-31-2010, 01:33 AM
Good point. All Koontz movies that I have seen have been garbage. Seems noone with any talent wants to make any of his books into movies.

And that is a shame, because the pace and style of his books would lend itself to film pretty well I think.

ArtherEld
05-31-2010, 09:21 AM
I will say this, he does kind of look like a cult leader doesn't he? Like he's gonna make me read Koontzinetics and while drinking Koolaid.

My girlfriend's reading Hideaway right now (I never read it), she says it's getting more and more f*cked up as she gets into it. I'm like, "Shit, that's my kind of book!" Never had a desire to read it though, after seeing just a trailer of what looks clearly like a God awful movie.

you know you should never judge a book by its movie don't you?
look at some of the King movies that have been done that are either just plain crap, or so far removed from the book they can not be classed as the same thing

Well, yeah, I know that now. But this was back when I was much younger (I think junior high) and still reading novels based on movies.

Fall of Gilead
06-16-2010, 08:36 PM
Finished House of Thunder today. The reveal and resolution occurred in the final 30 pages, and it actually defied the age of the book.

Jack Torrance
06-16-2010, 09:59 PM
I never read any of his books. (I know sad right?)

I am always at Barnes and Noble. Can you suggest some books for me to buy?

I saw a whole section devoted to him today.

Savvy
06-17-2010, 04:20 AM
I like all the books I have read by him so far. My suggestions are;

ODD THOMAS SERIES:
Odd Thomas
Forever Odd
Brother Odd
Odd hours
In Odd We Trust
(not sure on the order)

CHRISTOPHER SNOW NOVELS:

Fear Nothing
Seize The Night
Ride the Storm

These are the ones I enjoyed most :)

Jack Torrance
06-17-2010, 04:44 AM
I like all the books I have read by him so far. My suggestions are;

ODD THOMAS SERIES:
Odd Thomas
Forever Odd
Brother Odd
Odd hours
In Odd We Trust
(not sure on the order)

CHRISTOPHER SNOW NOVELS:

Fear Nothing
Seize The Night
Ride the Storm

These are the ones I enjoyed most :)

Thank you for that. I will check into them.

Savvy
06-17-2010, 04:50 AM
:thumbsup:

jhanic
06-17-2010, 06:19 AM
I'd add Phantoms to the list. It has one of the spookiest beginnings I've ever read.

John

Jack Torrance
06-17-2010, 01:38 PM
I'd add Phantoms to the list. It has one of the spookiest beginnings I've ever read.

John

Indeed I will add that as well. Thank you so much!

candy
06-19-2010, 12:16 AM
and the bad Place and Lightening. all good books on their own if you don't want to start off with a series

Jack Torrance
06-19-2010, 08:02 PM
and the bad Place and Lightening. all good books on their own if you don't want to start off with a series

Thank you so much! I am heading up tomorrow to check them all out.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
06-23-2010, 05:25 PM
My favorite was Servants of Twilight.

Savvy
07-07-2010, 03:10 AM
I have a hard back of The Good Guy but it has no page with the copyright or publisher info. Is this normal?:beat:

jhanic
07-07-2010, 04:24 AM
Sounds like a misprint.

John

onlylivingboyinny
01-05-2012, 12:26 PM
What's the verdict with 77 Shadow St.?

WeDealInLead
01-05-2012, 12:43 PM
This will be the year I'll go back to reading Koontz. I have six of his books in the TBR pile. I'll have to go through this thread for some suggestions.

onlylivingboyinny
01-10-2012, 11:12 AM
I just finished "77 Shadow Street" ...should have read the Amazon reviews first. I quit the book mid-way through, absolutely awful. I enjoy Koontz but his verbose, meaningless passages and aimless plot left me extremely disheartened. Total letdown.

Jean
02-06-2012, 10:49 AM
re-reading Dark Rivers of the Heart now; it is a book incredibly well written. Loved it when first read, and adore it now.

Within one page:

"If the numbers had been descending, Roy might have thought that he was watching a countdown toward a detonation. A bomb. Of course, no cosmic law required that a time bomb had to be triggered at the end of a countdown. Why not a countup?"

"He loomed at Roy's side - abnormally tall, armored, and armed, as if he were a basketball player from some future society in which the game had evolved into a form of mortal combat."

The whole book is fantastically quotable, which isn't something I ever saw in any other Koontz book. Moreover, it is witty, intelligent, moving, - altogether awesome. Here is an excerpt:

His face felt hot. He glanced at Rocky.
He had just lied to the dog.
Long ago he had sworn never to lie to himself. He kept that oath only somewhat more faithfully than the average drunkard kept his New Year’s Eve resolution never to allow demon rum to touch his lips again. In fact, he probably indulged in less self-delusion and self-deception than most people did, but he could not claim, with a straight face, that he invariably told himself the truth. Or even that he invariably wanted to hear it. What it came down to was that he tried always to be truthful with himself, but he often accepted a half-truth, and a wink instead of the real thing—and he could live comfortably with whatever omission the wink implied.
But he never lied to the dog.
Never.
Theirs was the only entirely honest relationship that Spencer had ever known; therefore, it was special to him. No. More than merely special. Sacred.
Rocky, with his hugely expressive eyes and guileless heart, with his body language and his soul-revealing tail, was incapable of deceit. If he’d been able to talk, he would have been perfectly ingenuous because he was a perfect innocent. Lying to the dog was worse than lying to a small child. Hell, he wouldn’t have felt as bad if he had lied to God, because God unquestionably expected less of him than did poor Rocky.

Cixelsyd
03-23-2012, 10:36 AM
I just finished "77 Shadow Street" ...should have read the Amazon reviews first. I quit the book mid-way through, absolutely awful. I enjoy Koontz but his verbose, meaningless passages and aimless plot left me extremely disheartened. Total letdown.

I didn't hate it overall, but I know what you mean. It was entertaining, but didn't really rise to the level it should have after what I thought was a really well done set up in the first half of the novel. There was one "meaningless" passage in particular that I was disappointed with, especially as I thought that Koontz might be trying to do a nod to Stephen King and The Dark Tower with it when I read it:

About mid-way through, Koontz has Witness thinking about the time between the transformations. 38 years. And he then talks about how, with each transformation, the time it takes before it ends keeps shortening by 38%. He makes it a point to keep using 38 in this passage.

Ever since I read the Dark Tower, whenever I see numbers in a story, I start thinking about 19. I couldn't help but start thinking about how 38 was two times 19. This got me really excited to see where he took this. Unfortunately, he took it nowhere. 38 was never mentioned again in the book and it was never explained why Witness would care about the number 38. Quite a let down.

Matt

frik
03-23-2012, 12:08 PM
re-reading Dark Rivers of the Heart now; it is a book incredibly well written. Loved it when first read, and adore it now.[/COLOR]

From the moment I read it, this has been my favorite Koontz.

sk

Jean
03-23-2012, 12:22 PM
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

BROWNINGS CHILDE
03-24-2012, 03:55 PM
I think I have Dark Rivers of the Heart, but I havent read it yet.

Matt
07-17-2012, 05:11 AM
I have just realized there are 5-6 Odd Thomas books I haven't read yet. I guess WalMart doesn't get everything that is done in the publishing world <sarcastically thoughtful>

1.99 each on my Kindle for the 3 Odd Interludes and I guess the Odd Apocalypse just came out or something.

WeDealInLead
09-11-2012, 09:02 AM
I've been on a Koontz kick lately. I try to read one of his books a month.

What the Night Knows gets 8/10. Solid. Yes, there is a dog in it. Koontz loves dogs. Smooth writting.
77 Shadow Street. 7/10. Creepy at parts but what the "villain" actually was was a bit of a let down.
Tick Tock. 6.5/10. Dialogue was almost too quirky/forced. There is a scene where the monster is looking at them from across the street that sent chills down my spine.
The Darkest Evening of the Year. 8/10. Again, there is a dog. I think Trixie died shortly before he wrote this. He's very emotional about dog and child abuse in this book. Moon Girl is a disgusting/despicable villain. Koontz made me hate a fictional character.
Darkfall - 8.5/10. No dog. Voodoo. Monsters. Awesome. No lasting impression but a fun ride.
The Mask - I'm still reading it. So far it's 10/10. I hope it stays this way.
Shattered - 6.5/10. Too fast a read. That might have been the point though. Almost entire book is a car chase.

And there you have it. Nothing mind-blowing but overall he's solid, competent, at times really scary and at other times funny.

Jean
09-11-2012, 12:10 PM
wow, I haven't read any of them!

: rubs paws in anticipation :

WeDealInLead
09-11-2012, 12:43 PM
I have around 15 hardcovers so far. They're all in minty conditions and cost no more than $4 each. I heard good things about Dragon Tears so that's up next.

I heard (on a different forum) that he writes 8 hours a day. He personally responds to letters to. The PO Box address he puts in his books is legit. I'm thinking of writting him a note and asking if he'll publish another short story collection. I've read two stories from Secret Highways and they're both absolutely phenomenal.

Iwritecode
09-11-2012, 01:24 PM
Darkfall - 8.5/10. No dog. Voodoo. Monsters. Awesome. No lasting impression but a fun ride.

That no lasting impression comment is interesting because I just started re-reading this book today. I know I've read it at least one other time because I found one of my bookmarks in the back of it but I have almost no recollection of it.

Honestly, I've found that to be the case with many of his books. I have many of them in paperback and everytime I pick one up I can never remember what the story is about or if I've read it or not.

Ricky
09-11-2012, 01:51 PM
So far I've read Tick Tock, Phantoms, Darkfall, and I just finished Lightning. Out of those, Phantoms is my favorite. I really enjoyed it.

jhanic
09-11-2012, 03:22 PM
I especially love the beginning of Phantoms. That has to be one of the spookiest ever!

John

Ricky
09-11-2012, 04:22 PM
I don't recall it specifically, but I was looking back at this thread today, and saw you post the same thing awhile ago. It must've been really spooky. :lol:

jhanic
09-11-2012, 04:40 PM
Read it and see!

John

WeDealInLead
09-12-2012, 08:55 AM
Just finished The Mask. What a ride! If this falls under the "old school Koontz" umbrella, then I need to spend more time exploring his older works.

beam*seeker
09-15-2012, 10:45 AM
re-reading Dark Rivers of the Heart now; it is a book incredibly well written. Loved it when first read, and adore it now.

Within one page:

"If the numbers had been descending, Roy might have thought that he was watching a countdown toward a detonation. A bomb. Of course, no cosmic law required that a time bomb had to be triggered at the end of a countdown. Why not a countup?"

"He loomed at Roy's side - abnormally tall, armored, and armed, as if he were a basketball player from some future society in which the game had evolved into a form of mortal combat."

The whole book is fantastically quotable, which isn't something I ever saw in any other Koontz book. Moreover, it is witty, intelligent, moving, - altogether awesome. Here is an excerpt:

His face felt hot. He glanced at Rocky.
He had just lied to the dog.
Long ago he had sworn never to lie to himself. He kept that oath only somewhat more faithfully than the average drunkard kept his New Year’s Eve resolution never to allow demon rum to touch his lips again. In fact, he probably indulged in less self-delusion and self-deception than most people did, but he could not claim, with a straight face, that he invariably told himself the truth. Or even that he invariably wanted to hear it. What it came down to was that he tried always to be truthful with himself, but he often accepted a half-truth, and a wink instead of the real thing—and he could live comfortably with whatever omission the wink implied.
But he never lied to the dog.
Never.
Theirs was the only entirely honest relationship that Spencer had ever known; therefore, it was special to him. No. More than merely special. Sacred.
Rocky, with his hugely expressive eyes and guileless heart, with his body language and his soul-revealing tail, was incapable of deceit. If he’d been able to talk, he would have been perfectly ingenuous because he was a perfect innocent. Lying to the dog was worse than lying to a small child. Hell, he wouldn’t have felt as bad if he had lied to God, because God unquestionably expected less of him than did poor Rocky.


Never read Koontz but your quote made me want to give it a try.

Iwritecode
10-02-2012, 01:50 PM
Maybe it's just me but many of his endings seem a little abrupt to me. It's like the bad guy is killed, the girl falls in love with the guy and everyone lives happily ever after all within the last 20 pages or so.


I read Dean Koontz and have for years. His stories are entertaining, but they do have to have a happy ending (as so many before me have noted).

My main problem with Koontz is that his characters never quite feel real to me. They do not quite seem fully fleshed out and 3D. Few of his good guys have flaws, real flaws, and I feel this ties in with the happy ending issue. The combination makes his stories less poignant and more forgettable than, for example, a typical King story.



Bad points.
1. Extremely formulaic, Good guy (usually a cop or military man) saves damsel in distress. (You know exactly what you are getting into with a Koontz novel)


I just finished reading Whispers for the second time. Wasn't really a bad story but the three comments above fit perfectly. Abrupt happy ending with a nearly flawless cop saving the damsel in distress.

I happened to read the afterword and found out they actually made a movie based on this novel. Haven't been able to find out much online except that most people though it was awful.

Jimimck
10-02-2012, 08:58 PM
For those of you who enjoyed Phantoms, have you seen the movie with Ben Afleck? So bad you'll enjoy it too lol.

Watchers is one of all time favourite books of all time. If there was a signed limited of it, I'd pay anything for a copy.

I've found that Koontz' recent stuff seems very similar. A lot of his earlier books seem to have been a bit more thorough, complex, in depth etc. I enjoy his later stuff still, but as mentioned earlier in this thread, they are more of a simple enjoyable story these days.

Ricky
10-03-2012, 05:40 PM
I heard the movie was pretty bad. Might have to check it out just for that. :lol:

Jean
12-11-2012, 10:39 AM
have just finished Odd Thomas. Awesome. Bears adored.

Bev Vincent
12-11-2012, 10:51 AM
Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography by Katherine Ramsland is free for Kindle on Amazon today.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ST704I?ie=UTF8&ref=oce_digital

Jean
12-11-2012, 11:10 AM
help!!! I don't understand what I should do!! I am looking at the page, and I can't see no way to proceed!..

ETA: on the top right, it says, "Not currently available". Maybe that's the reason why I can't understand what to do...

thegunslinger41
12-11-2012, 11:37 AM
Dark Rivers of the Heart is my absolute favorite. It's time I re-read it. :)

Bev Vincent
12-11-2012, 11:40 AM
Are you in the US, Jean? Maybe it's limited geographically.

Jean
12-11-2012, 01:03 PM
Dark Rivers of the Heart is my absolute favorite.
yes!!!


Are you in the US, Jean?
I certainly am not.

Maybe it's limited geographically.oops...

Stockerlone
12-12-2012, 12:57 AM
Dark Rivers of the Heart is my absolute favorite.
yes!!!


Are you in the US, Jean?
I certainly am not.

Maybe it's limited geographically.oops...

Yes,it is geographically limited. No chance for us poor foreigners.:frown:

Jean
12-12-2012, 06:01 AM
grrrr...

WeDealInLead
12-12-2012, 06:42 AM
I started Breathless yesterday. Yes, there is a dog in it. Yeah, he talks about dog abuse by the breeders again. It's alright so far, but it's too early to tell if I'll like it. Actually, it's still too early to tell what the book is about too.

I have The Dean Koontz Companion by Gorman and Greenberg. I think I'll have to bump it closer to the top of the pile.

WeDealInLead
12-30-2012, 09:03 AM
Breathless was OK. It read more like an anti-Darwin rant (and that's fine) than an actual story. A little rushed but with a memorable passage here and there. Bottom of Koontz titles I've read this year.

Just finished The Good Guy. Superb thriller. I like Koontz's baddies. This guy and the one in Breathless are such egotistical, delussional psychopaths that that makes them even more terrifying.

CurtSeattle
01-01-2013, 02:08 PM
Grew up reading Koontz and King. Like him a lot! Though King more of course! :)

WeDealInLead
01-25-2013, 10:53 AM
Just finished Mr. Murder. It was fantastic. No dog!

Jean
01-25-2013, 10:59 AM
Great! might very well be the next Koontz for me

WeDealInLead
01-25-2013, 11:05 AM
I love his villains. A little supernatural but always pure menace, eggotistical, murdering maniacs in love with themselves. That actually seems to be the common theme to the last few Koontz books I've read.

Fall of Gilead
10-26-2013, 06:02 PM
Recently read Strangers. It was decent but a little overlong. I totally did not see the spoiler coming.

Iwritecode
11-15-2013, 07:18 AM
I just finished reading Your Heart Belongs to Me. Holy crap did that suck.

The story itself wasn't too bad but I never really identified with the main character and the ending was (like so many of his endings) was quite abrupt and didn't really explain anything at all.

It was a fairly short book yet it took quite awhile to get going and then the villain only shows up at the very end for handful of pages and then disappears never to be seen or talked about again.

I'm about ready to give up on Koontz books completely. I've found very few that I actually enjoy or even remember.

Jean
11-15-2013, 07:25 AM
I loved Dark Rivers of the Heart, and adored Odd Thomas. The others I've read were not half as good, but I wouldn't give up on him anyway. I think I'll go back to him when I'm through with the Top 100 list.


then the villain only shows up at the very end for handful of pages and then disappears never to be seen or talked about again
sounds like a real revolution in the genre!