The Blog

Media

Home  |  The Blog  |  Media

Tomes & Tones: Squarepusher Paired with Dean Koontz

January 19, 2019

Welcome to Tomes & Tones, a brand new feature which explores the often uncanny pairing between books and music. Have you ever read a novel, and had a particular soundtrack in the background? And is this novel now synonymous with that music, whenever you think back to it?

For each episode, one writer will give an example of when they have experienced this pairing, and why these seemingly unrelated components worked so well together. Hopefully it will offer up some creative combinations to our readers, who can judge for themselves how the works of art are able to merge. No doubt many readers will also have some unique and interesting combos of their own.

In our first episode, I will recap on my partly unintentional but ultimately divine pairing of Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and the industrial/electronic band Squarepusher‘s record Hello Everything. Enjoy!

Writing is an important part of my life. In fact, my lifelong dream is to publish novels. I do believe the year was 2006 when this ambition was solidified with more resolve than ever before. There was one particular book which skyrocketed my creative synapses, and whenever I think back to my initial experience with that novel, a specific soundtrack plays in my head.

We all have life-changing moments with music, novels and visual entertainment… This was mine; It resounds to this day. And I’ve read a lot. So I guess this piece is also my platform to praise and defend the works of Dean Koontz. Okay, so he is not an underrated author. He essentially lives the dream that vanity-struck aspiring authors salivate over. Every year a new Koontz novel arrives for retail, available in all outlets reputable or otherwise, and with his name embossed and shiny on the front cover. And this gives the impression that his books are nothing more than cosmopolitan pulp. If I’m discussing literature with a supernatural twist, why am I not instead covering the works of China Miéville or Haruki Murakami, to name but two?

I believe Dean Koontz is a little misrepresented in this respect. It’s true that, in the words of Primus, ‘They Can’t all be Zingers’. But Koontz is also a writer with a lot of conviction. And his pacing and mastery of suspense in writing is often remarkably adept. Look no further than his 2003 novel Odd Thomas for a prime example of this.

2006 was the year when this book set my imagination on fire.

Read the full article @ Everything Is Noise

Dean Koontz @ the 2008 American Library Association conference

December 31, 2018

Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz

Minimal details available @ American Libraries Magazine

Koontz Quilt

December 5, 2018

I’m sharing this as both a cool thing and a warning. There is a well-known scam site in the quilting world that uses photos of other people’s quilts, claims they’re selling them, and then never deliver. Recently, this one was used in one of their ads.

While it is amazing, please do not try to purchase it. You will most likely lose your money.

As to whomever originally made this quilt, I have been unsuccessful tracing that down. If this is your work, please let me know and I’ll happily give you credit and extend my appreciation.

Amazing ad for The Face of Fear TV movie

December 5, 2018

Dream Warriors Podcast: Odd Thomas – Day 22 of the 31 Days of Dread

November 6, 2018

The Catholic literary vision of Dean Koontz

October 24, 2018

A Masterpiece of Creation

This brings us to one of the most wildly successful novelists in the world: Dean Koontz. His books have sold over 450 million copies in dozens of languages, and many of his novels have been at the top of the The New York Times bestseller list. They are found in every bookstore, and several have been made into movies (with mixed results, as he is the first to note). This spring, when PBS launched its Great American Read campaign, his 1987 novel Watchers was on the campaign’s list of “America’s 100 most-loved books.” Yet he is rarely mentioned in the recent debate on the decline of Catholic literary culture. One exception is Jon Sweeney, who called him in America (7/4/16)“the best-selling writer of fiction in the world today who happens to be Catholic” (emphasis added).

Two questions arise about Dean Koontz: First, is he to be listed among serious novelists at all? Second, what makes him a Catholic novelist?
Tweet this

Hiding in plain sight, indeed. For decades a religious vision has suffused Koontz’s work, making him the most popular explicitly Catholic novelist in the world. But two questions arise: First, is Dean Koontz to be listed among serious novelists at all? Second, what makes him a Catholic novelist?

Some will answer the first question in the negative because they have consigned him to that lucrative but frowned-upon category called “genre fiction.” But to exclude such fiction from the purview of Christian literature would lose us the fantasies of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, the ghost stories of Russell Kirk and the detective novels of P. D. James, Dorothy Sayers and G. K. Chesterton, to name just a few.

In fact, it is hard to pinpoint exactly to what genre Dean Koontz’s works belong. Bookstores may carry his works under mystery, suspense, horror, fantasy or science fiction. Because his plots often involve individuals struggling against vast conspiracies, The Newark Star-Ledger has called him a master of the “paranoid thriller.” The Richmond Times-Dispatch has said he “almost occupies a genre of his own.”

Read the full article @ AmericaMagazine.org

Megadeth on Godzilla

October 15, 2018

Megadeth posted this on their Twitter feed this week. I’ve reached out to see if I can get them to say any more. Check out the Godzilla vs. Megadeth entry if you’re not already aware of this obscure little gem.

Great American Read Stickers

October 15, 2018

Looks like some bookstores are putting Great American Read stickers on their copies of Watchers. I can’t seem to find one here in Lincoln. Has your bookstore done this? If so, please message me as I’d love to have you send me one. (Of course I’ll pay the related expenses.)

Wil Wheaton, lifelong fan of PBS and libraries, has one book he can’t recommend

October 7, 2018

So when you look at it, what does the list tell you about our thoughts on literature and the way we value literature in these times?

People choose books that matter to them for one reason or another. There’s a Dean Koontz book on the list that I loved when I was like 13. I was already a really voracious reader, but if I hadn’t been, if that was the book that got me into the library — and got me into a place where I could find other people who liked to read, and got me in the same room with a librarian who could say, ‘Oh if you’re reading that, maybe you’ll like this!’ — I think that’s great.

Read the full interview @ Salon.com

The Intensity of High Tension: A Look at Plagiarism in Horror

October 7, 2018

In a time of remakes, reboots, re-imaginings and so forth, the genre fan has a narrowed selection in terms of originality. This debatable lack of creativity divides audiences on a regular basis. Whether or not one is a fan of the remake, the idea of proper acknowledgment and credit should never be in question. Intensity is a novel written by Dean Koontz in 1995. A two-part miniseries was produced in 1997 that aired on the Fox network. High Tension is a 2003 French film directed by Alexandre Aja. The first half of all three works have virtually the same plot. Even the titles have a similar ring to them. The problem is that Aja’s film gives zero credit to Koontz’s original work.

Read the full article @ Wicked Horror

100 Best Thrillers of All Time

August 18, 2018

You’ve probably binge-watched all the top thriller movies out now on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, but have you read the best thriller books of all time?

In 2018, we’re presenting our take on the 100 best thrillers of all time, spanning the best psychological thrillers, crime novels, and mysteries. Of course, we know that this list doesn’t cover every top-notch thriller out there, so let us know in the comments what suspense novels are your all-time favorites.

…

Strangers
Dean Koontz

The cover of the book StrangersAfter over two decades in the trenches of sci-fi and horror fiction, Koontz earned his first hardcover bestseller with 1986’s Strangers, which revolves around a band of individuals who find themselves drawn to a motel in the Nevada desert from thousands of miles apart, united in an escalating sense of terror which manifests differently in each of them. This page-turner signifies the moment when Koontz announced himself to the mainstream as an indisputable authority on the art of building suspense. 

– Tom

Source: Signature: 100 Best Thrillers of All Time

100 Best Horror Novels And Stories : NPR

August 17, 2018

Who doesn’t love a good scary story, something to send a chill across your skin in the middle of summer’s heat? And this year, we’re celebrating the 200th birthday of one of the most famous scary stories of all time: Frankenstein — so a few months ago, we asked you to nominate your favorite horror novels and stories, and then we assembled an expert panel of judges to take your 7000 nominations and turn them into a final, curated list of 100 spine-tingling favorites for all kinds of readers. Want to scar your children for life? We can help. Want to dig into the dark, slimy roots of horror? We’ve got you covered.SUMMER READER POLL 2018: HORRORIt’s Aliiiiiive! This Year, Our Summer Reader Poll Is All About HorrorSUMMER READER POLL 2018: HORRORSummer Horror Poll: Meet Our Expert Panelists!SUMMER READER POLL 2018: HORRORH. P. Lovecraft And The Shadow Over Horror.

As with our other reader polls, this isn’t meant to be a ranked or comprehensive list — there are a few books you won’t see on it despite their popularity — some didn’t stand the test of time, some just didn’t catch our readers’ interest, and in some cases our judges would prefer you see the movie instead. (So no Jaws, sorry.) And there are a few titles that aren’t strictly horror, but at least have a toe in the dark water, or are commenting about horrific things, so our judges felt they deserved a place on the list.

Source: 100 Best Horror Novels And Stories : NPR

How many book has Dean written?

June 15, 2018

Whatever the answer, don’t ask Google.

Odd, Dark & Stormy

June 11, 2018

There are a lot of reasons I wanted to make ice cream when I was reading this novel. The first, and most obvious reason, is because Odd’s girlfriend works at an ice cream shop. The second: the whole story takes place in a desert town, so the heat is mentioned quite a bit.

The next reason I wanted to make ice cream was because of the chill Odd experiences when he’s in the Fungus Man’s house, and the “bone-brittling cold” he experiences in the dark room there (73).

The dark room is a room that’s otherworldly and seems to lose touch with reality. It’s comfortable to a group of creatures called bodachs, creatures that Odd can see. They’re ghosts, but they’re much more animalistic, and something bad always follows them (33-34).

They’re like the thunder that tells you that lightning is about to strike.

And Odd’s girlfriend is named Stormy.

Naturally, I had to use flavors based on the dark and stormy cocktail, which is typically made with ginger beer and spiced rum.

So I decided to make ginger ice cream with a spiced rum caramel sauce.

Get the full recipe @ Bake Books Sweet

German newspaper ads for the Hideaway film

June 10, 2018

Fresh off the Boat

June 8, 2018

I was previously unaware of this sitcom but after a random Google search pointed me to these scenes it looks like I’m going to find myself watching all four seasons it’s really funny.

Season 3, Episode 6

Season 4, Episode 13

Season 4, Episode 19

And, from the context of the line in the first clip, it looks like Dean’s been mentioned before but not in a way I can find without watching the earlier episodes.

Dean on The Dante Chamber by Matthew Pearl

June 4, 2018

I read The Dante Club back in the day and loved it and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. No word on whether there’s a blurb from Dean on the book itself but my copy should be here in a few days and will follow up accordingly.

Update 7 June 2018:
The trade hardcover does not contain a blurb from Dean. Maybe one will appear on the paperback release.

The Great American Read Launch Special

May 28, 2018

Here’s Dean’s bit in the launch special from The Great American Read on PBS.

You can witch the full episode on The Great American Read website.

 

Intensity v. High Tension

May 12, 2018

I’m just gonna leave this here and step away quietly…

Source: Aullidos.com

Deep Orbit Space Lab Koontz

May 7, 2018

I don’t know if the writers were referring to Dean or not but in Iron Man #237 Tony Stark heads off to “The Koontz, a Deep Orbit Space Lab.”