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49th out of 63 books
—
513 voters
Strange Highways
by
Dean Koontz
From the denizens of hell to unlikely heroes, from vengeful children to suspiciously humanlike robots, this new collection of tales from a genius of horror and suspense writing provides a hypnotic view of the strange highways of human experience. A masterful achievementas profound as it is mesmerizing. (FicitonHorror)
Hardcover, 576 pages
Published
September 29th 2002
by Warner Books
(first published 1995)
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Yes! A 5 for a Koontz book! I really liked this odd little story.
Okay rereading for the Koontz group...I'll probably do a more extensive review after the discussion.
Originally I listened to an audio which had only the "title-title"...:). So now I have the book from the library and while I don't think each and every story measures up to Strange Highways, which is a favorite "novella", I still like the book. I plan to try and track it down (locally) and add it to my "home library."
I think I'll...more
Okay rereading for the Koontz group...I'll probably do a more extensive review after the discussion.
Originally I listened to an audio which had only the "title-title"...:). So now I have the book from the library and while I don't think each and every story measures up to Strange Highways, which is a favorite "novella", I still like the book. I plan to try and track it down (locally) and add it to my "home library."
I think I'll...more
Strange Highways was my first experience reading Dean Koontz. I found that I enjoyed his writing style. Strange Highways is a collection that consists of fourteen short stories. Some of the stories are definitely better than others. I began reading Strange Highways by reading the shortest of the stories in the collection first, and then working my way up to the longer stories. When you begin, don’t let the shortness of the story Kittens fool you, though. I was shocked and disturbed by that very...more
This audio version is only the title story of Koontz's collection of short stories.
In Strange Highways our protagonist, Joey Shannon, lives in Las Vegas. When he runs out of money to buy liquor, he gets a job as a blackjack dealer until he has enough money to supply his addiction for awhile. Doesn’t particularly sound like someone you’re going to love by the end of the story, does he? But you will… or at least I did. In between drunken stupors, Joey laments over the shambles his life has become....more
In Strange Highways our protagonist, Joey Shannon, lives in Las Vegas. When he runs out of money to buy liquor, he gets a job as a blackjack dealer until he has enough money to supply his addiction for awhile. Doesn’t particularly sound like someone you’re going to love by the end of the story, does he? But you will… or at least I did. In between drunken stupors, Joey laments over the shambles his life has become....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
So much dislike. So. Much. I wrote this review ages ago and it still holds true:
So, I finished Everything's Eventual and I have to say I was quite pleased, as usual, with the varied subjects and...you know...King-ness stuff. The real problems began when I realized that if I went out and bought a new book I would be hacking into my Christmas list. If left to their own devices and not provided a detailed list my family will buy me clothes or ::::shudder:::: feel good movies on DVD. You can see th...more
This book is a compilation of short stories published at different points during Dean Koontz's career.Here is a brief synopsis and review of each short story....
Strange Highways: This story starts out with the main character, Joey going back to the home town that he hasn't seen for 20 years to attend his father's funeral. This story flows very well and doesn't ever slow down, from the beginning to the end.
After attending his father's funeral Joey is haunted by some of the things he has done in h...more
Strange Highways: This story starts out with the main character, Joey going back to the home town that he hasn't seen for 20 years to attend his father's funeral. This story flows very well and doesn't ever slow down, from the beginning to the end.
After attending his father's funeral Joey is haunted by some of the things he has done in h...more
Apr 15, 2008
Thee_ron_clark
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone.
Shelves:
other-horror,
other-stuff
This is a collection of short stories and novelettes by Dean koontz. I must say that I enjoyed every story in it, some more than others. At first, I was puzzled by the numerous mentions of the Vietnam War until I discovered that some of the stories were written in the 60's. For those looking to experience Dean Koontz as an author, but not wanting to dive directly into a lengthier book this is a great choice.
That's right. No stars. Not because this is a particularly bad book, but because I'm selecting it to represent ALL Dean Koontz books. He sucks. Plain and simple. I could write better stories accidently while cleaning up a Scrabble game. This jerk can write an entire chapter on the color of the kitchen cabinets. Honestly, who's he writing to, Martha Stewart worshippers?
Someone once said "Dean Koontz is a Dean of thriller and suspense!" well, I think this is one of those books he wrote taht makes him earned that title. A title sadly have long lost in his recent writings. This collections of short stories and 2 novellas, Dean Koontz at his best. We get to see a funny stories, thrilling stories, thrilling and also funny stories depends on ways of your perspective in reading. And what shocking me is there's also one story, "Twilight of the Dawn" that looks like ta...more
A collection of 13 short stories by Dean Koontz.
My favourites are: Strange Highways, Trapped, and Twilight of the Dawn.
There's all sorts in here and a great read.
I liked the Notes to the Reader section at the end. In it, Koontz talks about his love of writing, why he writes and his advice to writers
"Have fun, entertain yourself with your work, make yourself laugh and cry with your own stories, make yourself shiver in suspense along with your characters. If you can do that, then you will most lik...more
My favourites are: Strange Highways, Trapped, and Twilight of the Dawn.
There's all sorts in here and a great read.
I liked the Notes to the Reader section at the end. In it, Koontz talks about his love of writing, why he writes and his advice to writers
"Have fun, entertain yourself with your work, make yourself laugh and cry with your own stories, make yourself shiver in suspense along with your characters. If you can do that, then you will most lik...more
This is Koontz's collection of short stories. They are all awesome and some are very funny. The best was a very short story of a girl and cats. A must read!
This is a collection of Koontz's shorter stuff, along with a novella. It's very good. I don't think there's a clinker in the bunch.
Dean Koontz's short stories don't quite rival those of Stephen King, but they were very good. I liked the one called "Kittens."
This is the book that started it all for me!!! A must read...but keep the light on...you've been warned!
The first story is about a young many who must come to grips with a horrible family secret about his brother a serial killer...brother must travel back to the past and make a decision to take a "Strange Highway" to confront his brother.
Next are several short stories (12 in all).
The last story is "Chase". A war hero must deal with publicity from being a war hero while he wants be left alone and live in solitude to avoid have to deal with the pains of wars violence. While trying to live in solitud...more
Next are several short stories (12 in all).
The last story is "Chase". A war hero must deal with publicity from being a war hero while he wants be left alone and live in solitude to avoid have to deal with the pains of wars violence. While trying to live in solitud...more
This book has one of the best short stories I have ever read in it.
This was my first Dean Koontz read. This was mostly a good read.
The short-story collection was an easy in for me to sample his work. There was 1 novella's Strange Highways and Chase, i suspect is a novellette, about 50 pages. Some of the short-stories were great and some weren't. I enjoyed the afterward on Dean Koontz's writing and his support for short-stories.
The stories are very deep in Catholicism. Each story had great flow, it was easy to read, had clear descriptions, rich in page-turners,...more
The short-story collection was an easy in for me to sample his work. There was 1 novella's Strange Highways and Chase, i suspect is a novellette, about 50 pages. Some of the short-stories were great and some weren't. I enjoyed the afterward on Dean Koontz's writing and his support for short-stories.
The stories are very deep in Catholicism. Each story had great flow, it was easy to read, had clear descriptions, rich in page-turners,...more
Instead of a novel, Koontz presents us with short stories and novellas in this edition of his work. I have never read anything of his that wasn't a full length novel and had no idea of what I was picking up when I grabbed this to read. I like to kind of walk into books without knowing too much about them so I can discover them with no pre-conceived notions, as long as they are from an author I have read before. Since I have read numerous other Koontz books, I thought I knew what I was getting in...more
This is Koontz's only collection of short fiction, composed of the titular novella and twelve short tales (The US edition also includes another novella, "Chase").
The novella is perhaps the best of the whole bunch; mostly because it's almost 200 pages long and simply has enough time and space to provide for an interesting plot. A strange occurence offers a man a chance to change his past; it's a formulaic Koontz tale, but strong enough reading to sustain interest and keep the suspense throughout...more
The novella is perhaps the best of the whole bunch; mostly because it's almost 200 pages long and simply has enough time and space to provide for an interesting plot. A strange occurence offers a man a chance to change his past; it's a formulaic Koontz tale, but strong enough reading to sustain interest and keep the suspense throughout...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I appreciate that Dean Koontz stories (usually) don't make me feel bad after reading them, and they're often the kind of alternate-reality type stories I enjoy. But sometimes he writes Christianity very blatantly into the stories. The title story was a very religious supernatural horror, and it didn't work for me. But there was a little bit of everything in this collection, and several I liked a lot, especially the one about the cellar.
This book is short on explanations of how the events could possibly take place, but long on really great descriptions. It put me in mind of the better bits of Neil Gaiman's work (e.g., Neverwhere, rather than his more recent drek).
Mr. Koontz did not disappoint. These stories covered a wide array of topics, and I found almost every one of them delightful. Some more so than others, true. But only one actually left me wanting. But since different things appeal to one person more than to another, I will let future readers decide if that is true for them, and won't spoil it for them now, by mentioning which tale it was. I could say the very same about every other author that I've read, that have published at least two pieces o...more
I picked this James Spader narrated audiobook up at a library sale for $2. Spader's insanely deep voice is delightfully creepy. I enjoyed the hell out of this story of a road trip to Iowa and back. If you like audiobooks and come across this admittedly older recording (my truck still has a cassette player) go for it.
This large book collects two novels (Strange Highways and Chase), and twelve novelettes/short stories from the master of imaginative fiction, Dean Koontz.
The strange highways cover routes chosen, detours forced, and wrong roads taken. They are peopled with unlikely heroes, fearsome predators, and even suspiciously humanoid robots.
I liked Black Pumpkin, a scary tale of "getting what you give", delivered by a haunted killer pumpkin.
In Snatcher, a stolen purse turns out to contain a demon, who drag...more
The strange highways cover routes chosen, detours forced, and wrong roads taken. They are peopled with unlikely heroes, fearsome predators, and even suspiciously humanoid robots.
I liked Black Pumpkin, a scary tale of "getting what you give", delivered by a haunted killer pumpkin.
In Snatcher, a stolen purse turns out to contain a demon, who drag...more
What a delicious recipe of some of the best short stories in Mr. Koontz's career. I really enjoyed all thirteen and his note to the readers at the end of the book - keep the lemon-oil polish fresh Dean ; >
Of the thirteen, 'The Black Pumpkin' and 'Twilight of the Dawn' are my personal favorites. Spanning from 1966 through 1995, all are as multifaceted and rare as any blue diamond, so you're sure to enjoy part if not all of the suspense, weirdness, and plain huh moments in this delight.
To use...more
Of the thirteen, 'The Black Pumpkin' and 'Twilight of the Dawn' are my personal favorites. Spanning from 1966 through 1995, all are as multifaceted and rare as any blue diamond, so you're sure to enjoy part if not all of the suspense, weirdness, and plain huh moments in this delight.
To use...more
Another great Dean Koontz book! Normally, I do not like to read short stories ... but this surprised me! Once I finished a story ... I couldn't wait to get started on the next one! My favorite was The Black Pumpkin. Reminded me of a wonderful Halloween story to share on a dark, spooky night!
Many authors are at their best in the realm of short tales, and Koontz is no exception. His creepily satisfying tales in this collection are often far better than his earlier, lengthier efforts; recommended reads include The Black Pumpkin, Bruno, and The Night of the Storm.
Many authors are at their best in the realm of short tales, and Koontz is no exception. His creepliy satisfying tales in this collection are often far better than his earlier, lengthier efforts; recommended reads include The Black Pumpkin, Bruno, and The Night of the Storm.
A superb collection from the Dean of suspense! Includes "The Black Pumpkin," a rare straight Koontz horror story, and "Chase," in which Koontz as we know him today blossomed. I really enjoyed this. Too bad he doesn't have any other collections.
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Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.
Dean R. Koontz has also published under the na...more
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“Darkness dwells within even the best of us. In the worst of us, darkness not only dwells but reins.”
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updated Jul 26, 2010 04:01pm