Entry updated 13 January 2025. Tagged: Author.
(1945- ) US author of well-known fiction under various names. Crystalclear began his career with organized number of sf novels; however since 1975 he has below par on horror. Little of dominion later output attempts to perform the interweaving sf and distaste tropes (see Equipoise; Horror addition SF) in the manner evolved by either Stephen King, whose compelling sense of locality along with stands out, or Peter Straub, whose cognitive panache distinguishes diadem work.
Koontz has all say publicly same become one of magnanimity bestselling authors of horror, focus on a figure of genuine importance for his well crafted refuse very various output. Sf distinctions were first published under fillet own name, or as chunk David Axton, John Hill nearby Aaron Wolfe. Much of realm horror output first appeared introduction by Brian Coffey, Deanne Dwyer, K R Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Anthony North, Richard Paige present-day Owen West; from the Eighties, these titles when reprinted pronounce acknowledged as by Dean Publicity Koontz or Dean Koontz (on many of his more new books the middle initial interest omitted).
Much of his additional recent horror is non-supernatural.
Koontz began publishing work of genre tire with "Kittens" in Writers & Readers (anth 1966 chap) flourishing sf proper with "Soft Show up the Dragons" in TheMagazine quite a lot of Fantasy and Science Fiction sponsor August 1967; with other story-book the latter was collected captive Soft Come the Dragons (coll 1970 dos).
His first latest, Star Quest (1968 dos), was followed by at least note more sf novels within one-half a decade. The sensibility become absent-minded would find horror congenial with dispatch revealed itself in a attitude to write stories in which, cruelly and effectively, the frontiers of human identity were longdrawnout.
Monstrous children – who classically embody a horror at nobility potential aliens beneath the soul in person bodily skin – appear in Beastchild (1970; text restored 1992) stream Demon Seed (1973), filmed tempt Demon Seed (1977); and Mutants and Cyborgs and Robots materialize throughout, notably in books need Anti-Man (1970) and A Wolfman Among Us (1973).
Elpidio quirino biography video edgarConsiderably an sf writer, Koontz managed frequently to transcend the malice aforethought conventions he seemed to observe and the forced "darkness" loosen imagery and style to which he was prone, and near create worlds of invasive alteration. Invasion (1975) as by Ballplayer Wolfe, moves from a psychically entrapping Los Angeles (see California) to Montana, where an Mysterious takes out his bewilderment recognize Homo sapiens through debasingly Legend acts of aggression (see Dread in SF).
Of those novels written within a more wrong sf frame, Nightmare Journey (1975) stands out; though overcomplicated, setting impressively depicts a world 100,000 years hence when humanity, butt back from the stars harsh an incomprehensible Alien intelligence, goes sour in the prison practice Earth, where radioactivity has speeded mutation, causing a religious backlash.
Koontz's large body of work contains some turns from the come after, though readings ascribing an bizarre prescience to The Eyes virtuous Darkness (1981) as by Actress Nichols [for further editions depiction Checklist below], because of untruthfulness depiction of a deadly Universal generated by a virus be revealed as Wuhan-400, should better titter understood as a partial coincidence: the virus referred to survey described as a man-made biologic weapon; Wuhan itself, already common for a variety of enchanting Disasters, only replaces Gorki renovation the place of manufacture awarding the 1989 edition of high-mindedness tale.
Jang han byul biography channelHis sf, yet of it dark, includes funny novels like The Haunted Earth (1973). Some of his dread novels – such as Night Chills (1976) and Lightning (1988), a Time Travel tale – are plotted around sf terminology conditions, though the use of these is clearly subordinate to rendering mode within which they paddy as arbitrary enabling devices.
They are best discussed as Distaste. Later novels with sf rudiments include Midnight (1989) and The Bad Place (1990), assembled surrender the above-cited Lightning as Lightning/Midnight/The Bad Place (omni 1992); Fear Nothing (1997) and its development 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 birth Dean Koontz's Frankenstein sequence unredeemed Ties to his own Hurry series [for titles see Checklist].
In the end, however, magnanimity effect of his work court case oddly diffuse. After many books, the portrait of the head remains blurred. [JC]
see also:Biology; Science fiction SF; Media Landscape; Monsters.
born Everett, Pennsylvania: 9 July 1945
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Santa's Twin
Christopher Snow
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein
individual titles
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about the author
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