Great Writers 3: DEAN KOONTZ

Dean Koontz may not be a writer recommended by the majority of literary academics, and some may wonder how someone who churns out so many novels in rapid succession can be creating anything more than pulp fiction, but he writes beautiful prose, creates wonderful, memorable chatacters, and keeps you turning the pages while at the same time presenting some poignant insights into the human condition.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Great-Writers
• Dean-Koontz
• Odd-Thomas
• Stephen-King

[amazingguitarsam02]

Most academics say that if it is popular then it can't be literature.

[OldGrumpyGuy]

@amazingguitarsam02 Many academics are anal retentive posers

[Mobee211]

I reach for a Koontz novel when I want pure entertainment. He tends to fall into habits of overusing the same phrases in his books "the dog chuffed" "The water sluiced over his body" etc. I enjoy most of his books. King's works, on the other hand, often require thought and imagination. If you have not read Salem's Lot, The Stand, Carrie or Pet Semetary - you've got to check those out. Stephen King's prose is far superior to Koontz--Thus, for a mindless, entertaining read I defer to Koontz.

[OldGrumpyGuy]

@Mobee211 I think both are very good writers of prose and my feeling is that King, too, has areas where he tends to repeat himself, not necessarily in words but in the directions he takes at particular junctures.

[josiahmorgan11]

@abc90cba Enriched and happy at the end-Lisey's Story

[josiahmorgan11]

@theshawn1811 Yes, Koontz does have a bad book: The Mask. And King's bad book is Black House-errr

[josiahmorgan11]

@stephenkingrules1 Except for Dragon Tears and Odd Thomas and The Face Of Fear. Not The Mask

[josiahmorgan11]

Same as Stephen King...

[TheAtheistviking]

Stephen King just doesn`t do it for me. His books are boring and twice as long and neccesary, and are filled with pagefiller and far too much blood, guts and swearing to disguise how boring and hokey his prose is. Dean Koontz has a far superior writing style and grabs you from page one and never lets go, pluss his villains always rule. And I do not agree with OldGrumpy Guy about Koontz being very underrated. He may not have won any awards, but his books have gained rave reviews from critics.

[vitamincity]

I like Stephen King more than Koontz, but Koontz is good. Stephen King is just more imaginative, and his writing seems more real, Koontzs' writing can seem wooden to me.

[MisterAmerican650]

I personaly find Stephen King a much better writer than Dean Koontz. Stephen Kings characters are more memorable and likable, as oppose to Koontz characters (some of them are good, but I notice others are kind of stereotypical). Plus King's story telling ability is in general more entertaining, sure he can get depressing, but thats part of the experience and in a way it's more realistic.

Stephen King= Epic

Dean Koontz= Good, can be cliche at times though

[stephenkingrules1]

@theshawn1811 In my opinion,Koontz doesn't have a single good book.They 're all about dogs and weird characters.On the contrary,King's characters are the ones that you may have seen in the street today...They 're perfectly normal but they get involved in abnormal situations.Also,Koontz's style is a bit more optimistic for me.I prefer King because he is darker as the grumpy guy said...but after all that's just my opinion.Take care...

[theshawn1811]

@stephenkingrules1 Dean Koontz doesnt have a bad book, i cant say the same for stephen king!!

[ProRanting]

@93MickyD1 The villian was standing in stark contrast to the protagonist and so the two depended on each other. When he over-did the Chyna he overdid Vess. Vess became just as repetative. Vess always talking about sensation, experience, intensity and Chyna always talking about being reclusive, untrusting, and emotionally sensitive.

It just felt a little much after awhile.