On the Verge of Lunacy

I made a list of Dean Koontz books including those that are out of print, children's books, books with Trixie, short stories collections and a novella. More helpful information is indicated beside the year the book was published. I did not include the individual short stories, the graphic novels and screenplays. I separated the list of the series at the bottom. Winter Moon and Icebound, and Invasion and Prison of Ice are all counted separately. This will be updated everytime Koontz has a new book. If I forgot a title, please inform me by posting a comment. I recommend that you visit  deankoontz.com  for more info about the author and his works.  Total no. of books: 112 1. Star Quest (1968) 2. Fear That Man (1969) 3. The Fall of the Dream Machine (1969) 4. The Dark Symphony (1969) 5. Hung (1970) - wrote as Leonard Chris 6. Hell's Gate (1970) 7. Dark of the Woods (1970) 8. Beastchild (1970) 9. Anti-Man (1970) 10. Soft Come the Dragons (197...

This is a flashback of the events that changed April Corrigan's life forever. Everything in her life seemed ordinary until one day her father's friend told her and the rest of the family that they have to leave everything behind because someone was hunting for them. April finds out that her father father worked for the FBI. Now he's involved in a trial that endangered his life and so they have to hide and start over with different names. You would not find a lot of action in this book but most of it involves April's insights and feelings about their situation. Sometimes she could be irritating, but as the story develops, she starts to mature. Slowly she began to accept that things have changed and that not all stories have a happy ending. I like how she was portrayed as a normal teenager - stubborn and emotional. The book could make you feel how desperate and helpless the characters are. There are no easy solutions and miracles that will solve their problems in an i...

Steven Erikson's masterpiece series continues with Toll the Hounds. Characters from the first and third book reappear in this eighth installment, which tells stories of inner struggles, triumphs and sacrifices. There are two main stories in this book. One is centered in Darujhistan and the other in Black Coral. Although this can be read as a stand-alone novel, some of the events leading to the convergence might be a bit confusing for anyone who has not read the previous books in this series. It's heavy on character introspection and most of the action can be found in the later chapters. Overall, the mood is dark and most of the characters contemplate about past failures. However, they are all talking about many variations of one theme - freedom. For some characters, freedom means privileges. These people believe they should have the things they want simply because they deserve it. For them it's freedom. They try to take advantage of every opportunity given to them and...

Instead of reviewing the sixth and seventh books of the Malazan Book of the Fallen separately, I'm going to discuss both in this entry. My previous reviews focused mainly on the themes for each book, but this time I'm going to take out my hammer and look more closely at Steven Erikson's delivery. Although both books have explored two themes, they focused mainly on intergrating the two major story lines of the series. This time the Malazan Empire meets the Letherii and the Tiste Edur. The Bonehunters Erikson's sixth book sought to question the fate of the characters who followed or were forced to follow their gods. Are the faithful, or in most cases here, those who had been chosen by the gods, doomed to become tools forever? This subject is fully explored through the four characters: Apsalar, Heboric, Kalam, and Icarium. Ganoes Paran's interpretation of ascendancy was also shown in this book. The nature of the younger gods' path to godhood may have been...

Title : Midnight Tides 5th book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series Author : Steven Erikson For the first time in the series, no Malazan was involved in the fifth installment although Erikson leaves enough names and places that will be familiar to the reader. The story focuses on the Tiste Edur and the Letherii. Two nations that are so different from one another. The book also shows the Crippled God's direct involvement with other beings providing the readers a glimpse of his plans and the extent of his madness. Although the focus of the story shifted, the book's theme is related to the fourth book, House of Chains. Midnight Tides highlights the relationship between leaders or gods and their followers and the identity of nations. The Letherii and Tiste Edur viewed each other as different people yet they both believed in destiny - that they are both destined for greatness. The Letherii sees conquest as an opportunity to expand and to expel outdated a...

Title : House of Chains 4th book of the Malaza Book of the Fallen series Author : Steven Erikson This book begins with the story of Karsa Orlong. Those who have read the first three books in the series know him by the name of Toblakai. A quarter of the book is spent relating his journey to discover the place of their people in the world. The book spans all the previous three books so readers have to take note of some events that were mentioned earlier in the series so they do not miss the significance of said events. The readers also encounter the elder races here for the first time. These include: a Forkrul Assail, Tiste Edur, the Eres, and Tiste Liosan. Half of the story is also told from the point of view of a Tiste Edur and a T'lan Imass for the first time. The nature of the Tellann Ritual is examined here as well. The story focuses on the two important things that makes up this series. Readers will be presented with Korbolo Dom's long-term plans for the Malazan Empire...

Title : Memories of Ice 3rd book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series Author : Steven Erikson This book is more related to the first in this series. Several characters are introduced for the first time including new players. Familiar character present in Gardens of the Moon are also reintroduced. The plot of the series is finally presented here. The Crippled god shows up in the first part of the book. Whiskeyjack also returns, as well as Paran. This book serves as a turning-point to the story. It's filled with revelations about important characters, including the introduction of some of the young gods, elder gods and elder races. The book begins with a flashback of an important event that took place sometime in the past. At this point in the series, the reader must have a sharp memory of the previous books and pay attention to the events that will take place thereafter. References to other characters and events are scattered throughout the series and the significance might b...

Title: Deadhouse Gates 2nd book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen Series Author: Steven Erikson Unlike Erikson's first book in this series, this book gives the readers a more intimate view of the Malazan Empire. The story is told through the point of view of a few selected characters. Erikson still lapses with his habit in the first book of switching to one point of view to another in the same paragraph or chapter. Deadhouse Gates is more compact, more personal and more emotional than Gardens of the Moon. The book foreshadows what is to become of the empire. Here we meet new players along with familiar characters from the first book. It focuses on five main stories, although they are only a small part that makes up the plot of the series. Each story is told in one unique perspective, the most notable of which is Duiker's narrative of Coltaine's march. The other narratives revolve around the following characters: Icarium, who the readers will meet for the first time. His...

Steven Erikson's debut is one step ahead of most fantasy series today. By creating a world that does not borrow concepts from Tolkien, he was still able to mold memorable characters and a unique universe in this first book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. When I first read the book not more than two years ago, I was amazed at how he was able to develop not just one but a dozen characters in a few pages without sacrificing the need for pace and action. His experience as an anthropologist and archaeologist served him well. Though not obvious, some of the concepts have similarities in several myths, but he was able to twist them and make them unique to create the book. The first few chapters might be confusing because his point of view is not consistent. But as the story progresses, the reader will soon get used to his style. The characters themselves are fascinating. However, the reader is not forced to follow just one main character in the series. I thought at first t...

Instead of writing a formal review of Dean Koontz's Intensity, I decided to discuss what I feel about the characters of the book, specifically the antagonist, Edgler Foreman Vess. If you're familiar with most of Koontz's suspense/thrillers, youd find Mr. Vess, as he calls himself, more intriguing than most. His musings about his extraordinary senses and intellect remind me of the antagonists from the Face of Fear.  It made me wonder when he said that any kind of experience is neutral. Pain, when embraced is the same as its opposite. The intensity of the moment is what defines life. Koontz goes on to discount this claim of course, using the heroine of the story, but I still wonder. Pain after all, makes our joys and triumphs more meaningful. We will never appreciate the beauty of things without the ugliness that surround them. Chyna, the protagonist, also said that it's easier for most people to act cruelly than to do good even if doing good is the easier choice. This ...

Most of the people who know me from my high school days to the preset think I've always been obsessed with books. I wouldn't call it 'obsession' and I've never started reading books (from cover to cover) since I read Edith Hamilton's 'Mythology' when I was thirteen. I never read my textbooks, or my notes for that matter. But I've started taking writing seriously when I was ten. I never expected my teachers and classmates would find my essays interesting. When I started earning better grades without taking a lot of effort, not that I've always had bad grades but I was considered a mediocre student, it made me want to read my books. For most writers (and honor students), exposure to reading materials precede or result to a good writing or an excellent grade. It was the other way around for me. I started quite late, but it wasn't too late. My mother bought me my first paperback as a birthday gift. At that time I was immensely interested in m...