dean koontz

[jordanc123]

i have heard that dean koontz is a very good author of horror and was wondering is he as good as stephen king and what are the diffrences between the writing styles also a book to help start me off with this authors works any help is appreciated thanks

[mstay]

Koontz is a good author in my opinion but he is very different from King. I'm not sure I can describe the differences though. Maybe others here can.

I would recommend starting with Watchers. It's one of his earliest books and I think it kind of sets the tone for all his books. After that you could try his 'Odd Thomas' books. They are some of my favorites.

Have fun!

[markdlong]

Koontz is good, but he's no Stephen King imho. Koontz wastes a lot of words telling you what kind of loafer his character is wearing (sic). I swear he's getting paid by the clothing companys to use their names in his books. Once you get beyond that, his stories are fast paced; usually taking place in one or two days. I must admit I like what I call his 'middle' books best. The early ones show his style developing, and the later ones seem to be the same story with different people. Sometimes it feels that his endings are 'rushed' because the book is getting too long (something S.K. never thinks about-the story is as long as it needs to be).

I recommend 'Strangers' (1st one I read) or The Watchers' as a good place to start. The stories are involving, easy to read, and give you a good idea of how good he could have been if he'd kept it up.

[GNTLGNT]

They have IMO-very dissimilar styles, but I love em both-you won't be much disappointed in Dean, he can be a little preachy-but is still a great among greats...

[JellybeanJay]

IMO I think that Koontz uses a lot of words to describe objects, people or surroundings when a more succinct description would suffice. I love his books but I find that I tend to skim them skipping a lot of the descriptive sections. IMO it is a lighter read. I find that if I don't have a Stephen King to read I will turn to a Dean Koontz or John Saul.

Some of my favorites by Koontz are Watchers, By the Light of the Moon, Phantoms and the Moonlight Bay series.

I hope this helps

[wally wonder]

mr. murder is the first koontz i read. imagine you're identical twin come looking for you, wanting to take your place in the world, you a writer, and the other so so convincing...what would happen?

[Lina]

I like Koontz, I think he's definitely a good author. But sure, he and King are absolutely different. But to my mind, books of Koontz are worth reading. Odd Thomas books are very nice. I also have read Cold Fire and I liked this book pretty much.

[sarar]

i picked up a couple of his books from a charity shop after seeing excellent reviews by SK! i read the voice of the night first. good, short read!
didn't know want to think of it at first but i read it in one sitting, so i thought, that must be a good sign!
I'll def being reading more of his!

[JamesMWatts]

They are both great my eyes. Styles are different. Both authors can be long winded, just in different ways. And I like the personalities that both King and Koontz have as individuals.

[Natjen26]

I have a love-hate relationship with Koontz.
He's being put next to King a lot.. and not only because they both habe surnames beginning with K.
I can't count the number of times I've picked one his books up and put it down again. Somehow I shy away from Koontz, especially when I take the time to read the back. I've read a few of his novels and have still to read the Odd Thomas series, which are highly recommended in these parts, but I'm not a big fan.

But as I always try to emphasize. Tastes differ and you might like him more than I do. Try one and see where it gets you.