Hi,

I'm a huge Dean Koontz fan and I still have a long way to go to achieve my quest of reading every suspense/thriller he's written, but I'd like to stick an alternate author in there once in a while. Plus I'll eventually run out of Dean Koontz books at some point.

Even though there will only ever be one Dean Koontz (see how big a fan I am?) which author would you suggest that writes similar suspense/thriller type stories and perhaps has the same relaxed writing style?

As an example of what I mean by Koontz's relaxed writing style, I don't like Stephen King because to me it's like reading the dictionary. To me he uses too much uninterupted exposition.

Thanks for your time and suggestions.

Delzo

I'm a BIG Koontz fan too.  You might like John Saul, Harlen Coben and maybe Bentley Little, he's a little more on the horror side than thriller.  HTH.

Edited to say you may like Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  They write books together as well as seperately.  I've only read books that they have written together.

Found on the Internet:

• Greg Bear writes across genres, blending science fiction and paranormal elements and creating a compelling fast paced thriller.
• Robert McCammon, a writer from Alabama, offers melodramatic creations blending realistic events with the supernatural and underlying magic. McCammon writes from different points of view making each novel a different experience.
• John Saul is known for his horror, thriller and suspense novels. The atmosphere he creates depends on the mounting tension of the story which pulls the reader into his world.
• Daniel Hecht, an ex-professional guitarist, writes in series as well as stand alone books that combine the excitement of the Mystery/Thriller with his interest in forensic science, neuroscience, and parapsychology.

 Also:

• Kevin J. Anderson
• Clive Barker
• Theodore Roszak
• Thomas Tryon
• Robert Morgan
• Norman Partridge
• R. L. Stine
• Bentley Little

Here's a link that might help:

http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/reading/lists/favorites/deankoontz.htm

I actually have Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear on my PBS bookshelf because I couldn't get far into it. I think it's what they call Hard Sci-Fi. In other words, you need a science degree to figure out what's going on.

The synopsis to Darwin's Radio sounds SO interesting, but to read it was just painful for me. I don't like having to reread sentences to understand what just happened or what someone meant. Like I said, I like the relaxed writing that Dean Koontz exhibits.

Anyway, I went into a book store today just to sit down and read a few pages of some of the author suggestions made here which I definitely appreciate because I think it pointed me in the right direction.

I'm going to be giving John Saul and Bentley Little a try. From the examples that I read, I liked their writing styles, and to me that seems to be the deciding factor as to whether I like an author or not. The back cover synopses of some of the books from both authors also sounded very intriguing.

Well, I'm off to go on a PBS John Saul/Bentley Little hunt :)

Thanks All

I discovered John Saul the same time I did Koontz and have to say that at the time I liked Saul better. I ended up reading quite a few of them back to back and got a little burned out on him but still think his books are great. The God Project was probably my favorite of the ones I read back then.

Greg Bear is an interesting author.  I have read seven of his books and I'm working on an eighth.  I liked most of his books, but could not for the life of me get into Darwin's Radio.  I think I borowed it from the library four times and never got more than a third of the way through it.

He is definitely Hard SF, though...you don't need a science degree to enjoy his books, but it probably wouldn't hurt :p  I'm reading Moving Mars right now, which is good, but not a light read.  Vitals and The Forge of God are probably my favorites he's written, and I also liked Psychlone, Hegira, Blood Music and Anvil of Stars. 

I forced myself to finish Dead Lines and thought it was one of the worst books I'd ever read.  I started Quantico, but it was moving so slowly I quit.  I just never know what I'm going to get when I pick up one of his books.

For all the Koontz fans he has a new one coming out in 5/19/2009 it's The Other Side of the Woods :: Dean Koontz there are only 5 wishers now!

You might check out Dan Simmons, he's done good writing in SF, horror, and mysteries.  A bit more subtle horror than Dean Koontz but I like them both... try Song of Kali, Summer of Night, A Winter Haunting.  Carrion Comfort is a classic as well.

I 3rd John Saul. I've already read most if not all of Dean Koontz's books.

I have just about every one of Koontz's books in hardback and paperback.  I have one of two of the very first books he wrote about sci-fi, I have not been able to find the second one.  I read John Saul, Bentley Little and a few others that are just mysteries while I am waiting on a new book to come out by Koontz.