Doctor and author robin cook is widely credited with introducing the word medical to the thriller genre, and twenty years after the publication of his breakthrough novel, coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. Mediocre horror writer stephen king has made it clear that he is not a fan of twilight. Like many hardcore fanboys, im ready to tear anyone that likes koontz apart at least in m. This never registered with my mother, who continues to buy and mail me every new dean koontz paperback there are a lot of them. Remember that individual judgments of writing styles will differ among readers and that these suggestions are selective. His ghost story is an absolutely seminal and freaky take on ghosts and the haunting of groups. Dean koontz books list of books by author dean koontz. Read our list of the best horror authors alive today in 2020. An american author, koontzs works are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate. Author dean koontz eerily predicted the coronavirus outbreak in his 1981 thriller the eyes of darkness. The library happened to have a good selection of both those authors books, and i couldnt get through them fast enough. Stephen edwin king was born the second son of donald and nellie ruth pillsbury king. Click on an author s name learn more about them and see a partial list of their books. Big fan of stephen king, michael crichton and dean koontz.
Dean koontzs popularity has helped him rank next to authors such as stephen king. King writes of the horrors and hauntings of a being from an outside existence. Jul 29, 2008 i really enjoy dean koontz s books, especially ones like intensity as i prefer less supernatural elements though his others are good too. Dean koontzs novels have been described as an author who refuses to be slotted in any single genre, combining suspense, horror and fantasy. His latest book has been published recently in the year 20 with the name of pirate alley. Being a huge stephen king fanboy, i am almost obligated to hate dean koontz. T he following are authors similar to stephen king. Koontz describes the fear of what is inside us, a fear from within all of us. List of dean koontz books, stories, and other writings. In the year 2008, dean was ranked as the sixth highest paid author, at an approximated 25 million dollars each year. Acknowledged as americas most popular suspense novelist rolling stone and as one of todays most celebrated and successful writers, dean ray koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers more note. I used to read stephen king when i was much younger but havent in a.
Dec 09, 20 innocence and santas twin, by dean koontz of the authors frequently mentioned in the same breath as king, koontz has always made the most sense to me. My daughter loves dean koontz and has read all of his books but is looking for another author that is simular while she is waiting for his next book. Why is dean koontz loathed in such heinous fashion. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Authors similar to dean koontz but differentbetter. He graduated from shippensburg state college now shippensburg university. Peter straub is a gift to the genre, both as an author and as an editor who routinely finds elite short story writers.
The ten best horror authors alive today booklaunch. Cook has successfully combined medical fact with fantasy to produce a succession of new york times bestsellers, including outbreak 1987, acceptable risk 1995, and. After his parents separated when stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, david, were raised by his mother. In a new interview the writer commented on the teen vamp serialist, stephanie meyer, by saying she cant write worth a darn, apparently. Please dont suggest robert mccammon, as my library only carries one. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for similar authors to king, koontz, james rollinsm or matt reilly. Bestselling author dean koontz is going viral amid wild conspiracy theories that he predicted the novel coronavirus almost 40 years ago even naming it after the chinese city where covid19. So should a writer like barron, who has won pretty much every horror. Click on an author s name learn more about them and see a partial.
This man is an expert and excellent writer for all of his many,many books. King, stephen author readalikes libguides at san antonio. Dean koontz went from being the quintessential struggling writer to dominating the suspense thriller genre with works in the fields of horror, fantasy. Dean koontz born july 9th, 1945 in everett, pennsylvania is an american author best known for his suspense thrillers. What similar booksauthors would you recommend to me. The fictional novel tells the story of a chinese military lab that creates a new virus to. When i was growing up in a small town, there was nothing to do but read books. Beginning in 1968, his career has spawned 80 standalone novels, 74 shortfiction stories, and four series of novels, selling over 450 million copies worldwide. His talisman and black house, both coauthored with stephen king, are great pieces of edgefiction. November 3, 2015 a collection of short fiction stories from stephen king that all have thrilling connections between them. Theres no one just like king, but taste a different author for a flavor of kings. The library of congress confirms that gerda ann koontz deans wife holds the s to this book. Jul 22, 2008 robert mccammon has a lot of material that is similar to stephen king dean koontz his best work in my opinion is swan song, a postapocolyptic novel that is similar to the stand in several respects.
Are there any authors that are similar to dean koontz. In an interview with usa weekend while promoting his new book, stephen king goes to the movies, the bestselling novelist said meyer cant hold a candle to j. In elementary school, i really wanted to read stephen kings the stand. Richard laymon and bentley little have already been suggested to me. Innocence and santas twin, by dean koontz of the authors frequently mentioned in the same breath as king, koontz has always made the most sense to me. A dean koontz book from 1981 predicted coronavirus in. Here is the list of the 14 authors who made it onto this weird hybrid list of the best horror authors, along with the number of resources that had listed that particular author. A collection of short fiction stories from stephen king that all have thrilling connections between.
Dean koontz is a prolific american writer of fictional thrillerhorror novels. If asked to name the bestselling authors of all time, youd probably cite j. Way back in 1988 i did a phone interview with dean koontz for a story i was writing on the film adaptation of his novel watchers for fangoria magazine watchers was an awesome bookespecially if you like golden retrieversbut the movie, starring corey haim, turned out to be a piece of doggie doo. Stephen edwin king was born in portland, maine in 1947, the second son of donald and nellie ruth pillsbury king. His stories often focus on the battle between good and evil, and his characters are placed against nearly impossible odds from which they emerge victorious. I am a huge fan of stephen king but i also enjoy michael crichton, dean koontz, and john grisham. May 16, 2018 here is the list of the 14 authors who made it onto this weird hybrid list of the best horror authors, along with the number of resources that had listed that particular author. At the beginning of stephen kings career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per. He was hardly an overnight success, but his long list of works is evidence of his popularity and longevity. From 1965, dean started off with scifi and short fictions before. Books by dean koontz authors like dean koontz what. Dec 21, 2017 if asked to name the bestselling authors of all time, youd probably cite j.
Both dean koontz and stephen king were huge influences on me. Stephen king is truly a legend of the horror genre. Talking about the craft of writing, koontz looks into the creation of his novel the silent corner. He has written four series of novels, more than 80 standalone novels, and 74 works of short fiction. Dean koontz s novels have been described as an author who refuses to be slotted in any single genre, combining suspense, horror and fantasy. Are there any authors that are similar to dean koontz other. Some names you know very well, but other names will surprise you. An alternative might be for you to examine some of the more classical works of literature in the horror genre. One name you might not think ofthough hes one of the most popular authors of the past several decades, with as many as 400 million books sold.
What to read if you like stephen king booksnewinbooks. Jan 10, 2007 are there any authors that are similar to dean koontz other than stephen king. Are there any authors that are similar to dean koontz other than stephen king. Dean koontz and stephen king are both wellknown authors of horrorsuspense novels and employ elements of the macabre, but this is mainly where their similarities end. Dean koontz going viral amid theories 1981 novel predicted. Authors similar to dean koontz meet your next favorite book.
If you like a nightmarish read of psychological suspense. On his thirtysixth birthday, travis cornell hikes into the foothills of the santa ana mountains. Other family members provided a small house in durham and financial support. More than one author wrote under the brian coffey name. The 16 best dean koontz books every fan should read reedsy. I really enjoy dean koontzs books, especially ones like intensity as i prefer less supernatural elements though his others are good too. Kings own mother said to him once as recounted in several king biographies if you have nothing good to say then dont say anything. Mar 19, 2016 by steve newton way back in 1988 i did a phone interview with dean koontz for a story i was writing on the film adaptation of his novel watchers for fangoria magazine.
If you like dean koontz dean koontzs novels have been described as an author who refuses to be slotted in any single genre, combining suspense, horror and fantasy. Help us improve our author pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new. In time, many of his novels were released as bigscreen movies. Dean koontz has since disavowed and otherwise denied having ever written the other such books besides this book which was published under his own name and the leonard chris book hung, but the evidence is undisputable. Robert mccammon has a lot of material that is similar to stephen king dean koontz his best work in my opinion is swan song, a postapocolyptic novel that is similar to the stand in several respects. R dwyer, leonard chris, deanna dwyer, david axton, owen west, aaron wolfe and richard paige. Authors similar to stephen king, books, 33 replies dean koontzs dark rivers of the heart question, books, 2 replies odd thomas by dean koontz, books, 7 replies. Readalikes are suggestions for readers who enjoy the works of a particular author and would like to have recommendations of other authors that write in a similar style or genre. Here is a complete list of dean koontz movies by year. A1 book from the master it is without a doubt another excellent book by dean koontz. Koontz fans who have found an author that is a bit similar but maybe. Dean koontzs novels have been described as an author who refuses to be.
He has been the inspiration for, and in many ways a mentor to, dozens of horror authors. My mother, hooked on king since the dark tower series, stopped me until i turned 11 she says 12. A dean koontz book from 1981 predicted coronavirus in bizarre. Feb 05, 2009 he said some very kind things about my man king in his book how to write bestselling fiction dean koontz circa 1982 or so by wd books. Both men are so prolific that theyve published under pseudonyms to bypass publisher restrictions. Her work has appeared regularly in the orlando sentinel. Dean koontz ed gorman brian lumley chelsea quinn yarbro brian keene ellen datlow jonathan maberry lawrence wattevans. Here are eight authors, similar to stephen king in their likes and works, whose books you can.
Dean koontz went from being the quintessential struggling writer to dominating the suspense thriller genre with works in the fields of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery. Please dont suggest robert mccammon, as my library only carries one of his books. I prefer stephen king because his writing appeals to me more than koontzs and ive been reading stephen king since i was a teenager. Good horror authors who arent stephen king or dean koontz. Books by dean koontz authors like dean koontz what should. If i like to read stephen king and dean koontz, what other. Sir william gerald golding was a british novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his 1954 novel lord of the flies. A totally definitive list of the best horror authors of all. Dean is married to his wife gerda, and lives in southern california with their golden retriever.
Dean koontz film adaptations 1977 the passengers aka the intruder 1979 video release this was adapted from the novel shattered, which koontz wrote under the name of k. Many have cited her as an influence, from dean koontz to stephen king, making her literary legacy an important one. Watchers was an awesome bookespecially if you like golden retrieversbut the movie, starring corey haim, turned out to be a piece of doggie. He has spawned dozens of books in his real name and under aliases such as brian coffey, leigh nichols, k.
I loved dean koontz books back when i was in junior high school 15 years ago. Stephen coonts also served as a professional editor. Orson bean, who died last week in a tragic accident, was kind, charming, whip smart, and wonderfully witty, but what i found most. The best horror authors are stephen king, dean koontz, anne rice, mylo carbia, ramsey campbell, clive barker and jonathan maberry to name a few. Strangers, phantoms, the bad place, cold fire, watchers terrible movie made from the book, winter moon, hideaway another poor movie made from his book, the house of thunder, and intensity finally a decent movie made from his work. I have read everything by stephen king, john saul, and peter straub and am looking for a few new authors.
Writer and filmmaker, michael crichton oct 23, 1942 nov 4, 2008, best known as the author of jurassic park and the creator of er, was born in chicago and grew up on long island, new york. In elementary school, i really wanted to read stephen kings the stand, a contemporary, tolkienian good n evil story with sexual content and a page count north of 1,000. Rowling, agatha christie, stephen king, and james pattersoneven william shakespeare if youre feeling fancy. Book recommendations for people who like intensity by dean koontz. If i like to read stephen king and dean koontz, what other authors. King found work in the kitchens of pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged. Stephen king 5 dean koontz 5 clive barker 4 peter straub 4 bram stoker 4 mary wollstonecraft shelley 4. Koontz, and fans of both authors rip at each others throats whenever possible. Aug 26, 2008 similar authors to dean koontz, stephen king, etc. Ive tried bentley little and didnt much care for him. To have the ability along with such a marvellous mind is incredible. Soon, however, i realized they were mostly repetitive trash. After his parents separated when stephen was a toddler, he and. He has been publishing horror novels steadily since the release of carrie in 1974, alongside countless shorts stores and novellas, and at this point it is impossible to imagine the modern horror genre with out him.
1156 1570 353 1553 470 16 729 894 588 1268 94 1035 614 421 1297 996 869 141 987 535 1020 642 76 705 330 265 1311 600 92 121 314 1369 194 860 907 1176