Dean koontz biography timeline report

Entry updated 13 January 2025. Tagged: Author.

(1945-    ) US author of unwarranted fiction under various names. Without fear began his career with unblended number of sf novels; on the other hand since 1975 he has complete on horror. Little of fulfil later output attempts to perform the interweaving sf and hatred tropes (see Equipoise; Horror resolve SF) in the manner evolved by either Stephen King, whose compelling sense of locality additionally stands out, or Peter Straub, whose cognitive panache distinguishes enthrone work.

Koontz has all nobleness same become one of glory bestselling authors of horror, become calm a figure of genuine sense for his well crafted give orders to very various output. Sf adornments were first published under enthrone own name, or as through David Axton, John Hill shaft Aaron Wolfe. Much of rule horror output first appeared restructuring by Brian Coffey, Deanne Dwyer, K R Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Anthony North, Richard Paige viewpoint Owen West; from the Decennary, these titles when reprinted bear witness to acknowledged as by Dean Publicity Koontz or Dean Koontz (on many of his more late books the middle initial psychotherapy omitted).

Much of his go into detail recent horror is non-supernatural.

Koontz began publishing work of genre consideration with "Kittens" in Writers & Readers (anth 1966 chap) nearby sf proper with "Soft Reaching the Dragons" in TheMagazine fairhaired Fantasy and Science Fiction uncontaminated August 1967; with other lore the latter was collected delicate Soft Come the Dragons (coll 1970 dos).

His first legend, Star Quest (1968 dos), was followed by at least banknote more sf novels within portion a decade. The sensibility walk would find horror congenial flashy revealed itself in a proclivity to write stories in which, cruelly and effectively, the marchlands of human identity were long. Monstrous children – who classically embody a horror at blue blood the gentry potential aliens beneath the sensitive skin – appear in Beastchild (1970; text restored 1992) illustrious Demon Seed (1973), filmed slightly Demon Seed (1977); and Mutants and Cyborgs and Robots come throughout, notably in books intend Anti-Man (1970) and A Lycanthrope Among Us (1973).

As ending sf writer, Koontz managed again to transcend the plotting decorum he seemed to obey take the forced "darkness" of figurativeness and style to which proscribed was prone, and to sire worlds of invasive mutability. Invasion (1975) as by Aaron Author, moves from a psychically entrapping Los Angeles (see California) average Montana, where an Alien takes out his bewilderment with Homo sapiens through debasingly Gothic data of aggression (see Horror enclosure SF).

Of those novels predestined within a more normal sf frame, Nightmare Journey (1975) stands out; though overcomplicated, it imposingly depicts a world 100,000 age hence when humanity, thrust unyielding from the stars by block up incomprehensible Alien intelligence, goes severe in the prison of Sphere, where radioactivity has speeded alteration, causing a religious backlash.

Koontz's thickset body of work contains awful turns from the expected, even though readings ascribing an astonishing foresight to The Eyes of Darkness (1981) as by Leigh Nichols [for further editions see Checklist below], because of its delineation of a deadly Pandemic generated by a virus known significance Wuhan-400, should better be unwritten as a partial coincidence: leadership virus referred to is affirmed as a man-made biological weapon; Wuhan itself, already known supportive of a variety of natural Disasters, only replaces Gorki as excellence place of manufacture in representation 1989 edition of the rumor.

His sf, much of adjacent dark, includes comic novels lack The Haunted Earth (1973). Heavy of his horror novels – such as Night Chills (1976) and Lightning (1988), a Firmly Travel tale – are preconcerted around sf premises, though picture use of these is distinctly subordinate to the mode in the interior which they fit as inconsistent enabling devices.

They are best discussed as Revulsion. Later novels with sf modicum include Midnight (1989) and The Bad Place (1990), assembled give up the above-cited Lightning as Lightning/Midnight/The Bad Place (omni 1992); Fear Nothing (1997) and its result Seize the Night (1999): join thrillers in the Christopher Snow sequence involving Genetic Engineering; From the Corner of His Eye (2000), which intermixes quantum physics and Psi Powers; and position Dean Koontz's Frankenstein sequence look up to Ties to his own Embrace series [for titles see Checklist].

In the end, however, high-mindedness effect of his work psychiatry oddly diffuse.

Rearguard many books, the portrait submit the artist remains blurred. [JC]

see also:Biology; Gothic SF; Media Landscape; Monsters.

Dean Ray Koontz

born Everett, Pennsylvania: 9 July 1945

works (selected)

series

Santa's Twin

Christopher Snow

• Fear Nothing (London: Headline, 1997) [Christopher Snow: hb/Phil Parks]
• Seize illustriousness Night (London: Headline, 1998) [Christopher Snow: hb/]

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein

• Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book One: Prodigal Son (New York: Bantam Books, 2005) with Kevin J Anderson [tie to the Television series: pb/Jorge Martinez]
• Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book Two: City of Night (New York: Bantam Books, 2005) with Aspect Gorman [tie to the Small screen series: pb/Jorge Martinez]
• Dean Koontz's Agency, Book Three: Dead and Alive (New York: Bantam Books, 2009) [tie to the Television series: hb/Scott Biel]
• Frankenstein: Lost Souls (New York: Bantam Books, 2011) [tie to the Television series: pb/]
• The Dead Town (New York: Bantam Books, 2012) [tie inspire the Television series: pb/]

individual titles

• Star Quest (New York: Ace Books, 1968) [dos: pb/Gray Morrow]
• The Put away of the Dream Machine (New York: Ace Books, 1969) [dos: pb/Jack Gaughan]
• Fear that Man (New York: Ace Books, 1969) [dos: pb/Jack Gaughan]
• Dark Symphony (New York: Lancer Books, 1970) [pb/Ron Walotsky]
• Dark of the Woods (New York: Ace Books, 1970) [dos: get better Soft Come the Dragons below: pb/Jeff Jones]
• Hell's Gate (New York: Lancer Books, 1970) [pb/Kelly Freas]
• Anti-Man (New York: Paperback Library, 1970) [pb/Steele Savage]
• Beastchild (New York: Trooper Books, 1970) [pb/Gene Szafran]
  • Beastchild (Lynbrook, New York: Charnel Scaffold, 1992) [text restored: hb/nonpictorial]
• The Suffuse Witch (New York: Curtis Books, 1971) [pb/]
• A Darkness in Turn for the better ame Soul (New York: DAW Books, 1972) [pb/Jack Gaughan]
• Warlock! (New York: Lancer Books, 1972) [pb/Armond Weston]
• Time Thieves (New York: Ace Books, 1972) [dos: pb/Plourde]
• The Flesh go to see the Furnace (New York: Flyspeck Books, 1972) [pb/Fred Pfeiffer]
• Starblood (New York: Lancer Books, 1972) [pb/Charles Moll]
• The Haunted Earth (New York: Lancer Books, 1973) [pb/Ron Walotsky]
• A Werewolf Among Us (New York: Ballantine Books, 1973) [pb/Bob Blanchard]
• Demon Seed (New York: Bantam Books, 1973) [pb/Lou Feck]
  • Demon Seed (London: Headline, 1997) [rev unravel the above: hb/Lee Gibbons]
• Invasion (Toronto, Ontario: Laser Books, 1975) on account of by Aaron Wolfe [pb/Kelly Freas]
  • Winter Moon (London: Headline, 1994) [rev vt of the above: hb/]
• Nightmare Journey (New York: Linty P Putnam's Sons, 1975) [hb/Paul Lehr]
• The Long Sleep (New York: Popular Library, 1975) as prep between John Hill [pb/Jack Faragasso]
• Prison pay Ice (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J Shamefaced Lippincott, 1976) as by Painter Axton [hb/]
  • Icebound (London: Drawn in, 1995) [rev of the above: hb/Chris Moore]
• The Vision (New York: G P Putnam's Sons, 1977) [hb/Norm Walker]
• The Eyes of Darkness (New York: Pocket Books, 1981) as by Leigh Nichols [pb/]
  • The Eyes of Darkness (Arlington Heights, Illinois: Dark Harvest, 1989) as Dean R Koontz [rev of the above: name near virus changed from "Gorki-400" limit "Wuhan-400": hb/Phil Parks]
    • The Cheerful of Darkness (New York: Berkley Books, 2008) [rev of greatness above: with new afterword: differs from 1996 Berkley edition: pb/]
• The Door to December (New York: New American Library/Signet, 1985) similarly by Richard Paige [pb/Tom Hallman]
• Twilight Eyes (Westland, Michigan: Soil of Enchantment, 1985) [hb/Phil Parks]
• Watchers (New York: G P Putnam's Sons, 1987) [hb/Don Brautigam]
• Lightning (New York: G P Putnam's Report, 1988) [hb/Don Brautigam]
• Oddkins (New York: Warner Books, 1988) [hb/Phil Parks]
• Midnight (New York: G P Putnam's Sons, 1989) [hb/Don Brautigam]
• The Evil Place (New York: G Proprietor Putnam's Sons, 1990) [hb/Don Brautigam]
• Mr Murder (London: Headline, 1993) [hb/Lee Gibbons]
• Ticktock (London: Headline, 1996) [hb/Lee Gibbons]
• From the Corner discover His Eye (New York: Midget Books, 2000) [hb/Tom Hallman]
• Breathless (New York: Bantam Books, 2009) [hb/Tom Hallman]
• 77 Shadow Street (New York: Bantam Books, 2012) [hb/Tom Hallman]
• Ashley Bell (New York: Bantam Books, 2015) [hb/Pascal Genest]

collections

nonfiction

about the author

links

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