Dean Koontz

What do you think about his books here lately?

I'm so disappointed, and I'm a die hard Koontzie. I've noticed that they've started to become the same book over and over and over. Why, why, why?

I used to look forward to every Koontz release, but I don't even want to read BREATHLESS because I'm afraid to see that it's like all the others.

Was I just blind all the years that I adored him? I hope not.

Relentless was decent.

I have a lot of catching up to do on Koontz' books. I haven't even gotten through Starblood.

Haven't read any new stuff since DEMON SEED.

That put me off the rest of his work. =/

Jess Haines said:

Haven't read any new stuff since DEMON SEED.

That put me off the rest of his work. =/

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Was that the short SF novel that was made into a movie, or was that the much longer, rewritten "mainstream" version? That's one story he actually recycled rather than just buying the rights back and not reprinting as he did with other early books in an attempt to erase his in-the-SF-ghetto past and become a popular mainstream writer. Actually, it looks like that plan succeeded.

Not sure. It was the one with the chick who was being coveted/lusted after/whatever by an A.I. computer. That somehow takes over a dude implanted with a chip in his brain as part of a government experiment and uses him to kidnap/almost rape/impregnate her.

Wut.

No rly.

Wut.

I bought it back when anything that had his name on it was an autobuy. I go back to reread SHADOWS and PHANTOMS and DRAGON TEARS now and then, but... meh. Nothing new since that book.

I used to love, love, love him but now he's gone all "Look how many big, obscure words I know and aren't dogs wonderful?"

No, Dean. No.

You're a wordy show-off and sometimes a dog is just a fucking dog.

LOL! I have noticed he's very fond of the word "sluice", and it's a winner about five times per book.

Loved Whispers. Early work, creepy in the extreme. Some of the more recent stuff has been hit or miss for me, but I loved From the Corner of His Eye.

My love of Dean Koontz's stories started with Cold Fire and The Bad Place in 1992.

Favorite would be Strangers.

But lately...

Breathless made me want to heave it across the room. Huge, huge dissapointment.

And I have to agree with you on the interchangeable characters - a lot of his more recent books have been that way.

Well let me warn you that there is a weird dog in Relentless! LOL

I love his older books - Midnight, The Door to December, Whispers, Phantoms, The Voice of the Night.

After that it was all perfect protagonists, precocious kids and adorable dogs, wrapped up in a copy of Roget's Thesaurus.

I liked Odd Thomas, but none of the sequels. They all struck me as something done on the fly because well they were going to have Dean Koontz on the cover, so they were sure to sell. Bleah.

I always found his work to be hit or miss for me, though.

Jess Haines said:

Not sure. It was the one with the chick who was being coveted/lusted after/whatever by an A.I. computer. That somehow takes over a dude implanted with a chip in his brain as part of a government experiment and uses him to kidnap/almost rape/impregnate her.

Wut.

No rly.

Wut.

I bought it back when anything that had his name on it was an autobuy. I go back to reread SHADOWS and PHANTOMS and DRAGON TEARS now and then, but... meh. Nothing new since that book.

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I think I have the original in hardcover, it's short, maybe 60k. I saw/had the rewritten one in MMPB, he had a page or two with an intro telling how he had expanded it, bla bla bla, I'm guessing it was twice as long.

It's funny, I also have his writing books, there's a section on titles, there was something about "Dragon" this and that, he said the same word should only be used in at most three titles, but I recall counting, since that time he's published a fourth "Dragon" book. Rules are rules until a publisher pays you to break them.

But there's the "a big little life" or whatever it was a year ago, a non-fiction book about his dog. I bought it brand new when it came out, and read it in a couple of days - really enjoyed it. Wish he'd write more nonfiction.

I think that once Trixie died Dean Koontz's writing quality collapsed. He had some "hit and miss" stuff previously but he usually kept some semblance of originality. Since "The Darkest Evening of the Year" (his worst novel to date IMO), his work have become absolute chores to sift through. The 4th Odd Thomas book was little fun and made even less sense, "I Will Possess Your Heart" started off decent and then went off the rails, "Relentless" was basically him raging against his critics, and "Breathless" was boring and harkened back to the "The Perfect Dog" meandering/derailment that made up the entirety of "The Darkest Evening".

He's had good stuff, even in his later work. But when Trixie died it's like he hit a wall.

I've never heard of anyone's muse being a dog before, but to be honest...I think the slide happened years ago, when he learned big words and disappeared up his own thesaurus.

scarletpeaches said:

I've never heard of anyone's muse being a dog before, but to be honest...I think the slide happened years ago, when he learned big words and disappeared up his own thesaurus.

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This. And the constant references to architecture. It drives me nuts.

The "dogs are wonderful" stuff is only partially redeeming.

The wonder-dogs put me off.

I don't like dogs; they're not for me. Nothing really against them though. But Koontz's books border on the fanatical when it comes to anything canine. Okay, we get it. You love dogs. Tell a new fucking story, man.

Wow, I was just thinking about this topic the other day because I started reading Relentless...and got only a few pages in before putting it down.

I love his earlier work. Ten years ago I would have said he was my favorite author. I would buy any new book of his on the shelf without even reading the back. He is one of the reasons I wanted to write. If I started to read one of his novels, I would often read it straight through. Now I can ony get a few pages in?

What happened? Every story now has a goofy but lovable male MC who miraculously lands this beautiful, but spunky woman. If there is a kid, s/he is either disabled or a genius. And there is always an intelligent, almost human dog.

He used to be so different, now he is one of the most formulaic writers out there. Now I love dogs. I mean really love dogs, I am a huge animal lover. I have a 13 year old german shepherd that has been with me through the toughest times in my life. There was a period when I only had him, and he is going to die soon. The thought sends me into a panic. I will completely lose it when he dies, so I understand Koontz being upset. Trixie was not just a dog to him.

But srsly man, let it go. If this has anything to do with his writing as of late, move on. Grieve, yes, but don't share it with the world. Do it in private, with your wife. Stop talking about dogs and how amazing they are in every single book! And I say this as a dog lover. Can't imagine how people that don't get dogs would feel about these books.

As far as Relentless goes, wangst much, Mr Koontz? Oh no, critics are evil, if they say anything bad about your books, they are either too stupid to understand them, or haven't bothered to read them. All I kept thinking was he must have gotten bad reviews lately, so this is his way of acting out. Throwing a temper tantrum of sorts. Very self-indulgent. I think this might be the first book of his ever that I don't finish.

ETA: I think Watchers is his best novel. Now that story needed the dog, and the dog needed to be anthropomorphized for the story to work. But the dogs in almost every story since could have been left out.

I've got a few of his books. Half of them I've read, the others I've...attempted.

I think it says a lot that I used to buy in hardback as soon as they were released. I even enjoyed the much-maligned The Taking, but that was a rare enjoyment for me.

He's been downgraded to a paperback buy now, or a library borrow. I've had one or two DNF's, because his books are so samey. I feel preached at.

Dean darling can write anything he darned well pleases and I'll read it. I love his writing!

A long time ago I read The Servants of Twilight. I remember it as suspenseful.

I gave up on Koontz years ago. Far too much author intrusion for me. Plus even then I felt like I was reading the same book over and over. Based on some of the reviews I've read on Amazon, for example, I haven't missed much.

I had a dog who took my heart. A German Shepherd named Storm. He was stolen and shot, then dumped in a local cemetery with a pile of other stolen Shepherds.
He was my buddy.

I totally get where Koontz is coming from.