Koontzland - Dean Koontz discussion

Everyone has favorite Koontz books - Which are yours?

Some of my favorites include but are not limited to: Life Expectancy, By The Light of The Moon, Lightning, Cold Fire, Relentless, The Bad Place, and Brother Odd.

False Memory and Hideaway are two of my favs.

I`m still fairly new to Loontz, but so far `Life Expectancy`& `False Memory`are my favourites.

Martin wrote: "I`m still fairly new to Loontz, but so far `Life Expectancy`& `False Memory`are my favourites."

Martin, I can tell your using someone else's computer Loontz! ;-) Life Expectancy is a favorite of mine too - I've read it twice now. I would have said False Memory too but when we read it as a group in November it seemed very wordy to me, I already knew many of the surprises because it was my second time reading it and I was only able to get through it via audio book. Up until this year It was really rare for me to re-read a book but I've re-read several of Koontz's this year including Cold Fire, The Husband, Odd Thomas, Life Expectancy, By The Light of The Moon, Prodigal Son, and False Memory - those were just the re-reads :-) I've just been on a Koontz kick all year and now that I've found other Koontz fans on Goodreads, I'm reading at least one Koontz book every month!

From the books that I've read I'd choose The Taking. It was genuinely creepy at the beginning and managed to maintain the eeriness thorought the whole novel. And even the cliched Koontz ending worked here. It got five stars from me because it was so entertaining - I finished it in two sittings !
I don't know why it didn't grab as much attention as his other recent titles.

I don't hear a lot about The Taking. I listened it to it on audio - I have to admit it wasn't one of my favorites. Still it deserves more discussion and when it's picked as a group read I'll give it another try :-) It was an interesting mix of Koontz's Sci-Fi/ET and religious beliefs. A different look at Aliens and The Book of Revelation.

Actually The Taking is a nice break from the traditional Koontz "chase" formula. The elements of the supernatural and the theme of alien invasion/end of the world really work here. I think that Dean pulled it off well, a thing I can't say about many of his other books :)

I'm certainly willing to give The Taking another try - I originally listened to The Taking (and several other Koontz books) on audio when I was working a data-entry job. Audiobooks were the only way to get through the day :-) Of course when I listen on audio, I miss some parts - I enjoy actually reading a book because I'm able to focus on and get the whole story.

So, which books didn't work in your opinion? just wondering :-) I might agree with you.

Do try it again ! It's a real thrill ride.
Books: Odd Thomas was considered by Koontz himself as his masterpiece, while I found it full of cliches and simply boring at times (I'm still mad at him for the Agatha Christie spoiler). And every volume in this series is a step down from the predecessor...I don't know why he sticks with it.
I'm mostly bored by his "High-Concept" thrillers; when I first read "The Fusband" I found it a nice read,forgettable but okay...and then I stumbled across books like Velocity or The Good Guy, which were essentially the same as The Husband.
Also what worries me is the amount of recycling he uses: It seems that most of his books are about man and woman fighting injustice which comes from the government, then they start running away (often accompanied by a dog/autistic brother/something else) and in the end they end up together anyway, and all is well.
I could go on and on...:) Dean is a great storyteller, but he should really rest a little from his 10 hour-a-day/2 books a year writing method and actually sit back, give himself some time to develop both the story and the characters, as most of them attract you like the weekend movies on TV do: you like them, you watch them, but you forget them as soon as the credits start rolling.

Maciek wrote: "Dean is a great storyteller, but he should really rest a little from his 10 hour-a-day/2 books a year writing method"

In 2009 he's released even more books that usual: Relentless, Dead and Alive, A Big Little Life, Breathless those are the ones I can remember. I know he also released more than one graphic novel in 2009 - Franksenstein Prodigal Son and Nevermore (though that one is now impossible to find). I think Breathless was his weakest of 2009 but I really enjoyed Relentless, Dead and Alive and A Big Little Life this year.

This year I started re-reading some of my Koontz favorites. I found they weren't as good the second time around. I previously had tried Velocity on a re-read and didn't like it. I enjoyed re-reading Cold Fire the most :-) By The Light of the Moon is still a favorite also - I've read it twice.

Maciek wrote: "Books: Odd Thomas was considered by Koontz himself as his masterpiece, while I found it full of cliches and simply boring at times (I'm still mad at him for the Agatha Christie spoiler). And every volume in this series is a step down from the predecessor...I don't know why he sticks with it.
I'm mostly bored by his "High-Concept" thrillers; when I first read "The Fusband" I found it a nice read,forgettable but okay...and then I stumbled across books like Velocity or The Good Guy, which were essentially the same as The Husband."

I'm not a big Odd Thomas fan. My favorite Odd book is actually book 3, Brother Odd. I'm in the minority on that selection so I'm the Odd One there :-) I enjoyed the husband the first time also but this past summer I re-read it (I own a copy - my wife gave a copy for an anniversary present the year it was published :-) I gave it 3 stars the second time. I award 3 Stars to what I call "Mediocre Koontz" books. The book that made me mad last year was Your Heart Belongs To Me - It was horrible and turned me off of Koontz (that's why I started re-reading some favorite old Koontz) until I read Relentless, Dead and Alive and A Big Little Life - Three Koontz hits in a row!

Dustin wrote: "Maciek wrote: "Dean is a great storyteller, but he should really rest a little from his 10 hour-a-day/2 books a year writing method"

In 2009 he's released even more books that usual: Relentless, Dead and Alive, A Big Little Life, Breathless those are the ones I can remember. I know he also released more than one graphic novel in 2009 - Franksenstein Prodigal Son and Nevermore (though that one is now impossible to find). I think Breathless was his weakest of 2009 but I really enjoyed Relentless, Dead and Alive and A Big Little Life this year.."

5 books ? That's a lot, even for someone as profilic as Dean. Maybe that's why most of his recent work is either a forgettable thriller or a book that seems rushed...

Dustin wrote:"This year I started re-reading some of my Koontz favorites. I found they weren't as good the second time around. I previously had tried Velocity on a re-read and didn't like it. I enjoyed re-reading Cold Fire the most :-) By The Light of the Moon is still a favorite also - I've read it twice."

I have yet to read Cold Fire, I've heard good things about it. Plus it's a book from 1991 :)
By The Light of The Moon is a book with propably the most rushed ending ever - I enjoyed the story till the ending came...you can almost see that the deadline was coming and he had to finish the novel. It's so rushed and cliche, it doesn't make any sense...completelty destroyed the book for me.

As for the Odd series, I can understand why the first one is liked, but the second one is just typical Koontz (though I liked it, it was pretty forgettable) and the third one is just plain average if not bad, as I guessed who the bad guy was from the start (it was pretty obvious). I haven't read the fourth one and I don't know if it's worth it.
Those are my opinion though; people are different. Glad you enjoyed those books, they were made to be enjoyed :)

not to mention Koontz also published a childrens book this year called I, Trixie Who is Dog but I think most of the credit for that has to go to the illustrator :-)

In Cold Fire, Koontz puts a lot of himself into the book - the anger at his father and his love of sci-fiction as he was growing up. Usually when an author does this, they create a great work and I believe that's the case with Cold Fire. I just created a new thread to share reviews - you can check out my review of Cold Fire there.

I might have to put this title at the top of my Favorite Dean Koontz books :-) it's already near the top anyway. I had Life Expectancy at #1 on my list but re-reading several Koontz books this year, I enjoyed Cold Fire the most. I still really like Life Expectancy though so, I'm undecided on this.

I'm new to this group ... Hello all ... and was reading through some of the comments. Funny, The Taking was one of the ew Koontz books I could not get through. After reading the comments I think I will give it another try. My fave ... definitely The Watchers with Life Expectancy being a close second.

I enjoyed the "Odd" series. I found the fourth book merely mediocre, but after thinking about it for a bit felt it might have been a really good "set up" book for a fifth. I'll have to wait and see.

Christine wrote: "I enjoyed the "Odd" series. I found the fourth book merely mediocre, but after thinking about it for a bit felt it might have been a really good "set up" book for a fifth. I'll have to wait and see."

I'd sure like to know where that 5th book is! It's been a year and half since Odd Hours was released - it has to be soon!

Maciek wrote: "people are different"

:-) That's the great thing about Koontz. He's a cross-genre writer and is able to appeal to a wide variety of readers. I don't love every book and you don't have to either. Dean Koontz fans of every shape, size, color and species are welcome here :-)

I've just finished The House of Thunder. It's a vintage Koontz book (1982) which was originally published under the pseudonim Leigh Nichols. Here's the premise for the book:

"In a cavern called The House of Thunder, Susan Thunder, Susan Thorton watched in terror as her lover died a brutal death in a college hazing. And in the following four years, the four young men who participated in that grim fraternity rite likewise died violently. Or did they? Twelve years later Susan wakes in a hospital bed. Apparently involved in a fatal accident, she is suffering from amnesia. She doesn't remember who she is or why she is there. All she knows is that her convalescence is unfolding into a fearful nightmare - and that the faces that surround her, pretending loving care, are those of the four men involved in that murder years before. Have the dead come back to life? Or has Susan plunged into the abyss of madness? With the help of her neuro-surgeon, Susan desperately clings to her sanity while fighting to uncover who or what could be stalking her... "

I thoroughly recommend it. Dean preaches a bit, but the book is fast paced and the story is so compelling that I had to finish it in one sitting. 4 of 5 stars !

Dustin wrote: "In Cold Fire, Koontz puts a lot of himself into the book - the anger at his father and his love of sci-fiction as he was growing up. Usually when an author does this, they create a great work and I..."

Thank you for the info. I will definitelly give this one a shot then. :)

I've been wanting to read House of Thunder. Isn't there an old version and an updated version? Maybe I'm thinking of Demon Seed I don't know, but it seems I heard something about Koontz updating some of his older titles.

Maciek wrote: "I've just finished The House of Thunder. It's a vintage Koontz book (1982) which was originally published under the pseudonim Leigh Nichols. Here's the premise for the book:

"In a cavern called Th..."

Cool, I think I read this book a looong time ago. I will definately read it at some point. My TBR list is very long :)

With Tick Tock, I loved the inside scenes but didn't like the outdoor scenes :-) weird huh? I just read Tick Tock last summer. I need to re-read Fear Nothing and The Taking - Good thing, we've got a great on-going group read program :-)

Dustin wrote: "I've been wanting to read House of Thunder. Isn't there an old version and an updated version? Maybe I'm thinking of Demon Seed I don't know, but it seems I heard something about Koontz updating s..."

Demon Seed was completely rewritten, and Koontz has updated several of his "Nichols" titles, for example "The Eyes of Darkness" (which was a flop in my opinion). However, I don't think that he updated The House of Thunder - there is a reference to the movie "Arthur" starring Dudley Moore, which came out just a year before the book was published (1981).

Good to know. I wanted to make sure it didn't matter which edition of the book I read. Have you read or looked at both the newer and older version of Demon Seed? Should I go with the updated version of Demon Seed because of the technology mentioned?

Dustin wrote: "Good to know. I wanted to make sure it didn't matter which edition of the book I read. Have you read or looked at both the newer and older version of Demon Seed? Should I go with the updated versio..."

The older (1973) version of Demon Seed is long out of print, so the only choice is the 1997 version :) The old one was written from the point of view of the imprisoned woman, while the new one takes the perspective of the computer. I don't really remember the novel because I read it a long time ago, but I remember that it had a great end. While I'm not satisfied with most of Koontz endings that one was great. But that's just me :)
It's a short read, about 200 pages or so, so you might give it a try in your spare time.

Al wrote: "Same here. I didn't really like the inside scenes as much as the outside ones. "

:-) You said "Same here." but I actually said exactly the opposite - I liked the inside scenes with descriptions of the houses but didn't like the outside scenes as much. Funny. :-)

Oh, yowsah....
Pretty much all of Dean Koontz's books I have read so far I have adored. Except Sole Survivor, Your Heart Belongs to Me, and Velocity. I just did not like them... I prefer his more comedic ones. Tick Tock, False Memory, Lightning, Relentless, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Odd Thomas is pretty endearing... those are some of my favs... Life Expectancy will definitely be added to the list as soon as I finish it. I am totally addicted to it right now.

I thought Sole Survivor was good on audiobook but don't know that it's one I would choose to re-read anytime soon - the story just kinda went on and on - it wasn't exactly a happy ending as I recall. Nina? I recommended it to my wife and she hated Sole Survivor.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought. I just didn't think Sole Survivor was very suspenseful... well, if you count waiting for something remotely exciting to happen as suspenseful...

I really loved Relentless, published last summer. I didn't see a lot of discussion about it when it was new and I was really wanting to discuss it. Relentless restored my faith in Koontz :-) as far as delivering a thrill ride anyway.

After I read Relentless, I said it was my favorite. I truly thought it was spectacular. But now I'm not sure if Life Expectancy will be my favorite. It's awful close. *sigh* Dean Koontz is a fabulous writer.

Life Expectancy is good :-) Hey want to start a new discussion topic on Life Expectancy since you're currently reading it? I'll comment after you get a discussion topic started. Just go to the the top of the group home page where it says "Discussion Board" click New Topic- title it Life Expectancy and put it in the folder that says something like "Koontz's many stand-alone novels" I hope you'll do it - I'm trying to not attach my name to so many discussion threads :-) but I have lots of favorite quotes to share from Life Expectancy because it is one of my favorites - I re-read it in September. Thanks

Oo! I would love to. Yes, I will definitely do this, but my eyes are darn heavy. Past midnight... bedtime. I lost track of time because I was browsing the Dean Koontz website. ;]

Easy to do :-) When you start the discussion (whenever) I'll comment. thanks

In all this discussion about favourites no one has mentioned Intensity. I remember starting it one morning after my kids left for school and still sitting there reading it when they came home. Think it was pizza for dinner that night. It was a real page turner.

Christine wrote: "In all this discussion about favourites no one has mentioned Intensity. I remember starting it one morning after my kids left for school and still sitting there reading it when they came home. Th..."

It's just too intense to mention :-) That one was scary!

If anyone wants to start a discussion on a particular title, please do :-) I gave instructions in an earlier post. Let me know if you need any help. Thanks

Christine wrote: "In all this discussion about favourites no one has mentioned Intensity. I remember starting it one morning after my kids left for school and still sitting there reading it when they came home. Th..."

Just thinking about Intensity makes me want to crawl under a bed and hide!

Hahaha, I'm a night owl.

Lightning is AWESOME! :D Really great stuff in there.

Oh, it doesn't. It gets even better. ;]

Oh, were you talking about The Husband? I was talking about Lightning. Lightning I liked; The Husband I didn't.

Hanzle The Wiggler wrote: " Lightning I liked; The Husband I didn't. "

Same here. Lightning is one of the best Dean Koontz books! The Husband is "Mediocre Koontz" in my opinion. I'd give Lightning 5 stars, The Husband 3 stars. That's just me though (and maybe a few other fans like Hanzle :-)

Well good for us! Hey Hanzle, still gonna do that Life Expectancy thread? I've been anxiously waiting! Bring in the clowns! and the aerialists too!

Maciek wrote about Demon Seed -
I don't really remember the novel because I read it a long time ago, but I remember that it had a great end.

Yes! I only gave the book 3 stars but the ending was a scream. This was a fun book to review.

Watchers, By the Light of the Moon and One Door Away from Heaven! All awesome reads I have picked up more than once.

My number one all time favorite is 1) Watchers. Moving on to 2) One Door Away From Heaven
3) Hideaway
4) The Husband
5) The Good Guy
6) The Darkest Evening Of The Year
7) Dark Rivers Of The Heart
8) The Face Of Fear
9) Strangers
10) Velocity

That's just a top 10 list. ;)

False Memory
Lightning
Intensity
The Mask
Watchers

Jackie wrote: "False Memory
Lightning
Intensity
The Mask
Watchers"

The Mask is the only one I haven't read on your list :-)

It's old. It was my first Koontz novel and I really liked it. It started my Koontzland journey.