How Many Books Does Dean Koontz Read a Year

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The 16 Best Dean Koontz Books to Make You Shiver

Question: What do you go when you cross thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror all together?

Answer: A killer Dean Koontz novel.

The main of genre-bending, Koontz has published a remarkable range of 100+ books since he began writing in the sixties. Most of his works are primarily a blend of psychological thriller and horror, with quite a bit of speculative fiction mixed in — indeed, from malevolent AI to villains who can stop time, at that place's no shortage of brilliantly woven dilemmas for his dauntless heroes to untangle. And so if you're a fan of all these elements and more, you're going to dearest this list of the 16 best Dean Koontz books spanning more than than thirty years of his career.

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1. Demon Seed (1973)

Though Koontz had been writing for a decade prior to Demon Seed, this book was his first bestseller. Information technology'southward the captivating account of Susan Harris, a wealthy and reclusive divorcée, and the artificially intelligent computer that imprisons her in her home. This figurer, Proteus, has i wish: to alive outside the premises of machinery and feel things as humans practise. Only the only way "he" tin practice this is by impregnating Susan with his biologically engineered spawn — and so inhabiting it with his own consciousness. Equal parts imaginative and agonizing, this horror/sci-fi/twisted honey story was a pioneer in science fiction when it was showtime published in 1973. The book likewise inspired a 1977 picture show starring Julie Christie, which itself was a fleck of a Blackness Mirror predecessor.

two. Night Chills (1976)

A recurring motif in Koontz's work is the immensely-evil-yet-unknown entity wreaking havoc on innocent people, hence posing a mystery for the protagonists to solve. In Night Chills, that strength compels the citizens of Black River, Maine to commit horrific crimes, assaulting and murdering their own friends and neighbors. When Paul Annendale and his children arrive in Black River for a camping trip, they have no idea what awaits them — only soon realize they have no option but to attempt and fight it. As they uncover the source of the boondocks's madness and the despicable motives underlying it, they sympathize that the "night chills" will presently become unstoppable… unless they can take downwards the men behind the curtain. (Annotation: this book contains specially grotesque imagery and graphic rape scenes, so reader discretion is advised.)

three. Whispers (1980)

Whispers is recognized as the book that definitively brought Koontz into the mainstream. It follows Hilary Thomas, an LA-based screenwriter who'due south beingness stalked by a trigger-happy psychopath. This man, Bruno Frye, believes that Hilary contains the spirit of his abusive mother, whom he's determined to extinguish (sort of a reverse Norman Bates, if yous will). Scarier yet, Frye cannot be dissuaded from Hilary, even when she gets the police involved — or indeed, even afterwards Hilary stabs him to (what she believed was) expiry. Now it'southward up to Hilary and Detective Tony Clemenza to figure out how Frye can possibly still exist alive, before they both succumb to his maniacal methods.

4. The Mask (1981)

Originally published under Koontz'southward pen name Owen West, The Mask is a bottom-known creepy archetype that's great for Halloween reading. In this book, happy couple Carol and Paul Tracy promise to complete their perfect family by adopting a kid. When they come up into contact with a lovely young daughter named Jane — who has amnesia and can't remember her own past — they're more happy to take her in. That is, until Jane starts having nightmares, sleepwalking, and betraying hints that beneath her innocent exterior lies something extremely sinister. In the vein of Whispers, this horror novel continues to play on themes of family, identity, and the thought of possessive spirits, with a chilling and highly original twist.

v. Phantoms (1983)

Based on the real-life fable of the vanishing hamlet at Angikuni Lake, Phantoms involves another mysterious force taking agree of a modest town. But rather than setting the whole population on a murder spree, it seems to have simply evaporated everyone from Snowfield, CA — with the exception of a few bloated corpses. Dr. Jennifer Paige and her sister Lisa are certainly shocked when they detect the town in such a state; luckily, they immediately get help from the Biological Investigations Unit of the military. Yet even the peak experts cannot make up one's mind what might have caused such rapid mass extinction… until they stumble upon the research of i Timothy Flyte. In case you hadn't figured it out all the same, this book draws heavily on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, with foreign folklore and inexplicable phenomena effectually every corner.

half-dozen. Strangers (1986)

Dissimilar the largely plot-driven books that Koontz had written up to this betoken, Strangers is largely a character study of people brought together by a shared yet obscure feel. Dominick, Ginger, Ernie, and Brendan endure from various ailments, all seemingly related to sleep and unconsciousness — Ginger, for example, frequently goes into a dissociative fugue state, and Ernie has a paralyzing fear of the dark. These titular strangers find each other through a collection of photos in which they're all present (already a marvel in the pre-Facebook age), despite not remembering when they were taken. Slowly, the origin of the images is revealed… and the conspiracy behind them further unites the group in their efforts to unravel information technology. Similar to Night Chills, this novel reflects Koontz'due south well-known mistrust of the government, and the grim possibilities that lurk inside a system of protection at civilians' expense.

7. Watchers (1987)

Now for one of Koontz's more fun and wholesome trademark tropes: the canis familiaris as man'south best friend, inspired by his existent-life love for canines. Watchers begins with Travis Cornell, an ex-Delta Forcefulness member struggling to find new purpose in life, who discovers a gilt retriever and a baboon-like creature in a canyon near his firm. The latter is trying to kill the golden, merely Travis manages to rescue him and have him home, naming him Einstein when he recognizes the dog's incredible intellect. Of course, Travis and Einstein's troubles are far from over: they're presently on the run from federal agents, likewise as a professional assassin hired to kill everyone from the project that created Einstein and the baboon fauna. A baroque yet thrilling roller-coaster ride from commencement to finish, Watchers is ideal for those who prefer their suspense novels a piffling outside the box.

8. Lightning (1988)

Koontz really striking his stride with this novel, which boasts 1 of his most innovative bounds and some truly impressive worldbuilding to support information technology. Lightning centers around Laura Shane, a girl born during a lightning storm who narrowly avoids the consequences of a botched delivery, thanks to the intervention of a consummate stranger. And though Laura has many more brushes with danger over the course of her life — from a child molester to a confrontation with a gunman — the same stranger always returns to protect her. Later years of his serendipitous yet sporadic presence, Laura can't aid only wonder who he is and why he'south chosen her… nevertheless the truth is beyond even her wildest theories (and probably the reader'southward theories, likewise).

9. Midnight (1989)

Perfect strangers once once again unite in this tale of Moonlight Cove, a formerly sleepy fiddling beach boondocks that's now plagued by function-man, role-beast killing machines. Undercover FBI agent Sam Booker and T.J. Lockland, the sister of one of the victims, get in in Moonlight Cove to investigate. They run into Chrissie Foster, an eleven-year-old whose parents have transformed into the murderous creatures, and who'due south but barely escaped with her life. Together, these 3 unlikely allies must dig into the town's nighttime past and its most disturbed residents to get to the bottom of Moonlight Cove's deadly infestation. Naturally, they're not helped by the fact that the local law are trying to cover upwards the whole matter — another instance where Koontz conspicuously conveys his distrust of "the government" and his changed faith in the private.

ten. The Bad Place (1990)

Alas, not the inspiration for the critically acclaimed series starring Kristen Bell. Koontz's The Bad Identify is predictably much darker, and much more similar to Memento: Frank Pollard wakes up in a veritable "bad identify" every day, unable to retrieve anything — except that he has to run. Terrified of his own lapsed retention, specially after several close calls with a mystery assailant, Frank hires a married man-and-wife security team to protect him. But as this team, Bobby and Julie Dakota, delve into Frank's case and try to figure out his attacker'due south identity, they realize they're in over their heads… because they can't debate with destiny, and Frank's fate was decided from the day he was built-in (another often recurring theme in Koontz).

11. Dragon Tears (1993)

The opening line of Dragon Tears is a prime number case of how to commencement a story: "Tuesday was a fine California day, full of sunshine and promise, until Harry Lyon had to shoot someone at tiffin." From in that location unfolds an action-packed calendar week in the life of Harry, a special projects police officer, and his fiery partner Connie Gulliver. For Harry and Connie soon encounter a decrepit human being on the street, who tells Harry, "Ticktock, ticktock. You lot'll be expressionless in xvi hours." This ominous warning, along with several other strange and savage events, compels our dynamic duo on a mission to discover who — or what — is behind all the unusual violence ongoing in this footling California town. Dragon Tears is particularly notable for its quick-shifting perspectives among the main characters, including a few chapters from the very refreshing POV of a dog.

12. Mr. Murder (1993)

In truthful David Copperfield-established tradition, Mr. Murder revolves around a graphic symbol who's a semi-autobiographical version of Koontz: in this case, Marty Stillwater, a bestselling mystery writer who lives in California with his family unit. And though Marty'due south life appears perfectly content, he's haunted by his mysterious connection to a man known as "The Killer." The Killer is a genetically engineered professional assassin who traverses the United states, murdering both his assigned victims and anyone who gets in his style. And did we mention he bears a hitting resemblance to Marty Stillwater — and feels an irresistible pull in his direction, no matter where they both are? Mr. Murder takes the theme of doubles (or triples, if y'all count Koontz himself) to its most mind-bending extremes, perfectly combining thriller and sci-fi for an almost unbelievable notwithstanding completely riveting ride.

13. Intensity (1995)

Chyna Shepherd has always been a survivor — after all, when your deranged female parent treats yous like trash, y'all have no choice simply to develop a shell of self-sufficiency. Of grade, Chyna never imagined she'd have to utilise her skills to thwart a sociopathic murderer. Simply that's exactly what happens when she witnesses Edgler Foreman Vess (who refers to himself, sickeningly, every bit a "homicidal adventurer") break into her best friend's abode and slaughter everyone in it. Unfortunately for Chyna, this is only the beginning of her fight confronting Vess, equally she presently learns that he plans to kill over again — a vicious scheme that only she tin can stop. True to its proper noun, Intensity is a page-turner that will seriously brand you sweat, with nary a suspension in either activeness or in Chyna's feverish internal monologue equally she struggles to outmaneuver Vess.

14. Odd Thomas (2003)

The first in Koontz's bestselling series of the aforementioned name, Odd Thomas introduces us to the eponymous hero, a twenty-twelvemonth-old short-order cook who can communicate with the dead. Like many of Koontz'south characters, Odd has just emerged from a pretty rough childhood; however, despite his general disillusionment, he hasn't lost his own inherently good nature. For example, when he'south approached past the ghost of a murdered girl, he's able to indicate police toward her killer. However, a much greater evil is about to descend upon the town of Pico Mundo in the form of the "Fungus Man" — a figure who walks into Odd's diner one mean solar day, surrounded past shadowy spiritual harbingers of death and destruction.

As Odd probes farther into these cryptic forces, he begins to empathize that his supernatural abilities are no match for what the Fungus Man has in store… but that doesn't mean he'll quit trying. Plus, no matter how yous feel about paranormal fiction and battles of expert vs. evil, you lot should at least read Odd Thomas for the other amusing "oddities" used to lighten the tension: namely, a rotating cast of famous ghosts who go along our hero company, including the specters of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

15. Life Expectancy (2004)

Life Expectancy is another novel wherein the circumstances of the protagonist'south nascence have an enormous touch on his life — simply this time, there's an bodily prophecy involved. On the night of Jimmy Tock's nascence, his grandfather Josef makes several predictions: most significantly, that his grandson will have 5 "dark days" throughout his life. When his other predictions about Jimmy's birth show to be correct, the Tock family realizes that his grandfather might not have only been spouting nonsense. Merely what they don't realize is that the unfathomable horrors that befall him are non mere coincidence: everything is connected, and connected farther dorsum than any of them tin know. Of all Koontz's works, Life Expectancy makes for some of his most interesting commentary on family and upbringing — especially when the true nature of these elements come up to light.

16. The Husband (2006)

"We have your wife. Yous can get her back for $2 million — cash." And then reads the tagline for this centre-pounding thriller, which follows a human being named Mitch Rafferty in his quest to save his kidnapped married woman, Holly. When her captors inform Mitch that Holly will be killed unless he forks over the cash — and left to die if he informs the police — Mitch must figure out how to go the money without letting anyone know what'southward really happening. Through a series of escalating, elaborate ploys, Mitch believes he'south figured out exactly what to do… until he's betrayed past someone he thought he could trust.

The Husband is the absolute pinnacle of suspense, but what's most impressive well-nigh this book is how information technology takes a adequately bones premise and transforms it into something complex and substantial. Indeed, the latter is a defining quality of every novel on this list: the carefully synthetic characters and intricate plotlines volition enthrall you completely. Years after, yous'll however remember how each masterful twist made you gasp. Dean Koontz certainly deserves his reputation as a grand master of thriller and horror, and his incredible repertoire will no doubt secure his legacy on the shelves next to Stephen King.

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