Rating: Summary: Excellent short stories and novellas. Review: If you liked those anthologies of four novellas that Stephen King
puts out (Four Past Midnight and Different Seasons) then you will like this. Two complete novellas, "Chase" and "Strange Highways" are supplemented by some very scary, amusing and moving short stories.
Rating: Summary: Classic Koontz! Review: If you've ever read any of my reviews on Koontz titles in the past, you know how big a fan I am. This time is no different. I found a hardback copy of Strange Highways in a local used bookstore and pounced on it immediately. What an awesome collection! There really is something here for every fan of Koontz, whether you like his creepy supernatural stuff, the tense psychological suspense, or some of his more science fiction pieces, you won't be disappointed. "Trapped" is one of my favorites, mainly because Whispers tops my list of favorite books and the subject matter is very similar (he discusses this at the end of the book). "Miss Atilla the Hun" is another favorite, as well as the title novel. And who couldn't love "Bruno"? Whethere you're new to Koontz's work, or an old fan like me, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Strange Highways for yourself. You're sure to be taken on a lively ride that's definitely worth the price of admission.
Rating: Summary: An "Outstanding" collection! Review: Intoxicating tales of terror, love, horror, and true suspence. A definate Masterpiece!
Rating: Summary: evil, murder, monsters, and a little romance Review: Koontz has done it again. His stories are ablt to send you running for the streets if not send you into pschic shock from the stories becoming too real for you. He puts you on the edge of your seat and throws you back. Koontz is able to write to and for hi audiance and also for people who have never read him before. He knows what the people need and how to get every aspecxt of fiction into one story. He has the evil incarnate, monsters with pumkin heads, aliens from space, men from parallel universeses, and even romance. Koontz's stories and novels are by far more outstanding than 98% of all other authors. He gives stephen King a run for his money. If you like King you will love Koontz.
Rating: Summary: evil, murder, monsters, and a little romance Review: Koontz has done it again. His stories are ablt to send you running for the streets if not send you into pschic shock from the stories becoming too real for you. He puts you on the edge of your seat and throws you back. Koontz is able to write to and for hi audiance and also for people who have never read him before. He knows what the people need and how to get every aspecxt of fiction into one story. He has the evil incarnate, monsters with pumkin heads, aliens from space, men from parallel universeses, and even romance. Koontz's stories and novels are by far more outstanding than 98% of all other authors. He gives stephen King a run for his money. If you like King you will love Koontz.
Rating: Summary: This guy needs a creative writing class Review: Koontz is far better at developing novel-length stories than short fiction. (Stephen King, by contrast, is the exact opposite.) For the revised reprint of "Chase," alone, though, it's worth the price of the book.The title novel/novella in the book is uneven, suffering from an excess of unexplained fantasy elements, which has plagued several of the author's more recent pieces. It is, however, well-written and enjoyable. The rest are much more of a grab-bag. Most of Koontz's short stories aren't all that memorable. There are exceptions. His first sale, "Kittens," is among its pages, and is much better than the author gives it credit for. "Down in the Darkness" is eerily atmospheric and unsettling. "Miss Attilla the Hun" displays Koontz's ability to wed humor with suspense, and is quite enjoyable, and "Bruno" is simply a comic delight. Two of the pieces I would much have preferred to read as novels, and I'm sorry Koontz didn't develop them to that extent: "Hardshell" and "Trapped." The former is a most unusual cops-and-robbers story, the latter one of Koontz's monster-out-of-the-lab offerings.
Rating: Summary: Longer Isn't Better, But... Review: Koontz is far better at developing novel-length stories than short fiction. (Stephen King, by contrast, is the exact opposite.) For the revised reprint of "Chase," alone, though, it's worth the price of the book. The title novel/novella in the book is uneven, suffering from an excess of unexplained fantasy elements, which has plagued several of the author's more recent pieces. It is, however, well-written and enjoyable. The rest are much more of a grab-bag. Most of Koontz's short stories aren't all that memorable. There are exceptions. His first sale, "Kittens," is among its pages, and is much better than the author gives it credit for. "Down in the Darkness" is eerily atmospheric and unsettling. "Miss Attilla the Hun" displays Koontz's ability to wed humor with suspense, and is quite enjoyable, and "Bruno" is simply a comic delight. Two of the pieces I would much have preferred to read as novels, and I'm sorry Koontz didn't develop them to that extent: "Hardshell" and "Trapped." The former is a most unusual cops-and-robbers story, the latter one of Koontz's monster-out-of-the-lab offerings.
Rating: Summary: Longer Isn't Better, But... Review: Koontz is far better at developing novel-length stories than short fiction. (Stephen King, by contrast, is the exact opposite.) For the revised reprint of "Chase," alone, though, it's worth the price of the book. The title novel/novella in the book is uneven, suffering from an excess of unexplained fantasy elements, which has plagued several of the author's more recent pieces. It is, however, well-written and enjoyable. The rest are much more of a grab-bag. Most of Koontz's short stories aren't all that memorable. There are exceptions. His first sale, "Kittens," is among its pages, and is much better than the author gives it credit for. "Down in the Darkness" is eerily atmospheric and unsettling. "Miss Attilla the Hun" displays Koontz's ability to wed humor with suspense, and is quite enjoyable, and "Bruno" is simply a comic delight. Two of the pieces I would much have preferred to read as novels, and I'm sorry Koontz didn't develop them to that extent: "Hardshell" and "Trapped." The former is a most unusual cops-and-robbers story, the latter one of Koontz's monster-out-of-the-lab offerings.
Rating: Summary: Koontz enters the realm of horror...and we love it! Review: Koontz isn't a horror novelist, even though he's been cast in that role. He's called the Master of SUSPENSE, and for a reason: his tales are downright suspenseful (the mold for other novelists) even if they usually don't use the element of horror. But in this collection, Dean Koontz delivers several short stories that contemplate and expertly acheive horror genre greatness. The title story (actually, it's a novel) is about a man who returns home...then is forced to face the demons of his past, who have come back to haunt him. "Kittens," Koontz's first published work of fiction, is about a little girl who decides to get revenge on her parents. "The Black Pumpkin," along similar lines, is about a little boy ostracized from his own family. "Miss Atilla the Hun," "We Three," and "The Night of the Storm" are brilliant sci-fi pieces (from Koontz's old days of writing science fiction), while "Trapped" follows a similar vein as Koontz's pinnacle novel "Watchers". "Bruno" is a flat-out hilarious sci-fi farse, while "Hardshell" (the first piece of fiction I read by Koontz) is about a cop hunting down a killer who is a little different. "Snatcher" is a journey into the macabre, while "Twilight of the Dawn" is a moving tale of a man's search for faith and guidance. "Strange Highways" is not so strange at all; it's great fiction by a masterful writer. Dean Koontz is without a doubt one of the best writers of all time. That statement may sound a little exaggerated, if you haven't read any of his work. If you read something by him, though, you'll know what I mean. Why not start here, with "Strange Highways"? It's diverse, and it shows you what this man can do--and do well.
Rating: Summary: Koontz enters the realm of horror...and we love it! Review: Koontz isn't a horror novelist, even though he's been cast in that role. He's called the Master of SUSPENSE, and for a reason: his tales are downright suspenseful (the mold for other novelists) even if they usually don't use the element of horror. But in this collection, Dean Koontz delivers several short stories that contemplate and expertly acheive horror genre greatness. The title story (actually, it's a novel) is about a man who returns home...then is forced to face the demons of his past, who have come back to haunt him. "Kittens," Koontz's first published work of fiction, is about a little girl who decides to get revenge on her parents. "The Black Pumpkin," along similar lines, is about a little boy ostracized from his own family. "Miss Atilla the Hun," "We Three," and "The Night of the Storm" are brilliant sci-fi pieces (from Koontz's old days of writing science fiction), while "Trapped" follows a similar vein as Koontz's pinnacle novel "Watchers". "Bruno" is a flat-out hilarious sci-fi farse, while "Hardshell" (the first piece of fiction I read by Koontz) is about a cop hunting down a killer who is a little different. "Snatcher" is a journey into the macabre, while "Twilight of the Dawn" is a moving tale of a man's search for faith and guidance. "Strange Highways" is not so strange at all; it's great fiction by a masterful writer. Dean Koontz is without a doubt one of the best writers of all time. That statement may sound a little exaggerated, if you haven't read any of his work. If you read something by him, though, you'll know what I mean. Why not start here, with "Strange Highways"? It's diverse, and it shows you what this man can do--and do well.
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