Absolute Horror Book Forum

The books I've read are "False Memory," and "The House of Thunder." False memory had an interesting idea behind it. Who would suspect the psychologist? But all was way too neatly tied up in the end for me. The plot was forced and there were several moments in the book where I found myself thinking, "come on! get on with it already." Not that it was suspenseful, but because I'd already figured out several of the plot points and was waiting for the writer to get to it.

The House of Thunder just wasn't well written. Again, it could've been really well done, but it wasn't. All this time, he builds up this cave where something really bad happened. She watched her boyfriend get beaten to death when she was in college. Sure, that's traumatizing on it's own, but nothing happened to her. Then, since she's this brilliant scientists, she's been kidnapped by Russians and made to believe she's going crazy so she'll tell all her secrets. They play all these mind games, but, lo-and behold, the doctor just can't bring himself to go through with it and after falling in love with her helps her to escape. And then, of course they get away clean and live happily ever after. And at one point toward the end of the story, Koontz for some reason makes the decision to jump into the doctor's perspective when he hadn't done so throughout the entire book. The whole story is in her perspective, but we get a blip of a paragraph toward the end that is completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the story.

I've been told that these are not his best books. I tried, though. I grabbed a new one--False Memory--and an older one--House of Thunder. False Memory was my first try. The anxiety he was trying to build never came to fruition. Although, I must say after reading that book it's apparent he's gone through great lengths to research what certain things on a house are called among archetects and interior and exterior decorators. But describing these things to the lay folk using these technical terms makes my mind unable to process it. I can't see a lot of what he describes because of how it's described. When told this wasn't his best book, I tried again with something older and got the same effect.

I may at some point give Koontz another shot. (by the way, Rose Madder and The Eyes of the Dragon happen to be two of my favorite King books, but I really didn't like Hearts in Atlantis or The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon).

As a reader, what would you do? If the first two books you ever read by Stephen King happened to be the ones that are currently your least fav, would you have continued? I don't like Koontz because based on what I've read, he wraps his plots up too nicely. The books feel plotted. King isn't afraid to have his stories end without the happily ever after. Just look at the Dark Tower series if you disagree. And I like that. Like he (not king but Jim Carry) says at the end of the movie 23--it may not be a happy ending, but it's the right one. And I stick to that. I felt like Koontz often didn't use the right ending just so he could have a happy one (of course this is based on my experience).

So, please, tell me which ones are good so I might give it another shot.

~Vermillion Angel~

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **

"I recognize terror as the finest emotion...."--Stephen King

"I'm your fear. I'm your monster. What's hiding in your shadow? Is it taking what's left of you?"--Gravity Kills

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **