Dean Koontz or Stephen King..who do you like better.

[2aguy]

For me....I think Dean Koontz is the better writer.....

 

[Montrovant]

For me....I think Dean Koontz is the better writer.....

King for me. I've only read one or two books from Koontz, and although I liked them well enough, they didn't inspire me to get more of his work. I have read a few dozen King books, on the other hand. I just find his work engaging and easy to read, at least his older stuff.

 

[JoeB131]

I think they are both awful writers.

But King is a better storyteller.

 

[WillMunny]

As much as I detest his politics, Stephen King is the far more entertaining writer. His greatest literary strength is creating detailed characters that are so unique, you feel like you know them in real life. And when one of them dies, it's like losing a family member. That being said, the last King book I really liked was Rose Madder in the '90s. Everything since is so unsatisfying, he's really phoning it in compared to his '70s-'80s novels. His writing is now more sappy than scary. Nothing as thoughtful as The Dead Zone or scary as Pet Sematary or hilarious like Needful Things.

The reason I don't like Koontz is that he recycles the exact same characters from book to book: a tough-yet-sensitive hero cop and a beautiful, wealthy damsel in distress and a golden retriever dog. His dialogue is as painful as any Star Wars prequel. And Koontz has what I call the "John Grisham syndrome," absolutely no sense of humor at all. None. Zero. So his writing tone comes across as dry and stuffy. He doesn't have that funny-in-a-sick-way sense of mischief you get from a Stephen King or a Thomas Harris. I don't get a sense of fun when I read Koontz.

 

[Manonthestreet]

King is unreadable.......watch the movies instead.

 

[longknife]

For me....I think Dean Koontz is the better writer.....

By far!

 

[hjmick]

Early King, anything before Gerald's Game. The Stand is an American classic. The Dark Tower series is epic in its scale...


I don't mind Koontz, but his some of his stuff is reminiscent of other authors where early King is just so damn original.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

I've never read any of Kings work and I'm not a big fan of the movies from him......so my choice is obviously Koontz, although I've not read anything of his in the last 15 years or so. But I agree many of his books have a recycled theme.....and then he'll come out with something that grabs ya. My 2 favorites that I have read were Icebound (was a completely different theme than his normal) and Hideaway.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

The reason I don't like Koontz is that he recycles the exact same characters from book to book: a tough-yet-sensitive hero cop and a beautiful, wealthy damsel in distress and a golden retriever dog.

Have you read Icebound? It's not the same as most of his other work

 

[Montrovant]

I had forgotten that Koontz wrote the Odd Thomas books. I enjoyed that series.

For those bringing up movies based on King's books, those only seem to work for his drama, not his horror, with the exception of The Shining. The recent version of It got a lot of attention, but I wasn't impressed by the movie. The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, however, are both excellent films.

 

[Marion Morrison]

Koontz, less typos.

 

[blackhawk]

King I have a good size collection of his books though his older stuff is better than the newer IT, The Stand, The Shinning, Carrie, Misery, Cujo, The Dead Zone,Christine are some of his very best.

 

[WillMunny]

The reason I don't like Koontz is that he recycles the exact same characters from book to book: a tough-yet-sensitive hero cop and a beautiful, wealthy damsel in distress and a golden retriever dog.

Have you read Icebound? It's not the same as most of his other work

Actually I have and it was one of his better ones. I admit Koontz does come up with some very interesting plot ideas, it's just his writing execution of these good story ideas that I have a problem with. He has good plot ideas, but can't come up with the style of literary "whacked-out fun" you get from Stephen King or Thomas Harris.

 

[hjmick]

King I have a good size collection of his books though his older stuff is better than the newer IT, The Stand, The Shinning, Carrie, Misery, Cujo, The Dead Zone,Christine are some of his very best.

Salem's Lot

 

[blastoff]

Avid reader but could never get into either of these guys although don't even recall now what I'd sampled from them. But obviously from the bookstore shelf space they occupy a heck of a lot of folks like their stuff.