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The following biography
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Free Encyclopedia.
Dean Ray Koontz (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 (Koontz's father served
time in prison for trying to murder him). Despite his traumatic
childhood, Koontz put himself through Shippensburg University (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.
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, and Richard Paige. Currently some of
those novels are sold under Koontz's real name.
Koontz's breakthrough novel was Whispers
(1980). Several of his books have reached #1 on the New York Times
bestseller list.
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' 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 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).
Koontz has long been a fan of Art Bell's
radio program. He appeared as a guest after a fan reported to Bell that
one of Koontz' novels featured a character describing a paranormal event
as an "Art Bell moment."
Koontz currently resides in Southern
California (where most of his novels are set) with his wife Gerda and
their dog Trixie Koontz, under whose name he published the book, Life is
Good: Lessons in Joyful Living, in 2004. Trixie is also often referenced
in his official newsletter "Useless News".
Dogs often figure heavily in Koontz's
novels, as he is an avid dog lover. 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.
Trivia
in Stephen King's It, the character of
"John Koontz", the sadistic guard at Juniper Hill who was killed by
Pennywise, was named for King's rival author. Oddly enough, a major
character in Koontz's Life Expectancy, written roughly two decades
later, is a psychopathic, murderous clown.
Bibliography
Novels
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book Three
(Summer 2006)
Forever Odd (November 29, 2005)
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book Two: City
of Night w/ Ed Gorman (July 26, 2005)
Velocity (May 24, 2005)
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book One:
Prodigal Son w/ Kevin J. Anderson (January 25, 2005)
Life Expectancy (December 7, 2004)
The Taking (May 25, 2004)
Odd Thomas (December 9, 2003)
The Face (May 27, 2003)
The Book of Counted Sorrows (2003)
By the Light of the Moon (December 24,
2002)
One Door Away from Heaven (US December 26,
2001)
From the Corner of His Eye (December 26,
2000)
False Memory (December 28, 1999)
Seize the Night (December 29, 1998)
Fear Nothing (January 14, 1998)
Sole Survivor (January 29, 1997)
Demon Seed (revised edition) (July, 1997)
Tick-Tock (October 1, 1996)
Intensity (1996)
Dark Rivers of the Heart (1994)
The Door to December (1994)
Dragon Tears (1993)
Mr. Murder (1993)
Trapped (1993, Graphic Novel)
The Funhouse (1992)
Hideaway (1992)
Cold Fire (1991)
The Bad Place (1990)
Shadowfires (1990)
The Eyes of Darkness (1989)
Midnight (1989)
Lightning (1988)
The Servants of Twilight (1988, as Leigh
Nichols)
The Voice of the Night (1988)
Shadowfires (1987, as Leigh Nichols)
Watchers (1987)
Strangers (1986)
The Door to December (1985, as Richard
Paige)
Twilight Eyes (1985)
Darkfall (1984)
Twilight (1984, as Leigh Nichols)
Phantoms (1983)
The House of Thunder (1982, as Leigh
Nichols)
The Eyes of Darkness (1981, as Leigh
Nichols)
The Mask (1981, as Owen West)
The Funhouse (1980, as Owen West)
The Voice of Night (1980, as Brian Coffey)
Whispers (1980)
The Key to Midnight (1979, as Leigh
Nichols)
The Face of Fear (1977, as Brian Coffey)
The Vision (1977)
Night Chills (1976)
Prison of Ice (1976, as David Axton),
reissued as Icebound (1995)
Dragonfly (1975, as K. R. Dwyer)
Invasion (1975, as Aaron Wolfe), reissued
as Winter Moon (1994)
The Long Sleep (1975, as John Hill)
Nightmare Journey (1975)
Wall of Masks (1975, as Brian Coffey)
After the Last Race (1974)
Surrounded (1974, as Brian Coffey)
Blood Risk (1973, as Brian Coffey)
Dance with the Devil (1973, as Deanna
Dwyer)
Demon Seed (1973)
Hanging On (1973)
The Haunted Earth (1973)
Shattered (1973, as K. R. Dwyer)
A Werewolf Among Us (1973)
Chase (1972, as K. R. Dwyer)
Children of the Storm (1972, as Deanna
Dwyer)
The Dark of Summer (1972, as Deanna Dwyer)
A Darkness in My Soul (1972)
Demon Child (1972, as Deanna Dwyer)
The Flesh in the Furnace (1972)
Starblood (1972)
Time Thieves (1972)
Warlock! (1972)
The Crimson Witch (1971)
Legacy of Terror (1971, as Deanna Dwyer)
Anti-Man (1970)
Beastchild (1970)
Dark of the Woods (1970)
Dark Symphony (1970)
Hell's Gate (1970)
The Fall of the Dream Machine (1969)
Fear That Man (1969)
Star Quest (1968)
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 & 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 {novel}" (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"
-
"Dํa 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
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein (2005 - Charnel
House 2006)
The Bad Place
Film & Television Adaptations
Not all of these films are approved of by
Mr. Koontz. Specifically Watchers II, Watchers III, Watchers Reborn, and
Haute Tension. Most of the rest of them he's just not happy with the
result.
Frankenstein (2004) - USA
Haute Tension / High Tension / Switchblade
Romance (2003)
Black River (2001) - USA
Sole Survivor (2000) Billy Zane
Phantoms (1998) Dimension Ben Affleck,
Peter O'Toole
Watchers Reborn (1998) New Horizon Mark
Hamill, Lisa Wilcox
Mr. Murder (1998) ABC Stephen Baldwin,
James Colburn
Intensity (1997) ABC John McGinley,
Piper Laurie
Hideaway (1995) Tristar Jeff Goldbloom,
Christine Lahti
Watchers III (1994) New Horizons Wings
Hauser, Lolita Ronalos
The Servants of Twilight (1992) Trimark
Bruce Greenwood, Belinda Bauer
The Face of Fear (1990) CBS Pam Dawber,
Lee Horsley
Whispers (1990) Cinepix Victoria Tennant,
Jean LeClere
Watchers II (1990) Concord Marc Singer,
Tracy Scroggins
Watchers (1988) Concord - Corey Haim,
Barbara Williams
The Funhouse (1981) [Movie first then book
Movie written by Larry Block] Universal Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper
Huckabee
The Intruder (circa 1979) - MGM -
Jean-Louis Trintignant (French film of Shattered)
Demon Seed (1977) - MGM - Julie Christie,
Fritz Weaver
CHiPs episode 306: Counterfeit (20 October
1979) as by Brian Coffey
Books about Dean Koontz
A Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz by
Michael Sauers (2006)
Dean Koontz: A Reader's Checklist and
Reference Guide (October 1, 1999)
Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography by
Katherine Ramsland (August 1, 1998)
Dean Koontz: A Critical Companion by Joan
G. Kotker (August 30, 1996)
The Dean Koontz Companion by Martin H.
Greenberg, Ed Gorman, Bill Munster (March 1, 1994)
Sudden Fear: The Horror and Dark Suspense
Fiction of Dean R. Koontz (Starmont Studies in Literary Criticism, # 24)
by Bill Munster (June 1, 1988)
Common Collecting Errors
These titles/authors are not Mr. 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
****
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