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Post by Vaughan on Aug 7, 2009 23:47:07 GMT
When I decided to get back into reading horror novels I went down to the local charity shop to buy myself a copy of some Guy N. Smith. Don't laugh.
What I found there was a shelf of Herbert, King, and Koontz. I went with Koontz and The Taking.
Now, I'm going to start another thread on this topic, so I'll stay quite specific to this title - but WTF was this guy thinking with the ending of this one?
I'd say this book is a good read. It's got some mystery, some scares, and damn it keeps you guessing. And then when all is revealed it turns out I have a preacher in the house and he's lecturing me. I was SOOOOOO disappointed.
I did some reading about the guy, and given his right-wing background and belief system I can see where this came from - but really, it's a horror novel dude, and you wrote a sci-fi book with a crappy climax. Face it!
Anyone else read this and want to convince me I'm missing something?
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Post by erebus on Mar 1, 2010 11:26:50 GMT
Ive got over 30 of Koontz's books and although most are good they do tend to cover the same old ground. His early work is his best And I really had a hard time with INTENSITY . But the TAKING is one I have'nt got round to but want to sample as it is a slightly different course for him. I will get it and perhaps add my thoughts here. As a footnote I highly recommend PHANTOMS by the guy. Great book.
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Post by steppedonwolf on Mar 3, 2010 21:59:40 GMT
Ive got over 30 of Koontz's books and although most are good they do tend to cover the same old ground. His early work is his best And I really had a hard time with INTENSITY . But the TAKING is one I have'nt got round to but want to sample as it is a slightly different course for him. I will get it and perhaps add my thoughts here. As a footnote I highly recommend PHANTOMS by the guy. Great book. Couldn't agree more. 'Phantoms' was one of the first of his I ever read, and it's still in my Top Ten Horror Novels. I went right off Koontz after 'Intensity'. Overlong, boring, and the twist could be seen a mile away. And then I picked up 'Fear Nothing' and 'False Memory' and vowed never to read him again. My favourites by him have been 'Lightning', 'Watchers', 'Phantoms', 'Midnight', 'The Face of Fear', 'Twilight Eyes' and 'Dark Rivers of the Heart'.
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Post by erebus on Mar 4, 2010 17:24:56 GMT
I recall VOICE OF THE NIGHT being quite good as it was a different kind of novels as opposed to his other stuff. WINTER MOON Entertained me too. But he does'nt half fart about with the delivery in his novels and the pay is indeed a let down at times.
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Post by steppedonwolf on Mar 6, 2010 14:32:29 GMT
Winter Moon was very entertaining. I think it was an extended version of one of his earlier sci-fi novels. Nice idea for a monster, as well - The Giver.
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Post by ian on Mar 7, 2010 18:51:57 GMT
I count myself lucky that I got into his books back in the late 80's when I believe he was at his peak. Twilight Eyes, Midnight, Lightning, Watchers. Headline knew they had a money-spinner on their hand had re-released a whole truckload of his oldies. Written by someone called Leigh Nichols?
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Post by erebus on Mar 7, 2010 19:14:41 GMT
I got em all too. In fact I'm looking at the buggers now . Got 25 of them anyway. Headline did lovely jobs on the covers. Plus the shiny coloured lettering looks stunning.
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Post by ian on Mar 7, 2010 19:23:59 GMT
Have you read them all yet and which one would you recommend to a stranger?
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Post by TheWalkinDude on Mar 9, 2010 9:35:38 GMT
To be perfectly honest i think most of Koontz' stuff tends to be frothing at the mouth. i quite liked the taking, for all its weirdness i was a bit shocked at the end. but that might just be me lol.
The first of his i read was Phantoms, still one of my favourite books, and i quite like the Odd Thomas series. but for the most part i think Koontz spends a bit too much time with the old Wankmachine (tm) on when he's writing.
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Post by erebus on Mar 9, 2010 18:18:00 GMT
Phantoms, Winter Moon, Voice of the Night, Whispers, Darkness Comes, stood out for me.
Dragon Tears, The Bad Place, Midnight, The Mask, The Vision, are also quite good.
The others are hit and miss to be truthful. Koontz tends to cover the same old ground . eg cop chasing serial killer..
The most recent book of his I read was The Husband which was'nt to bad. I hated Intensity and I could'nt wait for it to end. I have Fear Nothing and Seize the Night here unread so I cannot comment on them.
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Post by steppedonwolf on Mar 11, 2010 0:23:12 GMT
With the Leigh Nichols pseudonym, in this country he was marketed as a writer of 'romantic suspense' - mainly because female protaganists are his forte, without a doubt. Leigh is a male and female name, so the ambiguity behind that helped.
Servants of Twilight is one I'd recommend to a stranger. It's wonderful, with a very clever ending.
So why did he turn so crap after Dark Rivers? Is it because he got so big and famous that he fell into the trap that so many writers do, and end up:
A) Believing his own publicity, and B) The publishers being so terrified of upsetting him and (potentially) harming their sales that they assign a non-critical editor who hardly touches the manuscript?
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Post by ian on Jun 11, 2010 8:31:55 GMT
I picked up Midnight a couple of days ago, one of the first of his I read. I shall enjoy reading it (Again) it'll be like re-visiting an old friend.
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