Sell Back Your Copy
For a $3.20 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography [Paperback]

Katherine Ramsland (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback --  
Paperback, August 1998 --  

Book Description

August 1998
In this phenomenal bestseller, Dean Koontz has taken readers into the malevolent heart of the human soul, the murky place where good and evil intertwine--while remaining an enigma himself. Now for the first time, Katherine Ramsland, the acclaimed author of Prism of the Night, cracks open Dean Koontz's protective shell to expose this ruthlessly honest, ambitious, and courageous artist who embodies in his own life and work the hope-filled light and frightening darkness that define America today. Based on extensive interviews with Koontz himself, this fascinating, unique portrait reveals the powerful influences--psychic, trauma, haunting secrets, troubling questions, and optimistic resourcefulness--that have shaped this gifted writer and his acclaimed fiction. Here, too, are the remarkable qualities--tenacity, vision, emotional strength, and business savvy--that have made him a success. Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography tells a story as thrilling, poignant, and unforgettable as this acclaimed author's most powerful novels.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Fans of writer Dean Koontz will welcome this full-length biography. Koontz, not known for giving extensive interviews, cooperated in the writing of the book, although it is not an authorized biography. Ramsland, who has previously written studies of Anne Rice (Prisms of the Night, Plume, 1994), presents Koontz's troubled childhood with an alcoholic father and ailing mother, follows him through his years as a teacher, and relates his struggling beginnings, and eventual success, as a writer. In addition to the facts of his life, Ramsland analyzes his fiction extensively, drawing parallels between his life and his fiction. Her central idea is that Koontz's traumas as a child are exorcised, to some extent, in his novels. Some readers may find the extensive summarizing tiresome and would prefer to know more of what makes Koontz tick. Yet libraries should expect heavy demand from diehard Koontz fans.?Ronald Ray Ratliff, Chapman H.S. Lib., Kan.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An enlightening, in-depth biography of the world's foremost practitioner of psychological terror." -- -- Publishers Weekly

Product Details

  • Paperback: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Eos (HarperCollins) (August 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061053511
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061053511
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #646,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Ramsland began her career as a writer with Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice. She had a bestseller with The Vampire Companion. Since then, she has published 40 books and over 1,000 articles, reviews and short stories. From ghosts to vampires to serial killers, she has taken on a variety of dark subjects. She holds graduate degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, criminal justice, and philosophy. Currently, she teaches forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University. Her books include The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds, The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation, Inside the Minds of Serial Killers, Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators, and Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers. Her background in forensic studies positioned her to assist former FBI profiler John Douglas on his book, The Cases that Haunt Us, and to co-write a book with former FBI profiler, Gregg McCrary, The Unknown Darkness, as well as The Real Life of a Forensic Scientist with Henry C. Lee and A Voice for the Dead with James Starrs. She speaks internationally about forensic psychology, forensic science, and serial murder, and has appeared on numerous documentaries, as well as such programs as The Today Show, 20/20, 48 Hours, NPR, Coast to Coast, Montel Williams, Larry King Live and E! True Hollywood.


 

Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Almost everything you need to know about Dean Koontz, February 12, 2001
By 
Stuart Weaver "noneyet" (Saint Augustine, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography (Paperback)
If you're looking for a reference work on Dean Koontz, look no further. Ms. Ramsland has written the biography that all others will be judged by. It is loaded with information, and is not a dry read like so many other biographies. It was a valuable tool for me when I was creating my Dean Koontz website as it contains contains chronological listings of all of Koontz's works, almost all of his pseudonyms, and a year-by-year breakdown of highlights in his career. Whether you're tracking down information for a school report or a newspaper article or just searching for more about the life of one of America's most prolific writers, then this book is for you.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, June 30, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography (Paperback)
As a fan of Dean Koontz, I was looking forward to reading his biography. It was interesting to me to find out what influenced his writing, and seeing that didn't take away the magic in his books. If anything, it made me want to read them again for things I might have missed the first time! Warning: She does "give away" some of the endings of his books, but if you come across one you haven't read, then skip that section for now and go back to it after you read that particular story--duh... A great addition to any library. I will read this again!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for fans of Koontz' work, April 26, 2005
By 
Michele L. Worley (Kingdom of the Mouse, United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography (Paperback)
Although Koontz and his family and friends cooperated with Ramsland during her research into his life and career, Ramsland has also used tools employed by other biographers studying the lives of writers who are very private people, such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers: Ramsland includes much study of Koontz' work, analyzed in terms of revealing truths about the author.

In short, many of Koontz' novels are discussed in some detail in this biography of their creator, which provides an interesting layer of frosting upon going back and re-reading them. Ramsland has a degree in clinical psychology rather than literature, so her analyses tend to be in terms of characters and how they incorporate elements of real people in Koontz's life rather than in terms of, say, literary symbolism. Ramsland does provide some of that, though; Koontz *did* study literary technique, for one thing, and in addition uses some quirks of his characters' behaviour to reflect aspects of their characters, so that symbolism often dovetails with Ramsland's psychological approach.

(Before laughing this off as boring - how many times have you asked yourself, "What *is* it with this man and basements/clowns/snow, anyway?")

This biography therefore includes massive spoilers for most of Koontz' novels up to FEAR NOTHING.

Some tidbits:
COLD FIRE
Ironheart's hometown is based loosely on Koontz'.
STRANGE HIGHWAYS
The Shannon house is a copy of Koontz' childhood home, and Joey is a nightmare version of Koontz himself (Joey having taken the wrong road in his twenties, dropped out of college, and failed to pursue his dream of becoming a writer). In real life, the house bordered the fairgrounds, which led Koontz to learn about carnivals.
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
Colin is a self-portrait of the author; Heather is based on Koontz' wife, Gerda.
TWILIGHT EYES
One character's background reflects the town where Koontz had his first teaching job.

Ramsland's approach to Koontz's work isn't pedantically dry, and in fact meshes well with his particular style; in creating books such as WHISPERS, he himself deliberately incorporated a lot of personal research into aberrant psychology to make some of his more frightening characters as realistic as possible. (His approach to characterization changed over the years, though.)

Not that Ramsland restricts herself to analyzing Koontz' work; she incorporates discussion of it when it helps illustrate aspects of his life, rather than restricting herself to discussing the stories in chronological sequence. Koontz has real-life experience of coping with people with frightening depths; Ramsland provides a great deal of illumination of his relationship with his family, particularly his smooth-talking alcoholic father. (TWILIGHT EYES-style, Ramsland includes periodic descriptions of what was going on in the world at various points, for perspective.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums





Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject