Friday, July 01, 2005
Friday Guilty Pleasures Blogging:
Dean Koontz
When I first met Mrs. FLJerseyBoy, almost 15 years ago, I imagined myself to be very well-read. I first read both James Thurber and Joseph Heller when I was 12 years old; I'd been through an obligatory adolescent science-fiction and fantasy phase; I was crazy (to a fault) about Thomas Pynchon, Robert Pirsig, and Hunter S. Thompson. I'd subscribed to the New Yorker (which I read cover-to-cover) since the mid-1970s. And thanks to the influence of a younger sister, I'd read Stephen King, too -- not obsessively, true, but both The Shining and The Stand had rocked me.
The problem, as I had yet to learn, was that my reading had all been random. I didn't grow up in a "literary" family or circle. On the other hand, my parents encouraged me to read, and they gave the local library permission to let me borrow books from the "adult" section of the stacks when I was still in elementary school. So I'd wander the aisles (much as I do still, sometimes, on the Web) and pick out titles that sounded interesting, or whose authors I'd already come to appreciate. Except for reading prescribed in high-school and college English course, I was virtually insulated from anyone else's literary tastes.
Along came Mrs. FLJerseyBoy-to-be. As she did in many other areas, she pointed out to me how my reading had been weirdly circumscribed by my own insularity. For instance, she was appalled that -- although I had seen the film version -- I had never read To Kill a Mockingbird. (Like an idiot -- no, strike the "like" -- I imagined her advocacy of Harper Lee's classic to be a case of cute but misplaced Southern chauvinism.)
One of the very first books which she urged me to read, ideally as soon as possible, was Dean Koontz's Watchers. "You will love this book," she insisted. "Oh my God, the dog in this story..." And she'd stop, momentarily strangled by emotion.
I didn't read Watchers, or any other Koontz, until just a couple years ago. And you know what? I loved the book. And I wanna tell you, my God, the dog in that story...
In fact, that's the germ of a Dean Koontz Starter Kit -- the things you need to do if you want to undertake a Koontz reading blitz, and the subject of the rest of this post.
There isn't a brilliant, amazing dog in every Koontz novel. But if there is a dog, chances are it's more than a bystander. I haven't taken notes on species, but my sense is that a typical Dean Koontz dog is a yellow Lab or a golden retriever, or a mix of the two. It understands human speech and/or body language. The author's photo at the back of a DK book almost always includes such a dog.
If this sounds utterly stupid to you, you're probably not ready for Koontz. If you're just skeptical, try just one of his books. Watchers is a great place to start.
Even Koontz's villains, even the very most despicable of them, have endearing human traits. They're weak-minded, or they've had atrocious upbringings, or they're funny as hell, or...
Good or bad, his characters seldom strike false notes. This, believe me, is hard to achieve.
Whatever the category, you do know what this means, right? You'll encounter violence, very often psychological as well as physical. It also means you should not dive into Dean Koontz expecting to have a placid reading experience -- to be nudged along as you stroll around in his world. No, his books are propulsive; I'm a pretty fast reader, but starting and finishing a book in two-three days is highly unusual for me. Happens all the time with Koontz, though. And along the way I get, well, unnerved wouldn't be too strong a word -- many times.
On the other hand, they recognize the importance of staying connected to and supporting other people. (See previous point.)
Two things sometimes happen, though. The first is that the prose gets just a little too... purple for my tastes every now and then. He has a knack for writing eloquent descriptive passages. But he sometimes seems to get caught up in the lyricism of the moment and begins to wallow a bit.
The second thing that bugs me occasionally is that he can turn characters into mouthpieces for some bit of philosophy or another -- almost to the point where he's hitting you over the head. At such (rare) moments I want to yell, y'know, Okay already! I get the point! I know what you mean! I even agree with you! Just stop, please stop...!
So that's the reader's starter kit. As far as specific books go, some quick comments on a few of them I recommend:
The problem, as I had yet to learn, was that my reading had all been random. I didn't grow up in a "literary" family or circle. On the other hand, my parents encouraged me to read, and they gave the local library permission to let me borrow books from the "adult" section of the stacks when I was still in elementary school. So I'd wander the aisles (much as I do still, sometimes, on the Web) and pick out titles that sounded interesting, or whose authors I'd already come to appreciate. Except for reading prescribed in high-school and college English course, I was virtually insulated from anyone else's literary tastes.
Along came Mrs. FLJerseyBoy-to-be. As she did in many other areas, she pointed out to me how my reading had been weirdly circumscribed by my own insularity. For instance, she was appalled that -- although I had seen the film version -- I had never read To Kill a Mockingbird. (Like an idiot -- no, strike the "like" -- I imagined her advocacy of Harper Lee's classic to be a case of cute but misplaced Southern chauvinism.)
One of the very first books which she urged me to read, ideally as soon as possible, was Dean Koontz's Watchers. "You will love this book," she insisted. "Oh my God, the dog in this story..." And she'd stop, momentarily strangled by emotion.
I didn't read Watchers, or any other Koontz, until just a couple years ago. And you know what? I loved the book. And I wanna tell you, my God, the dog in that story...
In fact, that's the germ of a Dean Koontz Starter Kit -- the things you need to do if you want to undertake a Koontz reading blitz, and the subject of the rest of this post.
Like dogs.
No, wait, strike that. You must love dogs -- love them so much, or want to love them so much, or just be so open-minded, that you're prepared to believe they might actually prove to be the salvation of the human race.There isn't a brilliant, amazing dog in every Koontz novel. But if there is a dog, chances are it's more than a bystander. I haven't taken notes on species, but my sense is that a typical Dean Koontz dog is a yellow Lab or a golden retriever, or a mix of the two. It understands human speech and/or body language. The author's photo at the back of a DK book almost always includes such a dog.
If this sounds utterly stupid to you, you're probably not ready for Koontz. If you're just skeptical, try just one of his books. Watchers is a great place to start.
Like people.
It annoys some readers/reviewers that Koontz heroes and heroines tend to be really heroic. They endure privations you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy -- but through it all remain level-headed, if not always exactly serene.Even Koontz's villains, even the very most despicable of them, have endearing human traits. They're weak-minded, or they've had atrocious upbringings, or they're funny as hell, or...
Good or bad, his characters seldom strike false notes. This, believe me, is hard to achieve.
Be willing to be made uncomfortable.
Okay, so the guy nominally writes horror novels. (That, at least, is the section where you'll find his stuff in most bookstores.) While not every book has a supernatural element, they all could classify as thrillers.Whatever the category, you do know what this means, right? You'll encounter violence, very often psychological as well as physical. It also means you should not dive into Dean Koontz expecting to have a placid reading experience -- to be nudged along as you stroll around in his world. No, his books are propulsive; I'm a pretty fast reader, but starting and finishing a book in two-three days is highly unusual for me. Happens all the time with Koontz, though. And along the way I get, well, unnerved wouldn't be too strong a word -- many times.
Be willing to be moved.
If you're thinking of reading Koontz, presumably you've read -- or are considering -- Stephen King's work, too. I find one principal difference between the two (although I haven't read a lot of King): King can scare the crap out of me, and I'll greatly enjoy the experience; Koontz will do that, too, but I'll almost always tear up at some point. Can't. Help. It.Don't be too tight-assed a lefty.
Sometimes even Koontz's "good" characters get into difficult situations where they do things you or I could not possibly see ourselves doing. They have to use guns sometimes (although they often have second thoughts about it). They do not like government. I couldn't swear to this, but I believe more than one of them has complained bitterly about taxes.On the other hand, they recognize the importance of staying connected to and supporting other people. (See previous point.)
Forgive the author's rare self-indulgence.
Writing is hard work. Since the late 1960s, Koontz has written close to 100 novels, under his own name or various pseudonyms and sometimes (not often) with a co-author. The guy, no doubt, can just flat-out write.Two things sometimes happen, though. The first is that the prose gets just a little too... purple for my tastes every now and then. He has a knack for writing eloquent descriptive passages. But he sometimes seems to get caught up in the lyricism of the moment and begins to wallow a bit.
The second thing that bugs me occasionally is that he can turn characters into mouthpieces for some bit of philosophy or another -- almost to the point where he's hitting you over the head. At such (rare) moments I want to yell, y'know, Okay already! I get the point! I know what you mean! I even agree with you! Just stop, please stop...!
So that's the reader's starter kit. As far as specific books go, some quick comments on a few of them I recommend:
- Watchers: Four stars out of four. If you don't like this one, try another (he never really writes the same book twice, which is sometimes a problem with thriller writers). But a wonderful place to start for the uninitiated. (P.S. Do not watch the movie. I haven't seen it but it's (almost?) universally condemned as junk.)
- Midnight: Scared the bejeezus out of me.
- Intensity: Haven't read this one yet. But reports from both Mrs. FLJerseyBoy and the aforementioned younger sister are that the title is well-earned.
- Odd Thomas: Atypical, a little strange, but one of my favorites. The missus tells me that, according to Koontz, it has generated the most fan mail of any of his books. And although he planned it as a one-off, reader response was so great that he's written a followup (to be published this fall).
- Life Expectancy: You might think the "killer clown" idea has been wrung out by now. Heh. Read this one and see if you still think so. Also a very funny book.
- One Door Away from Heaven: Florid title, I know. (Sometimes his titles, too, are a little purple.) This one moved me quite a bit though.
- The Face: Energetic. Great kid as a central (practically the main) character.
- The Taking: Ultimately disappointed me (kind of a thud of an ending), but the whole setup was fascinating, and he had me pretty wound up through the bulk of the story. I think it includes some of his best writing.
