Strangers
by Dean Koontz
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“The plot twists ingeniously...an engaging, often chilling book.”—The New York Times Book ReviewA writer in California. A doctor in Boston. A motel owner and his employee in Nevada. A priest in Chicago. A robber in New York. A little girl in Las Vegas. They’re a handful of people from across the country, living through eerie variations of the same nightmare.
A dark memory is calling out to them. And soon they will be drawn together, deep in the heart of a sprawling desert, show more where the terrifying truth awaits... show less
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I used to love Koontz, when I was in junior high. What happened? Oh, I know, I grew up and realized that his characters are absolutely ridiculous.
Dean Koontz, much like his mid-life crisis make over from bald mustached guy to full of head of hair and clean shaven face, is just one big old cliche. There, I said it.
This book had promise. Again, I had read it years ago, but it didn't stick with me, so when I saw it at the used book store I had to pick it up again. I should have kept the three dollars and gone to the library. But I was all, "It's Koontz! It's summer in Florida already, gotta get my summer horror reading on!"
Yeah, no. After reading some of the books I've been reading lately - see Bee Season, Bastard Out of Carolina - show more Koontz just doesn't live up to my tastes anymore. So I'm sad to say I'm just going to have to let him go.
So what's so bad about Strangers? Oh, everything is hackneyed. The heroes and heroines are perfect. He doesn't come out and say they are perfect, but he might as well because they have absolutely no flaws or faults. None. Dom Corvaisis is a soon to be highly toted and celebrated fiction writer who's handsome, but not a lick of personality. Ginger Weiss - she's short and spunky and incredibly smart skipped grades in high school and graduated from medical school at the top of her class- workacholic. Even the supposed bad guy has a heart of gold and turns good guy at the end. It's just too much! Where's the internal struggle? Where's the meat?
That's just it. There's really no meat to Koontz's books. All the characters are the same just in different situations. It's all so formulaic and I'm done with formulas unless it has to do with shopping (my mom sent me that Shopaholic book a couple of weeks ago). show less
Dean Koontz, much like his mid-life crisis make over from bald mustached guy to full of head of hair and clean shaven face, is just one big old cliche. There, I said it.
This book had promise. Again, I had read it years ago, but it didn't stick with me, so when I saw it at the used book store I had to pick it up again. I should have kept the three dollars and gone to the library. But I was all, "It's Koontz! It's summer in Florida already, gotta get my summer horror reading on!"
Yeah, no. After reading some of the books I've been reading lately - see Bee Season, Bastard Out of Carolina - show more Koontz just doesn't live up to my tastes anymore. So I'm sad to say I'm just going to have to let him go.
So what's so bad about Strangers? Oh, everything is hackneyed. The heroes and heroines are perfect. He doesn't come out and say they are perfect, but he might as well because they have absolutely no flaws or faults. None. Dom Corvaisis is a soon to be highly toted and celebrated fiction writer who's handsome, but not a lick of personality. Ginger Weiss - she's short and spunky and incredibly smart skipped grades in high school and graduated from medical school at the top of her class- workacholic. Even the supposed bad guy has a heart of gold and turns good guy at the end. It's just too much! Where's the internal struggle? Where's the meat?
That's just it. There's really no meat to Koontz's books. All the characters are the same just in different situations. It's all so formulaic and I'm done with formulas unless it has to do with shopping (my mom sent me that Shopaholic book a couple of weeks ago). show less
I enjoy Dean Koontz's writing more and more with each book of his I read. Even if there is one or two that I might not appreciate very much, there is always that extra special quality to his writing that makes me come back for more. And so it was with Strangers. Before I even got anywhere near the ending, it got me wondering why I read Mr. Koontz so rarely.
What is it precisely that I like so much? It's the emotional value, there's just something intangible in Strangers (as in almost every other book of his) that puts me in a very thoughtful mood. There's a lot of philosophical and existential issues in there which you'd normally not expect from a writer of horror novels. But that's what's so great about Koontz. No matter how scary and show more how full of thrilling action his books get, you'll probably be brought to tears and definitely be asking yourself some important questions. While reading Strangers, I did cry and a few things did make me wonder. As far as the subject matter goes, did he make me a believer? Not quite yet but he came closest to convincing me among all the theories I've heard.
Strangers is certainly a big in scope novel that actually isn't really a horror book, so if you are not a fan of horrors but would like to read a Koontz book, Strangers may very well be the one to try. All you need is an open mind and some taste for suspense, thrill and a little bit of paranormal (that's not scary). The only scary part is the evil that some people (not out of this world beings) are capable of. But even that Koontz beats with his strong faith in the goodness of mankind and our capacity to ultimately know good from evil. Even for a cynic like myself, it's refreshing to experience this. show less
What is it precisely that I like so much? It's the emotional value, there's just something intangible in Strangers (as in almost every other book of his) that puts me in a very thoughtful mood. There's a lot of philosophical and existential issues in there which you'd normally not expect from a writer of horror novels. But that's what's so great about Koontz. No matter how scary and show more how full of thrilling action his books get, you'll probably be brought to tears and definitely be asking yourself some important questions. While reading Strangers, I did cry and a few things did make me wonder. As far as the subject matter goes, did he make me a believer? Not quite yet but he came closest to convincing me among all the theories I've heard.
Strangers is certainly a big in scope novel that actually isn't really a horror book, so if you are not a fan of horrors but would like to read a Koontz book, Strangers may very well be the one to try. All you need is an open mind and some taste for suspense, thrill and a little bit of paranormal (that's not scary). The only scary part is the evil that some people (not out of this world beings) are capable of. But even that Koontz beats with his strong faith in the goodness of mankind and our capacity to ultimately know good from evil. Even for a cynic like myself, it's refreshing to experience this. show less
So, this was my first Koontz novel. I was actually impressed. He has parts sprinkled here and there where the writing is just beautiful. Style aside, the plot was very interesting. At first I was worried it was going to be a paranormal book (those scare me, so I hate them), but it turned out not to be and was well worth my time. I won't say how it ends though because I don't want to ruin the ending....
This book was my introduction to Dean Koontz, first read in my teens, and now, several years later, which makes it feel like a fresh experience. It’s easy to recall why this led me to be a long-term reader and how Koontz can be when writing at his finest. One warning — this a door-stop of a book, not necessarily a bad thing. While it’s true that this could edit down, as much of the story involves strange and slowly unfolding events through several characters’ viewpoints, leading to a languid revelation, I found none of it boring. After a time there are perhaps fewer surprises leading to a questioning resolution, despite being heartfelt and warming; sadly, the reality of such an outcome would lead to an overcrowded planet, even show more more so than it is now, so I find this tale of hope a little tainted. This is an epic book in both length, and optimism, but it may not be for those who prefer only a simple vocabulary, fewer descriptive details, and a less sedate pace. show less
This has to be one of my least favorite reads of 2019. Good lord this is just bad. And it has too many characters and not enough plot. When we finally get to the whole conspiracy aspect of this I laughed. I think since this was written in 1986 it made sense to Koontz to write it the way that he did. However, as someone who grew up watching B level monster movies, this is just no comparison at all.
This book also indulges in all of Koontz's many writing weaknesses through the years, we can see his beginning fascination with military men or women who know how to shoot guns. We can see the "Perfect Woman" that shows up in his books again and again, though this one is short and a doctor. I can't recall him writing a woman with a job in his show more last couple of books that wasn't an artist or doctor. The book is also too freaking long. This is over 700 pages. I skipped over the Afterword because (swear word) you that's why. I didn't care what Koontz had to say about this book at this point. He had 700 pages to say it, and I was just done. This book fits so many squares for Halloween bingo, but I refuse to recommend you all read this. Just stay away.
"Strangers" follows like 20 people. I don't know. I stopped counting once we got up to five separate story-lines. Anyway, back to the book, "Strangers" follows a lot of people across the United States over a period of a few weeks who seem to be hiding from someone or something. Some of these people go into fugue states, others are scared of the dark, of black gloves (no really) and all of them are starting to feel strange. Once the strangers start to connect the dots they realize that all of them seem to be missing a period of time. And what happened during that period will be a revelation.
Cue the sad trombone noise.
So off the top of my head, these are the only characters I can remember. Dom, a writer who has hit it big. Ginger, a surgeon. Ernie who is a retired Marine who runs a motel with his wife Faye. Brendan who is a priest. Jack Twist whose name made me laugh a lot who is a retired Army Ranger but is now a thief (don't ask me, I didn't write this) and Stefan another priest. There are other people that were brought up later in the book and I refuse to go back and look their names up. Koontz focuses on these people at first (6 strangers) and then adds in more people. And let's not get into all of the secondary and tertiary characters. It's too much. I just maybe ugly laughed at one point last night or this morning (it was around 1 am) and I started to wonder if Koontz wanted to go up against King for most characters vis a vis, "The Stand." For those who are wondering, "The Stand' was published in 1978 and I recall as a kid not even trying to get through that brick. I jumped around a lot while trying to finish that at the age of 12. One of these days I will re-read.
I usually have one or two people I like in these kinds of books and honestly the only person that I felt any infinity with while reading was Ginger. I loved her whole backstory and if the book had focused solely on her I would have loved it. A young woman whose Jewish father and Swedish mother were very much in love with each other and her, she's excelled at anything she has ever wanted to do. When she starts taking part in surgeries in Boston and when she starts to have terrors and blank spots in her memory, she's legitimately scared she has a tumor or something else wrong with her. Unfortunately, Koontz switches back and forth between her and 5 other people, and then adds in more, and then Ginger is just lost in the wind like everyone else.
I already said this book seemed to start Koontz's fascination with portraying ex-military personnel as characters. One character, Jack Twist, had a storyline involving his wife that reminded me a bit of "The Husband."
The writing was great in parts (hence the one star) this book just needed way cut back. And when we get to Part III the book hit a ridiculous stage and when we get into the reveal I maybe said seriously? The flow was bad. There was no action until maybe the last 100 pages. Maybe less than that? When all is revealed. Until then it's just all of these people we track trying different ways to figure out what is going on with them. It's not that interesting in the end.
The setting of the book of course takes part in the 1980s. I can see some elements of horror and science fiction books and movies taking place here. We get the scary government element (see E.T., Flight of the Navigator, etc.). You also get (spoilers) which is very 80s too.
The ending was just a wash for me. I felt like I was being preached to (a favorite thing that Koontz still likes to do in his books) and just felt bored and also robbed of the time I spent reading this. show less
This book also indulges in all of Koontz's many writing weaknesses through the years, we can see his beginning fascination with military men or women who know how to shoot guns. We can see the "Perfect Woman" that shows up in his books again and again, though this one is short and a doctor. I can't recall him writing a woman with a job in his show more last couple of books that wasn't an artist or doctor. The book is also too freaking long. This is over 700 pages. I skipped over the Afterword because (swear word) you that's why. I didn't care what Koontz had to say about this book at this point. He had 700 pages to say it, and I was just done. This book fits so many squares for Halloween bingo, but I refuse to recommend you all read this. Just stay away.
"Strangers" follows like 20 people. I don't know. I stopped counting once we got up to five separate story-lines. Anyway, back to the book, "Strangers" follows a lot of people across the United States over a period of a few weeks who seem to be hiding from someone or something. Some of these people go into fugue states, others are scared of the dark, of black gloves (no really) and all of them are starting to feel strange. Once the strangers start to connect the dots they realize that all of them seem to be missing a period of time. And what happened during that period will be a revelation.
Cue the sad trombone noise.
So off the top of my head, these are the only characters I can remember. Dom, a writer who has hit it big. Ginger, a surgeon. Ernie who is a retired Marine who runs a motel with his wife Faye. Brendan who is a priest. Jack Twist whose name made me laugh a lot who is a retired Army Ranger but is now a thief (don't ask me, I didn't write this) and Stefan another priest. There are other people that were brought up later in the book and I refuse to go back and look their names up. Koontz focuses on these people at first (6 strangers) and then adds in more people. And let's not get into all of the secondary and tertiary characters. It's too much. I just maybe ugly laughed at one point last night or this morning (it was around 1 am) and I started to wonder if Koontz wanted to go up against King for most characters vis a vis, "The Stand." For those who are wondering, "The Stand' was published in 1978 and I recall as a kid not even trying to get through that brick. I jumped around a lot while trying to finish that at the age of 12. One of these days I will re-read.
I usually have one or two people I like in these kinds of books and honestly the only person that I felt any infinity with while reading was Ginger. I loved her whole backstory and if the book had focused solely on her I would have loved it. A young woman whose Jewish father and Swedish mother were very much in love with each other and her, she's excelled at anything she has ever wanted to do. When she starts taking part in surgeries in Boston and when she starts to have terrors and blank spots in her memory, she's legitimately scared she has a tumor or something else wrong with her. Unfortunately, Koontz switches back and forth between her and 5 other people, and then adds in more, and then Ginger is just lost in the wind like everyone else.
I already said this book seemed to start Koontz's fascination with portraying ex-military personnel as characters. One character, Jack Twist, had a storyline involving his wife that reminded me a bit of "The Husband."
The writing was great in parts (hence the one star) this book just needed way cut back. And when we get to Part III the book hit a ridiculous stage and when we get into the reveal I maybe said seriously? The flow was bad. There was no action until maybe the last 100 pages. Maybe less than that? When all is revealed. Until then it's just all of these people we track trying different ways to figure out what is going on with them. It's not that interesting in the end.
The setting of the book of course takes part in the 1980s. I can see some elements of horror and science fiction books and movies taking place here. We get the scary government element (see E.T., Flight of the Navigator, etc.). You also get (spoilers) which is very 80s too.
The ending was just a wash for me. I felt like I was being preached to (a favorite thing that Koontz still likes to do in his books) and just felt bored and also robbed of the time I spent reading this. show less
A group of strangers all start having flashbacks at the same time and follow the clues in these bursts of memory to a motel in the middle of nowhere. Were they abducted? Are they all insane? And what are these crazy new skills they have? Luckily one of them is a highly skilled thief/action man and they are able to go up against the horror.
A thoroughly enjoyable mystery horror thriller sci fi adventure. Good characters (as always), good pace, and excellent action.
A thoroughly enjoyable mystery horror thriller sci fi adventure. Good characters (as always), good pace, and excellent action.
Whew! This was a good, long listen. I enjoy long books with lots of characters with a story line that keeps evolving. People living in various areas of the country begin having similar strange experiences…super power level weirdness. They eventually meet up in California and things become even stranger. I’m a fan of Koontz and enjoyed this one.
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Author Information
530+ Works 228,193 Members
Dean Koontz was born on July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania. He received a degree in education from Shippensburg State College in 1967. A former high school English teacher as well as a teacher-counselor with the Appalachian Poverty Program, he began writing as a child to escape an ugly home life caused by his alcoholic father. A prolific writer show more at a young age, he had sold a dozen novels by the age of 25. Early in his career, he wrote under numerous pen names including David Axton, Brian Coffey, K. R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Richard Paige, and Owen West. He is best known for the books written under his own name, many of which are bestsellers, including Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, The Husband, Odd Hours, 77 Shadow Street, Innocence, The City, Saint Odd, and The Silent Corner. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Strangers
- Original title
- Strangers
- Original publication date
- 1986
- People/Characters
- Dominick Corvaisis; Brendan Cronin; Parker Faine; Leland Falkirk; Jack Twist; Jenny Twist (show all 12); Ginger Weiss; Faye Block; Edwin Block; Bennet Sonnenfeld; Winton Tolk; Zeb Lomack
- Important places
- California, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Elko, Nevada, USA; Nevada, USA
- Epigraph
- A faithful friend is a strong defense.
A faithful friend is the medicine of life.
--Apocrypha
A terrible darkness had fallen upon us,
but we must not surrender to it. We shall
lift lamps of courage and find our way
through to the morning.
--Anonymous member of the French Resistance (1943) - Dedication
- To Bob Tanner, whose enthusiasm at a crucial stage was more important than he can know.
- First words
- Dominick Corvaisis went to sleep under a light wool blanket and a crisp white sheet, sprawled alone in his bed, but he woke elsewhere -- in the darkness at the back of the large foyer closet, behind concealing coats and jacke... (show all)ts.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)No more, Baruch ha-Shem, no more.
- Blurbers
- King, Stephen; Clark, Mary Higgins
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.54; 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PS3561.O55
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Statistics
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- 3,330
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- 5,071
- Reviews
- 38
- Rating
- (3.79)
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- 15 — Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 59
- ASINs
- 26