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Dean Ray Koontz (was born July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania) is a prolific and best-selling fiction author known primarily for his popular suspense novels.

Biography

Dean Koontz grew up in desperate poverty under the tyranny of a violent alcoholic father. Despite his traumatic childhood, Koontz put himself through Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (then known as Shippensburg State College), and in 1967 went to work as an English teacher at Mechanicsburg High School. In his spare time he wrote his first novel, Star Quest, which was published in 1968. From there he went on to write over a dozen more science fiction novels.

Koontz currently resides in Newport Beach, a city in Southern California (hence most of his novels are set in Southern California) with his wife Gerda and their dog Trixie Koontz, under whose name he published the book, Lessons in Joyful Living, in 2004. Trixie is also often referenced in his official newsletter "Useless News".

There is some speculation that Koontz may have had a hair transplant, as evidenced by early author photos that show a balding Koontz with a mustache, as opposed to more recent ones that show a clean-shaven Koontz with a full head of hair.

Early Writings

In the 1970s, Koontz began publishing mainstream suspense and horror fiction, under his own name as well as under several pseudonyms; Koontz has stated he used pen names after several editors convinced him that authors who switched genre fell victim to "negative crossover": alienating established fans, while simultaneously not picking up any new fans. Known pseudonyms include Deanna Dwyer, K. R. Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, David Axton, Brian Coffey, John Hill, Leigh Nichols, Owen West, Richard Paige, and Anthony North. Currently some of those novels are sold under Koontz's real name. Some of these efforts are deliberately being kept out of print: Koontz purchased publishing rights to some of his various early works which he considered sub-par. He has often been quoted saying that he encourages fans to collect the novels and stories all they want, as long as they don't actually read them. (There are still a few novels which Koontz has suggested he may revise and reissue, at least back in the "Dean Koontz Companion" written in the mid-90's, but it seems unlikely that they will see print in the same form.) Koontz's breakthrough novel finally came in the form of Whispers in 1980. Since then, several of his books have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list (9 hardcover and 13 softcover).

Literary skills

Koontz is renowned for his skill at writing suspenseful page-turners. His strengths also include memorable characters, original ideas, and ability to blend horror, fantasy and humour. Koontz has been criticized for his tendency to include too many similes and therefore to drag out descriptions, his frequent use of similar plotting structures, and a tendency to moralize heavily.

Arguably, most of Koontz's work can still be classified as science fiction, as he tries to create plausible, consistent explanations for the unusual, fantastic events featured in most of his novels.

Koontz's protagonists often arm themselves with guns to combat the various monsters and madmen that they deal with, and Koontz aims to provide accurate details of the firearms. (In Writing Popular Fiction he remarked that the one sin readers of Westerns will not forgive authors is gun errors.)

The Book of Counted Sorrows

Koontz also has a very interesting way of adding his own little quirks to his novels, such as adding simple quotes from a book by the name of The Book of Counted Sorrows. Counted Sorrows was originally a hoax, like the nonexistent Keener's Manual Richard Condon cited for epigraphs he wrote himself. Eventually Koontz put together a poetry collection of that name, using all the epigraphs; it was printed as a limited edition in 2003 by Charnel House and as an eBook by Barnes & Noble. His more recent novels, starting with The Taking, have no verse by Koontz; rather, they have quotes by other authors (in particular, The Taking uses quotes from T. S. Eliot, whose works figure in the plot of the novel).

Plot staples

Dogs often figure heavily in Koontz's novels, as, due to his high allergies to felines, he is an avid dog lover. Fear Nothing, The Taking, Watchers, Dark Rivers of the Heart, and One Door Away from Heaven are prime examples. However, lately he has seen fit to include cats as characters, most notably the smart cat Mungojerrie in the Christopher Snow novels.

Koontz is also known for never recycling a character. The exceptions to date are Mike Tucker, art dealer and professional thief in "Blood Risk," "Surrounded," and "The Wall of Masks," all written under the pseudonym of Brian Coffey (these books make up the Black Bat Mystery series); Christopher Snow, the protagonist in "Fear Nothing," "Seize the Night," and the forthcoming "Ride the Storm" (these books make up the Moonlight Bay Trilogy); and Odd Thomas of "Odd Thomas," "Forever Odd," and the forthcoming "Brother Odd."

Film adaptations

Koontz is generally unhappy with most film adaptations of his books, even to the point of denying they exist in a tongue-in-cheek manner; the notable exceptions being Watchers 2 in 1990 (not really a sequel to Watchers, but actually a much better adaptation more closely following the book), Watchers 3 (1994), Watchers Reborn (1998), Haute Tension (2003), and Frankenstein (2004). Koontz himself partly contributed to the screenplays of the last two films. According to a 1996 interview, the so-called final straw occurred with the film adaptation of his book Hideaway. Koontz was so unhappy with the final cut that he had his standard contract modified to give him creative control over all subsequent films based on his books. Despite this fact, most later films over which he exercised creative control failed to garner his approval.

However, with the release of his newest novel "The Husband" in the summer of 2006 and its rights already having been optioned for the big screen, Koontz is optimistic. His confidence for this adaptation even prompted him to state, "...It now does seem as if I’ll live long enough to see a first-rate film based on one of my books."

Plot formula

Some critics discern a formula that controls many of Koontz's novels. According to these critics, Koontz's plots are likely to feature most, if not all, of these elements:

  • a setting nearly always in Southern California
  • a vulnerable woman who has problems trusting men due to abusive past treatment by males
  • a heroic man who enables her to trust men--or at least this one man--again
  • a noble dog of near-human intelligence (and, sometimes, paranormal powers)
  • references to an imminent apocalypse
  • references to the non-existent Book of Counted Sorrows
  • a mixture of literary genres (cross-genre writing) that features horror, science fiction, romance, and other popular forms
  • a theme that implies that brotherly love can save one from the apparent absurdity of existence and the cruelties of life
  • one or more subplots that are, at first, seemingly parallel but later merge, usually as the plot's romantic element emerges
  • a happy ending for the main character or characters

Address

At the end of books, Koontz includes in his ABOUT THE AUTHOR page his mailing address: Dean Koontz P.O.Box 9529 Newport Beach, CA 92658

Bibliography

Novels

Out of print

Children's books

  • Robot Santa: The Further Adventures of Santa's Twin (October 1 2004)
  • Every Day's a Holiday : Amusing Rhymes for Happy Times (October 1 2003)
  • The Paper Doorway : Funny Verse and Nothing Worse (October 1 2001)
  • Santa's Twin (November 1 1996)
  • Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages (1988)

Non-fiction

  • Christmas Is Good!: Trixie Treats And Holiday Wisdom w/ Trixie Koontz (October 31 2005)
  • Life is Good! Lessons in Joyful Living w/ Trixie Koontz (October 31 2004)
  • How To Write Best-Selling Fiction (1981)
  • Writing Popular Fiction (1972)
  • The Pig Society w/ Gerda Koontz (1970)
  • The Underground Lifestyles Handbook w/ Gerda Koontz (1970)

Essays and introductions (incomplete)

  • Foreword to Love Heels: Tales from Canine Companions for Independence (October 1 2003)
  • Introduction to Great Escapes: New Designs for Home Theaters by Theo Kalomirakis (October 15 2003)
  • "Ibsen's Dream" (Reflector, 1966)
  • "Of Childhood" (Reflector, 1966)

Collections

  • Strange Highways (1994, short story collection) {reissued in September 2002}

Short fiction

  • "Black River" (1999)
  • "Pinkie" (1998)
  • "Trapped" (1989) {re-issued as a graphic novel in 1992}
  • "Graveyard Highway" (1987)
  • "Twilight of the Dawn" (1987)
  • "Miss Atilla the Hun" (1987)
  • "Hardshell" (1987)
  • "The Interrogation" (1987)
  • "The Black Pumpkin" (1986)
  • "The Monitors of Providence {collaboration}" (1986)
  • "Snatcher" (1986)
  • "Weird World" (1986)
  • "Down in the Darkness" (1986)
  • "Night of the Storm" (1974) {re-issued as a graphic novel in 1976}
  • "We Three" (1974)
  • "The Undercity" (1973)
  • "Terra Phobia" (1973)
  • "Wake Up To Thunder" (1973)
  • "The Sinless Child" (1973)
  • "Grayworld" (1973)
  • "A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village" (1972)
  • "Ollie's Hands" (1972) {revised and re-issued in 1987}
  • "Altarboy" (1972)
  • "Cosmic Sin" (1972)
  • "The Terrible Weapon" (1972)
  • "Bruno" (1971)
  • "Unseen Warriors" (1970)
  • "Shambolain" (1970)
  • "The Crimson Witch" (1970)
  • "Beastchild" (1970)
  • "Emanations" (1970)
  • "The Mystery of His Flesh" (1970)
  • "The Good Ship Lookoutworld" (1970)
  • "Nightmare Gang" (1970)
  • "A Third Hand" (1970)
  • "Muse" (1969)
  • "The Face in His Belly" Part Two" (1969)
  • "Dragon In the Land" (1969)
  • "The Face in His Belly" Part One (1969)
  • "Where the Beast Runs" (1969)
  • "Killerbot" (1969) {revised and re-issued in 1977 as "A Season for Freedom"}
  • "Temple of Sorrow" (1969)
  • "In the Shield" (1969)
  • "Dreambird" (1968)
  • "The Twelfth Bed" (1968)
  • "The Psychedelic Children" (1968)
  • "To Behold the Sun" (1967)
  • "Love 2005" (1967)
  • "Soft Come the Dragons" (1967)
  • "A Miracle is Anything" (1966)
  • "Some Disputed Barricade" (1966)
  • "This Fence" (1965)
  • "The Kittens" (1965)

Poetry

Every Day's a Holiday: Amusing Rhymes for Happy Times (2003)

  • "Holiday Gifts"
  • "Stop The World! It's Your Birthday!"
  • "Holiday Data Glitch"
  • "New Year's Eve"
  • "New Year's Day"
  • "Appropriate Holiday Entertainment"
  • "Carnival!"
  • "Gravity Day"
  • "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day"
  • "Snow Day"
  • "Valentine's Day"
  • "Abraham Lincoln's Birthday"
  • "George Washington's Birthday"
  • "Saint Patrick's Day"
  • "The First Day of Spring"
  • "Every Day's A Holiday"
  • "Easter: The Danger of Improving Holiday Traditions"
  • "April Fool's Day"
  • "Sakura Matsuki (Cherry Blossom Festival)"
  • "Dino Day"
  • "Cinco de Mayo"
  • "Teacher's Day"
  • "Annual Animals' Day in Court"
  • "Mother's Day Is Every Day, Thanks to Us"
  • "Cat Day"
  • "Memorial Day"
  • "Things That Can Spoil a Good Holiday"
  • "Father's Day"
  • "The Eighteen Acceptable Excuses Not to Celebrate a Holiday"
  • "Toad Day"
  • "The Last Day of School, the Saddest Day of the Year"
  • "Graduation Day"
  • "The First Day of Summer"
  • "Me Day"
  • "Independence Day: Free to Be Ignorant Old Me"
  • "Dog Day"
  • "Friendship Day"
  • "Holidays on Other Planets"
  • "Labor Day"
  • "Grandfather's Day"
  • "Grandma's Day or Why One Day There Will Be Good Cookies on the Moon"
  • "The First Day of Autumn"
  • "Lost-Tooth Day"
  • "Rosh Hashanah"
  • "Troll Day, Whether You Like IT of Not"
  • "Yom Kippur"
  • "Holiday Dinner"
  • "Columbus Day"
  • "How to Get to Sleep Before a Holiday"
  • "Mr. Halloween"
  • "What Should Go into a Holiday Pie"
  • "Día de los Muertos"
  • "Praise the Chicken Day - or Else"
  • "Diwali by Golly"
  • "National Book Week: Why Paper Tigers Are the Preferred Breed"
  • "Holiday, Holinight"
  • "Thanksgiving Turkey Dresses in Hand-Me-Downs"
  • "The First Day of Winter"
  • "The Shortest Day of the Year"
  • "Christmas Eve"
  • "Christmas Day"
  • "Up-Is-Down Day"
  • "Kwanzaa"
  • "Not the Stuff of Holidays"

The Paper Doorway: Funny Verse and Nothing Worse (2001)

  • "A Bad Cat"
  • "A Beverage with Antlers"
  • "A Cure for Ugly"
  • "A Long Day of Rhyming"
  • "A Short Trip"
  • "A Skeleton's Hotel"
  • "A Strange Day on the Farm"
  • "Advice"
  • "Ages of a Toad"
  • "All Families Are Not the Same"
  • "An Accident at the Pole"
  • "An Angry Poem by a Dragon's Mother"
  • "An Interesting Fact About Dogs"
  • "At War with Wood"
  • "Auntie"
  • "Balance"
  • "Baseball is Safer"
  • "Being Me"
  • "Better Than Money"
  • "Boogeyman"
  • "Cats in Spats"
  • "Crime and Punishment"
  • "Dangerous Music"
  • "Dinner with Jilly"
  • "Do Trees Sneeze?"
  • "Dogs and Hogs"
  • "Fashion-Plate Fido"
  • "Food Psychos"
  • "Frankenbunny"
  • "Handyman"
  • "Head Number Two"
  • "Horse Thief"
  • "I Don't Share"
  • "If I Were a Potato"
  • "Insults"
  • "Listen to the Wind"
  • "Lucky Skunk"
  • "Mary Thinks She Wants a Puppy"
  • "My Words"
  • "Peace Through Hopping"
  • "Peg-Leg Zeg"
  • "Plurals"
  • "Poem by My Dog"
  • "Princess with a Tail"
  • "Rain"
  • "Red Hair"
  • "Rocks"
  • "Rumor"
  • "Safe Household Accidents"
  • "Sick"
  • "Silly"
  • "Snowland"
  • "So There"
  • "Stars, Mars, and Chocolate Bars"
  • "The Bear with One Green Ear"
  • "The Cabbage Feels No Pain"
  • "The Fearful Bee"
  • "The Man With Four Eyes"
  • "The Monstrous Broccoli Excuse"
  • "The Paper Doorway"
  • "The Pig with Pride"
  • "The Prettiest Butterfly I Will Ever See"
  • "The Reliable Bunny"
  • "The Seasons of a Toad"
  • "The Shark in the Park"
  • "The Threat"
  • "The Wart"
  • "The Woggle Wrangler"
  • "The Young Musician - Or Maybe Thug"
  • "Them and Us"
  • "Thinking About Me"
  • "Those Weird Guys in Nursery Rhymes"
  • "Toast and Jam"
  • "Up"
  • "Wally the Werewolf"
  • "What I Like"
  • "What Will We Do, What Will We Do?"
  • "Why Good Manners Matter"
  • "Why I Find It So Hard to Learn"
  • "Why Most People Prefer Cats and Dogs"
  • "Why?"
  • "Wishes"
  • "You Get the Pickle You Ask For"

The Reflector (1965-67)
  • "The Day"
  • "Growing Pains"
  • "Sing A Song Of Sixpence"
  • "This Fence"
  • "Cellars"
  • "Cloistered Walls"
  • "Flesh"
  • "For A Breath I Tarry"
  • "Hey, Good Christian"
  • "Holes"
  • "It"
  • "I've Met One"
  • "Mold In The Jungle"
  • "Once"
  • "The Rats Run"
  • "Sam: the Adventurous, Exciting, Well-Traveled Man"
  • "Something About This City"
  • "The Standard Unusual"
  • "A Trio Of Possible Futures"
  • "You Dirty Jap, Said The Jap"
  • "Where No One Fell"

Screenplays

Other

Film and television adaptations

Not all of these films are approved of by Mr. Koontz. Specifically Watchers II, Watchers III, Watchers Reborn, Frankenstein and For most of the rest of them, he's just not happy with the result.

Note: "Haute Tension" is not a Dean Koontz movie. It's simply a plaigerized version of "Intensity" with which Koontz had no affiliation. He states that it would simply cost him more to sue those responsible than he'd win.

Books about Dean Koontz

Common collecting errors

These titles/authors are not Dean Koontz:
  • Heartbeeps by John Hill
  • Stolen Thunder and Sharkman Six by David Axton
  • anything by Owen Brookes
  • anything by Frank Coffey
  • anything by the Irish poet Brian Coffey

External links

1945 births | Living people | American horror writers | Science fiction writers | California writers

Dean Koontz | Дийн Кунц | Dean R. Koontz | Dean Koontz | Dean R. Koontz | Dean Koontz | Dean R. Koontz | ディーン・R・クーンツ | Dean Koontz | Dean Koontz | Dean R. Koontz | Кунц, Дин | Dean R. Koontz

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Dean Koontz".

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