Best Koontz?

Hi everyone. For my job, I've got to read some Dean Koontz books so as to get a better handle on his style. (Long story, but if you really want to know why I'm being ordered to read Dean Koontz, I will happily tell you).

So, here's the classic question: which books should I read? I read one way back in middle school, and have no memory of it, and aside from Phantoms, which I'm going to buy because I liked the stupid, stupid movie, I have no clue what's good, what's bad, and what's representative of his work.

Any help would be amazing.

Watchers is one of my favorites.

Strangers is my favorite, but I'm not sure it is representative. There's a bit more science fiction in the plot.

I'm with Morph --- Watchers is also one of my favorites. And The Servants of Twilight (the first I read) is another.

P.S. I'll bite. Why are you being ordered to read Koontz? :-)

What about these 'Odd' stories I keep hearing about? Are they any good?

So far my list is Watchers, Strangers, and Phantoms.

Here's the annotated version: Koontz is working on a kids series of books, and I'm kind of heading the project (I say 'kind of' because I'm an intern, and the concept of running the program entirely gives me anxiety.

By the Light of the Moon is a favorite of mine. I always hoped for one to this wonderful book.

The Face I thought was pretty good

and lastly for now:

The Taking was excellent

Though you can't go wrong with the Odd Thomas trilogy(?)

Just my 2 cents

All I could find at the store was The Taking and Seize The Night.

Any comments on the second?

Oddly enough I do actually own Fear Nothing and Seize the Night but for some reason I have never read them, once I get done rereading American Gods, I guess I should give them a go. Sorry I am no help what so ever.

:(

koontz is an anomaly in fiction writing: it is difficult to have a "favorite" when his genres are changing. He has done scifi, fantasy, murder mystery, and horror, as well as comic action. "strangers" leads the pack, although it is soooooooo long, with "The Taking" and "Ticktock" running even for next. "Watchers" is also good. I'm doing "Hideaway" now and have no idea what's coming. His first three pages show a complexity for language I haven't seen yet (or don't remember -- I have halfheimers syndrome). I'm saving the Odd series until he's through with it. Much as I'm saving King's Dark Tower series. I think King is through. Is Koontz done with Odd? I think not.

I've read every book by Koontz, including some of his out-of-print novels. I think Watchers is the book most people consider his best, although many people have different favorites. Odd Thomas is probably his best book of the last ten years or so.

Yeah, so far the only one of his books I've really liked is Odd Thomas, which I'm in the middle of. Seize The Night and The Taking didn't really do anything for me. They weren't BAD books by any means... they just didn't get me the way a book should.

The Taking was probably the weakest of his more recent books. Seize the Night is actually a sequel to another book, Fear Nothing. I'm not a huge fan of either novel myself. Koontz has written over 90 books, and some are better than others.

Two of my favorite newer works are Dark Rivers of the Heart and One Door Away from Heaven. "Dark Rivers of the Heart" focuses on corrupt high government officials (one a serial killer) who run amok in the lives of the main characters. Really chilling.
In "One Door Away from Heaven", Koontz does an amazing job telling the story of a young disabled girl with the unlikely name of Leilani Klonk (sp) and her completely dysfunctional family in search of aliens. Loved it!

I too loved Watchers and agree that The Taking was not a great work.

I have read all the books of Dean Koontz and my favorite is Watchers also. The one I liked second best is From the Corner of His Eye. A real page turner for me.

I've read about a dozen Koontz novels, mostly about 10 years ago, though. I do recall that I enjoyed Twilight Eyes the most, primarily due to its carnival setting.

Recently, I really enjoyed The Taking, thought it was incredibly fast paced and creepy and liked the choice of "bad guys".

I know this is a dormant thread, but someone may come upon it and really need some info. IMHO the BEST book that Dean Koontz ever wrote, is Lightning. But my very favorite, as mentioned above - is Watchers.

Also IMHO, classic Koontz style is Twilight Eyes, and Midnight.

Same as ShirleyUgest regarding a dormant thread...

I enjoyed the trilogy: Watchers, Fear Nothing, and Sieze the night. I love the Odd Thomas series.

From the Corner of His Eye, Hideway, By the Light of the Moon, False Memory, and House of Thunder are all excellent.

donstuff

I like Intensity and the two entries in his Frankenstein series.

#8 i agree the variety of his books makes a 'favorite' difficult to pick. now i do very much like the Odd books..but maybe because they are the ones i have read most recently. but yoy can't go wrong with them.

I love his variety especially in his writing style . Just finished Seize the Night- loved it. I am hoping there is more in that series.

The door to December by Dean Koontz.

No doubt about it!!

I like every Koontz book I've ever read, but my favorite is One Door Away from Heaven.

Not sure if this dicussion group is still going or not, but I'll throw my opinion in on this anyway. Favorite: Watchers though my most recently finished is a big little life. It was also fantastic, of course.

HIDEAWAY is by far one of his best...if not The Best. Watchers is everyone's favorite for good reason, but Hideaway is definitely a Must Read!
All my Koontz fans friends agree. You will too after you read it!

I am a loyal Dean Koontz fan, but after reading his last novel, What the Night Knows, am upset. This book is so "cookie-cutter". I think he just dialed it in. Does anyone else feel this way?

Why do some authors feel they have to become James Patterson and write a book every other month.

The plot was a mix between science fiction and fantasy. Koontz should stay with writing about Odd Thomas.

/*Richard

Intensity and Velocity are my favorites. But it is hard to choose a favorite, he has soooo many!

I really like Relentless, I have read it twice. Also, the Odd Thomas and the Frankenstien series is very, very good.

I am reading What the Night Knows now and it isn't one of his usual dry humor, make you wonder kind of books.I absolutly love how he starts his books being interesting in chapter 1 but I agree this one is not his norm.

The Odd Thomas series is my absolute favorite. Just truly gold.

I am now reading/listening to Dark Rivers of the Heart. Anthony Heald is the narrator and he does a really good job. I listened to Odd Thomas on CD and I absolutly loved the narrator that was picked for that series. Sometimes it makes all the difference. It takes a special tone to capture Koontz's humor.

I just finished Koontz's Lightning and thought it was awesome.

Hi guys, I also think that it's hard to pick a favourite of Koontz's books because of his varying genres, although he seems to accomplish them all amazingly. I do have a favourite though, and some close runners:

From The Corner Of His Eye - Fav, in depth story, plot and most importantly characters, Dean Koontz makes you know them and want to know them more, makes you love them and hate them, makes you feel their emotions. Simply a brilliantly unbeatable book.
Intensity - My first Dean Koontz book, and picked by me to write my A Level English Lit Coursework about, along with Lord Of The Flies by William Golding and The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Icebound - A book I never expected to come from Koontz, brilliantly written.
The Bad Place - Violent, spooky, heart rendering.
Odd Thomas - And the remainder of the original trilogy - I am still yet to read the 4th and 5th books in the series.

The 4th Odd Thomas novel is just as good as the first three. I am eagerly anticipating the release of #5.

Just started reading 77 Shadow Street, my wife actually put it down after only reading 50 pages... Uh Oh

Yes, it was not good...

Where have you all gone? I am in the middle of Relentless and thought I might chat to someone about it but the group is dormant. Suppose I had better go back to King!