Dean Koontz--I know, but why not?

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

My favorites are Servants of Twilight, Phantoms, Intersity, Midnight, Mr. murder, and Icebound.

[Fall of Gilead]

I agree that the endings are way too abrupt. I can't wait to get to the Odd Thomas books, but I'm trying to read all his books in roughly publication order so I have a long way to go.

[Jimimck]

If anyone hasn't read it yet, get in to Watchers. It's awesome!

[Jean]

My favorites are Servants of Twilight, Phantoms, Intersity, Midnight, Mr. murder, and Icebound.Of these, I only read Intensity (Lady Linda, whom I miss like forty thousand brothers could not, sent me the book a few years ago), and though I loved the story and the ending, the writing bored me immensely. I would have written Koontz off as a very poor writer if my next hadn't happened to be Dark Rivers, which is brilliantly written - and so is Odd Thomas.


I agree that the endings are way too abrupt. I can't wait to get to the Odd Thomas books, but I'm trying to read all his books in roughly publication order so I have a long way to go.I am afraid this is approach has a fatal flaw: Koontz has written a shit ton of books, and they are dramatically uneven.


If anyone hasn't read it yet, get in to Watchers. It's awesome!This will be bears' next Koontz, then! After this, the books on Browning's list.

[Fall of Gilead]

I am afraid this is approach has a fatal flaw: Koontz has written a shit ton of books, and they are dramatically uneven.

Agree on both counts. The guy releases what seems to be four books a year, and the small handful I've read thus far are vastly different in tone. I think the next one in my line is Shadowfires.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

After this, the books on Browning's list.

I am afraid you won't like the others. When it comes to Koontz, I'm in it for the story. I couldn't care less about the writing itself. He just has a way of drawing you in, and before you know it, you're at the end. Literary style points are for other writers.

[Jean]

I don't really mean style. I mean - well, hard to define, but I tried to give examples here (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?166-Dean-Koontz-I-know-but-why-not&p=673732&viewfull=1#post673732)

[Iwritecode]

When it comes to Koontz, I'm in it for the story. I couldn't care less about the writing itself.

I'm usually the same way but I fall out of the story pretty quickly when he starts describing plants and trees that I've never even heard of. He seems to do this a lot and it's hard to have a picture in my head when I don't know what they look like.

[Jean]

bears are ashamed to confess, but they just skip such descriptions...

[WeDealInLead]

I just finished Hideaway. Highly recommended. Psychopathic villain, a normal family in trouble, elegant (yes, you read it right) writing and some truly poignant moments. There's one flashback scene when the father is holding his dying son in his arms and he feels his last breath...oh man, that was HEAVY.

It's not all cutesy niceties, when Koontz turns his terror on, he really turns his terror on. Broken bottle to the face two dozen times.

Five stars.

[divemaster]

Hideaway is in my top 6 Koontz books. Very good story.

[Jean]

Watchers was very good. Sweet, moving, tear-jerking, - Koontz at his best. Loved it.

[Jimimck]

Watchers was very good. Sweet, moving, tear-jerking, - Koontz at his best. Loved it.

Glad to hear you took my recommendation, and even more pleased to hear you loved it.

[Jean]

yes, thank you! bears would be grateful for another recommendation, since Koontz has written such an awful lot, and so unevenly

[WeDealInLead]

Odd Thomas comes out on DVD tomorrow. Supposedly it's faithful to the book.

Amazon has a trailer up. It looks cool: http://www.amazon.ca/Odd-Thomas-Anton-Yelchin/dp/B00HR1T0P6/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1395686513&sr=1-2&keywords=odd+thomas

[Jimimck]

Oh cool, didn't realise the DVD was available so soon... Guess I'll be downloading that soon. Sweet!

[Iwritecode]

I'm on book 3 of his Frankenstein series. The first book was interesting and I thought it started pretty well and was looking forward to the next book.

The second one he seemed to rush a bit. In the story, everything seemed to start going wrong all at once for no discernible reason at all. I expected a little more build-up.

Now in the third one he keeps going over things that were explained in the first two books numerous times. He even devotes 2 or 3 pages describing an entire scene that happened towards the end of book 2. It's almost like he's trying to get the reader up-to-date on things rather than just assuming the reader had already read the previous two books.

[Fall of Gilead]

Finished Shadowfires and it was okay, if a little overlong. Genetic science gone mad. I enjoy reading his little afterwords at the end of the books.

[Roden]

I'll have to check out some more of his work, only read Phantoms.. Anything similar to that?

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

I really liked phantoms. Others I really liked are Midnight, Servants of Twilight, and Intensity. There are quite a few that I liked, but those really stood out for me.

[Roden]

I really liked phantoms. Others I really liked are Midnight, Servants of Twilight, and Intensity. There are quite a few that I liked, but those really stood out for me.

Thanks! Good to be part of a well-read community :)

[divemaster]

I'll have to check out some more of his work, only read Phantoms.. Anything similar to that?

I would also recommend Strangers.

[Fall of Gilead]

Yeah, Strangers is pretty good.

[Jon]

I recommend Funhouse, Whispers and Icebound.

[Jimimck]

I recommend watching the old miniseries of Intensity. Watching Dr Cox from Scrubs as a psycho is awesome.

[Jean]

bears recommend Watchers and Dark Rivers of the Heart

[Heather19]

I've only read Servants of Twilight. Well almost, I had maybe 20 pages left, put it down and never finished it. I've been wanting to read the Odd Thomas series, and now I'm also intrigued about Phantoms from some talk in another thread. My to-read list just keeps growing.

[WeDealInLead]

A movie adaptation of Odd Thomas just came out.

When Koontz is on, he's really on. When he's off, run for cover.

[Jean]

what WDiL said

and, Heather :rose: - bears were not particularly impressed by Phantoms. They were by Odd Thomas, though.

[Ricky]

I've read about 4 or so Koontz books, and Phantoms is my favorite. Very suspenseful.

[Ben Staad]

I somewhat enjoyed that movie. It was (maybe is) streaming on Netflix.


A movie adaptation of Odd Thomas just came out.

When Koontz is on, he's really on. When he's off, run for cover.

[Jon]

Odd Thomas DID turn out to be a good movie.

[DoctorZaius]

Loved: Watchers, Strangers, Phantoms, The Bad Place, Midnight, Lightning, Dragon Tears, Shattered, Face of Fear - basically his older books. I read the first two Odd Thomas books, but they too became formulaic.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Forgot about The Bad Place...Excellent!

[Stockerlone]

Just found this....

Dean Koontz - Dunkle Flüsse des Herzens - Leseexemplar
Dark Rivers of the Heart - ARC

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/742/medium/PICT2959.JPG
http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/742/medium/PICT2960.JPG

For an old Leseexemplar, published without dustjacked it looks not bad.