Dean Koontz?

[Howiefan]

I recently started getting into his work. Any members here have some suggestions as to which of his books I should read next?

[Scarecrow]

I liked Velocity a lot.

[movie diva]

I enjoyed Velocity, one of my favorites is The Watchers, Odd Thomas was also good.

[cineman]

Must Read:
Watchers
Dark Rivers of the Heart
Intensity
False Memory
Whispers
Dragon Tears

Worthwhile:
The Bad Place
Lightning
Servants of Twilight
Strangers

Avoid:
Sole Survivor
From the Corner of His Eye (great 1st half, falls apart)
(haven't read The Taking, but all I know who've read it hated it)

Can't wait to read Velocity in paperback. Sounds great.

[Ms. M]

I'll second False Memory and Odd Thomas. Odd Thomas is getting a sequel next month, so you might want to start there.

And I must admit to being one of the few who really loved The Taking. I found the atmosphere and scenario quite chilling. The characterization is not great and it does overuse the traumatic past/noble dog themes that Koontz relies on too often. And there is a twist at the end that redefines the nature of the threat you might love or you might hate (I loved it).

[Geofferson]

I'm getting into Koontz as well (slowly, but surely though). I have a ton of his paperbacks (picked up a bunch at a garage sale for a dime a piece).

I've heard that The Face is a must-read. I definitely plan on checking out Odd Thomas because the sequel Forever Odd comes out next month.

I'm currently reading Koontz' Frankenstein book two.

[JAA]

Koontz has always been very difficult for me to appreciate (although I've tried). The only titles I remember enjoying were The Watchers and Midnight.

[MovieExchange]

Phantoms, Strangers, Lightning, Key to Midnight.

The Bad Place was awesome. It was one of the first Koontz books I had read, and the way he wrote the main characters, you would swear that there had been other books about them before.

[movielib]

Loved:

Dark Rivers of the Heart (my favorite)
Lightning
Midnight
Dragon Tears
The Bad Place
Mr. Murder
Phantoms

and his best book in nine years:

Life Expectancy

Many other very good ones; those are just his best, IMO.

[lysander]

Intensity was pretty good. As was Dragon Tears and Servants of Twighlight.

Tick Tock was not very good. Save that till last

[Dan1boy]

Life Expectancy comes out in paperback in a week or two if I'm not mistaken. Definitely picking it up!

Also, I've really enjoyed reading the Frankenstein novels...juicy, noir thrillers...just the way I like 'em!

[djmont]

Life Expectancy is out imminently in paperback and it's a terrific book. (Check out the big ole blurb on the back from me. :))

Koontz' other recent books have been wonderful, too, with Odd Thomas being a particular favorite of mine. The sequel is out in hardcover soon. I also gave rave reviews to The Face and Velocity.

I disagree with the poster who recommended avoiding From the Corner of His Eye, which is long but worthwhile, and The Taking, which is much shorter, but also very powerful. The latter, in particular, is a delight.

Really, I don't think I've read a book of his that I didn't care for, although there are some that I didn't try because they didn't look interesting to me. I think he's a brilliant writer, one of the best working today. Nearly all of his work is well worth reading.

[twikoff]

ive read a few koontz books
dragon tears stands out, from the ones Ive read

[Tom Banjo]

Some of my personal favorites are:
Watchers
Lightning
Frankenstein 1 & 2
Cold Fire
Odd Thomas
Fear Nothing
Seize The Night

[Baron Of Hell]

Yeah Koontz can put out some great stuff and then turn around screw you over. I was reading some book about a computer that trapped a lady in her house and just couldn't get through it. The pain was just to great. The best one I read I was Dragon Tears and one about a guy that can tell when people are about to die but I forgot the name.

[Ms. M]

That first book you're referring to is Demon Seed, which he wrote back in the 1970s. There was even a fairly prominent movie made out of it (probably the biggest one made for one of his books- he hasn't had King's success in that area) with Julie Christie that just came out on DVD. That one never looked too good to me- its basically about a woman being raped by her husband's computer and giving birth.

[movielib]

That first book you're referring to is Demon Seed, which he wrote back in the 1970s. There was even a fairly prominent movie made out of it (probably the biggest one made for one of his books- he hasn't had King's success in that area) with Julie Christie that just came out on DVD. That one never looked too good to me- its basically about a woman being raped by her husband's computer and giving birth.
Koontz himself admitted he cringed many times when he went back and reread the book he wrote in 1973. A lot had to do with the portrayal of the computer. He was going to do a light revision and then realized he needed to pretty much rewrite the whole thing which he did in 1997. While it will never be considered one of his classics, the revised edition is a quick, entertaining read.

[djmont]

I finished the new book, Forever Odd, last night. It's not as good as the first one, but still very enjoyable. Reminds me of David Morrell's superb Creepers in a large part of the plot.

I'd definitely recommend it, but you should make sure you've read Odd Thomas first. Otherwise, you won't get the full appreciation of the story.

[cultshock]

The first Koontz book I read was The Bad Place, which I love (reread several times). I've read about 6 or 7 other Koontz books, but the only ones that really stood out for me were Lightning, and The Taking (which I just recently read). I would recommend those 3 at least.

[Goldblum]

Intensity :up: (and watch the miniseries as well if you get a chance)

[Eric D.]

Velocity and Odd Thomas are GREAT! The Taking however was just..meh.

[Howiefan]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I just picked up a bunch of his books on Ebay for cheap.

[mndtrp]

The Door to December is one of my favorites. It's about a guy using his daugther to test what happens to long exposures to sensory deprivation chambers.

[Kelvecion]

I rate Phantoms, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Twilight Eyes, Watchers, Lightning, Shadowfires, Chase, The Bad Place and Whispers as among his best. Some of his others I found rather too sugary silly for the taste I'd already acquired. I rather liked Shatter - short and sweet. Intensity was a real thrill. Koontz writes real neat, lose yourself in top notch escapism - imho. Strangers - I liked that as well.

False Memory - I didn't finish so I can't offer a proper crit. From the corner of his eye - I could not finish. Didn't stop me from admiring the novelist, though.

Phantoms, I believe, is one of the best horror novels out there. It was Phantoms that got me into DRK.

Steve

[freudian-slip]

If you are a fan of Stoker's Dracula, you might like Frankenstein 1 & 2. I found them entertaining and there are little nods to Stoker and the classic Universal movies in there as well. They're my first real exposure to Koontz.

[djmont]

The Frankenstein books are written by co-authors, so it's likely that little of the actual writing was done by Koontz. The second of them was done by Ed Gorman, though, who's a fine writer in his own right, so I don't doubt that it's good.

[Geofferson]

The third - and final - Frankenstein book will be written solely by Koontz. It comes out next summer.

[n0fear88]

I've read Intensity, that was a gr8 read! And I'm now reading Strangers... then after that False Memory..

I really want to see the made-4-tv movie of Intensity, but I dunno where to find it :(

G x

[djmont]

Intensity is currently available on Comcast On Demand... maybe other similiar channels as well. You might check there.

[Geofferson]

I just finished From the Corner of His Eye and liked it quite a bit. It sure was looong though. :)

[ShallowHal]

Worthwhile:
The Bad Place
Servants of Twilight
Strangers
I agree with those, but I'd put them at the must read level. I'd also add Darkfall and Face of Fear to the list.

[Geofferson]

Cover art for Brother Odd is now up. Comes out 11/28:

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0553804804.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V56508080_.jpg

[n0fear88]

ooh cool :)

Im currently reading "Velocity", nearly finished actually!!

It's quite disturbing, but I like it :banana:

G x

[abrg923]

What happened to the final Frankenstein book? Can't find information on it anywhere...

[benedict]

Here you go:Q #3: This has to be the question you get most often. Two words: Frankenstein Three. Oh, one other word: When?
Writing the first two books, I discovered yet another character flaw in myself: I can?t collaborate. None of the fault lies in those writers who tried to collaborate with me; they were great. But at the keyboard, I?m a fussy, stubborn, obsessive, impossible, single-minded, annoying nutcase who can become homicidal over a disagreement about commas. When not at the keyboard, of course, I?m an absolute sweetie, with a temperament somewhere between that of Spongebob Squarepants and Barney the Dinosaur, and everywhere I go, admiring angels sing a processional before me. After finishing the first two books, I decided not to try again with a collaborator but to plunge into the third novel myself. Hurricane Katrina presented an unprecedented narrative problem. After the tragedy and suffering endured by the citizens of New Orleans, I could not bring myself to set loose Victor and his creations to wreak more havoc on the city, so I had to figure how to include the hurricane and work around it in a graceful way. This slowed things down.<font color=red><b> But I expect to finish Book Three soon, for publication in winter 2007.</b></font>

[n0fear88]

*le sigh*...another year then! lol damn

I'm currently reading Odd Thomas :)

G x

[movielib]

But I expect to finish Book Three [of Frankenstein] soon, for publication in winter 2007.
Does that mean winter January 2007 or winter December 2007?

[n0fear88]

Thats a good question, but I'm assuming it means the latter part of 2007 :(

G x

[djmont]

In publishing, Winter 2007 usually means January, February, March 2007.

[n0fear88]

oh! lol, show's what i know then! :P

Thanks for that info ^_____^

G x

[abrg923]

Does that mean winter January 2007 or winter December 2007?

Good thing...I couldn't bear to wait another year. :)

Interesting that he's going to incorporate the hurricane into it, though. That should throw things for quite the loop.

Now...is he ever going to do another Christopher Snow novel?

[n0fear88]

Ahhh!!! triple post! lol.... whats wrong with the edit button?! lol!!

G x

[Geofferson]

Thanks for the update on the 3rd installment in the Frankenstein series...I was wondering what was going on with that.

[Dick]

TWILIGHT EYES. Loved the first 75% of the book - chilling, evocative atmosphere, good characters, some truly scary pages. It would make a fascinating movie...but, as was pointed out earlier in this thread, the author has a tendency (which I've seen in a number of his books) to resolve his stories poorly. He seems to have had no idea what the ending might be when he began writing, and no better idea as he nears the climax, and so drums up some very lame plot developments to "explain" the events of his story. Suspension of disbelief goes out the window. If he developed more skill with the final chapters of his novels, he'd be a formidable foe for Mr. King.

[movieguru]

Haven't seen any mention of Mr. Murder or Hideaway.; 2 of my favorites.

[movielib]

Haven't seen any mention of Mr. Murder or Hideaway.; 2 of my favorites.
See Post #9. Mr. Murder is on my list of favorites.

I thought Hideaway was great except for the ending.

[Geofferson]

I recently read Hideaway and liked it a lot. Stay clear of the movie though...it's a turkey (Koontz attempted to distance himself from it).

[abrg923]

Does anyone know if he does have any plans to continue the Christopher Snow novels? (I'd state the names of the two he's released, but I can't seem to rememeber them.) I enjoyed that character much more than Odd Thomas.

EDIT: The first of the two was Fear Nothing.

[djmont]

Yes, he has plans to finish the trilogy, although I haven't heard if he's actively working on the book. I'll try to remember to ask -- I really enjoyed those first two books, too.

[Geofferson]

Coming 5/29:

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p84/broadthink/TheGoodGuy72dpi.jpg

[Abob Teff]

...but, as was pointed out earlier in this thread, the author has a tendency (which I've seen in a number of his books) to resolve his stories poorly. He seems to have had no idea what the ending might be when he began writing, and no better idea as he nears the climax, and so drums up some very lame plot developments to "explain" the events of his story. Suspension of disbelief goes out the window. If he developed more skill with the final chapters of his novels, he'd be a formidable foe for Mr. King.

Well, this is a more polite way of putting it than I have . . . I discovered Koontz early on with Twilight and the Watchers ("Phantoms was the bomb, yo!" -- had to throw that in). After that, the stuff I picked up got a little weirder and a little weirder, until I became convinced that Koontz was on crack and looked to the pipe for inspiration when he got stuck.

SPOLIER WARNING (Dark Rivers of the Heart):I developed this theory: "When the conflict comes to a boil, what is the strangest, most outlandish thing you can think of?" Years ago I worked a data entry job and we listened to a LOT of books on tape. My cubicle neighbor gave me "Dark Rivers of the Heart" to listen to. At one point I hit "stop" on my player and leaned over to her and said "Alien death ray from Mars." I explained my theory to her and then hit play. Lo and behold, the hero and heroine are trapped by the bad guys . . . the heroine gets on her laptop and reconfigures a satellite in space and fires a laser . . . do I really have to continue? The characters were great, the story was pretty interesting, but once again, the lady of the boiling spoon called again.

And am I the ONLY person who hated Intensity!? Come on, I started rooting for the bad guy (which, BTW, John C McGinley was the best part)!

I keep saying I need to go back and give Dean-o another chance . . .

[djmont]

Koontz's last several books now have been rather un-weird, so you might enjoy them more than some of the earlier ones. On the other hand, of course, the relative straight-forward nature of most of his recent books have turned off other fans. So there's no pleasing everyone.

It's funny that the above quoted post says Koontz would be a rival of King's if he wrote better endings -- isn't there another active thread in this forum where people complain that King writes lousy endings? (The thread for <I>Lisey's Story</I>, I believe.)

[Geofferson]

If anyone is interested, Dean Koontz' Frankenstein has been issued in comic book form (similar to Stephen King's Dark Tower series). Two issues published thus far (three more to follow):

http://www.dabelbrothers.com/plugins/p17_image_gallery/images/23.jpg http://www.dabelbrothers.com/plugins/p17_image_gallery/images/30.jpg

[mhg83]

If anyone is interested, Dean Koontz' Frankenstein[i] has been issued in comic book form (similar to Stephen King's [i]Dark Tower series). Two issues published thus far (three more to follow):




All i want is book three in the Frankenstein trilogy. Is that too much to ask Dean! :grunt:

[Geofferson]

All i want is book three in the Frankenstein trilogy. Is that too much to ask Dean! :grunt:
Same -- I believe the new pub date is 12/08.

[djmont]

The book is done, but Bantam won't be publishing it until next year.

[celmendo]

Another vote for The Strangers. I've read many of his books and enjoyed a lot of them but that's the only one that's stuck with me.

[cracksky]

Strangers
Watchers
Shadowfires (Leigh Nichols)
Invasion (Aaron Wolfe) (haven't read the expanded Winter Moon)
Whispers
Darkfall
Twilight Eyes

Rad all these in the '80's and loved 'em. Haven't read any new stuff. No time.

[Abob Teff]

I haven't picked up the latest Odd Thomas book yet ... but does anybody else feel that each one is a little worse than the one before it ... the first one was great, the next one OK, the 3rd one -- meh.

[movielib]

I haven't picked up the latest Odd Thomas book yet ... but does anybody else feel that each one is a little worse than the one before it ... the first one was great, the next one OK, the 3rd one -- meh.
I think the last one is better than the second or third. But I'm not as enamored with the character as Koontz seems to be.

[djmont]

I loved #1, liked #2 & #3, didn't care at all for #4. So yeah, I'm ready to move on.

[SuckaMC]

I wish he would revisit Christopher Snow and all that Mystery Train business...that was intriguing. (those were the Fear Nothing and Seize the Night books, btw)

[Darth Maher]

I own From the Corner of His Eye and False Memory.

I got about halfway through FTCOHE, but couldn't finish it. I thought i just didn't like Koontz's writing style. Never even started False Memory.

But since a lot of people have expressed a dislike with FTCOHE, but liked his other stuff, maybe I'll give False Memory a try.

[Rival11]

Do yourself a favor and run out to get Twilight Eyes - some VERY creative writing there.

[db27]

I just read Odd Thomas, my first ever Koontz book and loved it. The reviews for the rest of the series are just ok, I wonder if I should bother...

[benedict]

Just read this explanation on an Amazon page somewhere:I recently read an interview with Koontz where he explained that the release date is currently up in the air for a number of reasons.

First, Hurricane Katrina created problems with the storyline, which is set in New Orleans. Koontz decided that he would have to take the after effects of Katrina into consideration, thus, had to scrap most of what had already been written.

Second, after going back and reviewing the story, Koontz decided that it would be best of he simply wrote it himself, rather than work with a collaborator. He seems to feel more comfortable this way. As such, he needed to go back and finish Brother Odd first, and was then planning on tackling the third Frankenstein installment.Sounds like he may have been consorting too much with a certain Mr Ellison ;)

See also:This has to be the question you get most often. Frankenstein three, where is it?

"The third Frankenstein book, Dead and Alive, will be ready for publication in 2009. Thanks for your patience. Now put down those torches and pitchforks."
Best regards,
Dean Koontz

[DeputyDave]

I just read Odd Thomas, my first ever Koontz book and loved it. The reviews for the rest of the series are just ok, I wonder if I should bother...I'm a Koontz fan. He seems to be that old reliable standby that never challenges and never really disappoints. His books to me are like pizza.

That said, I really enjoyed Brother Odd. I would put it as number 3 or 4 or my favorites by Koontz (definitely in the top 5 behind Watchers, Lightning, and maybe 1 or 2 I've forgotten). Unfortunately the books seemed to go downhill from there with each one being less enjoyable. The last I just finished three weeks ago was a bit of a chore.

I do recommend reading them if you're looking for something safe and familiar to read. Especially if, like me, you get them from the library for free.

[Geofferson]

I definitely make sure to pepper a Koontz novel into my reading cycle every other month or so -- most recently I've been including his Berkley re-releases -- just love those afterwards included. ;)

[db27]

I'm a Koontz fan. He seems to be that old reliable standby that never challenges and never really disappoints. His books to me are like pizza.

That said, I really enjoyed Brother Odd. I would put it as number 3 or 4 or my favorites by Koontz (definitely in the top 5 behind Watchers, Lightning, and maybe 1 or 2 I've forgotten). Unfortunately the books seemed to go downhill from there with each one being less enjoyable. The last I just finished three weeks ago was a bit of a chore.

I do recommend reading them if you're looking for something safe and familiar to read. Especially if, like me, you get them from the library for free.


Well, I picked up book number two (Forever Odd) and flew through it on a lazy day. I have not once in my life read a book in a day, I'm certainly not much of a reader but I'm really enjoying it. I stopped by B&N today and picked up Brother Odd which I'll start this evening on the way to see the White Sox woop on the Yankees :)

[jack999]

I've just started Frankenstein: Prodigal Son and it's too early to comment on it. I do have a question: how do you pronounce Deucalion, the name of a featured character in the book.

Every time I read the name, I am unable to come up with a satisfying pronunciation for the name.

[flair]

I really started liking him again with the first Odd Thomas. I read the next two and just was waiting for it to get good, which never seemed to quite happen. I got about 50 pages into the new one and haven't picked it up since. I really liked Watchers as a kid but I read that one again a year or so ago and it was just OK. I should probably check out some of his earlier work some time...

[benedict]

[....] how do you pronounce Deucalion, the name of a featured character in the book. Every time I read the name, I am unable to come up with a satisfying pronunciation for the name.Out of nowhere I would suggest Juice or Duke Alien. However, given that it is plucked from Greek mythology....

due-kay'-lee-uhn (http://mw1.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?deucal01.wav=Deucalion) or dū-kā'lē-ən (http://content.answers.com/main/content/ahd4/pron/D0174400.wav)

&#x0259; = schwa (can't "force" screen to display the upside down "e", unfortunately!)

[jack999]

Out of nowhere I would suggest Juice or Duke Alien. However, given that it is plucked from Greek mythology....

due-kay'-lee-uhn (http://mw1.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?deucal01.wav=Deucalion) or dū-kā'lē-ən (http://content.answers.com/main/content/ahd4/pron/D0174400.wav)

&#x0259; = schwa (can't "force" screen to display the upside down "e", unfortunately!)That's the one pronunciation I didn't try, but it works for me. Thanks.

[scarface983]

i like dean koontz, ive read most of his books