Nice to see Dean Koontz getting a rough ride around here...

[ChickenStu]

Reading through a lot of past posts I see quite a few people having a swipe at Dean Koontz. All I can say is GOOD.

OK, Hideaway was vaguely interesting... but Eyes Of Darkness and Winter Moon were absolute chores to get through. The third of these being perhaps the most boring book I've ever read in my life.

He's actually guilty of the things people wrongly accuse Stephen King of doing.

I'm sure Koontz is a nice man, but from what I've read - he can't write worth $#!+

[SharonC]

Just a question but if those books were so boring they were a chore to get through, why did you bother to finish them? I think, like anyone else, you are entitled to like or dislike any author you choose, but to take pleasure in bashing someone is not the way to get your point across.

[~Ally~]

I don't think he is necessarily getting a "rough ride"...and if he is then shame on y'all.
Seriously though, if you don't dig it, don't read it. Just get over it.
We are not here to tear other writers apart.
Discussion is good, attacks are not.

[GLewman]

Just a question but if those books were so boring they were a chore to get through, why did you bother to finish them?

I've done this quite a bit Sharon...It's hard to explain...lol...except that it becomes personal after you reach the halfway point for some reason...Plus if I'm into a book for some money, I must see how it ends

P.S. I can't very well bash DK on his message board...People get touchy about it over there

[smooth operator]

You have every right to your opinion and I have every right to disagree. Admittedly, Mr. Koontz has become decidedly formulaic over the years, but I still say that he has written some great stuff. I am especially fond of Odd Thomas, From the Corner of his Eye, Life Expectancy, Strangers, [I]The Bad [/I]Place, and many others. I think DK has a great sense of humor that comes through in his work. I also find that much of his work is tense, edge of your seat stuff.

Stephen King is my first love in the genre and remains my all time favorite. But that does not mean that I cannot enjoy the work of other authors. SK And DK have vastly different styles and subject matter. IMHO DK cannot hold a candle to SK when it comes to writing short stories.

As I said before, you have the right to your opinion. But that is all it can really ever be. No one has the right to tell someone else that their opinion is wrong, and I will not do that here. I am sorry that you have not enjoyed the work of DK. The 3 books you mentioned are, in my opinion, not the cream of the crop. Try Odd or Life Expectancy, but don't begin with your mind already made up that you are not going to like what you are about to read. If you have decided to never give him another chance, so be it - the world is full of good books by many hard-working authors.

[jcadams]

I feel ya, Stu. Once I start a book I feel obligated to finish it, no matter how difficult.

[ChickenStu]

Well, I just got told didn't I?

[GNTLGNT]

Thank you Sharon...once again Stu, just because YOU in your infinite wisdom and grand literary savvy-don't care for something-doesn't entitle you OR anyone else to just blithely bash away for the sheer sake of bashing-I'll bet you'd of been something at the Salem Witch trials...enough already! I like reasoned, intelligent discourse on the strengths and weaknesses of books/authors, not "Oh it's soooooo boring, just coz I didn't like it." I obviously like Koontz as well as SK, and I know he has weaknesses, but he always makes me laugh and on occasion-think...and to me, that's a rare gift in itself....so try thinking and be a little more evenhanded Stu, before you gaily jump on the hatchet train...

[SharonC]

I've done this quite a bit Sharon...It's hard to explain...lol...except that it becomes personal after you reach the halfway point for some reason...Plus if I'm into a book for some money, I must see how it ends

P.S. I can't very well bash DK on his message board...People get touchy about it over there

Good point about the DK message board, lol.

I find that usually after three or four chapters, I can tell that a book is going nowhere for me and I will not continue reading. There are so many good ones around, I don't want to waste my time with something I don't like. With an author I am not familiar with, I usually just borrow the books. I've discovered some good ones that way and then I'll spend my money on more of the same.

[JohnDalglish]

P.S. I can't very well bash DK on his message board...People get touchy about it over there

Hi,

You mean you wouldn't be welcome on the DK message board?

Pity.

Long days and pleasant nights