Dean Koontz?

Howiefan · 10-20-05, 10:55 PM

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

Scarecrow · 10-20-05, 10:59 PM

I liked Velocity a lot.

movie diva · 10-20-05, 11:04 PM

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

cineman · 10-21-05, 02:30 AM

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 · 10-21-05, 08:48 AM

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 · 10-21-05, 10:20 AM

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 · 10-21-05, 10:31 AM

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 · 10-21-05, 11:18 AM

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 · 10-21-05, 05:14 PM

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 · 10-21-05, 06:31 PM

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

Tick Tock was not very good. Save that till last

Dan1boy · 10-21-05, 06:51 PM

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 · 10-22-05, 10:41 AM

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 · 10-23-05, 01:05 AM

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

Tom Banjo · 10-23-05, 10:53 PM

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

Baron Of Hell · 10-24-05, 08:17 PM

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 · 10-25-05, 06:43 AM

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 · 10-25-05, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 10-27-05, 10:59 AM

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 · 10-29-05, 12:23 PM

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 · 10-29-05, 11:02 PM

Intensity

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

Eric D. · 10-30-05, 04:51 PM

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

Howiefan · 10-30-05, 06:23 PM

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

mndtrp · 11-01-05, 04:40 AM

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 · 11-01-05, 03:51 PM

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 · 11-01-05, 06:13 PM

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.

10-20-05, 10:55 PM	#1
Howiefan DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 1,085	Dean Koontz? I recently started getting into his work. Any members here have some suggestions as to which of his books I should read next?

10-20-05, 10:59 PM	#2
Scarecrow DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 1,554	I liked Velocity a lot. __________________ -Brian "The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell, together, as quickly as possible." - Mark Twain

10-20-05, 11:04 PM	#3
movie diva DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,957	I enjoyed Velocity, one of my favorites is The Watchers, Odd Thomas was also good. __________________ Be normal and the crowd will accept you... Be deranged and they will make you their leader. Fnord MINE ALL MINE If you get an email from the health department telling you not to eat canned pork you can ignore it. It's just spam.

10-21-05, 02:30 AM	#4
cineman DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: May 2000 Location: Dallas Posts: 1,637	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. __________________ Blue ink is evil...

10-21-05, 10:20 AM	#6
Geofferson DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Gracen & Gracen Posts: 31,829	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. __________________ “Are we having fun yet?" Henry Pollard, Party Down

10-21-05, 08:48 AM	#5
Ms. M Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 216	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).

10-21-05, 10:31 AM	#7
JAA Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 858	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.

10-21-05, 11:18 AM	#8
MovieExchange DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 5,274	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.

10-21-05, 05:14 PM	#9
movielib DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Madison, WI ("77 square miles surrounded by reality") Posts: 22,984	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. __________________ 1.) "Those who can, observe, collect and analyze data, and experiment; those who can't, model." - movielib's Guide to Finding a Competent Climate Scientist 2.)"The amount of alarmist BS and hysteria is directly proportional to the amount of scientific research and data which refutes its position and inversely proportional to the time left until Copenhagen." - movielib's Law

10-21-05, 06:31 PM	#10
lysander Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: the space between Posts: 329	Intensity was pretty good. As was Dragon Tears and Servants of Twighlight. Tick Tock was not very good. Save that till last __________________ The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair

10-21-05, 06:51 PM	#11
Dan1boy DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Surf City, CA Posts: 1,189	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!

10-22-05, 10:41 AM	#12
djmont DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 2,294	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. __________________ David J. Montgomery My website Last edited by djmont; 10-23-05 at 10:33 AM.

10-23-05, 01:05 AM	#13
twikoff DVD Talk God Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Right Behind You!!! Posts: 76,271	ive read a few koontz books dragon tears stands out, from the ones Ive read

10-23-05, 10:53 PM	#14
Tom Banjo DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 1,903	Some of my personal favorites are: Watchers Lightning Frankenstein 1 & 2 Cold Fire Odd Thomas Fear Nothing Seize The Night

10-24-05, 08:17 PM	#15
Baron Of Hell DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seattle and sometimes hell Posts: 3,249	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. __________________ "Truth has become unacceptable and dissent unpatriotic" PS3 Tag: Baron-Of-Hell Steam: Baron_Of_Hell SSBB: 4425-3985-1734 TWITTER: BaronOfHell

10-25-05, 06:43 AM	#16
Ms. M Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 216	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.

10-27-05, 10:59 AM	#18
djmont DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 2,294	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. __________________ David J. Montgomery My website

10-29-05, 12:23 PM	#19
cultshock DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: ~here there be serpents~ Posts: 6,954	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. __________________ "Cultshock... may your corpse be turned into a side show act for the curious and twisted." -Gandhi (banned DVDTalk member, not the Mahatma). I'm not sure, but I think he was hitting on me.

10-29-05, 11:02 PM	#20
Goldblum DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Malvern, PA Posts: 4,747	Intensity (and watch the miniseries as well if you get a chance) __________________ cpgator: You really have no idea what you're talking about, do you? crm114: I guess not. Movies by the MINUTE

10-30-05, 04:51 PM	#21
Eric D. DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,432	Velocity and Odd Thomas are GREAT! The Taking however was just..meh.

10-30-05, 06:23 PM	#22
Howiefan DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 1,085	Thanks for the suggestions guys. I just picked up a bunch of his books on Ebay for cheap.

11-01-05, 04:40 AM	#23
mndtrp DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2004 Location: a mile high, give or take a few feet Posts: 8,272	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.

11-01-05, 03:51 PM	#24
Kelvecion DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: May 1999 Location: Preston, NorthWest England. Posts: 1,165	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 __________________ My Web Domain

11-01-05, 06:13 PM	#25
freudian-slip Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Posts: 210	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. __________________ "I'm your hucklebearer!"